I have a need to send voltage, date/time and a unit number over wireless to a computer or phone.
What is the correct Arduino products to accomplish this. The programming looks easy just need to know the hardware. Sender unit needs to be small. 25mm X 15mm or less if possible. Max size is 50mm X 32mm.
If you describe the actual project, such as which sensor, where it is, why the information needs to goto a phone etc, you will get far better answers.
Remember, you know the project, the forum does not.
designjh:
Sender unit needs to be small. 25mm X 15mm or less if possible. Max size is 50mm X 32mm.
That will be a challenge unless you are capable of designing your own PCB and using surface mount components.
Probably the smallest wireless equipped device is an ESP8266 WiFi module. This is about as small as I could get it. The pins are spaced at 2mm (rather than the 2.54mm used by an Uno).
The ESP8266 is also a powerful microprocessor.
The other way I created a small device was with an Attiny1634 and a cut-down nRF24L01+ module
As you can see a lot of fine soldering is required.
Currently I am using Attiny84s coupled with the regular nRF24L01+ module.
These links may be of interest
Simple nRF24L01+ Tutorial
ESP-NOW tutorial
...R
designjh:
The programming looks easy just need to know the hardware.
Curious, if you dont know the hardware, how can you know what programming is needed ?
"The programming looks easy just need to know the hardware."
Use the forum Google search function in the upper right of this page to search for "wifi", "GSM" and similar key words. You will probably find many previous project discussions and code using these devices.
srnet and others... I have an analog project that provides output of voltage change (a fault) to the input side of a sender unit. I want to send the changed state via wireless to a receiver. The receiver would flag when the change happens, the state change and date stamp it. The receiver would record what unit sent to data as well. Then the receiver using embedded software/logic would contact a phone to let the me know that a fault has occurred.
The size restrictions only apply to the sender unit as it would be inside of a small device.
I can find all sorts of large coded/ software driven/ industrial type transmitters but I have seen that it doesn't need to be much to just send a small single signal via wireless. I am not a FM guy, just need to get a firm starting point.
Looking for a simple board to purchase that can send 1 signal 1000ft.
Thanks for any help!
"Looking for a simple board to purchase that can send 1 signal 1000ft."
You might do a forum search for "LoRa" to see possible past projects with this radio system. Info link below.
designjh:
I have a need to send voltage, date/time and a unit number over wireless to a computer or phone.
designjh:
Looking for a simple board to purchase that can send 1 signal 1000ft.
just need to know the hardware.
You certainly do.
You have essentially four practical wireless means
- Bluetooth: useable by PC and phone but probably not viable as the distance is likely too much even for BLE.
- Phone: fine for phone, probably not for PC. Unit number implies multiple units, hence seriously multiple dollars.
- other wireless systems like LoRa: doubtful practicality for phone.
- WiFi: practical for both phone and PC. Range may be OK, maybe not. For about $5 you could try suck-it-and-see with an ESP-01. The size is about what you have in mind, no Arduino required, and it/they could get the time/date from the internet via WiFi. If you take this route, a WiFi range extender may be helpful, they need power.
designjh:
Looking for a simple board to purchase that can send 1 signal 1000ft.Thanks for any help!
Can you decribe what the project actually is, not just some of the technical details.
In particular, whilst you know where this range of 1000ft might be, the forum does not.
A radio system that might have the capability to cover 1000ft in clear open land with no obstructions, might not go 10ft from one room to another indoors ...............................
Thank you all again for your help.
The project is like this:
I have a device that when a fault condition happens a voltage goes either high or low depending on the fault.
I want to communicate that a fault has occurred to a phone. There are 250 separate units that could have a fault. The likelihood of more than two units having a fault at the same time is near 0%. My current pc board does not have real-estate for a circuit so I have to add a second board above the primary that will have the sender unit. (My current pc board is surface mount components). The space I have is approx. 2" x 1-1/2" Max.
The 1000ft. distance is over an open area with possible vehicles around (outside). May have to pass into a building where I would be is located. An outdoor (with power) booster is possible.
I am only responsible for the sender unit and the type of signal sent.
Does this info help?
designjh:
I want to communicate that a fault has occurred to a phone.The space I have is approx. 2" x 1-1/2" Max.
The 1000ft. distance is over an open area
I am only responsible for the sender unit and the type of signal sent.
Does this info help?
A little bit. You don't say what this mysterious pc board actually does, only that its design is inadequate for the job in hand, and I guess the available space thereon is just down to luck. It could be that it is redundant, thereby solving a space problem.
Further, you may also be responsible for complaints from the receiver. Indeed, if there is any problem in that arena, the receiver will probably make sure you are. It could be that everything is fine until it comes to the phone app. It is probably simpler to have one sensor also act as a base station which collects from all the other sensors and sends a single data stream to the phone.
The above means you can cut your cloth to better suit the job, since the incoming data from the sensors may then be by a different means from the outgoing data to the phone.
I think all these little radio modules are tiny.
So, with the above approach:
- the sensors all talk to base station using ESP-01 Wifi, LoRa, or some similar module.
- the base station talks to phone using WiFi or a Phone shield.
It would appear that your space problem is down to a pc board, which I guess it is part of the sensor. With the modules so tiny, the main problem is range but that may be minimised with a well-place and well equipped base station. I mention the ESP-01 because it is cheap, tiny, has its own intelligence, and can talk directly to the phone. For WiFi, 1000' over clear space is not so unreasonable, and there may be a more powerful ESP8266 that is not much larger.
The above approach also means that only the base station need be in range of the phone and, if it uses a phone shield, that problem disappears. Similarly, only the base station need be in range of all the others, which may mean only one powerful receiver amid a host of flea-powered transmitters.