Hi guys and gals,
I am beginning a rather large scale project which will require the use of a microcontroller. I have chosen arduino for its community as i am entirely clueless as to programming anything... so I truly appreciate any and all help.
ok, so the idea is that I will be lighting a wrapped vehicle with EL panels and would like it to animate at least 16 panels. I know there is an 8 port "sheild"(i think its called, on sparkfun. but i am not sure if i can control more than one board at the same time to give me 16 ports.
I would like the arduino to be able to recognize when the car is locked or unlocked from the key fob and provide an animation for this action as well as turn on when ignition is on.
All EL panels are run @12v and i would like to be able to step the voltage up and down VERY smoothly to allow for nice fade-in and out for animation.
I am sure there are more questions I will have, but I have much to learn. I know nothing about the hardware or software i will need. Thank you so much in advance for any help, I am really looking forward to my first microcontroller experience.
lighting a wrapped vehicle with EL panels and would like it to animate at least 16 panels.
16 panels you already have? If not, which meet your requirements? Link?
recognize when the car is locked or unlocked ... as well as turn on when ignition is on
Sounds simple if you use a microswitch inside the door panel to monitor the position of the physical lock mechanism - suggests some mechanical aptitude and a willingness to pull the door panel. Up to that? The ignition On can likely be gotten from the 12V lighter-charger adapter if switched (mist are.)
MrBurnette, Thank you for your reply!
I do not have a link to my particular panels, but yes I have them already as I am going to be importing them and selling them here. But if I were to pick one closely related it would be this one - http://www.adafruit.com/products/414 -
I don't mind taking the door panels off, I believe myself to be rather mechanically inclined. haha. so a microswitch. which board and hardware do you think I should work with?
Since your desire is 16 panels with "animation" you need extra I/O and SRAM both to give you some breathing space. I would recommend the Arduino Mega2560 board.
These are reasonable in price (especially the Chinese clone versions) and the 2560 has 4X the SRAM of the UNO. This is a good compromise in price/performance.
There are also U.S. products that will also give you a good bang for the buck: http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/teensyduino.html
just be aware that if you go the pjrc way your Arduino experience is going to be different a bit (not a bad thing at all.)
Critically important in an automobile environment is stable power. The alternator will create upwards to 14-17V across the battery which is nominally 12V. The 12V battery may drop below 12V when the vehicle is "Off", so having a stable voltage regulator is mandatory. Also, just like a good stereo system, the DC needs to be noise filtered properly (beyond the regulators on the Arduino/Shield boards.)
You sir, are a saint, a gentleman, and a scholar.
I do have a good aftermarket stereo in my car although I did not install it myself... Would I be able to find clean power off of that? I think I will stick with the mega2560 from arduino just to be safe. Any recommendations on peripheral hardware? or do i not need any?
stereo in my car although I did not install it myself... Would I be able to find clean power off of that?
Unfortunately, no. Poor car stereos must do their own filtering.
What you are looking for is an inexpensive version of
You may try eBay or other outlets for automobile systems. Considering the extended cost of your project, I would not recommend going "too cheap" in this area.
Peripheral h/w was intended to mean anything that the Arduino must "drive" at 5V but must handle loads of 12V... Like the el stuff.