Advancements in Arduino Projects: From Binary Clock to Solar Charge Control Systems

Arduino projects have evolved significantly since their humble beginnings. From simple DIY electronics to sophisticated IoT and automation systems, these open-source platforms continue to inspire and amaze hobbyists and professionals alike. One such project worth highlighting is my endeavor to create a binary clock, which led to a journey involving multiple complex features and components.

Binary Clock with WiFi Time Setting

Initially challenged to create a binary clock, the basic software development was surprisingly quick, taking only 5 minutes. However, incorporating advanced features like a WiFi connection for time synchronization proved to be a significant challenge. I used the ESP32, an advanced microcontroller board with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, through the Arduino IDE.

The next phase of the project involved integrating a TFT screen, which required adding an analogue clock and a seven-segment display digital clock. This was followed by time-zoning capabilities, colour change settings, and the physical construction of a housing for the project. This phase took a remarkable three weeks to complete, as the complexity of adding all these features and ensuring compatibility with the ESP32 required meticulous attention to detail.

While the basic hardware setup was largely complete, I had plans to add more functionality in the future, such as an alarm and an additional micro-USB power socket to ensure the ESP32 could run smoothly without strain.

Preemptive Multitasking Kernel on Atmel AVR

Before stepping into the modern era of Arduino, I delved into more specialized projects. One was the development of a preemptive multitasking kernel running on an Atmel AVR microcontroller. This project, with an 8K part, ran three tasks with two bit-banged UARTs (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter), and power management features to ensure the project could operate for a year on a 9V battery. The project included a bootloader capable of accepting binary and hex uploads via a SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) memory, all programmed in assembly language.

The primary purpose of this project was to create a specialized data logger and signal format converter for parking meters. This project required careful programming to manage power efficiently, ensuring long battery life.

Magnetic Levitation with Arduino Due

Another fascinating project involved using the Arduino Due, a microcontroller board with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 processor, for magnetic levitation. While the Arduino Due does have a built-in DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it did not provide the necessary zero volts output required for certain levitation setups. To overcome this challenge, I used an I2C to analog output device, which allowed me to complete the project successfully.

The levitation project was a testament to the flexibility and versatility of the Arduino platform. It demonstrated how innovative thinking and additional components could extend the capabilities of the platforms beyond their intended use cases.

Solar Charge Control System for Renewable Energy Management

A more recent and complex project involved developing a solar charge control system. This system included controlling a bank of relays to manage inverters and IP-controlled plugs that turned car chargers on and off, based on real-time energy requirements. The project also included an interface to a USB voltmeter and a 24-bit ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) to collect data from hall effect sensors.

The software within this system stored and calculated watt-seconds and joules entering and leaving the battery pack, taking into account the Peukert effect on charge and discharge. A web interface provided real-time data on current in and out, voltage, and graphical representations of energy flow over time. Data was stored in a local MySQL database and pushed to a larger database server for long-term archiving.

This project showcases the integration of advanced electronics, IoT, and data analytics to manage renewable energy systems, making it a prime example of the current capabilities of Arduino projects in real-world applications.

Conclusion: The evolution of Arduino projects demonstrates the platform's versatility and potential. From simple binary clocks to sophisticated solar charge control systems, these projects continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with open-source hardware and software. Whether it's a small DIY endeavor or a complex, industry-scale application, the world of Arduino offers endless possibilities for those willing to explore and innovate.