My Army of Arduinos (potential idea)

ChristmasBuddy

ChristmasBuddy

New member
Unfortunately I do not think I will have the money to build a system using Renard or even used LOR units so I started looking for what I could do with a small army of Arduinos (I have two but I am thinking I might go for four Arduino Pros). I would like to go this route since I am more familiar with the Arduino microcontrollers rather than the others.

Now.

While researching relays I came across this link:

http://www.uctronics.com/16-channel-5v-relay-module-for-arduino-p-328.html

I am thinking this just might put me where I want to be.

For this year, I am not going to attempt sequencing or use music. Just alternating lights.

I know there is a group in here working on developing a more advanced system for that kind of stuff (music & sequencing) so I can wait for them to develop that but I wanted to ask in here about the feasibility of that 16-Channel relay.

Thanks!

Buddy
 
I would worry that it's not capable of PWM and therefor, not capable of dimming the lights. Simply turning them on and off. Also, for the cost of an Arduino and the relay board, you could have a SimpleRenard32 and 4 DirkCheapSSR's giving you 16 channels of control with the option of adding another 16 anytime for less than the price of a second Arduino.

That said. I do plan on using an Arduino in my display this year. I threw together a board with 3 TLC5940's (16 channel LED driver) that will have 3 white leds in series on each channel. I plan on distributing the LEDs around the walls of my house and using them as sparkles (weak strobes really). It made sense to use the Arduino for the effect as I got the driver chips for free as samples and a 48 channel board would have cost twice the price of the Arduino.

You really need to weigh the options taking into account cost and flexibility. Hope that helps a little.

Happy days!
 
Thanks amps,

I was only going to do the on/off switching. Dimming will be another bridge to cost. I am not too worried about the Arduino costs as I am working on another project for them which is not Christmas related.

My light setup is easy by most standards. Five VERY large bushs, two big trees and two smaller trees. I am only looking at about 6 total Arduinos.

Since you mentioned SImpleRenard32 where would be a good cost to pick one up? Also, the last time I looked I thought the group buy for the DirkCheapSSrs was closed. Will there be one for that? (I hope so).

Thanks again for the comment.

Buddy
 
No prob. My thinking was that you're goals regarding your display will change overtime, maybe even before this Christmas, I know mine did. It's nice to have the options to expand without doing a complete rework.

Last year I had a static display with the idea of adding a second static display I could switch to.
Then I wanted to cover the transition with some effects and some flair.
Then I wanted to put on a 3-5min show of just simple fades and color changes.
Now I've ordered an FM transmitter and plan to start picking songs this weekend. 8 months brings a lot of changes :)

I just bought 2 Simple32's from DIYLedExpress.com. Cost was just under $30 per kit. I bought my DirkCheaps during the group buy but the PCB's are now for sale at Dirks store for only a little more.

Happy days
 
Dang! I cannot request any Dirkscheaps it says I don't have enough permissions or something like that. I guess I have not been a member long enough or posted enough.

Buddy ;)
 
UBotBuddy said:
Dang! I cannot request any Dirkscheaps it says I don't have enough permissions or something like that. I guess I have not been a member long enough or posted enough.

Buddy ;)
Click to expand...
The Group Buy Rules changed earlier this year, you need to be a supporting member to participate in group buys. You can become a supporting member by clicking here. The cost is $20 a year and that goes to pay for the site. Most people end up saving more then the $20 by buying parts and boards in the various group buys during the year. As someone who joined last year and did my first show ever, the information I picked up in the forums and in the Chat room and the savings I got from the group buys were worth a lot more then $20!
 
UBot:

While I'm a big supporter of the Arduino -- someday I will finish my project and release it to the masses -- I agree that once you get hooked on this hobby, you just go deeper.

