Im wanting to do something really simple but i have never used an Arduino before. Im familiar with PIC and 8051, but thought i would give this a go.
I want to control four solenoids via ethernet- i said it was easy.
So from what i can understand i need a mother card and ethernet daughter card. The solenoids only require 40-50mA, and to avoid building external circuitry i thought i might be able to piggy back a second daughter card the motor controller.
There seem to be so many options when i want to order cards, i thought i would ask for help. Any ideas on the hardware to purchase would be great.
The ethernet card also has a micro-SD card slot, allowing you to serve up pages with no computer. This gives you a stand alone device like your router - pretty cool stuff.
The Arduino Uno with the Ethernet included ($55) is a cool product but it looks like you would also need the FTDI Breakout, which costs $15 (sparkfun). So you are at $70 with no SD card slot.
For about the same price the standard uno and Ethernet shield may be the best option.