What I am trying to design is for a prototype for a simple project, simple in the terms that not much is needed and all should be fairly cheap.
I am trying to design (and see what it would entail and if it's plausible) a circuit board that can be produced in VOLUME or a board that can control between 20-150 solenoids each and I need to be able to program them with a fast and responsive language and if its possible, have an analog knob that can speed up or slow down the program. If this isn't possible that's fine, but it will make the programming process WAY WAY EASIER!!! I code in many languages so that part isn't a problem at all.
So here is a simple breakdown:
I need to design a board that can control a variety of solenoids, I need to be able to write a program for each solenoid OR have a board that would allow me to program them all as a whole preferably. Another words I would like the program to be able to assign each solenoid a number, class name, function name, etc... and the program will call on these functions to close a specified solenoid for a specific amount of time defined by each program that it runs. And to make the programming a bit easier and would be beneficial for the end product as well if I were able to incorporate a speed control knob so the program speed can be adjusted which in code is easy but not sure how to incorporate the button circuit into that. I have done a ton of programming, but have never programmed "hardware" from scratch so I am not sure what it entails. I have friends that can code all the way down to assembly but would like to be able to just write up a program in C or C++ that way it is more responsive and quick to make changes to. I need to know what the board would need to accomplish this (such as components, circuitry, memory (ex: type, size, printed on board or attached at different facility, etc...), solenoid connectors, power supply plug adapter for the board, and am trying to figure out specifics so I am able to communicate with manufacturers about what it is that i need produced. I would like to know what kind of power supply would work for "ALL" of the different amounts of variations of solenoids (another words I would like to get a power supply that would be sufficient for 20 solenoids and would still be enough for 150 of them as well, the solenoids I was looking at had a power draw of 3w so I would imagine it wouldn't need much, but also need power for all the rest of the board components if any. These solenoids are only going to be having water pass through them at lower pressures, if I were to guess nothing over 15-20 psi and that is shooting pretty high, but would rather get ones rated for more so I have some wiggle room in case there is a variable I am not considering at this early stage of the project. I don't know the exact pressure yet because I haven't built the prototype yet but they need to be FAST AND RESPONSIVE and have a high number of cycles they are rated for, I want them to be good quality and have the longest life possible.......within reason of course as far as affordability goes. But I would like to know how I would need to accommodate if I were to go up in pressure, would I need bigger solenoids, or is it just more power being delivered to the solenoids. All these solenoids are going to be on a solid sheet of metal where they will be stationary and the sheet metal will be anywhere between 18 inches or so up to 8-12 feet long and they will be bunched up, if possible, so they will all be very close to one another. They will be controlling water flowing through nozzles that are very close together, and if one fails it would be much easier to know which one if they were in the order they were being used. So they will be permanently attached to a piece of sheet metal another words, and don't need them water proof, they will not be near water unless line bursts or cracks. Them being as quiet as possible, also within reason for affordability is also extremely important!!! 100 solenoids going off at the same time is going to be loud I would think. The solenoids I am wanting to get would need to be able to be purchased in China due to the fact that I am going to be buying thousands of them so I would like to know what kind of solenoid would be appropriate for such a project. I also need the solenoids to be open by default, not closed, that is very important!!!!
I'm not sure if all of this can be incorporated onto a small and versatile, good quality board for an affordable price or if numerous kinds of boards need to be manufactured for each individual function of this process, but I would imagine it would be cheaper and easier to just manufacture one board due to less shipping, manufacturers to deal with, but also many be cheaper so have each board have one function, not all functions on one board.....heck if I know, that's where your guys' experience and know how comes in, but I am trying to just understand what it would entail and if affordability of manufacturing is plausible.
So in a nutshell, i just need to figure out how to make (MANUFACTURE, NOT MAKE AT HOME) a circuit board that can be if need be manufactured in quantity and made with quality that will last many many years, need to know how to power it all and have all use same power supply for cost effectiveness, And I need to know how I would go about programming a ROM or a memory module, and will need one that can be reprogrammed anytime it needed to be with a simple laptop because I would like to put many programs on each, and have them run according to a digital selector that is weather resistant if that would even be possible affordably, so I'm not sure how to integrate being able to communicate with it and pretty much just send it new programs that can be run, make changes, remove, add, edit, change times it runs certain programs, add more programs on top of what is already there, and anything in between.
I know its a lot, but I know basics but must remember I'm not making this at home and need to know just how it could be done so I can start to talk to some manufacturers about getting some boards printed and get a prototype going. This project is time sensitive, and I have all the cash flow necessary to back the project in any way needed.
I want to thank anyone in advance for their input, I hope I have enough detail, but please feel free to reply and all notifications will go straight to my phone and I will respond VERY promptly.
