Difficult question for simple soul

Hello everyone,

first off, thank you for reading my bad english and looking at the question.

I'm thinking about getting me a Arduino, beeing a bloody noob in programming it seemed as a good idea. But i've got a big idea and wanted to look if it is possible befor i put i lot of energy in it.

The idea is this: i make a lot of props for LARP and one of the thinks we were thinking about was a way to make locks with differend security-levels.

So what's the idea? I wanted to use a Arduino for controlling a:

#5x RGB led (linked)
#ethernet
#relay
#soundcard/midi
#usb-slot

the idea is that people get USB sticks with a code on it and soundfile's. If they stik them in the lock, the Ardiuno "sees" the stick and checks the security level, if it's not o.k. you wil get red led's and nothing else happens. Is the level o.k. jou get a green led (or wathever collor) the ralay opens and the soundfile on the stick get's played (soundfile's are on the stick so the user get a soundfile with his persenal name on it). In a later stage it als has to let the computer know how uses what lock.

So far i know the LED is no problem, the relay is no problem, the soundcard/midi (with a SMD-memory) is no problem and the talking with the computer is not a problem.

But i'm not sure with the USB-stick. I have found some things that show me how to write and read of a memory stick, but the sound file? The combination etc....

I have a feeling it could be done, but please o great masters of this forum, i'm i right, or a i looking in the wrong direction, and is there a simplere way of doing this?

with thanks, Gérard

I have a feeling it could be done, but please o great masters of this forum, i'm i right, or a i looking in the wrong direction, and is there a simplere way of doing this?

I'm far from a "o great master", but I'll have a stab nontheless =P

The lights are the easy part, shouldn't be an issue.
The ethernet thing.. where do you want to use this again?

The USB stick is the tricky part. I haven't seen any libraries or such to interface with a USB stick.. doesn't mean it can't be done, or in fact that it hasn't been done allready, just says I haven't seen it =P which doesn't say too much. If you'd have to do this yourself, it isn't something for a beginner I reckon.

However, why use a USB in the first place? There are plenty of SD card libraries and shields and whatnots out there, why not use one of those?
I'm not sure if it is possible to auto-detect the insertion of a SD card, but it shouldn't be too difficult to create this. I'm thinking having a wire go from the ground of the SD slot to an arduino pin, with some kind of resistor on the true ground part? I don't know, you'd have to ask in the hardware forum =P

Another thought is, storing your sound files somewhere else.. or ignoring those, and use RFID. There are also writeable RFID tags, so you could write the security level and the name of the owner onto the tag, and display the name instead of playing it as sound.

My two cents in anycase, hope it helped =)

Thanks for repleying o almost great master,

the ethernet thing i want to use on a later stage to tell the computer i use for the interactief DMX lighting system in oure dungeon what locks are open so the system can adjust the lighting of the room after the lock

and on the pont why i want to use USB-sticks? This system is for a LARP, think of it like a interactief roleplay in the style of Lord of the Rings, and i had in my mind to cast the USB-sticks in the form of a cristal (like the one's superman uses in his castle) because a fantasie setting doesn't know USB-stiks, but the connecting part of a USB stick is sturdy and i have like 50 stick lying around, buying 40 (i will need that many keys) SD cards is a lot of money. If SD cards is a lot simpler, i will use them, and find a ohter way to make the christals userfriendly.

But i'm trying to work with what i have.

with thanks, Gérard

I can comment that there is an Ethernet shield available for purchase with a (relatively) easy-to-use library.

This is one way to add USB to a Microcontroller... they way you mention.

---> http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategoryID=54&title=VDRIVE2

17.50 GBP = 26.4515 USD so a little cheaper than the Parallax solution.

Don't forget about the USB Host Shield for USB communication as well.

For a USB stick embedded reader you can try:-
http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/BASICStampModules/tabid/134/List/1/ProductID/434/Default.aspx?txtSearch=usb+datalogger&SortField=ProductName%2CProductName