#Electronics / #Microcontroller question

I'm looking for an easy way to store some metadata (just a few bytes) with some electronic components.

The project involves #RaspberryPi computers operating a camera and lighting to attract and image night-flying insects.

The lighting includes two components: 1) a set of white high-power LEDs to provide illumination for the camera, and 2) a set of UV, white, green and blue high-power LEDs to attract the insects. I make up these components and attach them to the RPi with pluggable cables. See: https://amt.hobern.net/ to get the idea.

Based on power availability, portability and other considerations, the number and type of LEDs in each component may be different. The camera illumination may use 3 or 6 LEDs or substitute with a ring-light. The attractant may be 6 UV + 1 white + 1 green + 1 blue or 3 UV + 1 white + 1 green + 1 blue or just 3 UV. I want switching lighting components to be plug-and-play.

It's also important to record metadata on the configuration actually used for any session. Right now, it's the responsibility of the user to remember to update a configuration file if they change the lighting. This is error-prone.

I'd be interested in including something in each component that the RPi can read to determine the lights in use. Is there an easy and reasonably cost-effective way to do this? I can easily use cables with more pins. Is there a cheap solid-state component that I can include in each lighting unit and that I can simply flash with some short string or a few bytes and that I can read from the RPi side?

Or am I just wasting time on this thought exercise?