Triggering multiple distance sensors using one digital pin?

Using Arduino Sensors
#1

Hi all

I am making a small robot bug, got H-bridges and two motors connected. These are function and I can control them well from arduino. Now I added 3 distance sensors one facing ahead and 1 each facing 30degrees to left and one to 30d right. These diagonal sensors are to assess the clearance not only directly ahead but also to the sides a bit since the bug is wide and won’t fit in the narrow strip of clearance monitored by the front facing sensor alone.

Now I wired them with gnd to gnd, vcc to 5v on arduino board. Each echo pin returns to a different pin on arduino nano. However in order to save pins, I joined the trigger pins of all three sensors and connected them to one digital pin, so even if I only read one sensor at a time, all three are triggered in effect each time.

They seem to work ok for the most part but randomly one or the other gives a distance of 0! I will enclose the relevant[?] code below. I looked at all the soldering, continuity, solder bridges, loose connects etc. For my life I can not predict a pattern.

So I guess my question is did anyone else try triggering multiple HCSR04 distance sensors from a single digital pin and if so did you notice any madness / what helped.

Thanks folks

#include "seaweedlib.h"

struct cmove cmoves;
int fwclears[3];
int fwclear=0;

int triggers[]={9,9,9};
int echos[]={10,12,11};
//left , front, right

void mondist(){
	for (int n=0;n<(sizeof(fwclears)/sizeof(int));n++) {
			fwclears[n]=getdist(triggers[n],echos[n]) ; 
		}
}


int getdist(int trig, int echo){ //get distance from one sensor
  long dist, duration;
  digitalWrite(trig,LOW);
  delayMicroseconds(2);  
  digitalWrite(trig,HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(10);
  digitalWrite(trig,LOW);
  duration=pulseIn(echo,HIGH);
  dist=(duration/2)/29.1;
  return dist;
}
#2

Sheepishly answering my own question.

I put a delay of 10milliseconds before reading each echo pin and the problem seem to have resolved. I reckon the delayed echoes from the other sensors were interfering with reading sensors. So now I trigger them all, read one, wait 10ms, trigger them all ... you get the gist.

Seem to be working. Now on to the next stumble.

#3