Hello!

​    I'm not generally a video person, but here's the second post in a row with a video to provide the update on the progress in my shack!  Aren't we so lucky? 
     
​     Last time I was sharing some info on the VU meters/Relays/Arduino arrangement that I came up with to give me an indication of which thing in the shack was generating audio.  This time, the update is more about progress towards getting some additional shack automation, and eventual remote operation ability.  We start off with the shack "powered down" (mostly) so that you can see everything "come-to-life."  My very amateur code is available on Github (search for user N3VEM on github and you'll find it) and the boards and relays I'm using are listed below as Amazon Affiliate links. (P.S. I switched from an Arduino Uno to an Arduino Mega for the control functions between the last video and this one as well. ) 

Post Contains Affiliate Links

Like many shacks, mine has a number of different audio sources.  When you're trying to pick a signal out of the noise, or even just trying to sort out which computer made the "ding" sometimes it can be challenging.  My solution to this problem involved some VU meters, an Arduino Uno, and a relay board.  This one is easiest to describe by just showing you, so check it out:

The code that runs on the Arduino to do this is still a work in progress, but if you'd like to grab a copy or dabble, you can snag it from one of my github repositories. (More on this later - but I just started a github to enable sharing all the technical details about the shack!)

The parts I used are below.  Clicking them will take you to Amazon so you can snag them for yourself:

​Enjoy!