Running Time

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Frequently-Asked Questions
1

I will be requiring to have my arduino mega clone running constantly for approx 7-8 weeks, is there any risk of overheating or any other related problems of which I should be aware of?

Many Thanks,
Savers

2

I will be requiring to have my arduino mega clone running constantly for approx 7-8 weeks, is there any risk of overheating or any other related problems of which I should be aware of?

Shouldn't be a problem, I've has an Arduino controlled 5x5x5 led cube running continously for a couple of months now. Just pay attention to your power source (run it well under rated capacity) and avoid any unusual ambient conditions.

Lefty

3

I believe the millis() count overflows after something like 49 days, though this is only a problem if you write delay code improperly.

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The Gadget Shield: accelerometer, RGB LED, IR transmit/receive, light sensor, potentiometers, pushbuttons

4

yea as long as your not pushing anything power wise and do a little rollover math, these things weakest points are the electrolytic capacitors which take decades to fail on average

5

As a general rule its the power on and power off stages that cause the most wear on components, due to voltage surges!

6

Make sure you have a heatsink on the voltage regulator in my opinion. They cost like $1. You can also get heatsinks the ATMega chip though its probably not necessary but you can get them.

As others have said, power is your biggest concern. If you built your power supply make sure everything meets or exceeds the power specifications of the Arduino and anything else running off it. Even if you are just using a power brick, make sure that's not a total piece of junk. Ensure you have good power surge/spike protection...I guess that's about it.

Megas are pretty well made. Surface mount and the soldering is prtty good. It's not a crap board, so you are good.

7

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Will give it some initial testing before leaving on for the extended length of time.

Cheers,
Savers.

8

what is a arduino?

9

what is a arduino?

Isn't it a small animal that is not good at crossing roads without getting smashed by cars?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/mikep/WindowsLiveWriter/ClaireOHalloranakatheArmadillojoinstheB_99FB/Armadillo%255B1%255D.png&imgrefurl=http://blogs.technet.com/b/mikep/archive/2007/01/29/claire-o-halloran-aka-the-armadillo-joins-the-blogosphere.aspx&h=412&w=640&sz=463&tbnid=2F8T3umyYnFBQM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darmadillo&zoom=1&q=armadillo&usg=__sPaDj4k0HaAydO72jWroxXjoM3A=&sa=X&ei=Kg2RTPjmNIv6sAOgiMWxDg&ved=0CCgQ9QEwAg

Lefty

10

what is a arduino?

A hard shell possom.

11

Cretins! It's a cheese init!!!