process input from a radio control receiver and other sensors

To All,

This is my first post on this forum. I want build a system that does the following:

  1. Be able to receive 8 channels of PWM signal (0.5 ms to 2.5ms) from a standard Futaba PWM receiver. Convert them to some form that I can examine and change into digital data.

  2. At the same time I also want to connect perhaps as many as 6 other sensors to this same system. These sensors would sense such things a sound, light or pressure.

  3. If necessary, change the value of the digitized PWM signal data depending on the input from the sensors, and

  4. Covert all the data from the processed 8 channels into and ASCII string to be output as an TTL level serial communication. This data would be fed into a Parallax servo control board which can handle as many as 16 servos.

This is part of an underwater autonomous craft.

I'm not sure an Arduino can do all this. I'm also investigation Microchip PIC's and Parallax Stamps and Propellers.

I could really use your help and guidance. Thanks for your time,

Dan in Michigan, USA

pulsein() can be used to measure pulses in microseconds. You can either use one pin for each of the radio's servo outputs or you can open the radio and probe around to find the raw pulse stream and use a single pin for all of the pulses.

To answer the 6 sensors, are they analog or digital? Arduino has 6 analog channels and I2C, SPI digital interfaces.

So you want PWM outputs also? Arduino has 6 of those.

If you want, you can extend analog channels and PWM channels with external ICs but that will be more coding.

Arduino UNO has the ATMEGA328 chip with one hardware serial port and you can run a software serial port on any pins with a library.

To All,

I don't think I explained my design properly. Let me try again.

Basically, I need to monitor upwards of 16 channels simultaneously. 8 of the channels will be PWM signals from a radio control receiver and the other 4 to 8 will be either analog or digital outputs from various types of sensors. Then, depending on the various inputs, I massage the data and output an ASCII string to a Parallax Proto Servo Control board to control up to 16 servos.

Dan

You didn't ask a question but I suspect that the question you wanted answered is "Can the Arduino do what I want to do?"

The answer is: Yes.