I'll start this post with a disclaimer: I am not an expert on electronics. I do have a basic understanding of most things, and I'll try to make as much sense as I can, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm going to build my own LED assemblies for the nav, strobes, and tail beacon on my Ridge Runner, as most of the commercial options are just too expensive or don't fit my project. These are pretty basic as I understand them; An LED connects to a driver, which runs to a timing controller if needed, powered on & off with a switch. Instead of running two controllers (one for the beacon, one for strobes), I'd like to solve two problems with one project by making an Arduino (or Raspberry Pi, if that's smarter) to control the lights as well as display engine sensors.
I can manage the coding I think, but I'm struggling to find all compatible parts for what I need & could use some help. My googling skills are failing me
The engine is a Rotax 503 DCDI (Provision 8, Ducati mags), & I'm using an EarthX 680C battery (Here's the info from EarthX that says this is okay, just in case anyone was wondering). I only need two EGT sensors, two CHTs, a fuel pressure sensor, & all the electrical protocols to read tach, voltage, & amps. I can fit a 3.5" or 4" screen on the panel, and it would be nice if I could power the whole thing on with the avionics master switch if possible.
All that said, these are my main questions:
Which Arduino board would work best for this application?
Do I need to attach a strobe controller to the Arduino, or can I program them in? I need different strobe speeds for the tail beacon & wingtips, can I do this with one controller/board?
Will the Arduino be able to translate the tach/voltage/amps into displays or does it need a separate sensor?
What sensors/LEDs/drivers/etc. do you guys recommend/have experience with?
I'm going to build my own LED assemblies for the nav, strobes, and tail beacon on my Ridge Runner, as most of the commercial options are just too expensive or don't fit my project. These are pretty basic as I understand them; An LED connects to a driver, which runs to a timing controller if needed, powered on & off with a switch. Instead of running two controllers (one for the beacon, one for strobes), I'd like to solve two problems with one project by making an Arduino (or Raspberry Pi, if that's smarter) to control the lights as well as display engine sensors.
I can manage the coding I think, but I'm struggling to find all compatible parts for what I need & could use some help. My googling skills are failing me
The engine is a Rotax 503 DCDI (Provision 8, Ducati mags), & I'm using an EarthX 680C battery (Here's the info from EarthX that says this is okay, just in case anyone was wondering). I only need two EGT sensors, two CHTs, a fuel pressure sensor, & all the electrical protocols to read tach, voltage, & amps. I can fit a 3.5" or 4" screen on the panel, and it would be nice if I could power the whole thing on with the avionics master switch if possible.
All that said, these are my main questions:
Which Arduino board would work best for this application?
Do I need to attach a strobe controller to the Arduino, or can I program them in? I need different strobe speeds for the tail beacon & wingtips, can I do this with one controller/board?
Will the Arduino be able to translate the tach/voltage/amps into displays or does it need a separate sensor?
What sensors/LEDs/drivers/etc. do you guys recommend/have experience with?
