I like most, hate wires and to connect an arduino to an 8ch relay board you need 9 wires which causes nothing but headaches when you want something clean presentable.
So I was thinking, and I think I came up with the solution, wireless!
Does this work?
The main controller has a mega2560 and the power bar has an ATmega328p nano. Then each gets an IR sensor and I load the relay sketch on the ATmega328p and program the mega2560 to send a signal to the ATmega328p which will fire the relay code held on it when necessary.
For example, my sketch has schedules for power, I would remove the code fired in the schedule and replace it with code to send a signal to the ATmega328p which would trigger the code that use to be in the alarm procedure.
If this is viable solution it could be cheaper than connects, cable and labour, not to mention look super clean.
I have a couple of the adafruit 157 IR sensors, would they do the trick?
Whats a good IR sensor with decent distance and cheap of course?
Yes, it is certainly possible. As for distance, the emitter is the weak link in my opinion. And IR will really only work if you have a clear line of sight between emitter and receiver. I would use an XBee if I wanted to go wireless and didn't have a clear line of sight, or wanted to transmit long distances.
Ok it doesn't eliminate them but they will only be 6" long and hidden in a box.
I am worried about line of site, but lots of tv remotes work behind objects as long as nothing is right in front of them. I think I'm going to order the following and give it a try.
The transmitter claims 18m so surely it should be good for 10ft.
I'm going to look up the XBee first though and see what that's about.
DVDdoug:
I'm not buying that. Especially if you are counting the R&D labor.
True! However, I have an application where the wire must be run in conduit, either 10m up to the ceiling or under a furnace, and could require "level shifting" from 24v to 12v. (While I was at it, I made it capable of using 5v-24vdc.) All that times 3. And other applications up to a total of 11. So, in some cases it is cheaper!
Especially if you are counting the R&D labor.
