Proximity-Sensor-Counting-Software

This application acts as a GUI between an Arduino micro-controller and a PC. It enables orders for a counting system using a proximity sensor to be sent over the serial COM ports.

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Proximity-Sensor-Counting-Software

Description

This application acts as a GUI between an Arduino Mega micro-controller and a PC. It enables orders for a counting system using a proximity sensor to be sent over the serial COM ports.

It saves a log after a run is completed containing Part Name, Part Number, Count reached over Target Count, as well as the total time taken for the run.

Features

• A Windows desktop GUI application to control and monitor counting runs.
• Integration with an Arduino (typically an Arduino Mega) via serial (COM) ports.
• Logging of run details including:
  • Part Name
  • Part Number
  • Final count vs target count
  • Total elapsed time
  • Validation to prevent overwriting existing log files with duplicate names.
  • UI enhancements and code organization improvements over earlier versions.

Requirements

• Windows platform capable of running .NET/WinForms applications.
• Arduino development board (e.g., Arduino Mega) with an attached proximity sensor.
• Standard USB serial cable for connecting Arduino to PC.
• Arduino code (included in this repo) flashed to the board.
• A proper COM driver installation so the PC can communicate with the Arduino hardware.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/AbdullahHasan42/Proximity-Sensor-Counting-Software.git

1. Open the Visual Studio solution:

   ProximitySensorCountingSoftware.sln
   

2. Build the solution in Visual Studio (recommended version that supports Windows Forms).
3. Upload the provided PSCS_Arduino_Code.ino sketch to your Arduino using the Arduino IDE.

Usage

1. Launch the compiled desktop application.
2. Select the appropriate serial COM port where the Arduino is connected.
3. Configure the target count and part metadata.
4. Start the run.
5. Monitor real-time counting as items pass the proximity sensor.
6. Upon completion, a log file will be saved with detailed results.

Limitations

• Works only with a serial-connected Arduino running the provided sketch.
• Current implementation relies on a single sensor event stream
• The GUI is built as a Windows desktop application and is not cross-platform.

Changelog

Updated

• Renamed variable names to be more consistent.
• Updated the UI style.
• Organized parts of the code.
• Enabled logger to detect if a similar name exists, to prevent overwriting.
• Fixed issue with Restart button sometimes not working.
• Added a validation method to PartName, to accept valid file name characters.

TODO

• Add a pause button
• Extend the pause feature to arduino
• Allow PSCS to increment counter using a substring from the arduino serial

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Common improvements include:

• Implementing pause/resume run support both in UI and Arduino logic.
• Adding modular sensor handling to support different sensor types or multiple sensors.
• Improving logging formats (e.g., CSV/JSON export).
• Adding automated tests for core application logic.
• Before contributing, please ensure your changes are documented and aligned with the project’s licensing terms.

License

This project is licensed under AGPL-3.0. See the LICENSE.md file for full terms.