I'm designing my own circuit board with custom LED drivers for a lighting system for an aquarium. So I don't have to worry about wires from my controller to my lights, I was thinking of integrating my drivers into the lighting system and sending the PWM dimming signal there wirelessly via bluetooth or RF. I haven't had too much experience with wireless signals so I thought I'd ask you guys to see which style would fit my application the best.
Right now I've been looking at xbee or bluetooth. My understanding of xbee is it works off a RF signal. I need to get 8 PWM signals to the LED drivers, I'm assuming to make it easier is to use a multiplexer to send fewer signals. I haven't fully worked out the details on that yet, I'd like to know what I can transmit and how first. I want something that can easily connect to the controller and only the controller without any real setup. I assume that'll have something to do in the software side.
Bottom Line, what's the easiest way to always connect (Bluetooth or RF) to my 8x LED drivers wirelessly, preferably something I can solder to a PCB that I'm making through Eagle?
Thanks,
A bluetooth module like this link is a lot easier to set up than an xbee modules.
What are you going to use to connect to the BT module to control the lights? Another Arduino or a PC, maybe your phone?
What range are you looking at, Bluetooth can go 30 - 35 ft, but a good xbee can go about 3000ft.
IR is out since the main controller will be in a stand or enclosure. Depending how it's set up, it may not have a direct view of the lights.
What are you going to use to connect to the BT module to control the lights? Another Arduino or a PC, maybe your phone?
What range are you looking at, Bluetooth can go 30 - 35 ft, but a good xbee can go about 3000ft.
30-35ft should be plenty. The controller is Arduino run, but I haven't decided if I want to use a simple bluetooth shield, or integrate bluetooth into my controller. I don't plan for the receiving to have an Arduino for itself if it doesn't need it. Simply all I want it to do is transmit 8 PWM signals to LED drivers for dimming. For the controller, I have further ideas to be able to access it with an android phone or something, but the lights should only connect to the controller.
So it looks like bluetooth is the path I should take, can I wire the bluetooth receiver directly to the LED driver's dimming signals? Or does it need some sort of processor between to interpret the signals?
Endevor:
I don't plan for the receiving to have an Arduino for itself if it doesn't need it.
I have no idea how you can build a simple wireless system that doesn't have an Arduino at the receiving end. And if there is an Arduino at the receiving end you don't have to transmit PWM signals, you just have to transmit the byte value(s) that will be used by analog(write) to generate the PWM signal locally.
I guess I'd have to stick an Arduino Nano up there. My goal was to make the Lighting receiver to be as simple as possible. If there's no way to do it without some sort of microcontroller up there, I may have to rethink my design.
I was thinking of doing something like that with a mulitplexer or two and a couple TLC5940NT for the PWM signals, but if the Bluetooth receiver doesn't deliver any signals of the sort, then I'll simply pass it through a micro.