Arduini, anyone?

[moto]

I have seen some mentions of Arduino projects on our site, but don't remember the following...

Has anyone completed an Arduino project and installed it on their motorcycle? If so, how did it work out?

I know how to program (e.g. C++ and Fortran) but haven't touched an Arduino. Any recommendations or warnings out there? In particular, can these projects be suitably ruggedized for a motorcycle installation?

Thanks, Arduisti,

Moto

[Wayne Orwig]

Not exactly motorcycle related.
But for grins, I put an Arduino on a solar panel. I programmed it to keep a motorcycle battery on my back porch charged. I use that battery to keep a tablet charged when I am out there surfing the internet or whatever. It has a four stage charge level, that is temperature compensated.

Sort of pointless, but I did it just to learn.

With the PWM outputs you could easily control winter riding gear, or dim lights, while monitoring the battery voltage. Or a smart regulator would be nice.

And they are cheap (Guzzi content). I think I got 5 for about $16.

[ozarquebus]

What is a good way to learn about Arduinos (Arduini?)?

[moto]

What is a good way to learn about Arduinos (Arduini?)?

I'd say, like Wayne did, by doing a project.

Is it correct that an Arduino can accept analog signals (possibly via some module), apply a general computer program to them, and then control (stepper?) motors from the program?

Maybe I'll just have to find out!

[Paul_Tim]

Arduino have both Analog and Digital Inputs, Outputs are Digital (including PWM), really easy to program using the Web Interface and simply tons of existing ideas to reuse/modify. I bought a cheap kit with loads of Sensors / Drivers and played with it before introducing it to my students for posssible use in their project work, even Mechanical Engineering students could use it for simple control projects.
Best way to learn it is to play with it, think of it as electronic Lego. I've found it to be pretty rugged (watch out for 3.3V and 5V parts, they don't play well together) but in any automotive environment be very careful that the power supply (USB works) is well protected against noise. Not used it on the bike but threw together a couple of 'proof of concept' projects for the car which were reliable.

[Wayne Orwig]

Is it correct that an Arduino can accept analog signals (possibly via some module), apply a general computer program to them, and then control (stepper?) motors from the program?

Maybe I'll just have to find out!

Yes, A/D inputs, Numerous I/O lines, and a few PWM output lines.
The PWM lines are a touch on the 'slow' side by default, but there are work arounds to clock them at higher rates.
They have a 7805 type regulator that lets them operate from 12 volts easily.
You can interface WiFi and display modules to them.
They come with a USB (serial) interface and a bootloader that lets you easily program them.

[moto]

Thanks for the replies.

It sounds like a lot of fun.

I have to admit, though, that I doubt I could make anything that was worth having, that I couldn't find more easily, ready-made.

In particular, I have been thinking about making an adaptive headlight -- one that would illuminate the road when going around corners. I imagined recording data from accelerometers (in my phone) and using that in a mathematical model to point the headlight appropriately. Obviously it would be a lot more involved than that sentence suggests. However, I see that $500 will get me a multi-LED headlight from JW Speaker that is supposed to do the same thing. I'd be likely to invest many hours in vain to match its performance, though anything is possible.

With so many people out there making so many magical-seeming devices for sale, it seems ever more that the era of DIY as a practical alternative is drawing to a close.

Maybe I'll take up Arduinos later on, when I'm older. Or more optimistic.

Moto

[GonzoB]

Not mounted on the bike, but occasionally attached to it is this:

https://gonzos.net/projects/throttle-body-balancer/

Made using an old Arduino Uno. I agree about the need to keep the power supply clean, and I used a 5V powerbank to run this project. It certainly could have been run from the bike, but it wasn't worth the work for the number of times I use it.

I dabble in MIDI stuff and I find the Arduino style devices really useful. The Teensy and ESP series in particular.

Gonzo