is it easy enough to make a 4 channel timer any help please

Projects General Guidance
1

any help would be great here please
i have a marine fish tank at home and would like a flash timer for my lights
i have 4 separate led light pannels that need 240v
what i want to know is can anyone point me in the right direction of what to buy to make a timer that can control 4 different on and off times
any help would be great

many thanks
darren

2

I' d start by looking at the blink without delay example, play with it and extend it

3

thanks for the reply but is there a how to link anywhere on here
what i want to be able to acheive is have a screen and be able to set 4 seperate timers to turn on and off 4 seperate lights at different times , maybe even a touch screen so i can over ride on and offs
thanks again

4

Blink without delay is one of the supplied examples in the IDE.
Start simple and build on components you really understand.

5

ok i see
so what do i need to buy
i assume relay board
what about this for a shopping list
mega board 2560
MEGA Shield Kit v1.1
3.2" TFT LCD
or am i barking up the wrong tree here

6

I don't think a 2560 is necessary - an Uno would suffice, I would think.

7

i woud prefer to go bigger than i need so maybe can upgrade it to measure temp and a few other things
so what do you think

8

I think that unless you need more than six analogue inputs, and a dozen digital I/Os, a Mega is overkill.
Even then, there are simple expansion techniques that would allow you to extend the Uno's capabilities at lower cost.

9

end results i want is touch screen what tells me my water ph / salinity/temp/to control 2 power heads ans 4 light out puts

so if i get what is on my list will that do the 4 light out puts for starters
and once i get the bits how do i connect them together
and is there a place i can learn how to write the program

thanks

10

Writing the program comes after defining what you want the program to do.
If you're not a programmer, a good place to start is to look at and play with some of the examples that come with the IDE, look for similar projects here on the forum or over at the Playground.

11

as for what i want the program to do is just turn on and off 4 seperate lights at pre programmed times
will this be difficult

12

No, it won't be difficult.

13

will i need anything else other than whats on my shopping list please

thanks