Newbie - 1st project guidance

Using Arduino Project Guidance
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Hey guys -

First time trying to build with Arduino, but have read a bunch and think I'm ready to give it a go. I'm looking to build something that displays text when a button is pressed, and is powered by a Solar panel. Ideally it would use the internal timer ( SLEEP_MODE_PWR_DOWN + Watchdog) to turn itself off at night, and power back on during the day.

Here's what I'm thinking for the build:

  1. Arduino Uno

  2. Display Shield:
    -I want to do epaper/eink, and was wondering if anyone had luck with this waveshare?
    *I just want to draw as little power as possible, as I imagine something like ARLCD will draw a lot more power.

  3. Solar Panel - I was just going to follow this [adafruit guide for panel + battery/charger](http://http://learn.adafruit.com/usb-dc-and-solar-lipoly-charger
    Overview | USB, DC & Solar Lipoly Charger | Adafruit Learning System)

Does this look ok, am I missing anything?

For a newbie, is creating a physical push button very complicated?

Thanks in advance!

Eric

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Hi, I'm also a newbie (:

If you haven't already bought your parts, you could buy them all from SeeedStudio

The nice thing about the Seeeduino is that it comes with three Grove connectors. Grove is SeeedStudio's collection of sensor breakouts, so adding new features to your project later on will be easy.

Also, breaking your project into segments may be better than tackling everything at once (especially if this is your first Arduino project). In other words, try testing each part individually, then compiling everything together in the end.

Just a suggestion.

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"Creating a physical push button" Do you mean making a switch or connecting to the Arduino?

Connecting a switch is very simple. All you need to do is use a pull up R (10k or internal) to 5v and switch to ground.

As a beginner, I would be looking at keeping things simple and working with proven parts and programs. Read the info available under the Learning tab at the top of the page. Get things going one part at a time then add the next stage.

Weedpharma

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Thanks guys!

@GeckDiode – I was looking at Adafruit, but they look like a great resource as well, thanks!
@weedpharma – yes, I meant a switch .. this might sound stupid, but most of the info I found was either putting a switch directly on the arduino (or breadboard) or setting up a wireless remote solution. Is there a wired off-board switch that you know of?
And totally makes sense doing things one part at a time, and sticking with the display shields that are proven to work.

thanks!

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Do you mean a button/switch that you can wire to an Arduino without having to directly place on a breadboard?

You could use something like this. It's a momentary pushbutton that has two metal leads you can solder wire to, then route that wire to a pin on your Arduino.

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@GeckoDiode - that is exactly it! Thank you, so many great things on Adafruit, just didn't know what I was looking for!

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