Hey everyone. I need some advice about a device I am looking to buy/assemble.
I’m looking for a small board with wireless capability that is able to host a PIR sensor. It needs to be run with batteries that can power it for maybe a couple of months.
An Arduino board like that is hard to find. I’ve only found the kickstarter projects “LighBlue Bean” and another project called “Wimoto”, but “Wimoto” you can’t modify and resell and the “LightBlue Blean” team hasn’t responded to my questions.
Maybe Arduino is not suitable for this kind of project?
If I where better with electronics then maybe I could assemble one myself, but know i’m very newbie, although I know some programming.
There are many new entries in the "Project Guidance" section. Some questions drop out of the first page before they get answered.
Welcome to the forum 8)
Most Arduino boards have voltage regulator and usb-to-serial chips on board. That makes them unsuitable for battery usage.
There are many ways for make a battery operated Arduino.
An Arduino compatible circuit with an ATmega328p can be made. It is sometimes called an Arduino standalone or barebone. http://playground.arduino.cc/Learning/AtmegaStandalone
It is also possible to buy an Arduino Pro Mini and remove the voltage regulator. That is simpler, but you need a usb-to-serial adapter to upload sketches.
The most simple is to use an Arduino board that is designed for battery operation, like the Lilypad http://arduino.cc/en/Main/arduinoBoardLilyPad
But there are others.
A battery can be 3 AA batteries, or a Li-ion or Lipo battery.
Running an Arduino on that for more than a year is not so hard:
The wireless has also many possibilities.
You can use the very cheap 433MHz/315MHz modules with the VirtualWire library.
Or the more sophisticated RFM22, or NRF2401. https://www.sparkfun.com/pages/Wireless_Guide
I have those very cheap ones with VirtualWire myself. I have even added XTEA to it with a random number, so if the same temperature or battery level is transmitted, the transmitted data is completely different.
Well, that is enough links to read for you
The best way is to buy an Arduino Uno and install the software. Try to make a led blink to see if you like the Arduino.
maybe I can assemble these two, connect a battery and get started? But I see that it lacks USB support so maybe you need an intermediary board for communication.
What I basicly need is to send a signal when a sensor has been triggered.
The best way is to buy an Arduino Uno and install the software. Try to make a led blink to see if you like the Arduino.
I don't have enough money to really experiment with the arduino, so I must go with the needed board from the start. Maybe you are saying this project is too complicated for a beginner?
It is not too complicated, but I spend 10 times more during making a project, than the result in the end costs.
I also think that you need some time to try and learn to use the Arduino.
I don't know if the XBee 1mW will work on a wider voltage range. I took a quick glance at the datasheet, but all I can see is "3.3V".
You need a usb-to-ttl-serial converter. You need that for the LilyPad and for the Pro Mini.
The Pro Mini is very cheap. For battery operation, you need a 3.3V version at 8MHz. And perhaps you have to remove the voltage regulator from the board.
The Lilypad is not cheap, and the XBee + XBee 1mW is also not cheap.
For the Li-ion or Lipo batteries, you also need a charger, using three AAA batteries is perhaps cheaper.
A Pro Mini needs an extra usb-to-ttl-serial adapter. But those are also cheap.
Those Pro Mini boards are fun to tinker with.
The BLE Mini at seeedstudio.com is that module from redbearlab.com.
It is not a programmable arduino board, it is only the Bluetooth LE part.
You still need an Arduino board.
Maybe I should get those components first and try to get them up and running before asking more questions...
I also found this product: BLEduino http://bleduino.cc/
It basicly has all the features I need, except it is also a kickstarter project... I guess BLE + Arduino is new.
Its also very similar to the LightBlue Bean. Xadow seems also like an alternative.
Yes, and if you want to connect sensors, you have to check which parts are 5V and which are 3.3V.
The Bluetooth LE is very new. I doubt if all tablets/phones support that yet, some older ones might not.
