Visual Basic .NET - Temperature Bricklet

This is the description of the Visual Basic .NET API bindings for the Temperature Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the Temperature Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the Visual Basic .NET API bindings is part of their general description.

Examples

The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).

Simple

Download (ExampleSimple.vb)

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Imports System
Imports Tinkerforge

Module ExampleSimple
    Const HOST As String = "localhost"
    Const PORT As Integer = 4223
    Const UID As String = "XYZ" ' Change XYZ to the UID of your Temperature Bricklet

    Sub Main()
        Dim ipcon As New IPConnection() ' Create IP connection
        Dim t As New BrickletTemperature(UID, ipcon) ' Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT) ' Connect to brickd
        ' Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        ' Get current temperature
        Dim temperature As Short = t.GetTemperature()
        Console.WriteLine("Temperature: " + (temperature/100.0).ToString() + " °C")

        Console.WriteLine("Press key to exit")
        Console.ReadLine()
        ipcon.Disconnect()
    End Sub
End Module

Callback

Download (ExampleCallback.vb)

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Imports System
Imports Tinkerforge

Module ExampleCallback
    Const HOST As String = "localhost"
    Const PORT As Integer = 4223
    Const UID As String = "XYZ" ' Change XYZ to the UID of your Temperature Bricklet

    ' Callback subroutine for temperature callback
    Sub TemperatureCB(ByVal sender As BrickletTemperature, ByVal temperature As Short)
        Console.WriteLine("Temperature: " + (temperature/100.0).ToString() + " °C")
    End Sub

    Sub Main()
        Dim ipcon As New IPConnection() ' Create IP connection
        Dim t As New BrickletTemperature(UID, ipcon) ' Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT) ' Connect to brickd
        ' Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        ' Register temperature callback to subroutine TemperatureCB
        AddHandler t.TemperatureCallback, AddressOf TemperatureCB

        ' Set period for temperature callback to 1s (1000ms)
        ' Note: The temperature callback is only called every second
        '       if the temperature has changed since the last call!
        t.SetTemperatureCallbackPeriod(1000)

        Console.WriteLine("Press key to exit")
        Console.ReadLine()
        ipcon.Disconnect()
    End Sub
End Module

Threshold

Download (ExampleThreshold.vb)

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Imports System
Imports Tinkerforge

Module ExampleThreshold
    Const HOST As String = "localhost"
    Const PORT As Integer = 4223
    Const UID As String = "XYZ" ' Change XYZ to the UID of your Temperature Bricklet

    ' Callback subroutine for temperature reached callback
    Sub TemperatureReachedCB(ByVal sender As BrickletTemperature, _
                             ByVal temperature As Short)
        Console.WriteLine("Temperature: " + (temperature/100.0).ToString() + " °C")
        Console.WriteLine("It is too hot, we need air conditioning!")
    End Sub

    Sub Main()
        Dim ipcon As New IPConnection() ' Create IP connection
        Dim t As New BrickletTemperature(UID, ipcon) ' Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT) ' Connect to brickd
        ' Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        ' Get threshold callbacks with a debounce time of 10 seconds (10000ms)
        t.SetDebouncePeriod(10000)

        ' Register temperature reached callback to subroutine TemperatureReachedCB
        AddHandler t.TemperatureReachedCallback, AddressOf TemperatureReachedCB

        ' Configure threshold for temperature "greater than 30 °C"
        t.SetTemperatureCallbackThreshold(">"C, 30*100, 0)

        Console.WriteLine("Press key to exit")
        Console.ReadLine()
        ipcon.Disconnect()
    End Sub
End Module

API

Since Visual Basic .NET does not support multiple return values directly, we use the ByRef keyword to return multiple values from a function.

All functions and procedures listed below are thread-safe.

Basic Functions

Class BrickletTemperature(ByVal uid As String, ByVal ipcon As IPConnection)

Creates an object with the unique device ID uid:

Dim temperature As New BrickletTemperature("YOUR_DEVICE_UID", ipcon)

This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.

Function BrickletTemperature.GetTemperature() As Short
Returns:
  • temperature – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-2500 to 8500]

Returns the temperature of the sensor.

If you want to get the temperature periodically, it is recommended to use the TemperatureCallback callback and set the period with SetTemperatureCallbackPeriod().

Advanced Functions

Sub BrickletTemperature.SetI2CMode(ByVal mode As Byte)
Parameters:
  • mode – Type: Byte, Range: See constants, Default: 0

Sets the I2C mode. Possible modes are:

  • 0: Fast (400kHz)
  • 1: Slow (100kHz)

If you have problems with obvious outliers in the Temperature Bricklet measurements, they may be caused by EMI issues. In this case it may be helpful to lower the I2C speed.

It is however not recommended to lower the I2C speed in applications where a high throughput needs to be achieved.

The following constants are available for this function:

For mode:

  • BrickletTemperature.I2C_MODE_FAST = 0
  • BrickletTemperature.I2C_MODE_SLOW = 1

New in version 2.0.1 (Plugin).

Function BrickletTemperature.GetI2CMode() As Byte
Returns:
  • mode – Type: Byte, Range: See constants, Default: 0

Returns the I2C mode as set by SetI2CMode().

The following constants are available for this function:

For mode:

  • BrickletTemperature.I2C_MODE_FAST = 0
  • BrickletTemperature.I2C_MODE_SLOW = 1

New in version 2.0.1 (Plugin).