Thanks again and can't wait to see if this is plausible!!!
I am trying to design (and see what it would entail and if it's plausible) a circuit board that can be produced in VOLUME or a board that can control between 20-150 solenoids each and I need to be able to program them with a fast and responsive language and if its possible, have an analog knob that can speed up or slow down the program. If this isn't possible that's fine, but it will make the programming process WAY WAY EASIER!!! I code in many languages so that part isn't a problem at all.
So here is a simple breakdown:
I need to design a board that can control a variety of solenoids, I need to be able to write a program for each solenoid OR have a board that would allow me to program them all as a whole preferably. Another words I would like the program to be able to assign each solenoid a number, class name, function name, etc... and the program will call on these functions to close a specified solenoid for a specific amount of time defined by each program that it runs. And to make the programming a bit easier and would be beneficial for the end product as well if I were able to incorporate a speed control knob so the program speed can be adjusted which in code is easy but not sure how to incorporate the button circuit into that. I have done a ton of programming, but have never programmed "hardware" from scratch so I am not sure what it entails. I have friends that can code all the way down to assembly but would like to be able to just write up a program in C or C++ that way it is more responsive and quick to make changes to. I need to know what the board would need to accomplish this (such as components, circuitry, memory (ex: type, size, printed on board or attached at different facility, etc...), solenoid connectors, power supply plug adapter for the board, and am trying to figure out specifics so I am able to communicate with manufacturers about what it is that i need produced. I would like to know what kind of power supply would work for "ALL" of the different amounts of variations of solenoids (another words I would like to get a power supply that would be sufficient for 20 solenoids and would still be enough for 150 of them as well, the solenoids I was looking at had a power draw of 3w so I would imagine it wouldn't need much, but also need power for all the rest of the board components if any. These solenoids are only going to be having water pass through them at lower pressures, if I were to guess nothing over 15-20 psi and that is shooting pretty high, but would rather get ones rated for more so I have some wiggle room in case there is a variable I am not considering at this early stage of the project. I don't know the exact pressure yet because I haven't built the prototype yet but they need to be FAST AND RESPONSIVE and have a high number of cycles they are rated for, I want them to be good quality and have the longest life possible.......within reason of course as far as affordability goes. But I would like to know how I would need to accommodate if I were to go up in pressure, would I need bigger solenoids, or is it just more power being delivered to the solenoids. All these solenoids are going to be on a solid sheet of metal where they will be stationary and the sheet metal will be anywhere between 18 inches or so up to 8-12 feet long and they will be bunched up, if possible, so they will all be very close to one another. They will be controlling water flowing through nozzles that are very close together, and if one fails it would be much easier to know which one if they were in the order they were being used. So they will be permanently attached to a piece of sheet metal another words, and don't need them water proof, they will not be near water unless line bursts or cracks. Them being as quiet as possible, also within reason for affordability is also extremely important!!! 100 solenoids going off at the same time is going to be loud I would think. The solenoids I am wanting to get would need to be able to be purchased in China due to the fact that I am going to be buying thousands of them so I would like to know what kind of solenoid would be appropriate for such a project. I also need the solenoids to be open by default, not closed, that is very important!!!!
I'm not sure if all of this can be incorporated onto a small and versatile, good quality board for an affordable price or if numerous kinds of boards need to be manufactured for each individual function of this process, but I would imagine it would be cheaper and easier to just manufacture one board due to less shipping, manufacturers to deal with, but also many be cheaper so have each board have one function, not all functions on one board.....heck if I know, that's where your guys' experience and know how comes in, but I am trying to just understand what it would entail and if affordability of manufacturing is plausible.
So in a nutshell, i just need to figure out how to make (MANUFACTURE, NOT MAKE AT HOME) a circuit board that can be if need be manufactured in quantity and made with quality that will last many many years, need to know how to power it all and have all use same power supply for cost effectiveness, And I need to know how I would go about programming a ROM or a memory module, and will need one that can be reprogrammed anytime it needed to be with a simple laptop because I would like to put many programs on each, and have them run according to a digital selector that is weather resistant if that would even be possible affordably, so I'm not sure how to integrate being able to communicate with it and pretty much just send it new programs that can be run, make changes, remove, add, edit, change times it runs certain programs, add more programs on top of what is already there, and anything in between.
I know its a lot, but I know basics but must remember I'm not making this at home and need to know just how it could be done so I can start to talk to some manufacturers about getting some boards printed and get a prototype going. This project is time sensitive, and I have all the cash flow necessary to back the project in any way needed.
I want to thank anyone in advance for their input, I hope I have enough detail, but please feel free to reply and all notifications will go straight to my phone and I will respond VERY promptly.
Thanks again and can't wait to see if this is plausible!!!