Controller Brain

[DigitalQw3rty]

So I'm designing a custom controller that I want to be able to add things on to in the future. My design calls for 17 Analog inputs and between 32 - 50 digital inputs on the actual controller. I'm looking for a brain that can handle that many inputs and is relatively inexpensive. I was thinking about using an Arduino Mega but I don't know anything about programming. Any help would be much appreciated.

[tyfurious]

Livid Brain maybe?

[guywithknife]

If you don't mind a little bit of electronics and figuring out some programming, you have a few choices: you could use something which doesn't have that many inputs and use shift registers and multiplexers to increase the number of available inputs. This is probably the better solution. Alternatively, you could use a microcontroller with lots of pins (myself and sidetrakd are using both 44 pin and 28 pin PIC24's, but are considering the move to a 100 pin version (85 general purpose I/O pins)). More pins is easier to programming because you don't need to interact with the shift register/multiplexer chips, but also a lot more difficult to hand solder (for a 100 pin chip, the pins are spaced roughly 0.4 mm apart - which obviously isn't much...). Cost wise, the single chip is probably slightly cheaper, but overall theres not going to be much difference.

If you want to use a pre-made "brain", then you obviously have to work with whats available. Unless something exists that already allows for that many inputs (I have not looked), you will need to at least do a small bit of programming to interact with multiplexers - though maybe something exists that already has this built in.

[DigitalQw3rty]

I was thinking about using an Arduino Mega 2560 with a multiplex but since I don't know how to program that seems pretty unlikely. I was also thinking about using a Highly Liquid Midi CPU or a Livid Brian but I cant really decide. I like the set up of the Livid Brain but I cant bring myself to consider paying $190. I might end up going with two HL Midi Cpu's. I dont want to have to solder to the board directly because I want to be able to remove things I'm not using quickly. I really just want something Flexible. I guess that's why i was considering the Arduino Mega... I dunno. My brain is fried.