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Troubleshooting: Arduino Program for Voice Control Car Not Moving Forward

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It appears you’re encountering an issue with your Arduino voice-controlled car project, specifically with the “move forward” command. Let’s analyze the code and explore potential reasons why your car might not be moving forward as expected, even though other commands like turning seem to be functioning. This guide will help you troubleshoot your Arduino program for a voice-controlled car, focusing on the forward movement problem.

Here is the Arduino code you’ve provided for your voice-controlled and obstacle-avoiding car:

#include <AFMotor.h>
#define IR_front A4
#define IR_back A5

String voice;
int detection_front = HIGH;
int detection_back = HIGH;

AF_DCMotor motor1(1, MOTOR12_1KHZ);
AF_DCMotor motor2(2, MOTOR12_1KHZ);
AF_DCMotor motor3(3, MOTOR34_1KHZ);
AF_DCMotor motor4(4, MOTOR34_1KHZ);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(IR_front, INPUT);
  pinMode(IR_back, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
  detection_front = digitalRead(IR_front);
  detection_back = digitalRead(IR_back);
  if(Serial.available() > 0) {
    voice="";
    delay(2);
    voice = Serial.readString();
    delay(2);
    Serial.println(voice);

    if(voice == "turn left"){
      motor1.run(BACKWARD);
      motor1.setSpeed(255);
      motor2.run(BACKWARD);
      motor2.setSpeed(255);
      motor3.run(FORWARD);
      motor3.setSpeed(255);
      motor4.run(FORWARD);
      motor4.setSpeed(255);
      delay(700);
      motor1.run(RELEASE);
      motor2.run(RELEASE);
      motor3.run(RELEASE);
      motor4.run(RELEASE);
    } else if(voice == "turn right"){
      motor1.run(FORWARD);
      motor1.setSpeed(255);
      motor2.run(FORWARD);
      motor2.setSpeed(255);
      motor3.run(BACKWARD);
      motor3.setSpeed(255);
      motor4.run(BACKWARD);
      motor4.setSpeed(255);
      delay(700);
      motor1.run(RELEASE);
      motor2.run(RELEASE);
      motor3.run(RELEASE);
      motor4.run(RELEASE);
    } else if(voice == "move forward"){
      if(detection_front == LOW) {
        motor1.run(RELEASE);
        motor2.run(RELEASE);
        motor3.run(RELEASE);
        motor4.run(RELEASE);
        voice="";
      }else {
        motor1.setSpeed(255);
        motor1.run(FORWARD);
        motor2.setSpeed(255);
        motor2.run(FORWARD);
        motor3.setSpeed(255);
        motor3.run(FORWARD);
        motor4.setSpeed(255);
        motor4.run(FORWARD);
      }
    } else if(voice == "move backward"){
      if(detection_back == LOW) {
        motor1.run(RELEASE);
        motor2.run(RELEASE);
        motor3.run(RELEASE);
        motor4.run(RELEASE);
        voice="";
      }else {
        motor1.setSpeed(255);
        motor1.run(BACKWARD);
        motor2.setSpeed(255);
        motor2.run(BACKWARD);
        motor3.setSpeed(255);
        motor3.run(BACKWARD);
        motor4.setSpeed(255);
        motor4.run(BACKWARD);
      }
    } else if(voice == "stop"){
      motor1.run(RELEASE);
      motor2.run(RELEASE);
      motor3.run(RELEASE);
      motor4.run(RELEASE);
    }
  }
}

Analyzing the “Move Forward” Command in Your Arduino Program

The crucial part of your code for forward movement lies within the else if(voice == "move forward") block. Let’s break down the logic:

    } else if(voice == "move forward"){
      if(detection_front == LOW) {
        motor1.run(RELEASE);
        motor2.run(RELEASE);
        motor3.run(RELEASE);
        motor4.run(RELEASE);
        voice="";
      }else {
        motor1.setSpeed(255);
        motor1.run(FORWARD);
        motor2.setSpeed(255);
        motor2.run(FORWARD);
        motor3.setSpeed(255);
        motor3.run(FORWARD);
        motor4.setSpeed(255);
        motor4.run(FORWARD);
      }
    }

This section checks the detection_front variable, which reads the state of your front IR sensor.

