Enhanced troubleshooting and reliability changes #35
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Major enhancements to improve module calibration and diagnostics:
New Features:
- Module calibration interface with real-time offset adjustment
- I2C connectivity testing endpoint
- Dynamic offset updates without restart
- Automatic restart on module count change
- Watchdog timer protection for long operations
- Add credentials.h for WiFi and MQTT defaults
- Create credentials.h.example template
- Update .gitignore to exclude credentials.h
Technical Changes:
- Add testI2CConnectivity and getAddress methods to SplitFlapModule
- Add getModules and updateOffsets to SplitFlapDisplay
- Modify testModule to home and display blank character
- Add watchdog feeding in motor control loops
- Add Module Calibration section to settings page
- Fix Alpine.js template issues and array initialization
API Endpoints:
- POST /api/module/{index}/test - Home and test module
- POST /api/module/{index}/offset - Update module offset
- GET /api/i2c/test - Test I2C connectivity
Documentation:
- Add ENHANCEMENTS.md with comprehensive feature documentation
- Add CLAUDE.md with project guidance
- Add CREDENTIALS.md documentation
MQTT messages were briefly displayed but immediately cleared by the display mode logic. The mode loop was overwriting MQTT messages because the web server's input/written state didn't match the MQTT text. Changes: - Add setWebServer() method to SplitFlapMqtt class - Update MQTT callback to sync web server state (inputString and writtenString) - Connect web server to MQTT in setup via splitflapMqtt.setWebServer() This ensures MQTT messages persist on the display by keeping the web server's state synchronized with what MQTT displays. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
…r motors This commit significantly improves system reliability across network connectivity and motor control with intelligent reconnection strategies and idle motor handling. WiFi Reconnection Improvements: - Implement exponential backoff for reconnection attempts (5s → 180s max) - Add maximum retry limit (10 attempts) to prevent infinite loops - Track reconnection state to avoid spamming reconnect commands - Provide detailed logging with status codes and wait times - Automatic recovery detection and state reset on successful reconnection MQTT Reconnection Support: - Add automatic MQTT reconnection when WiFi is restored - Implement connection monitoring with 5-second retry interval - Detect and log connection state changes (lost/established/restored) - Publish offline status when disconnection is detected - Skip reconnection attempts when MQTT server is not configured Stepper Motor Reliability Enhancements: - Add idle motor detection (tracks last movement time) - Implement gentle 3-phase wake-up sequence for motors idle > 5 minutes: * Gradual coil energizing to overcome static friction * Small oscillation to break stiction * Full power holding before movement - Enhanced I2C error recovery: * Track consecutive errors per module * Automatic recovery attempt after 3 errors * Clear error flags when communication resumes * Detailed logging of module health status - Automatic wake-up integration in moveTo() function - Extra settling time for modules that were woken up Benefits: - Prevents endless WiFi reconnection loops - Ensures MQTT connectivity after network disruptions - Reduces missed steps from idle motors - Better diagnostics through comprehensive logging - Improved mechanical longevity through gentle motor handling 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Changed motor wake-up strategy from time-based detection to always executing before any movement. This is simpler, more reliable, and ensures consistent motor performance. Changes: - Remove time-based idle detection (needsWakeUp method) - Remove timestamp tracking (lastMovementTime, lastStopTime, isMotorStopped) - Always wake up all motors before moveTo() operations - Simplify wakeUp() to focus only on the gentle wake-up sequence Benefits: - Simpler code with less state to track - More consistent behavior - every movement is preceded by wake-up - Eliminates edge cases from time-based detection - Better reliability as motors are always properly energized - Removes complexity without sacrificing functionality The gentle 3-phase wake-up sequence (gradual energizing, oscillation, full power holding) is now performed on every movement, ensuring motors are always ready for precise positioning. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Major code quality improvements to enhance maintainability, reliability,
and debuggability of the Split-Flap Display firmware.
Changes:
1. Extract Magic Numbers to Named Constants:
- Define stepper motor control patterns (STEPPER_PATTERN_0-3)
- Define PCF8575 I/O states (PCF8575_IO_INIT_STATE, PCF8575_MOTOR_STOP_STATE)
- Define timing constants (HALL_EFFECT_CHECK_INTERVAL_US,
MOTOR_START_STOP_DELAY_MS, WATCHDOG_FEED_INTERVAL_MS)
- Add MODULE_INIT_DELAY_MS for initialization timing
- Benefits: Easier to maintain, modify, and understand hardware interface
2. Add Input Validation and Error Handling:
- Validate targetPositions array is not null in moveTo()
- Check all target positions are within valid range (0 to stepsPerRot-1)
- Add default case in stepper pattern switch with error logging
- Log warnings when invalid characters are displayed (not in charset)
- Benefits: Prevents crashes, provides better debugging information
3. Refactor Duplicate Homing Code:
- Extract common homing logic into performHomingSequence() private method
- Simplify home(), homeToString(), and homeToChar() methods
- Remove 30+ lines of duplicate code
- Benefits: Single source of truth, easier to maintain and modify
4. Improve Error Messages:
- Add detailed printf-style logging for invalid characters
- Include charset size, hex values, and module addresses in errors
- Show which module and position caused validation failures
- Benefits: Faster troubleshooting and debugging
Code Metrics:
- Removed ~30 lines of duplicate code
- Added comprehensive input validation
- Improved code readability with named constants
- Enhanced error reporting for debugging
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Timing Fixes: - Fix stale currentTime in motor control loop - Fix sensor check timestamp - Reduce I2C error recovery delay from 10ms to 2ms - Add I2C timeout handling to prevent hangs MQTT Reliability: - Add busy flag to prevent concurrent operations - Queue MQTT messages when display is busy Documentation: - TIMING_ISSUES.md - timing analysis - MQTT_ACCURACY_FIX.md - MQTT fixes - ACCURACY_IMPROVEMENTS.md - future enhancements
Added documentation for recent enhancements: - Motor timing improvements for better accuracy - MQTT reliability with message queuing - Links to detailed analysis documents
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These changes address a number of issues I was having with the SplitFlap modules, mainly centered around reliability of the WiFi/MQTT connections and the repeatability of the moves, there are also additions to assist with the initial setup of the offsets.