I used to work with something similar years ago, hell, even design something similar to arduino years ago. Anyways, I need a rig for a project, but I don't know all the details.
If you can help, that's great. If you can't, I'll eventually do my research, only it will take more time.
Looking to build a controller for my fish tank:
1 day light
1 night light
air pump
possible other things on relays
I need the LCD to set up on/off times; also the RTC comes in handy for this.
Future additions - maybe temperature sensor.
NEED HELP choosing the right components for this. First I need a board that can handle the communication with other components and still have enough I/O's for relay. I was thinking about the mega.
For relays, I guess any 4/8 relay blocks would do, better with optocouplers, right?
For the LCD I was looking at SainSmart LCD 1602 Keypad Shield.
For the LCD I was looking at SainSmart LCD 1602 Keypad Shield.
That should be fine and there is also a library that allows you to make a menu system. I'm not sure if there is a menu library made just for that type of shield or not but the normal menu library should work just fine.
There are plenty of relay boards online with different numbers of relays you can control (1,2,4,8,16) Im sure you can find one that fits your needs.
We can help give feedback on your sketch and help with the code, but you will need to research everything yourself.
I remember several aquarium projects over the years, so I guess a forum search may be helpful.
As you have microcomputer and an electronic background, making suggestions for you for more complicated as you are more knowledgeable. My recommendation would be to decide how you want to "assemble" the project: as a prototype or as a final, soldered entity. Thus is a big decision and begins before board selection.
Why? Simply consider thus: if you want to prototype, you will likely want to stack Arduino with relay shield and maybe the RTC. Not all shields are 200% compatible with all Arduinos!
So, any of the Arduinos have the processing power for this simple task when written as inline code. But, if you want to be more sophisticated and include PID algorithms or RTOS (realtime operating system) then the Atmega328 may simply be cramped. Moving to the mega2560 is a logical choice and 4x the SRAM plus much more I/O.
Also, Crossroads from yhius forum supplies some excellent hardware alternatives that you should ast least browse: http://www.crossroadsfencing.com/BobuinoRev17/
I can personally attest to the quality of the 1284 boards.
Look at Adafruit, Sparkfun, and other vendors of relay boards and AC controllers based on what you ultimately plan on switching. Most handle 2-5 AC Amps, but the board may have a lower total Amp rating than the sum of replay contacts- so choose wisely!
Go to this post and click on his name and send him a personal message . Tell him what you're doing and ask him for suggestions.
Don't make it sound like you want him to design your system or he probably won't get involved.
He's already been through all this. Read the post I linked for more info.
