Electronics has been my career so nothing should present me with a problem - that is until I come up against modern technology !!
I've a sensor project to build and have bought in a Nano and shield board to go with it. My problem is that I have this board which the Nano sits into that has all these pins sticking out of it, and I don't know what connectors to use to go onto the pins. I see jumper leads advertised but they seem to be for connecting to pin boards, and I'm wanting to connect to sensors that are up to 20 feet away. Can some tell me what I should be looking for please.
robgraham:
Electronics has been my career so nothing should present me with a problem - that is until I come up against modern technology !!
I've a sensor project to build and have bought in a Nano and shield board to go with it. My problem is that I have this board which the Nano sits into that has all these pins sticking out of it, and I don't know what connectors to use to go onto the pins. I see jumper leads advertised but they seem to be for connecting to pin boards, and I'm wanting to connect to sensors that are up to 20 feet away. Can some tell me what I should be looking for please.
Thanks
Rob
Those Nano expansion boards break out most all the basic arduino I/O pin in to a 3 pin .1" spaced male .025" square pin single inline that matches what most 3 pin R/C servo connectors are designed to plug into. This carries the +5vdc, ground, and the signal pin required to operate a servo. As such you could look for what is called 'servo extension cables' which would have one end that you could plug directly into the Nano expansion board and the other be modified as needed to connect up with your sensor devices. http://www.google.com/search?q=servo+extension+cable&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=k60bUbmNFaS42QXrq4DoBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1057&bih=792
I'm assuming you are talking about a NANO expansion board such as this one?
BTW, you may have difficulty trying to send a sinigle-ended digital signal over 20ft of wire. You may have to use a differential driver with twisted pair to acheive that.
Regarding simple jumper wires, have a look at the Male to female breadboard jumpers. That will help you with prototyping, anyway. If these are exactly like servo wires, you just need .1 (2.54mm) headers and crimp contacts. They are made by various manufactures. Digikey has lots of options. You typically buy the contacts separate from the "shrouds."
I was concerned about the distance to the sensors. I will only need to do the monitoring on a weekly basis for a period so will re-arrange the set up so that I can move the Arduino 'black box' to a connector near each sensor and store the data in the EEPROM for downloading to the PC later. I've an old property in Scotland and the underfloor ventilation appears to be excessive and I can't put in underfloor insulation, so I'm going to shut down the ventilation in stages and monitor the underfloor temperature and humidity
- that is until I come up against modern technology !!