Hi everyone, I'm a programmer working on a new project and I need a device that can supply 5v to 8 devices at the same time and can be controlled with software to turn these output on and off when needed. Is Arduino the way to go for this? Any recommended hardware?
What's the current? (Kenneth)
each device draws around .5 amps, so for 10 devices I would assume 5 amps would be ok, but I'm not an expert with hardware
I would assume 5 amps
That would be using the power supply at its limit. Not good practice. Better to leave some headroom. So a 10A supply, for instance.
An typical Arduino output is good for (recommended) 20mA, 40mA max. So to supply 500mA to a device you will need a driver, like a transistor (BJT or MOSFET) or relay (mechanical or SSR) that can be controlled by an Arduino output.
If you really want help with your project, please list all the requirements and what devices that you want to use.
The devices are basic computer hard drives, the main goal is to be able to turn them off and on through a web interface.
An Arduino compatible for that could be one of the ESP8266 modules like a NodeMCU or Wemos. They have the Wifi interface, are powerful microcontrollers and can be programmed with the Arduino IDE once you load the core. See the beginner's guide to the ESP8266