I'm not EE background and I'm new to arduino. I appreciate all the given advices.
I'm trying to start a new project related to temperature monitoring. I would like to monitor the temperature of 5 different rooms using 5 independent thermocouples and display all the values to a single or multiple displays. At the same times, I also want to shows the temperature difference between two rooms. Display can be anything such as 7" tft lcd display or multiple 7-segment or multiple serial lcd (preferable large display for easy monitoring). It will be great if the data can export to a computer using RS485. Is it possible to perform this with only one arduino Mega?
You will probably be better off using the DS18B20 sensor. It is digital, talks English, and very easy to use.
A single TFT screen is more than enough to handle seven sensors.
I don't know anything about RS485 but it is common to send such data to PC by serial, USB cable, or bluetooth.
You biggest problem is cabling or w.h.y to get the data back to a central Arduino. This may mean you actually need a few Arduinos just to simplify the communication.
Multiple displays would be possible in principle for the purposes of say, writing an essay or patent description, but in practice when you try buying them, the sellers often don't know what an i2c address is, let alone that theirs has the same usual address as the other seller of displays. So not a good idea to promise multiple displays to a client, but it isn't hard.
You will probably be better off using the DS18B20 sensor. It is digital, talks English, and very easy to use.
A single TFT screen is more than enough to handle seven sensors.
I don't know anything about RS485 but it is common to send such data to PC by serial, USB cable, or bluetooth.
You biggest problem is cabling or w.h.y to get the data back to a central Arduino. This may mean you actually need a few Arduinos just to simplify the communication.
thermocouple is use currently due to the constraints of the condition of the "room". Oh ya, cabling.... I'm looking into direct measurement with reasonable length of cable with minimal noise, if no luck then will have to look into few arduinos communication as you suggest. Thanks.
ad2049q:
Multiple displays would be possible in principle for the purposes of say, writing an essay or patent description, but in practice when you try buying them, the sellers often don't know what an i2c address is, let alone that theirs has the same usual address as the other seller of displays. So not a good idea to promise multiple displays to a client, but it isn't hard.
Yes, I found that problem, after looking into your post. The conflict of i2c address. I manage to find something on the internet to have multiple 7-segment display with only few pins (adafruit 7-segment with backpack). It seems promising to me, and may save me a lot of trouble too. Thanks.
scicreat:
have multiple 7-segment display with only few pins (adafruit 7-segment with backpack). It seems promising to me, and may save me a lot of trouble too.