Hi all, First time poster, but long time lurker. I've recently decided to take on a project i've been thinking about for awhile. Two part question. I like to use an arduino to create multiple heat "spots", i've seen another post on here but it didn't accomplish what i was looking for. Currently I'm thinking of just using nichrome wire, ideally this would give me the results i'm looking for. Size is a big issue, i need it to be as small as posible (the heating element). Is there any negatives or a better way of creating this heating "spot"? Think the diameter of a pencil. Also i need this to be in a sort of matrix, the same as you'd drive an LED matrix, could i use a shift register array for this? I'm looking at controlling 100+ heating "spots". But each "spot" has to be independently controllable (just a basic on/off). Just looking for a little guidance. Thank you.
if you dont need it to be that hot, what about a grid of copper on a pcb. shift registers would instantly explode on any sort of heating load. you'll need to buffer the output with transistors. logic level mosfets would be a good choice for that.
Thanks for your reply. I'm looking to get temperatures hot enough that for example, would toast bread. It doesn't have to be 300°f, but above definitely above 150°. I'll look into the logic level MOSFET's today, from my basic understanding of them, they're basically just switches, so how feasible would it be to put them in an array, to control 100+ of them with an audrino?