Hardware control APIs

[seanshpark]

As of today, nodejs is on the discuss to support hardware and libuv is ready with uv_device_t PR.
For IoT.js, how are we going to support hardware control and manage devices?
First PR #105 needs some more adjustments and we need to discuss how to provide the API and manage H/W boards and devices. GPIO-control-ideas is prepared to draw everyones sketch.
Please add comments and write down to WiKi page.

[seanshpark]

As wrote in PR #113, process.iotjs can be used for distinguishing between iotjs and others.
it may also have other properties, such as running product class, H/W board, and network or other environments that is needed to make application to decide better.
If this seems to be a bad idea, please add comments.

[ILyoan]

I think we may need API reference for device control.
And for new module features will be introduced later on, how about consensus of API first and then implementation?

[ILyoan]

https://github.com/Samsung/iotjs/wiki/IoT.js-API:-GPIO

[ILyoan]

What type of mode could be exist for a pin of GPIO?

As far as I know there is only one; direction. Direction of a pin could be either input or output at one time thus rw pin is not possible right?

Is there any other type of mode besides direction?

[seanshpark]

I've prepared a short page https://github.com/Samsung/iotjs/wiki/GPIO-control-ideas few days ago, and pin mode is described in summary. If you jump to link http://coactionos.com/embedded%20design%20tips/2013/10/21/Tips-Understanding-Microcontroller-Pin-Input-Output-Modes/ there is more. Hope this helps.

[ILyoan]

@seanshpark The page you referred are only saying there are input and output mode(direction). Then can we assume that there are no other type of mode?

[seanshpark]

@ILyoan , If you let mode to be input/output, one more thing is floating that is something like disconnected.

Is there any other type of mode besides direction?

Besides direction, to the pin,

• Pull up or down or open-drain(open collector)
• Rise up or down edge detection
• input in digital or analog

[ILyoan]

Let's summarize what pin configuration are commonly definable so we can design our GPIO API more usable for anyone.

I see configurable options are:

Direction / mode

input

• floating
• pull-up
• pull-down

output

• open-drain
• push-pul

Frequency

Ports

[seanshpark]

Mode control depends on H/W. Is it ok to define actual mode in iotjs? Previous your comment was not to.

[ILyoan]

I'm not sure about it.
My first thought was that mode configuration API might be sufficient if it enable user to select direction("input" or "output"). but you mentioned there are other modes besides it. so I listed it up.

If detailed configuration(like pull-do/down, open-drain, etc.) was up to hardware (for example, if target architecture was fixed, modes will also be fixed), then we don't need to expose the APIs for control it for user. On the other hand, if some user application should choose detailed mode, we need to provide APIs for it.

My intention is that I want to know minimum set of APIs that is enough for controlling GPIO for majority of use case.

[ILyoan]

What about GPIO API like below:

gpio.set(pin, direction[, callback])

• pin: Number - pin number.
• direction: String - direction of the gpio pin 'in' | 'out'.
• callback: Function(err: Exception | null)

gpio.write(pin, value[, callback])

• pin: Number - pin number.
• value: Boolean - true to turn on false to turn off.
• callback: Function(err)

gpio.read(pin[, callback])

• pin: Number - pin number.
• callback: Function(err: Exception | null, value: Boolean)

Concerns

• API for initializing GPIO may not be needed because we can initalize gpio when it is required.
• API for releasing GPIO may not be needed because we can release resources when program down.
• Setting mode like 'pull-up', 'pull-down', 'open-drain', and etc might not be need if we don't support interrupt based event, I'm not sure about this but my understanding is that this is trivial for most of the use cases, many gpio application could use default mode setting.
• pin number could be actual hardware pin number or it could be gpio number. I prefer later one, so that pin number could be always 1,2,3,... independent on hardware.

[ILyoan]

Binding GPIO in iotjs namespace is also thinkable.
By this applications can get gpio module by var gpio = require('iotjs').gpio.
The advantage of binding is that we can provide 'iotjs' npm fo node.js, so that exactly the same program could be run on both node.js and iot.js without knowing the platform underneath it. Since apps can use 'iotjs' functionality including gpio control independent of hardwares, all that apps have to do will be requiring 'iotjs'.

[seanshpark]

Setting mode like 'pull-up', 'pull-down', 'open-drain',

these may need for some devices for addition in/out control. so set() with direction may not be sufficient.

pin number could be actual hardware pin number or it could be gpio number.

please look around 2.2.5 I/O Interface in http://www.element14.com/community/servlet/JiveServlet/previewBody/51124-102-2-267813/STM32F4DIS-BB%20User%20Manual.pdf and http://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-73950/l/raspberry-pi-2-model-b-gpio-40-pin-block-pinout file. my opinion is to use pin number and let the application or module develop define and use some named alias.

Binding GPIO in iotjs namespace is also thinkable.

yes, nice. currently in private but please look inside iotjs-app repo.

