Apart from ensuring you're wiring TX -> RX and connecting all grounds, you can use SerialTransfer.h to automatically packetize and parse your data for inter-Arduino communication without the headace. The library is installable through the Arduino IDE and includes many examples.
Here are the library's features:
This library:
- can be downloaded via the Arduino IDE's Libraries Manager (search "SerialTransfer.h")
- works with "software-serial" libraries
- is non blocking
- uses packet delimiters
- uses consistent overhead byte stuffing
- uses CRC-8 (Polynomial 0x9B with lookup table)
- allows the use of dynamically sized packets (packets can have payload lengths anywhere from 1 to 254 bytes)
- can transfer bytes, ints, floats, and even structs!!
Example TX Arduino Sketch:
#include "SerialTransfer.h"
SerialTransfer myTransfer;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial1.begin(115200);
myTransfer.begin(Serial1);
}
void loop()
{
char buff[] = "hi";
myTransfer.txObj(buff, sizeof(buff));
myTransfer.sendData(sizeof(buff));
delay(100);
}
Example RX Arduino Sketch:
#include "SerialTransfer.h"
SerialTransfer myTransfer;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial1.begin(115200);
myTransfer.begin(Serial1);
}
void loop()
{
if(myTransfer.available())
{
char buff[40];
myTransfer.rxObj(buff, sizeof(buff));
Serial.println("New Data: ");
Serial.write(buff, sizeof(buff));
Serial.println();
}
else if(myTransfer.status < 0)
{
Serial.print("ERROR: ");
if(myTransfer.status == -1)
Serial.println(F("CRC_ERROR"));
else if(myTransfer.status == -2)
Serial.println(F("PAYLOAD_ERROR"));
else if(myTransfer.status == -3)
Serial.println(F("STOP_BYTE_ERROR"));
}
}