Internet - Based Remote Control using a Microcontroller and an Embedded Ethernet Board

In this paper, we describe a recently developed DC motor position control experimental setup that can be accessed via the Internet. The experiment consists of two primary elements communicating with each other: i) a server consisting of a low-cost microcontroller, Parallax’s 40-pin Basic Stamp 2 (BS2P40), interfaced with an embedded ethernet IC, Cirrus Logic’s Crystal CS8900A, and ii) a client computer. The client computer sends/receives data to/from the microcontroller using UDP packets. The client computer connects to the server using Java applets that allow the user to command the position of the motor via a graphical user interface. The interface includes a slider and text input box for commanding motor position and allows values from 0—360 degrees. A plot provides a visual display of current position of motor using real-time sensor data sent by the microcontroller. Our microcontrollerbased remote control methodology can be readily applied to monitor and control other experimental hardware over the Internet.