[ILyoan]

Then, what about this?

gpio.set(pin, direction[, mode][, callback])

• pin: Number - pin number.
• direction: String - direction of the gpio pin 'in' | 'out'.
• mode: String - optional.
• callback: Function(err: Exception | null)

It looks like name aliasing such as GPIO1, GPIO2, GPIO3,... is not proper approach as pin specification are very different from HW to HW. Let's just leave aliasing for application until we find general solution.

[seanshpark]

gpio.set(pin, direction[, mode][, callback]) seems nice.
can you describe relation with this API and PR #125 ?

[seanshpark]

API for initializing GPIO may not be needed because we can initalize gpio when it is required.
API for releasing GPIO may not be needed because we can release resources when program down.

There may be resource waste. disagree on this.

direction: String - direction of the gpio pin 'in' | 'out'.

why use string when number is used underneath? user module can use this.

API seems nice but for linux system using /sys/class/gpio, I cannot see how to unexport

[ILyoan]

@seanshpark
The hardware dependent implementation could be changed according to API.
For example, if we decide to provide gpio.set(pin, direction) the underneath function prototype should be something like SetMode(int pin_number, Direction direction) current implementation assumes pin include mode information including pin number. Also our API to write data to pin was gpio.write(pin, value:bool) then corresponding C++ function prototype will be Write(int pin_number, bool value). So it's relevant to.

I think using string is more intuitive than using enum like number so easy to understand for user. For example filesystem use "r+" instead of O_RDWR.

We can add API for initialiing / releasing / unset pin.

gpio.initialize()

Initialize gpio service. User application should call this function before calling any other gpio functions.

gpio.release()

Release gpio service.

gpio.unset(pin[, callback])

• pin: Number - pin number to unset.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null).

[ILyoan]

From discussion today morning, we have formed a consensus for GPIO API candidate.

I think this API layout will reflect the idea.

iotjs.gpio

• pin number is logical number starts from 1. Thus logical pin number k is not necessarily bound to physical pin number k in your board.
• port number is logical number starts from 1. Thus logical port number k is not necessarily bound to physical port number k in your board.
• 8 logical pin will be bound to a logical port. For example, pin number 18 will bound to port 1, pin number 916 bound to port 2, and so forth.
• If you write a byte value to a port, the result is the same as writing each bit to corresponding pin. For example, let's say you write (10101011)2 to port 1. the operation will write up bit to pin 1, up bit to pin 2, down bit to pin 3, ... , up bit to pin 8.

gpio.initialize()

Initialize gpio control.

gpio.release()

Release gpio control.

gpio.setPin(pinNumber, direction[, mode][, callback])

• pinNumber: Number - pin number to configure
• direction: 'in' | 'out' - direction of the pin.
• mode: String - pin mode.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null).

Configure single pin.

gpio.writePin(pinNumber, value[, callback])

• pinNumber: Number - pin number to wirte
• value: Boolean.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null).

Write a boolean value to a pin.

gpio.readPin(pinNumber, callback)

• pinNumber: Number - pin number to read.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null, value: Boolean).

Read value from a pin.

gpio.setPort(portNumber, direction[, mode][, callback])

• portNumber: Number - port number to configure.
• direction: 'in' | 'out' - direction of the port.
• mode: String - pin mode.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null).

Configure single port. All pins bound to this port will have the configuration.

gpio.writePort(portNumber, value[, callback])

• portNumber: Number - port number to wirte
• value: Number(1 Byte).
• callback: Function(err: Error | null).

Write a byte value to a port.

gpio.readPort(portNumber, callback)

• portNumber: Number - port number to read.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null, value: Number(1 byte)).

Read value from a port.

gpio.query(queryOption, callback)

• queryOption: Object.
• callback: Function(err: Error | null, result: Object).

[seanshpark]

Great. I've coped above descriptions to GPIO-API-candidate page. I've some comments

1. direction: 'in' | 'out': what do you think using boolean. code will be simple.
2. is resetPin() api not needed anymore or just forgot?

[ILyoan]

@seanshpark

1. true for what? in or out ? I wonder if it could be a little confusing.
2. you men unset()? We could provide it. or we can do it with setPin() with direction 'none'.

[seanshpark]

1. something like direction change to out or output and if true, will be set to output mode.
2. setPin() with direction none can be a choice for unsetPin() but I prefer not to use string as value. simple value compare not string compare.

[seanshpark]

I think I got confused. for the JS API, direction with 'out' | 'in' | 'none' seems ok.

[ILyoan]

@seanshpark, thanks for your confirmation.

[seanshpark]

thank you too, I'll begin the implementation when new HW arrives, for testing.

[ILyoan]

Closing as we reached consensus about the API:
https://github.com/Samsung/iotjs/wiki/IoT.js-API:-GPIO

Feel free to reopen if it needed.