Ok, I am looking at getting an Arduino and I'm wondering if you cna use multiple shields at one time.
Specifically a graphical LCD shield and a network shield.
I want to do a "simple" Arduino project to display weather from a web service on the LCD if possible.
Shield URLS are
http://www.nkcelectronics.com/rgb-lcd-shield-for-arduino-65k-color-k65.html
http://www.nkcelectronics.com/nkc-ethernet-shield-for-arduino-mega--duemilanove--diecimila-diy-kit.html
Whether you can use multiple shields, or not, depends on the shield design.
Neither of the shields that you linked are designed to be stacked.
You realize that the LCD you linked is about 1" by 1", right? Pretty small to be displaying any amount of data on.
Yes, I realized its small. However it would be a good starting point. Are there any network shields (wifi would work too) and LCD shields (character LCDs would work) that can be used together?
If you wanted to use XBees (ZigBee radios) I make a system of boards that will work.
My ZB1 combines and XBee and a '168/328 (with Arduino bootloader). You would
connect that to the LCD interface (ZB1-LCD-CHAR). The boards plug together
using a single header. Both boards and application examples are at Loading...
You would connect an XBee to your PC to communicate to the ZB1.
(* jcl *)
www: http://www.wiblocks.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/wiblocks
blog: http://luciani.org
jluciani, what is the range on the XBees?
The quoted range (from the MaxStream literature) is apx 300-400ft (line-of-site, outdoors) for a 1mW transmitter using a chip antenna. Using the 60mW transmitter and a whip antenna the range is around 4000ft (line-of-site, outdoors).
I did a little write-up on Zigbee, XBee and battery life. See Loading...
References to the MaxStream documentation are at the bottom of the page.
(* jcl *)
www: http://www.wiblocks.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/wiblocks
blog: http://luciani.org
That looks like it will work for what I want to do. Do your boards work fine with the Arduino clones? i.e. Freeduino? I just like the idea of putting my own device together.
I sell the majority of the boards as kits so you can put them together
yourself. You can also make component changes if you want to do
vertical stacking of boards or a ribbon cable connection between boards. You can also use a backplane with multiple boards. All of the uC I/O is on the single header
so you could wire it to other devices.
I burn the Arduino bootloader on the board so they are software
compatible.
(* jcl *)
www: http://www.wiblocks.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/wiblocks
blog: http://luciani.org
But your shields will work fine with an Arduino clone?
But your shields will work fine with an Arduino clone?
My boards aren't shields. You could use them with an Arduino clone
but it would a fair amount of work to wire.
The ZB1 integrates an Arduino compatible design with the XBee radio.
The kit is $30 (without the radio).
(* jcl *)
Some folks have gotten a 16 x2 LCD with a WiShield (WiFi) from Asynclabs working, but I am not one of them . I believe I had a pin conflict issue. a standard 16 x 2 doesn't use a shield, just a lot of pins.
I made my own shield for a 16x2 character LCD, and have been able to get it working an top of either an ethernet shield or the AsyncLabs WiFi shield. All the jumper wires on my homemade shield let me use different pins depending on what other parts I'm working with. It still uses a lot of pins, I'm thinking about going ahead and buying one of the serial LCD modules that SparkFun sells.
Neither of the shields that you linked are designed to be stacked.
I was able to stack stuff on the NKC ethernet shield by putting some extra female header pins in-between the shields. Not exactly stable, but it works fine for prototyping.
Also, Liquidware makes some shield extender shields that let you put shields side by side. http://www.liquidware.com/shop/show/DWX/DoubleWide+ExtenderShield