Sub BrickletTemperature.GetIdentity(ByRef uid As String, ByRef connectedUid As String, ByRef position As Char, ByRef hardwareVersion() As Byte, ByRef firmwareVersion() As Byte, ByRef deviceIdentifier As Integer)
Output Parameters:
  • uid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • connectedUid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • position – Type: Char, Range: ["a"C to "h"C, "z"C]
  • hardwareVersion – Type: Byte Array, Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • firmwareVersion – Type: Byte Array, Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • deviceIdentifier – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1]

Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.

The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.

The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.

Callback Configuration Functions

Sub BrickletTemperature.SetTemperatureCallbackPeriod(ByVal period As Long)
Parameters:
  • period – Type: Long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Sets the period with which the TemperatureCallback callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

The TemperatureCallback callback is only triggered if the temperature has changed since the last triggering.

Function BrickletTemperature.GetTemperatureCallbackPeriod() As Long
Returns:
  • period – Type: Long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Returns the period as set by SetTemperatureCallbackPeriod().

Sub BrickletTemperature.SetTemperatureCallbackThreshold(ByVal option As Char, ByVal min As Short, ByVal max As Short)
Parameters:
  • option – Type: Char, Range: See constants, Default: "x"C
  • min – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-215 to 215 - 1], Default: 0
  • max – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-215 to 215 - 1], Default: 0

Sets the thresholds for the TemperatureReachedCallback callback.

The following options are possible:

Option Description
'x' Callback is turned off
'o' Callback is triggered when the temperature is outside the min and max values
'i' Callback is triggered when the temperature is inside the min and max values
'<' Callback is triggered when the temperature is smaller than the min value (max is ignored)
'>' Callback is triggered when the temperature is greater than the min value (max is ignored)

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OFF = "x"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OUTSIDE = "o"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_INSIDE = "i"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_SMALLER = "<"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_GREATER = ">"C
Sub BrickletTemperature.GetTemperatureCallbackThreshold(ByRef option As Char, ByRef min As Short, ByRef max As Short)
Output Parameters:
  • option – Type: Char, Range: See constants, Default: "x"C
  • min – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-215 to 215 - 1], Default: 0
  • max – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-215 to 215 - 1], Default: 0

Returns the threshold as set by SetTemperatureCallbackThreshold().

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OFF = "x"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OUTSIDE = "o"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_INSIDE = "i"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_SMALLER = "<"C
  • BrickletTemperature.THRESHOLD_OPTION_GREATER = ">"C
Sub BrickletTemperature.SetDebouncePeriod(ByVal debounce As Long)
Parameters:
  • debounce – Type: Long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Sets the period with which the threshold callback

is triggered, if the threshold

keeps being reached.

Function BrickletTemperature.GetDebouncePeriod() As Long
Returns:
  • debounce – Type: Long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Returns the debounce period as set by SetDebouncePeriod().

Callbacks

Callbacks can be registered to receive time critical or recurring data from the device. The registration is done by assigning a procedure to an callback property of the device object:

Sub MyCallback(ByVal sender As BrickletTemperature, ByVal value As Short)
    Console.WriteLine("Value: {0}", value)
End Sub

AddHandler temperature.ExampleCallback, AddressOf MyCallback

The available callback property and their type of parameters are described below.

Note

Using callbacks for recurring events is always preferred compared to using getters. It will use less USB bandwidth and the latency will be a lot better, since there is no round trip time.

Event BrickletTemperature.TemperatureCallback(ByVal sender As BrickletTemperature, ByVal temperature As Short)
Callback Parameters:
  • sender – Type: BrickletTemperature
  • temperature – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-2500 to 8500]

This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by SetTemperatureCallbackPeriod(). The parameter is the temperature of the sensor.

The TemperatureCallback callback is only triggered if the temperature has changed since the last triggering.

Event BrickletTemperature.TemperatureReachedCallback(ByVal sender As BrickletTemperature, ByVal temperature As Short)
Callback Parameters:
  • sender – Type: BrickletTemperature
  • temperature – Type: Short, Unit: 1/100 °C, Range: [-2500 to 8500]

This callback is triggered when the threshold as set by SetTemperatureCallbackThreshold() is reached. The parameter is the temperature of the sensor.

If the threshold keeps being reached, the callback is triggered periodically with the period as set by SetDebouncePeriod().

Virtual Functions

Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.

Function BrickletTemperature.GetAPIVersion() As Byte()
Output Parameters:
  • apiVersion – Type: Byte Array, Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]

Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.

Function BrickletTemperature.GetResponseExpected(ByVal functionId As Byte) As Boolean
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: Byte, Range: See constants
Returns:
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.

For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled, because those functions will always send a response. For callback configuration functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by SetResponseExpected(). For setter functions it is disabled by default and can be enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_TEMPERATURE_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 2
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_TEMPERATURE_CALLBACK_THRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_DEBOUNCE_PERIOD = 6
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_I2C_MODE = 10
Sub BrickletTemperature.SetResponseExpected(ByVal functionId As Byte, ByVal responseExpected As Boolean)
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: Byte, Range: See constants
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and callback configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_TEMPERATURE_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 2
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_TEMPERATURE_CALLBACK_THRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_DEBOUNCE_PERIOD = 6
  • BrickletTemperature.FUNCTION_SET_I2C_MODE = 10
Sub BrickletTemperature.SetResponseExpectedAll(ByVal responseExpected As Boolean)
Parameters:
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Changes the response expected flag for all setter and callback configuration functions of this device at once.

Constants

Const BrickletTemperature.DEVICE_IDENTIFIER

This constant is used to identify a Temperature Bricklet.

The GetIdentity() function and the IPConnection.EnumerateCallback callback of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

Const BrickletTemperature.DEVICE_DISPLAY_NAME

This constant represents the human readable name of a Temperature Bricklet.