Developing a menu interface

eblancke

I wish to develop a menu interface for a home irrigation project with watering station details and time input.
I wish to use an LCD and buttons.
I have many other projects that need menus, so I want to do this is a way that it can be easily transferred to other applications.
I have read Jon William N&V column #62 which has 6 buttons (up, down, left, right, OK, set).
This menu programming strikes me as a generic problem, and I am sure there has been a lot of investigation and optimisation done by someone.
Can anyone point me to other articles or ideas.
Regards

sam_sam_sam

eblancke


I would like to see a demo on how to do this as well
menu interface with switchs and display it on a LCD

or if a demo is already out there

Then what parts do you need to make·this part work
I·also have some projects on hold beacuse of not·knowing how to do this part of it

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··Thanks for any··that you may have and all of your time finding them

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Sam

eblancke

I spent some time browsing commercial irrigation timers and the current best practice seems to be a circular dial with some menu selections, navigation buttons and an LCD screen.
Typically the dial positions are "Current day", "current time", water start time", "run time" and "auto".
The buttons are next, +, -, enter and clear.
I can see that having a dial will eliminate one level of menu programming, and may need less navigation buttons.
I will do some experimental programming and see how the dial/buttons/LCD compares to straight buttons/LCD.
Any other ideas out there ?
Regards,

Unsoundcode

Hi eblancke, perhaps one of the simplest ways is a menu tree navigated with only three buttons. Buttons 0 and 1 take you back and forward through the menu and are also used for raising and lowering parameters. Button 2 is used·to enter and exit·parameter selection·.

Attached is a small example that requires no hardware. In your actual interface DEBUG would be replaced by·messages to a LCD and DEBUGIN would be replaced by code reading 3 pins. If you download and run the program navigate only by using the keyboard keys 0,1 and 2

I added code to one of the parameter selections as a further example of parameter selection and adjustment, its not complete by the fact the time can be raised below or beyond 0 to 2400 hours but it gives the idea

Jeff T.

mm

http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/downloads/nvcolumns/Nuts_Volts_Downloads_V4.asp

Go to the link above and download everything for Nuts-n-Volts #97 which will help you get started.

I used it for a similar project which used RF remotes.

Unfortunately I can't acess the code anymore as MY pc is new and all of my old BS2 programs are on a now dead/crashed PC which I'm slowly transferring code over from the old hard drive.


Mike