I would greatly appreciate a bit of hardware advice before I launch off & buy the wrong things. Below I have listed what I want to control in my diy audio gear & the complements I intend on buy to try & make it happen.
The Arduino will be inside my Preamp
Arduino is to Control:
• Remote control via Apple remote,
• IR input to Preamp for remote control,
• Turn on/off Preamp with remote
• Turn 2 other components on/off via delayed relay outputs.
• Adjust volume either directly to Buffalo III firmware/software or via motorised pot
• Adjust input selection either directly to Buffalo III firmware/software or ??? relays?
• LCD screen, to display volume, source selection, sleep function etc
• LDR to lower screen brightness as surrounding light dims, i.e. When I turn room lights off, display dims.
Proposed Components:
• Remote Control Apple MC377LL/A , http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MC377LL-A-Remote-Control-your-Mac-iPod-or-iPhone-/230767558901?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item35bad180f5
• VS838 Infrared Remote Control Receiver Module
• Arduino, BUT WHICH ONE?, Mega? Leonardo?
• 3.2" inch TFT LCD Module Display 400*240, I need large text that I can easily see from a distance, getting older you know.
• 2 x Tinker Kit Mosfet Modules for sending 12V output to mains switching relays in other components
• Tinker Kit Relay Module to turn on Preamp
• Shield – Tinker Kit Mega Sensor Shield V.2, do I need this?
• LDR ? The Tinker kit LDR Sensor seems to do the opposite to what I require
Questions:
• Will the VS838 Infrared Remote Control Receiver Module, connect directly to the Arduino or do I need extra components.
• Will the screen chew up too much computing power?
• Is there anything wrong with the components I have chosen?
• Am I insane ?
Which arduino will depend upon many things, such as; how many pins are needed, how much memory is needed, etc... If you can afford it, I would suggest starting with a mega, since that will prevent any pin/memory limitations from later require you to upgrade.
I would also suggest, you reconsider your relay choices. Instead of the relays you are using with the needed interface components; I would suggest choosing solid state relays. These can be obtained with logic level inputs requiring none of the protection/interface components needed by traditional relays, and further they usually provide optical isolation from the mains voltage. Example devices can be found on http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/645/1924.pdf
LDR ? The Tinker kit LDR Sensor seems to do the opposite to what I require
What do you mean by "opposite to what I require"?
Will the screen chew up too much computing power?
That's largely up to you, how much data it being displayed and how often is it changed. Using a smart LCD like the 4D System ones will remove most of the load from the Arduino.
As I am very new to this I think I misunderstood how it all works, I'll have a go at trying to explain how I should use the LDR for my situation.
As the LDR sensor's output varies with light level the Arduino input will read values from 0 to 1023 & with those values I can control a Arduino output to adjust the voltage levels going to the backlight of the screen?
I am very happy to take a recommendation of what would be a good quality sensor to use.
Can you connect these sensors directly to an Arduino Input?
Product Name Infrared Remote Control Receiver Module
Model Number VS838
Working Voltage 2.7V to 5.5V
Reception Distance 15M
Reception Angle ± 45 Degree
Low Level Voltage 0.4V
High Level Voltage 4.5V
Body Size 7 x 6 x 5.4mm / 0.27" x 0.23" x 0.21"(LWT)
Pin Length 22mm / 0.87"
Pitch 2mm / 0.08"
Material Plastic, Alloy
Color Black, Silver Tone
Weight 5g
Package Content 10 x Infrared Remote Control Receiver Modules
As the LDR sensor's output varies with light level the Arduino input will read values from 0 to 1023
Not really, the LDR forms half of a voltage divider with another fixed resistor. As such the voltage you read is not the full 0-5v range and therefore not the full 0-1023 range.
That said it doesn't really matter, you can still measure the difference in voltage between shaded and not shaded and use the value to adjust the LCD backlight so you're right in thinking you can do that.
This is an ebay special
Oh
Personally I won't work with components that don't have good technical data and hopefully support. An eBay product will almost certainly have neither of these.
Can you connect these sensors directly to an Arduino Input?
I'd say so because it says
Low Level Voltage 0.4V
High Level Voltage 4.5V
I assume that refers to the output voltage and that is compatible with the Arduino.
would be a good quality sensor to use.
I know bugger all about IR receivers so can't help much with that, but have a look for the TSOP range, there's a lot of info and examples about them.
