Connecting the modules
For this project there will be 5 modules connected to the Arduino. Most of the pin assignments are not critical. In other words: most of the destination pins can be changed, but a modification of the program will be necessary. In my case, I've decided to choose the pins on the short side of the PCB, to make shorter connections and to prevent the wires to mess up.
The ESP8266
This module is used to connect your Arduino to the internet, or in this case: to your local network. As mentioned above, it communicates with two serial lines (RX and TX). This is the only module needing 3.3 Volt, instead of 5.(!) That means that not only the VCC should be treated in a different way (do not connect it to your 5V power supply, connect it to the 3.3V pin of your Arduino), but also you need some resistors on the RX line to lower the voltage.
It's also mentionable that this WIFI module only uses the 2.4 GHz band and is not able to connect to the modern 5.0 GHz band. As far as I can see that won't be a problem right now, as I don't know one single router with only the 5 GHz band.
In this project we use pin 18 and 19 to connect to the Arduino. Those are not critical, as an Arduino has four sets of serial ports:
 The communication pins on the Mega |
RX 0 and TX 0 have been set aside, as they will be used for program uploading and the serial connection (with the monitor, plotter and IDE) on your computer.
The other ones are not in use. I do not know if they are exactly interchangeable, but I've chosen RX1 and TX1. If you want to change to another set of lines, change the program, and replace all "Serial1." commands to "Serial2." (or "Serial3." of course).
The OLED I2C SSD1306 12864 LCD
The first time I received one of these OLED modules, I got surprised by the fact that its size is no problem at all! As they are really small (below 1 inch), you would expect the need of glasses to read them. But actually four lines of text is no problem at all.
The old modules (without I2C) used lots of wires (4 or 8 data lines), but the I2C versions are easy. GND, VCC and a SCI and SDA are needed.
Is the pin configuration critical? An Arduino Mega has one set of SCI and SDA pins. These function like a bus -the I2C bus-. Therefore it is not necessary to change pins when you want to add something more on that bus, devices can share a bus. Communication will be separated by the use of an address. That means that you'll have to check the address of your screen and correct it in the program. (More explanation in the check your module section)
The FS1000a transmitter
Normally you'll buy them as a set, and even you don't need the receiver in your final setup: don't throw it away. You will need it to get the codes from the remote controls of your wireless switches. As you can see, there is a small hole on the FS1000a with the description ANT near it. You can add an antenna to it when the unit cannot reach the desired distance. Tests over here showed no problem over 10 meter, so I did not attach one.
I used pin 53 on the Arduino, but every pin can be used. You only have to change the program on this line:
Arduino Code:
Change the 53 to another free pin when desired.
And last but not least: a pushbutton
This is a button which only creates a circuit during the push. It is meant as a wake-up-button for the screen, as I do not want it to display info 24/7. Once the button is pressed, it lights up de display for 60 seconds. As you may know, the button needs to be connected with a pull down resistor.
Another alternative is to use a switch (on / off), and connect it on the 5V line of the OLED, to interrupt the circuit, and the OLED is turned off for real. (Notice that the pushbutton system does not interrupt the power, the program stops using the screen)
