void loop()
{
int timeBetweenBursts = random(200,1000);
int timeBetweenShots = random(50,200);
int vertStart = random(1,180);
int vertEnd = random(1,180);
int horiStart = random(1,180);
int horiEnd = random(1,180);
int numShots = random(5,20);

int vertChange = (vertEnd – vertStart) / numShots; //how much to move vertical axis by each shot
int horiChange = (horiEnd – horiStart) / numShots;

vert.write(vertStart);//let it get to start position first, wait a little
hori.write(horiStart);
delay(100);

for(int shot = 0; shot<numShots; shot++){
vert.write(vertStart);
hori.write(horiStart);

vertStart += vertChange;//increment the vert value for next time
horiStart += horiChange;

This code tells the servos to move randomly (but in unison) and fire for a random amount of time. It’s a pretty cool way to show off how the system works and what role each part plays in the grander scheme.

One of my major goals for this project was to have some measure of control of my turret. And since there isn’t a native way to impact servo movements from your arduino I had to get a little creative. I used the serial monitor to take the ASCII value of a certain key (I used keys WASD for rotation and F for firing the turret) and write that value to the servo. I then created a set of 5 variables that corresponded to each of the numbers’ ASCII values. I used an “if” statement to determine whether or not one of those values had been written to the monitor, and if one had, the value’s respective servo would change it’s rotation by 10 degrees. But there’s a catch: if a servo overrotates, it will lock in place and will need to be unplugged and plugged back in. To avoid this issue from happening during my time on the laser range, I created a function that tracks the position of the servo and stops it from reaching its rotational limits.