I'm pretty sure that ON and OFF are also defined as 1 and 0.
I have 3 Uno's for 3 power districts. As each power district is using 4 Relays for track(2) and accessories power from my 5v(1) and 12v(1) sources. Since the relays are not stackable and addressable, and the relay shield has 4 relays, that further supports my need for 3 uno's.
This also keeps the underside of they layout cleaner as I keep my Arduino local to the area its servicing.
In the end, I am very happy with the results. My new 4 head yard lights showed up and they can run on 3.3v and 5v (w/resistor) and it looks like its using 16mA. I need to confirm that current. If correct, those can now be powered on by a pin from the Uno. I have ran some temporary wires which needs replacing an cleaned up now that I have a final product.
Next is turn out control. I may need to consider upgrading to the Giga so I have more usable pins assuming I can stack the motor and relay shield on the same Arduino (aka no conflicting pin usage).
You need 3 Unos because you make limiting choices.
There are loads of 16 relay modules for Arduino on sale for one
With WS2812 addressable RGB strip leds that can be cut and rewired, a single IO pin can control scores of 16-million color capable leds. WS28xx is about the single coolest thing that's happened to leds. WS2811 is easier to hack but the leds are in 12mm bulbs, a bit big for trains.. perfect for Christmas Trees and code is readily available.
Have you seen Adafruit's non-contact inductive wireless LEDs?
Ok, I have just seen those and they are totally BA... I am going to keep those in my arsenal for future use. Thanks.
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I used 3 Uno's because it met the pre req's for the job, which also included the want to NOT do a bunch of custom electrical work. And I am totally happy with the purchase and the results. I have been able to keep things such as wiring localized to the area of the railroad which has kept wire management down. I am sure there are other ways to do it with just 1 Uno. But then wire management increases.
Please look at how small many of the LEDs I use are.....
nano LEDs
My 3mm bi color (red/green) leds were a perfect fit for my track end points with out modification. And the 2 colors worked great with the need to indicate power state.
My next move will be to replace my 3 Uno's with Giga's wifi. Probably will do that next month.
Thanks again.
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