Which means you leverage each year's investment against the next year's show. You may not want to dim this year and only need to flash a couple of bushes and trees, but if you buy that controller and do it with even a platoon of Arduinos, you will have made some pretty steep investments that can't be leveraged in the future. By buying a small Renard and a few SSRs, you will be able to leverage those in 2013, 2014, etc.

HTH.

\dmc
 
Ubot:

My first year was an arduino mega 2560 which controlled 26 channels. It was a pain but good learning experience. There was no dimming (no zero cross) and the arduino kept crashing. I don't think I had one night that I didn't have to perform a reset or two. I went Renard last year and it was fantastic. I'm currently working on the Arduino Ren->GECE stuff and it's working well for what I need but as far as the whole show I'd caution you. Get a simple 24/32 and the dirkcheapssrs if you aren't planning on running more than one string of incans per channel. You can also get two RenSS8s or 16s or one 24 to use as well. I never want to tell people to stay away from a board but unless you have a specific use the arduino just doesn't handle the kind of data being transmitted well.

This isn't a cheap hobby by any means. I say start small with 16-24 channels and grow from there. That's what I did.
 
There are a couple of us that are almost exclusively AVR ( For E1.31 I am using Propellers). They work any where as good as the PIC. However the PIC / Renard mix is an unbeatable combination for those that just want to make a show work.
If on the other hand you want to extend your knowledge base and reuse some of the tools you have, the Arduinos make a good platform, just start coding in ASM if you ar a Code God, or C if a mere mortal like myself.

Any one interested in starting this hobby with a Technical background, I would recommend PIC ( or AVR) & DMX as the starting point. that way it is a natural progression to add semi pro ( or DJ) light fixtures.
 
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chesterspot said:
I don't think I had one night that I didn't have to perform a reset or two. I went Renard last year and it was fantastic.
Click to expand...
Can't say Renard is completely free of crashes (the dreaded Vixen "Com 1 in Use" error, specifically) but then I was doing some special things with manually triggering sequences last year, wasn't the controllers' fault.
 
OKAY! Let go of my arm from around my back! I give up! I give up! I give up! Uncle! ROFL

The only reservation I have is that I know ZIP about soldering so buying a kit with SO many pieces to solder scares the ba-jeebers out of me.

BUT I am willing to learn how.

@Matt...so ASM is possible with Arduinos? I do have another use for my Arduinos so I would love to know more about pursuing that. I can't spell "C" so I can't program in it ;)

Ok, now to a Renard plan. Since you guys have twisted my arm now here is my yard layout.

http://screencast.com/t/tq9oGrKBWOjp

Pardon the artwork as my arm hurts. LOL

This was my initial thought before I saw the price of the LOR systems sticker price. That's when I thought I would go the Arduino route.

If I haven't said yet...thanks guys!
 
Don't give up! Arduino will function. I have 32 channels with 4 boards of 8 channel each relays. This is my first year as well. Depending on what Arduino you have you might be able to use the dimming boards that are out there for the Renards. I am no expert on Renard. I am slowly building by Renard system but due to a severe budget crunch it is painfully slow. If you do use the relays this year you can still use them in the future for simple on off channels. I am planning on only Halloween this year with 3 singing pumpkins and some ghosts. All simple On-Off. Next year will be the Renard running DMX. If you have any questions just pm.
 
Thanks Ron!

I do have a small army of Arduinos but their final destiny is already dedicated for that. I was just going to implement them in this years Christmas Season as a temp use.
 
I used my Arduino Uno last year (and this year) with a couple of relay boards like you showed. No dimming, but they did the on/off no problem. The only issue I have with them is that they are electromagnetic relays and there is an audible click every time they turn off and on. I put them in an old tackle box and you can still hear the click, but it's not horribly loud. A little sound insulation might help with that.
 
I shoudl point out the replays are way more expensive than triacs or the dirkcheap modules. There really is only few reason to use em if you already have em or your driving a large load. Especially if you get in on a group buy. At lest with me the encloser + extension cords($1 store) cost more that the renSS16 itself.
 
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