I am completely new to arduino boards. im an electrical engineer so wiring isnt an issue.
my question is i want to make a volt, amp and wattage meter. yes i know i can just multiply the current times the voltage to get the power but i want it to be displayed. is it possible to due this with these two components? thanks so much i have a headache from trying to figure this out
In a word, yes.
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,16861.0.html
You might have more flexibility if you used a 5V Mini. You can still read from a 3.3V sensor using the voltage divider method in the above post and then you could interface with 5v devices directly.
Attached is datsheet for display. The same is true for the display. See page 4 for interface options (I2C,SPI, etc)
I assume you’re already up to speed on SPI and I2C ?
monochrome-oled-breakouts.pdf (1.83 MB)
make a volt, amp and wattage meter.
The Arduino 8-bit UC’s like the 32U4 and the 328 have a single 10-bit A/D but have multiple channels to the successive approximation unit. So, the voltage readings will be a numeric value of 0-1023.
The issue you will need to consider is that the A/D unit needs a reference voltage which can be no higher than the uC Vcc… Typically 3.3V or 5.0V but one can use an precision (separate) analog reference source. For voltages higher than Vcc, a precision resistor network can be constructed. The input impedance presented to the A/D should be approximately 10K.
There are a number of inexpensive current shunts available, the most interesting are the active Hall effect units. You must carefully match the sensor to your specific ranges of need.
Good luck,
Ray