  • Obstacle Detected (detection_front == LOW): If the front IR sensor detects an obstacle (reads LOW), the code is designed to stop all motors (motor1.run(RELEASE); … motor4.run(RELEASE);) and clear the voice command. This is the obstacle avoidance feature working.
  • No Obstacle (detection_front == HIGH): If the front IR sensor does NOT detect an obstacle (reads HIGH), the code should set all motors to forward and full speed (motor1.run(FORWARD); … motor4.run(FORWARD); motor1.setSpeed(255); … motor4.setSpeed(255);). This is where the car should move forward.

Potential Issues and Troubleshooting Steps for Forward Movement

Based on your description that the car isn’t moving forward, here are the most likely problems and how to troubleshoot them:

  1. IR Sensor Readings and Wiring:

    • Sensor State in Normal Operation: You’ve initialized detection_front = HIGH;. For most common IR obstacle avoidance sensors, HIGH typically means no obstacle detected, and LOW means obstacle detected. Verify this is consistent with your specific IR sensor module’s documentation. Some sensors might operate with reversed logic.
    • Incorrect Wiring: Double-check the wiring of your front IR sensor (IR_front – Pin A4). Ensure it’s properly connected to power (VCC), ground (GND), and the signal pin is correctly connected to Arduino pin A4. A loose connection or incorrect pin assignment could lead to constant obstacle detection.
    • Sensor Always Reading LOW: Use the Arduino Serial Monitor to print the value of detection_front continuously in your loop(). arduino Serial.println(detection_front); If detection_front is always LOW, even when there’s no obstacle in front, it indicates a problem with the sensor, its wiring, or its sensitivity adjustment. You may need to adjust the potentiometer on your IR sensor module to change its detection range or sensitivity.

  2. Voice Command Recognition:

    • Serial Monitor Verification: Your code includes Serial.println(voice);. Open the Arduino Serial Monitor (set to 9600 baud rate) and send the voice command “move forward” through the serial input. Check if the Serial Monitor correctly echoes “move forward”. If not, the issue might be with how you are sending voice commands to the Arduino or with the serial communication setup. Ensure there are no extra spaces or characters in your voice command string.

  3. Motor and Motor Shield Issues:

    • Motor Shield Functionality: Although turning works, it’s still worth quickly testing if all motors are generally functional through your motor shield. You can use basic example code from the AFMotor library documentation to individually test each motor to rule out any hardware failures with the shield or motors themselves.
    • Motor Wiring: Double check that all four DC motors are correctly wired to your L293D motor shield according to the AFMotor library and your shield’s documentation. Incorrect motor wiring can prevent movement in certain directions.

  4. Logical Error in Code (Less Likely but Possible):

    • Typo in “move forward” String: Carefully re-examine the string comparison if(voice == "move forward"). Ensure there are no typos or extra spaces in the string literal. While less likely, a small typo can prevent the condition from being true.

Recommended Debugging Steps

  1. Serial Monitor for Sensor Values: Add Serial.println(detection_front); inside your loop() function, before the if(Serial.available() > 0) block. Observe the sensor readings in the Serial Monitor to confirm if the front sensor is behaving as expected (HIGH when no obstacle, LOW when obstacle).

  2. Serial Monitor for Voice Command Echo: Keep Serial.println(voice); in your code. Send “move forward” via Serial Monitor and verify it is correctly received and printed.

  3. Simplify “move forward” Logic (Temporary Test): Temporarily bypass the obstacle detection for testing purposes. Comment out or remove the if(detection_front == LOW) condition and the else block, leaving only the motor control commands for forward movement directly under the else if(voice == "move forward") condition.

    } else if(voice == "move forward"){
  // if(detection_front == LOW) { // Comment out obstacle check for now
  //   motor1.run(RELEASE);
  //   motor2.run(RELEASE);
  //   motor3.run(RELEASE);
  //   motor4.run(RELEASE);
  //   voice="";
  // }else {
    motor1.setSpeed(255);
    motor1.run(FORWARD);
    motor2.setSpeed(255);
    motor2.run(FORWARD);
    motor3.setSpeed(255);
    motor3.run(FORWARD);
    motor4.setSpeed(255);
    motor4.run(FORWARD);
  // }
}

    If the car moves forward after this simplification, it strongly suggests the issue lies with the front IR sensor or its integration into the obstacle avoidance logic. If it still doesn’t move, the problem is likely elsewhere (motors, wiring, or basic command recognition).

By systematically checking these points, you should be able to pinpoint the reason why your voice-controlled car is not moving forward and get your Arduino project working correctly. Remember to carefully review your sensor documentation and wiring diagrams for accurate connections and logic.

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