This week I continued my progress with the Python-Arduino interface and worked on routing the PCBs. Last week, I learned that the pyFirmata interface that we intended to use would not be fast enough to loop over all of the LEDs, so I spent a large portion of this work exploring alternative options. Eventually, I discovered that uploading the code that loops over the select line values to the Arduino is unsurprisingly much faster than using pyFirmata. In order to read the values from the Arduino, I developed a script using the Python serial library that did string parsing to get the digital values and the select value. The PCB routing task proved to be tough due to width of the PCB, and the Auto-router was unable to complete the task on its own. While some of the PCBs have been completed, the task remains ongoing. Overall, I think that I am on schedule since I am keeping up with the tasks in the Gantt chart. Next week, I plan to continue working on PCB layout and the breadboard-Arduino integration.
