5 PIR sensors

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Troubleshooting
1

im trying to connect multiple PIR sensors to a single Arduino board and have them each make a separate light blink but when ever i activate 2 or more of them any of the lights randomly activate after the initial light and i dont know why or how to have it just pick up 1 movement at a time

int timer = 50;
int alarmPin1 = 0;
int alarmValue1 = 0;
int ledPin1 = 13;
int alarmPin2 = 1;
int alarmValue2 = 0;
int ledPin2 = 12;
int alarmPin3 = 2;
int alarmValue3 = 0;
int ledPin3 = 11;
int alarmPin4 = 3;
int alarmValue4 = 0;
int ledPin4 = 10;
int alarmPin5 = 4;
int alarmValue5 = 0;
int ledPin5 = 9;

void setup () {
Serial.begin (9600);
pinMode(ledPin1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(alarmPin1, INPUT);
pinMode(ledPin2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(alarmPin2, INPUT);
pinMode(ledPin3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(alarmPin3, INPUT);
pinMode(ledPin4, OUTPUT);
pinMode(alarmPin4, INPUT);
pinMode(ledPin5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(alarmPin5, INPUT);
delay (2000); // it takes the sensor 2 seconds to scan the area around it before it can detect infrared presence.
}

void loop (){
alarmValue1 = analogRead(alarmPin1);
if (alarmValue1 < 200){
blinky1(); // blinks when the motion has been detected, just for confirmation.
}
delay(timer);
Serial.println (alarmValue1);
delay (50);

//alarmValue1 end-----------------------------
alarmValue2 = analogRead(alarmPin2);
if (alarmValue2 < 200){
blinky2();
}
delay(timer);
Serial.println (alarmValue2);
delay (50);

alarmValue3 = analogRead(alarmPin3);
if (alarmValue3 < 200){
blinky3();
}
delay(timer);
Serial.println (alarmValue3);
delay (50);

alarmValue4 = analogRead(alarmPin4);
if (alarmValue4 < 200){
blinky4();
}
delay(timer);
Serial.println (alarmValue4);
delay (50);

alarmValue5 = analogRead(alarmPin5);
if (alarmValue5 < 200){
blinky5();
}
delay(timer);
Serial.println (alarmValue5);
delay (50);
}

void blinky1() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(13,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}
void blinky2() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(12,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(12,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}
void blinky3() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(11,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}
void blinky4() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(10,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}
void blinky5() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(9,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(9,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}

2

Could it be because more than one of the sensors pick up the presence of a person ? then serveral of your blinky functions would be called one after the other

Also you have 5 almost identical blinky functions:

void blinky1() {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(13,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}

You could make just one function with the pin number as a parameter like:

void blinky(PinNr) {
for(int i=0; i<3; i++) {
digitalWrite(PinNr,HIGH);
delay(50);
digitalWrite(PinNr,LOW);
delay(50);
}
}

And call it like blinky(LedToBlink);

This would make your code a lot smaller and easier to debug.