Lights vs Motor Controller. Code or 555 and GND issue

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello Fellas.

This is my first post. I've been doing Arduino for a couple of years now, currently doing a small personal project where I'm using an L29110S Motor controller and an arduino Uno to simulate a Scale Aircraft starting up engines (2 of them). That part I have completed. However, I ran into some issues I can't get my head around, and I need some serious pointers and guidance. LIke I said I know my way around Arduino but this seems to be out of my reach.

The issue is that, besides the Motors, the aircaft has 5 more lights. It should have 3 Nav Lights, which are steady. Easy, just hook onto the 5V line. However, there are 2 more blinking beacon lights - each on a different timer - one above, and one below the aircraft. They indicate the engines are either powered or wil be powered soon.

The Aircraft only has 5 contact points to the ground - 2 tires on each main landing gear, and one on the nose gear. I'm not planning on housing any electronics inside the aircraft. Since the L29110S to control speed requires 4 pins each, at first I was faced with using maybe 6 points (and wasn't sure where I was going to put them). Then I figured I could use both A1-A and B1-B pins in the same pin - and it worked. Then I figured I could do better, and save a contact point if I use them as ground. It also worked. So far so good. The problem started when I tried to add the beacon lights.

Question No. 1

I decided "screw it, hook off the 5V line just like the nav lights and just put a 555 / 2N3409 circuit on them and just mess around with the Capacitors to archieve the proper on/off sequence."

Aaaaand that works only when the engines are NOT running. I'm thinking since the motors are sharing the A1-A and B1-B as grounds, I'm asuming that's messing with the Circuit. So,is it possible make arduino have different grounds? or should I connect them to a common, battery ground and have arduino Feed that? I am definetly lost here.

Oh btw the final project will be 5v throughout fed from the Arduino which will in turn be fed out of a 9V wall ac/dc converter.

Question 2:

Since the Code is primarily focused on turning the engines, any regular, determined on/off on one of the beacons will either occur before or after the engines are done. (basically the same problem as question 1, entirely different approach). Is there a way to have a different, separate timer working independantly and parallel to the main loop??

This would be the plan b, since this wouild require 2 more contact points. I MAY just end up making them simultaneous and use 1 contact point / pin.

Or fix the Ground issue. IDK. Whichever Is more feasable. Thank you for the pointers people.

2

Multiple millis() timers are easy to implement, and ideal for what you’re trying to achieve.
i’m not sure about not having the electronics within the model…

I’d be thinking unregulated +Vdc in through the landing gear, and everything on board driven by the processor. Maybe add a lithium module, so power can be maintained if needed when the plane is lifted up.

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Why are you so determined not to put any electronics in the model, not even WS2812 LEDs ?

It would make things so much easier if all you had to provide externally was power, GND and control signals from the Arduino

5

THank you!

You have some pointers for this reference material on the multiple millis() ?? I'll dig it up anyway.
The airplane won't fly, it is a static model. So it only works when sitting on the base. Thank you again

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What I mean is no circuits inside the model, there's too little space for that. Only wiring, LEDs and motors go in it. And yeah, that's exactly the plan, feed everything through the landing gear from the outside.

Problem I have is I only have 5 contact points (2 per main gear and one nose gear). So Each A1-A and B1-B that's 2, Vcc and GND that's 4, so I only have 1 more available.

I gotta find a way first to separate the 555's GND from the motors, see if that works. Else I'll be doing code.

7

What scale is the 'plane and how big does that make it ?

As to the problem with GND, it would help understand the problem if you posted a schematic of your project

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