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digital input to turn BlinkM on/off - so as to not need the use of analogue pins on Arduino?
Is it possible to use digital pins on the Arduino to switch a BlinkM on and off, and then have the BlinkM run a pre-loaded 'standalone' sequence, so as to not require using the analogue pins for i2c communications? As the BlinkMs would be pre-loaded with what they need to do whenever they receive the 'go' and perhaps 'stop' (if a 'stop' in this sense is possible)
This is because I plan to use the 6 analogue pins on my arduino for 6 analogue sensor inputs. Then use six 6 blinkMs - with each one set to start a cycle whenever a corresponding sensor input is sensed (ie BlinkM 1 whenever sensor 1, BlinkM2 when sensor 2... etc you get the drift.
Only I would like to not have to worry with multiplexing/shift out/in types of scenarios if there is no need.
Also - each blinkM would be with its corresponding analogue sensor in six independent satellite units - ie the arduino is the base, and then the 6 units plug in to the arduino box but are able to be moved around separately from one another - each attatched with about 6 feet of cable. Due to this, would relying on an i2c situation (if not able to just go independent digital pin on/off way) be an issue as their would be 12 feet between each BlinkM on the i2c chain.
This is because I plan to use the 6 analogue pins on my arduino for 6 analogue sensor inputs. Then use six 6 blinkMs - with each one set to start a cycle whenever a corresponding sensor input is sensed (ie BlinkM 1 whenever sensor 1, BlinkM2 when sensor 2... etc you get the drift.
Only I would like to not have to worry with multiplexing/shift out/in types of scenarios if there is no need.
Also - each blinkM would be with its corresponding analogue sensor in six independent satellite units - ie the arduino is the base, and then the 6 units plug in to the arduino box but are able to be moved around separately from one another - each attatched with about 6 feet of cable. Due to this, would relying on an i2c situation (if not able to just go independent digital pin on/off way) be an issue as their would be 12 feet between each BlinkM on the i2c chain.
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Inappropriate?Hi Ben,
Yup, you can use an Arduino digital pins to power a BlinkM if you want. That would give you back all the analog inputs. But the Arduino chip can only directly power a BlinkM or two (and not at full brightness). To use the Arduino digital pins to switch a BlinkM on & off, you'll need a small transistor, like a 2N2222 or 2N3904, to act as the switch. These are only a few cents and are very small. Below is a wiring diagram of how you would hook up one BlinkM. Adding additional BlinkMs just means duplicating the resistor + transistor + BlinkM circuit as many times as you want.
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Inappropriate?Ooops, I had the orientation of the transistor flipped in that diagram. The corrected one is here:
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Inappropriate?I want to control a BlinkM MaxM similarly, except the MaxM will be powered externally. Both the Arduino and MaxM will be receiving power from a common 12V supply. Can I wire the NPN collector to the MaxM's reset pin to hold the MaxM in reset until I want to activate it (I understand it's not actually going to be "powered off" in this case). Is this a safe approach with my anticipated power configuraiton? -
Inappropriate?Hi John,
Yes, if you hold a BlinkM (regular or MaxM) in reset by pulling its RESET pin low, it will effectively be off. I didn't bring this up in the above diagram because the RESET pin doesn't have a header pin soldered to it normally.
You should be able to hook a line directly from an Arduino output pin to the BlinkM RESET line without the need for a transistor. Depending on your application, you might want a pull-down resistor going to Gnd so when the Arduino resets, it keeps the BlinkMs in reset too, since on reset the Arduino pins "float" for a bit until you tell them to be outputs. -
Inappropriate?todbot,
Thanks; my MaxM's arrived today, and I had everything going in no under 20 minutes thanks to your product taking all the pain out of the normal process! Driving the reset pin as you mentioned with a pull down resistor works like a charm; it's really nice to have explicit control of each unit this way.
I’m totally satisfied
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