Dear friends: I wonder whether there is a maximum length of cable carrying the signal from Arduino (that 5V signal from the digital output pins)? I am developing a “smart home” system for the first time, and am juggling whether to use wifi to carry the signal or just a simple long digital cable throughout the room / house. Thank you very much for your kind help.
(deleted)
agussari:
Dear friends: I wonder whether there is a maximum length of cable carrying the signal from Arduino (that 5V signal from the digital output pins)? I am developing a “smart home” system for the first time, and am juggling whether to use wifi to carry the signal or just a simple long digital cable throughout the room / house. Thank you very much for your kind help.
There is no "simple long digital cable". Just what are you referring to? Link to specs? I am using about 50 feet of very tiny shielded silver plated wire between Arduino nano and my anemometer. Uses the 5 volts from one pin to the reed switch. That works just fine.
Paul
agussari:
I wonder whether there is a maximum length of cable carrying the signal from Arduino (that 5V signal from the digital output pins)?
Directly from a pin, having it reliable and not damaging the chip ? I'd say only a meter or two.
Use RS485 drivers and you could have multiple devices on the same cable and run it up to a kilometer
- although sending messages from multiple devices down a "simple long digital cable" is not actually so simple.
Might be more interesting to go for WiFi, the low price of the modules these days might make it cheaper than cable !
Yours,
TonyWilk
I wonder whether there is a maximum length of cable carrying the signal from Arduino
Yes there is. However what this is depends on a number of factors, many of which you probably do not know and can't measure.
They all to some extent depend on what the signal is trying to drive, how fast the signal changes and what sort of EM environment it is in. That last point is what sort of interference is around in the vicinity of your cable.
It is a question not only with no easy answers but no answers at all without a whole lot more information.
However this link might help OSH Park ~ from the creator of the Teensy series of boards.