Freetronics Ethermega and the "Eleven"

Projects General Guidance
1

This is getting annoying, and I shall ask Freetronics as well. But I feel it may be better to ask others as well.

Some of you may have read my other posts about my "multi-day alarm clock".

I may be faced with the fact that there aren't enough input and output lines.

I only need another output and enough inputs to allow about 8 keys. I'm picking 8 because it is a power of 2. I don't think 4 would be enough, but it may be.

Alas this would exclude the actual clock menu buttons, which I would have to accept as not accessible with 4, but could be with 8.

Anyway, I am just looking for now.

2

Some of you may have read my other posts about my "multi-day alarm clock".

Not sure, but feel free to add links to them.

I may be faced with the fact that there aren't enough input and output lines.

If we knew more, we may be able to help.

I only need another output and enough inputs to allow about 8 keys.

You may be able to use analogue inputs with resistors to give unique key ids.

3

Hi AWOL.

Link for my thread:

Believed pins remaining for use with what I have:
Buttons - pins used:
5, 10, 11, 4, 14, 15

LCD - pins used:
8, 9, 7, 6, 2, 3

RTC - pins used:
18, 19

Buzzer pin:
17 - the light, 16 - the other relay (alarm0)

Un-used pins:
0, 1, 12, 13 (LED)

Now, 0 and 1 are RX and TX if I understand the pin outs correctly.

Thus I could get a mini, micro, or what ever. From that one, I could put a "big keyboard" with lots of buttons to press.
That leaves 12 left. That's digital pin 12. So that could be my third output.

Ok, I could take 16 off as an output and use it as an input (analogue) and get a heap of keys on it.

Sure, a possibility.

4

What's using all the other pins? Mega based boards have fifty-something digital pins.

5

Sorry,

This is what I have:

It is called an "eleven" which is basically an UNO.

The alarm clock leaves bugger all pins left.

I am learning that the PHI-2 shield has some bad designs in how the pins are "broken out" for user access.

So, if you look at my second post, my project is there and a list of which pins I THINK are usable.

I noticed that pin 16 is an analogue I/O line and though it is "Free" where it is positioned I mistakenly used it as an output.

Luckily I can negate this error easily. But getting to the other pins is annoying.

So as I have realised that 16 is an analogue input it may be ok.

But I am just wondering/asking if the MEGA would be shield compatible so I could take the shield off this project and plug it into the MEGA and have it work.

6

Buttons - pins used:
5, 10, 11, 4, 14, 15

Enough for at least 9 keys - have you got nine keys connected?

There are all sorts of tricks you can use (matrix, shift register, resistor ladder...), but a schematic would help.

7

AWOL,

Yes, I accept what you say, but there is a "catch".

Those pin buttons are for the PHI-2 shield.

It is not nice that John did it that way. I don't know how easy it would be to hack the board to allow analogue input for the keys.

The "Schematic" is pretty simple - apart from the shield. Pin 17 is the output to drive one of the two relays.

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8

Those pin buttons are for the PHI-2 shield.

It is not nice that John did it that way.

What is a PHI-2 shield?
Who is John?
Have you adequately berated, nay, castigated him for his thoughtlessness?

9

PHI-2 shield:

I want to work on resolving the problem rather than "blaming" someone. Coz I guess it is just as much my fault for buying it.

It is just that it is a handy way to get the clock working and the sketch was a "multi day alarm clock".

10

You could build a simple intermediate shield to sit between Arduino and the PHI-2 shield to breakout the button pins and make better use of them.
That would be my first thought.
Heck, that was my first thought.

edit: My second thought, on re-reading was "what are the analogue pins doing?"
edit2: Re-re-reading they're used. OK.

11

Yeah, it is possible.

I guess a couple of strips of vero-board with extenders and access pins. Then I cut the tracks where needed.

Yeah, not rocket science. I'll look into the idea.