Where does a newbie start... feeling overwhelmed

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi ,

I’m not sure where to start. I want to make a multizone audio switch w-i fi controlled with a app... cant seem to locate one so thought about making something.

I already have a manual press button switch-

I was thinking of mounting some push solenoids in front of it to actuate the zones.

Could anyone give me some help,

thank you

2

Boil your request down into hardware.
You need remote switches that are wifi controlled.

Or you want multiple switches in one box?

Then an app for using a cell phone?

3

This is tremendously ambitious for a newbie project.

However, the general approach would be to break the project into tiny bite-sized pieces. The Arduino has an in-built LED, so the first thing I would do is connect your push button to the Arduino and work out how to switch the LED on and off with the button.

Then you could research how to drive those solenoids - it won't be difficult but you'll need to connect the Arduino to some driver transistors, one for each solenoid. You'll also need to learn about power supplies and power distribution, and how to use flywheel diodes to keep voltage spikes at bay.

When you can use a button to operate the solenoids reliably (or maybe several buttons, one for each solenoid) then you can put that to one side and start exploring how to connect the Arduino to a wi-fi network. Find how to send control signals over the wi-fi connection. As @dave-in-nj says, you also need to think about what you will be using to generate those signals - a phone app? A control panel?

Break the functionality into these small pieces, and when you've got them all working, you can integrate them together into your final application. And of course, the list I've just suggested is by no means the best order for doing things - it's just an illustration.

Doing it this way will teach you an enormous amount about Arduino, programming and electronics. Also, these repeated small successes will keep you motivated. There is nothing as demotivating as staring at a mountain and having no idea at all how to get started - small steps will stop you from feeling "over-faced" with the size of the challenge.

Furthermore, if you keep the forum up to date with your progress, asking for help only when you've tried and are genuinely stuck, then you will get an endless amount of brilliant help.