Flood lamps + Arduino?

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fkgomez
 
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Flood lamps + Arduino?

Post by fkgomez »

Hello,

I want to control my flood lights with a motion sensor and other interactive inputs and sensors using arduino. I know the programming, but know little about building electronics.

How do I connect the outdoor flood lamps fixture to my arduino without frying anything. ? What is the best relay to use?

Thanks

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SeiRruf
 
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Re: Flood lamps + Arduino?

Post by SeiRruf »

Hello fkgomez, and welcome to the Adafruit forums!

Sounds like what you need is a PIR Sensor, an Arduino of your flavor, and a couple relays.

The arduino will likely have a hard time sourcing the current for multiple relays if connected directly (and lets face it, being new to this and having to deal with transistors and junk is jumping the ladder!). So now what? There are pre-assembled relay circuits for arduino. They are very easy to use and can be used with an external +5v power source. :)

Ultimately, I suggest this relay set as the relay you're looking for. It comes in bunches of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 relays. Just do some searching!

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fkgomez
 
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Re: Flood lamps + Arduino?

Post by fkgomez »

Thanks for the reply !

Which arduino is my best bet? Id like to use the micro but i dont know if it will work. But also be able to control the light with my phone. So it needs either bluetooth or cloud connection. So what arduino would you recommend.

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SeiRruf
 
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Re: Flood lamps + Arduino?

Post by SeiRruf »

No problem, I am here to help and learn :)

To make the best suggestion to you, I am going to need a little more details on your project, such as do you want to control this remotely, or only while you are within line-of-sight of the arduino? Will it be battery powered? How many other sensors or relays do you plan to add to this project?

If you want a super affordable microcontroller that can handle everything and more, I highly suggest Adafruit's Pro Trinket 5v. It is a mini-fied Arduino UNO. If you'd prefer a larger board, then go with the UNO.

I'm going to assume you'll be powering this project with an external +5vdc power supply of some sort, so you don't have to worry about batteries.

If you are going to stick with local-range communication from your phone to the arduino, bluetooth is the best option for you. When it comes to bluetooth, there are a few options available in the Adafruit shop which are perfect for what you're looking for. For most projects, Adafruit's EZ-Link Bluetooth board will do you good. It even allows you to program your arduino wirelessly, with the correct setup!

Everything discussed so far can be simultaneously connected to both the Pro Trinket or Arduino UNO, depending on your taste in microcontroller size.

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