[KE7GKP]

KE7GKP, thanks a lot for your advice and explanation of the UNO board! This pretty much means I should have used relays/optoelectric couplers many times before 

I'll have  close look at the UNO datasheet and get an ampmeter right away...

[CrossRoa]

CrossRoa, I can read you loud and clear!

It is this 3V EL inverter: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10201
Datasheet: http://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/LED/SPECIFICATION%20of%203V3M%20-%20%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.pdf
And this 3m length EL wire: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10195
Datasheet: http://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/LED/Technical%20Information%20of%20Flexible%20Neon%20wire.pdf
and an Arduino UNO

KE7GKP, the board is neither sweating nor smoking, and still alive. I have seen the EL Escudo and other EL shields but am wondering whether I can spare the expenses.

Hi,

I got a 3V EL interver and 3m of blue EL wire. I found out the 3V output of the Arduino board is sufficient for it to light up.

It it possible (and a good idea) to control the EL inverter to the arduino power supply and control it with a digital pin?
Or, could it even be powered by the signal of a digital pin?

(Yes I am quite noobish with electronics, please type your answer loud and slowly...    )

That's incorrect - you can read as often as you like, the limitation is on erase/write cycles.

indeed, i failed at RTFM  :

That is very tricky. Have you though how this would happen. Each arduino will have it's own unique map because it is a unique position in the topology. It will also be impossible to do this with a simple broadcast message system, you will need at least a pair of input / output communication links per arduino.

We have Arduinos linked up via '4052' multiplexers.
Each Arduino listens to four other Arduinos in turn, and sends to 'their' multiplexers as well. Listening in works well, we still have to see whether it works bi-directionally.

I'll try to have the Arduino network broadcast information on individual connections over time (like 'i'm no. 1337 and i'm next to you!', 'i'm no. 42 and i'm connected to no. 1337!').This way, they could have at least a map of their immediate neighbourhood.

A custom-made modeler app will collect this information and adapt the representation of the assembly:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9EO8azX8zo[/media]

Another approach is to give each Arduino a  unique address, either in the software or by attaching a 4 (or 5/6/7/8) position dip switch to some digital pins.

that sounds interesting! for my application it would be not ideal though, i'd never want to change the switches and i'd loose a few pins

Here's the code which works for me.
It is important to minimize how often the EEPROM is read from and written to, because it has a life estimate of only 100.000 read/write cycles.

Code:

// WRITES ARDUINO SERIAL TO EEPROM
//
// do this only once on an Arduino,
// write the Serial of the Arduino in the
// first 6 bytes of the EEPROM

#include <EEPROM.h>
char sID[7] = "CD6484";


void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for (int i=0; i<6; i++) {
    EEPROM.write(i,sID[i]);
  }
}

void loop() {
  Serial.println(sID);
}

Code:

// READS ARDUINO SERIAL FROM EEPROM
//
// reads the Serial of the Arduino from the
// first 6 bytes of the EEPROM

#include <EEPROM.h>
char sID[7];


void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for (int i=0; i<6; i++) {
    sID[i] = EEPROM.read(i);
  }
}

void loop() {
  Serial.println(sID);
}

I am making a flexible network of arduino-embedded interactive components.

The Arduino's should be able to communicate their ID to each other,  so they can figure out how they are connected and what the overall geometry of the component assembly is.

From your replies i figure the only way to do this is to once write the Arduino serial number to the EEPROM and then read it back whenever needed. Unless... there are other ways to do it?

Thanks a lot, but i wonder, can the Arduino send this ID via serial?

Hi all,

Is there a way to retrieve the ID ( serial number on the sticker on the back of the Arduino, e.g. "CD1234") of an Arduino via code?

I remember Phidgets offered that feature and i need it for my current feature. Suggestion for any means of identification of an individual Arduino are welcome. It should however best be independent of the code loaded on the Arduino and the data stored on the EEPROM.

Cheers