DIY Q Light system

[timsabre]

I understand the feeling that home made microcontroller based stuff is not maintainable, but these days and with Arduino I don't really agree since anyone can download the programming software and make changes just with a USB cable.

 

The days where you'd build something like this with relays and maybe logic chips has passed in my opinion. I might be biased since I work with microcontrollers every day but a lot of people can write Arduino code now and there's lots of code already written to do most things you'd ever want to do.

[david.elsbury]

I think there’s a heap of overreacting in this thread. Some of you need to get over your preconceptions and get with the times.

 

I’ve built a 2 channel version before based on a schematic from Brian on this forum- I don’t know where it is right now but I’m sure it was based on a triac to handle latching and flashing. https://imgur.com/gallery/FYGGkUZ

[sandall]

And of course we all still use rheostats for controlling our lights rather than those microprocessor based lighting consoles operating electronic dimmer circuits?

Those microprocessor based lighting consoles have a company's reputation resting on them & had man-years of R&D before they were released, but they still become obsolete in a frighteningly short time, & it would be a very bold LD who didn't have a backup system in place, as well as a saved show-file for when the desk crashes.Yes, we rely on microprocessors for everything these days, but we do also expect them to crash from time to time, & we make sure we have back-up systems for anything mission-critical.

 

I confess to having no experience with Arduino, but I do remember a time when the BBC Micro filled a similar niche .........

[alistermorton]

While it's true that the big console companies have all those resources behind them now, they were start-ups once, and there are plenty of shows running on shareware or freeware lighting software in the non professional world.

 

But that wasn't really my point, made somewhat flippantly. The arduino is a component, like 7400 series chips were in the 70s, a commodity part that you can use to make low cost systems, and as Tim and Dave have alluded, they needn't be something to be afraid of. Especially when you're on a really tight budget.

Edited December 23, 2019 by alistermorton

[tomo2607]

DrV, thank you for your comment.

 

For(), and arrays are something I’m currently learning, and I hope to implement once I understand them fully.

 

Pmiller, whilst I appreciate your comment, I’m not sure you appreciate the reason I started this project or the reason for posting it. I’m not suggesting this be used in pro venues or be a cheap replacement for professional grade equipment in any sense. This was crated to fill a need for our venue where funding is almost non existent. I posted this so that others (likely also in a school environment) may benefit. I see no reason why this system is any less reliable or more likely to fail than any other... however I’m more than happy to receive constructive criticism to improve it.

[sandall]

We seem to have done the traditional BR trick of turning a specific query about one thing into a heated discussion about something else entirely :(

[Gerry]

Sorry to diverge from the original topic :o

Any recommendations for a good reference book for learning all the Ardunio commands and programming?

Cheers

Gerry

[alistermorton]

The online reference is fairly complete and also covers some of the commonly used libraries such as lcd.

 

https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/

[Brian]

Books include...

 

Getting Started with Arduino, 2nd ed - Banzi

 

Programming Arduino, Getting Started with Sketches, 2nd ed - Monk

 

Practical Arduino - Oxer and Blemmings

 

Beginning Arduino Programming - Evans

[Gerry]

Hi Alister and Brian

Thanks for the information.

Time to start learning Arduino programming.

Cheers

Gerry

[ImagineerTom]

Don’t use a book to learn how to program an arduino....

 

The in built tuition sketches will have you up and running in no time; after that the archive of shared sketches in the online community and amazing user support / sharing ethos means you can learn and solve absolutely everything without ever leaving the arduino environment.

[pmiller056]

To follow my earlier comments, I have designed and built small industrial control systems where people will get hurt if the system fails to work correctly. This may provide context to my comments and approach to the problem......

 

Microcontroller pins are electrically very fragile. Provided the microcontroller pins don't go too far and never directly out of the system enclosure there's usually no problem. Successful microcontroller systems (as used in household appliances and vehicles) always isolate and protect the microcontroller from the outside world. These designs also feature a lot of software and hardware self checking as they operate which is well beyond the scope of this topic. A Programmable Logic Controller for industrial control systems is an extreme example, but at the heart of it is a microcontroller working away. A PLC is designed to operate and survive in an electrically hostile environment - the techniques used for interfacing in these systems are good examples to follow.

 

Directly wiring microcontroller pins around a building (as originally suggested) is asking for reliability problems. The two biggest issues will be Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and unwanted electrical signals picked up from the environment.

ESD may not cause immediate failure of a device but will often injure the device leading to premature hardware failure. ESD events frequently cause program crashes. A common cause of ESD is someone unintentionally 'zapping' a connected pushbutton.

Unwanted signals will be picked up from the environment because the wiring acts as an antenna/aerial for noise, similar to hum and buzz picked up in a microphone cable running close to power wiring. Mobile phones and 2 way radios used nearby will create havoc if poorly designed microcontroller interface circuits are used.

 

A good reference for this topic is the relevant pages from Horowitz and Hill's 'The Art of Electronics'. Any edition will do. If you have not previously encountered this book, it's a non-mathematical, comprehensive practical guide to digital and analogue electronics which is easily readable. There are 3 different editions available and each is very different reflecting current custom and practice at the time of writing.

 

+1 for not using a book with Arduino. Read switches, flash lights and then see where your ideas take you. If you get it wrong, read the online help, rewrite the broken bit of code and try again. If you are stuck, ask your favourite search engine. If you are really stuck, ask in one of the many relevant online forums. The white smoke only escapes when the outside world is incorrectly connected!

Edited December 23, 2019 by pmiller056

[timsabre]

Directly wiring microcontroller pins around a building (as originally suggested) is asking for reliability problems. The two biggest issues will be Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and unwanted electrical signals picked up from the environment.

ESD may not cause immediate failure of a device but will often injure the device leading to premature hardware failure. ESD events frequently cause program crashes. A common cause of ESD is someone unintentionally 'zapping' a connected pushbutton.

Unwanted signals will be picked up from the environment because the wiring acts as an antenna/aerial for noise, similar to hum and buzz picked up in a microphone cable running close to power wiring. Mobile phones and 2 way radios used nearby will create havoc if poorly designed microcontroller interface circuits are used.

 

I said all that in the first reply to the original post....

 

In fact the Atmel Mega microcontrollers used in the Arduino are pretty resistant to all that stuff. As I said if you put a 100R resistor in series with every pin that goes "outside" and put a 1K pull up on all the inputs, you should not have any trouble. The Mega has protection diodes on all its pins to protect against static, you can short out the pins to ground and it won't die. However, driving a voltage above 5V into the pins can kill them.

 

 

 

[Gerry]

Don’t use a book to learn how to program an arduino....

 

The in built tuition sketches will have you up and running in no time;

Obviously I am missing something but where do I find the "in built tuition sketches" ?

Cheers

Gerry

[ImagineerTom]

File > Examples > 1.Basics > Blink.