6.6 Testing the Delivery Sketch

Install and run the sketch on the Arduino, open the Arduino IDE serial window, and pinch the force sensitive resistor between your thumb and forefinger. A delivery detection should register on the serial window. Release the force sensitive resistor and wait a few seconds. The serial window should report a value less than 400, followed by an Empty alert. If you don’t see these messages, check your sensor wiring. You may also need to increase or decrease the force_sensor_value threshold value condition to address any jitter or unexpected fluctuations in the analog readings of the sensor.

Next, make sure that the XBee radios are connected and communicating with each other. Use the screen command that was mentioned in Chapter 5, ​Tweeting Bird Feeder​, to observe the inbound messages from the force sensitive resistor when it is squeezed. The information being transmitted should be the same as what is being displayed in the Arduino IDE serial window. Once everything checks out, we can write a Python script that will listen for inbound XBee messages via the FTDI cable created--serial port and act on them accordingly.