Hello all,
I'm working on a project were a RC car is required to move by itself using an onboard Ardunio (Pro Mini) and proximity sensors. The car should be capable of going into two modes, one where the car will enter autonomous movement when the remote control hasn't been touched for a period of time, and a second mode where the car stops autonomous movement when the remote control is engaged. I have already figured out the pins in the car's controller chip that put out 3V to activate the different movements (forward/backward, left/right). I want the Arduino to have an independent source of power so I need to figure out how to interface them. One way I thought is to break the connections at the IC pins and insert relays between the pins and the PCB that when closed will inform the Arduino about the remote being used and in what direction and another set of relays controlled by the Arduino to open and close the power to the car's motors.
I have a basic knowledge of electronics so I was wondering if the community here could help me with some questions I have:
- Would standard electromagnetic/mechanical relays be a good solution or can I use optocouplers instead?
- Are there other kind of switches I could use? The more compact the best due to the limited space inside the car (where I would like to keep all components without having to add extra enclosures).
- Is there another way of interfacing the two circuits but keep power for the Arduino separated from the car?
Thank you!
Hector