ESP8266 / ESP32 WiFi remote plug-in for tcMenu library
In this guide we show how to setup and use the ESP8266 / ESP32 Wifi remote plugin for use in the menu library. This plug-in works with most ESP boards. ESP WiFi is quite easy to set up as it’s built into the device. However, when using any ESP board and ESP8266 especially you must make sure that you frequently yield control to the runtime. If you are using task manager exclusively this should not be an issue.
Ethernet2, UipEthernet, Stm32Ethernet remote plug-in for tcMenu library
In this guide we show how to setup and use the ethernet plugin for Ethernet2, UipEthernet, Stm32Ethernet libraries. This plug-in works with Ethernet shields and many ethernet modules available for Arduino. For a general overview on remotely controlling and monitoring see controlling embedded apps with embedCONTROL. IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to configure and initialise the Ethernet adapter before calling setupMenu in the general application setup. See the section further down on sketch requirements.
Serial remote plug-in for tcMenu library
In this guide we show how to setup and use the serial communication remote plugin for tcMenu. It is a general purpose Serial plugin that has been tested with both USBSerial and Bluetooth on a number of different devices. Serial is probably about the easiest remote to set up in terms of hardware and software. Nearly all Arduino boards have a built in USB Serial adapter. On many Arduino boards there are additional Serial interfaces, usually named Serial1 and Serial2.
TcMenu - Using U8G2 to render menus onto an OLED
In this guide we show how to use the U8G2 library to renderer menu items to an OLED unit with tcMenu. This rendering driver for U8G2 is built into the core menu designer download, meaning it’s available out of the box. The U8G2 library supports a lot of different displays, with very different capabilities. This plugin concentrates on monochrome displays, mainly OLED that are supported by this library. It’s worth reading this guide fully so that you understand how we manage the various capabilities.
TcMenu - DfRobot input and display plugin
DfRobot input and display plugin make generating a menu for DfRobot shields very simple. There’s no configuration needed in order to produce a menu. This plugin auto configures the display to use LiquidCrystalIO library and sets up switches to use the micro-switches connected to analog input A0. Setting up for your menu First, ensure your menu structure is saved and then choose Code -> Generate Code from the menu. Once the code generation dialog appears, to the right of the current input type will be a button named “Change”.
TcMenu - Rotary encoder and switch input plugin
TcMenu base input plugin supports Rotary Encoders that are either connected directly to Arduino pins or via an I2C expander such as a PCF8574 or MCP23017. This support is provided by the IoAbstraction library that’s automatically included by the menu designer UI. The only limitation for rotary encoders is that PinA must be connected to an interrupt capable pin (or if connected to an i2c device that must be connected to an interrupt capable pin).
TcMenu - Rendering menus to LCD using LiquidCrystalIO library
In this guide we show how to render menu items using LiquidCrystalIO library, onto displays compatible with HD44780 (often referred to as LCD). This rendering driver is built into the core menu designer download, meaning it’s available out of the box. The LiquidCrystalIO library is a fork of the LiquidCrystal library, with a few additional capabilities. Most importantly, updating HD44780 displays is slow, think 270Khz slow. This library avoids long pauses by using task manager for managing these delays, so is uniquely able to keep your tasks running.
TcMenu - Using Adafruit_GFX to render menus
In this guide we show how to use the Adafruit_GFX library to renderer menu items with tcMenu. This rendering driver for Adafruit_GFX is built into the core menu designer download, meaning it’s available out of the box. The Adafruit_GFX library supports a lot of different displays, with very different capabilities. Some are monochrome with an in-memory buffer; whereas others are high resolution colour displays that are not buffered in memory. In order to make our renderer as generic as possible it supports both of these capabilities through configuration.
TcMenu - Using TFT_eSPI library to render menus
In this guide we show how to use the TFT_eSPI library to renderer menu items with tcMenu. This rendering driver for TFT_eSPI library is built into the core menu designer download, meaning it’s available right out of the box. This plugin simply wraps the functionality that the library provides. The TFT_eSPI menu plugin supports a lot of different displays, that cover a range of resolutions. However, we have mainly tested with both a ILI9341 and ST7735 based TFT, but it should work with other supported displays.
tcMenu - Java API to Arduino for remote menu control
Introduction - Java Remote control The Java API contains domain and state objects that represent the items in your application along with the current value of that item. Whether used locally or remotely you use a menu tree to represent items. Whichever way, the menu structure accurately represents the structure in designer, because the Arduino embedded menu designer uses this API. The remote communication protocol is fully documented for use in any language.
