Is the Arduino kit for me?

[keydiver]

Although I'm quite the electronics geek, my big weak spot is C+ programming. (I can read and modify it, but not write it from scratch). For a new product I am developing, I need to sample 4 to 6 analog voltages, all scaled down 0-5 VDC, and selectively display the rescaled readings on the front 2 X 16 LCD panel. A year or so ago I bought an Atmel ATMega board/kit, and a book with CD, intending to teach myself how to program it.
But, now I see a lot of you guys talking about the Arduino boards, so I'm asking for input. How does the Arduino differ from the Atmel ATMega, or is it just a newer version? Is there a certain version Arduino I should use? Do all of them have enough analog inputs for my project, without requiring external chips?
Also, one of my biggest requirements is going to be having access to some beginner code, to get things sampled and displayed on the LCD, which I can modify as I go along. What resources can you point me to for code samples?
Thanks guys!

 

[chris1howell]

Sounds like the Arduino is perfect for you, there are lots of examples, libraries and docs.... The Arduino Uno does contain and ATMega chip (328p) and has 6 analog ports.

For your application I would pick up:

Arduino Uno http://www.adafruit.com/products/50
Getting Started with Arduino http://www.adafruit.com/products/263

for the LCD
Standard
16x2 LCD http://www.adafruit.com/products/181
LCD i2c backpack http://www.adafruit.com/products/292
Note i2c uses 2 analog ports, if you need all 6 you should use packpack in SPI mode.

RGB
Arduino backpack http://www.adafruit.com/products/714
Note i2c uses 2 analog ports

 

[klapauzius]

There is a new version out there, the Arduino due, which has a more powerful chip (its an ARM) and more ADCs (12 instead of 6 and they are 12 bit instead of 10 ). It runs on 3.3 V, so you would have to downscale your analog signals.

There is an IDE for the arduino which comes with an LCD driver and some examples. You should find all you need here: http://www.arduino.cc/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[keydiver]

OK, another dumb question: I have noticed before that the adafruit LCD displays are rather wide, >2 inches, because they are mounted on a PCB. For my platform the display has to fit inside a 1RU (1.75") metal box. Will I need to build my own custom display board, or are there compatible LCD displays out there that will fit? I see Hitachi HD44780 compatible displays on Ebay that are 36mm. Should they work?

 

[chris1howell]

OK, another dumb question: I have noticed before that the adafruit LCD displays are rather wide, >2 inches, because they are mounted on a PCB. For my platform the display has to fit inside a 1RU (1.75") metal box. Will I need to build my own custom display board, or are there compatible LCD displays out there that will fit? I see Hitachi HD44780 compatible displays on Ebay that are 36mm. Should they work?

How about the RGB LCD / i2c backpack we are using for OpenEVSE? It is less than 1.5" wide and the LCD plus backpack are very slim. You could also use just a bare HD44780 display but that will take about 12 connections (power, gnd, contract, and 8 - 12 digital i/o) http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/OpenEVSE_LCD_spec