Post date: Jul 06, 2010 9:55:58 PM
The Puncuation method is basically using multiple sensors and printing their values in a way that can be easily read. In Arduino, the sensors are read and processed, ending up with the values printed on a new line in the serial monitor every time the loop function is run. In Processing, the values that were sent by Arduino are read and used to control the the ellipse, with the values being printed again in a clear, easy to read format.
The Hand Shaking method does the same thing as the punctuation method, except it waits for an "established contact," or response, from somewhere to do so. Arduino will run the establishContact function over and over, in this case printing "hello", until it senses that there is available serial data. When it senses that, it switches over to the loop function, and runs this only when serial data is available. Processing asks Arduino for data every time the serialEvent function is run, until it recieves some. When it does, it prints the values from the sensors in the same, easy to read way as in the Punctuation method, and the values control the ellipse.
These two methods are very similar. They both use multiple sensors to do what is asked of them. They both use the serialEvent function in Processing, which runs after the buffer reaches a certain byte value set by the bufferUntil method in setup. They also print the sensors' values in easy to read formats. The main difference is that in the Punctuation method, the functions are run continuously without the need of input to start the loop, while in the Hand Shaking method, the establishContact method requires a stimulant to start it.