The Home Automation thread

[kosmonooit]

I use DS18B20's all over the place for  temp monitoring of modules and components monitored by alarm / alert system, like if there is overheating in your electrical distribution  box or  the fan has failed in your inverter you should be told. I have them in three form factors, the chip, on a small PCB with headers and inside a stainless steel rod. Data sheet claims 0.5C accuracy from –10°C to +85°C

 

About that memory management, its battle on the Arduino's when your code grows and you have to start squeezing it and doing tricks to reference from EEPROM - total drag but generally can make it happen but you don't have the luxury of lots of memory for dynamic memory dependent classes like with that String, I've had loads of hassles and badly behaving code until I dumped it, But working with char arrays takes great care as well.

 

Python gets rid of all that hassle and  C/C++ pointers and nonsense but haven't gone that direction myself as yet, The code, compile and burn world works for me right now.  There is also the fact that for most add-on's you will only find C++ Libaries

[Rocket-Boy]

I use DS18B20's all over the place for  temp monitoring of modules and components monitored by alarm / alert system, like if there is overheating in your electrical distribution  box or  the fan has failed in your inverter you should be told. I have them in three form factors, the chip, on a small PCB with headers and inside a stainless steel rod. Data sheet claims 0.5C accuracy from –10°C to +85°C

 

About that memory management, its battle on the Arduino's when your code grows and you have to start squeezing it and doing tricks to reference from EEPROM - total drag but generally can make it happen but you don't have the luxury of lots of memory for dynamic memory dependent classes like with that String, I've had loads of hassles and badly behaving code until I dumped it, But working with char arrays takes great care as well.

 

Python gets rid of all that hassle and  C/C++ pointers and nonsense but haven't gone that direction myself as yet, The code, compile and burn world works for me right now.  There is also the fact that for most add-on's you will only find C++ Libaries

Micro-python is an interpreted language so its always going to run slightly worse on a micro controller than something like C would. I like Python but its definitely not the answer for these applications.

 

Have you looked into the ESP32? compared to any of the Arduinos its got tons of storage capacity and faster processors. The wifi and bluetooth dont need to be used on it but its also nice to have them. Only limitation is the number of A2d and GPIO but a project seldom has all of the pins used so I have never found it to be a limitation.

[kosmonooit]

Micro-python is an interpreted language so its always going to run slightly worse on a micro controller than something like C would. I like Python but its definitely not the answer for these applications.

 

Have you looked into the ESP32? compared to any of the Arduinos its got tons of storage capacity and faster processors. The wifi and bluetooth dont need to be used on it but its also nice to have them. Only limitation is the number of A2d and GPIO but a project seldom has all of the pins used so I have never found it to be a limitation.

 

 

Yes, got a few ESP32's and stock the ESP8266 NodeMcu, which is great value for money but generally I need loads of IO pins that why I used the Mega a lot. Due is another option in that form factor but 3.3V

[Rocket-Boy]

I finally finished my parking sensor. Its using an uno, ultrasonic sensor and Adafruit neopixel ring.

Making the box for it took waaaaay longer than the project itself!

 

The video quality is terrible but it should give an idea on what it does...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWnyM8PdMvo

 

I really need a 3d printer, this took way too long to make :/

 

 

[Capricorn]

I finally finished my parking sensor. Its using an uno, ultrasonic sensor and Adafruit neopixel ring.

Making the box for it took waaaaay longer than the project itself!

 

The video quality is terrible but it should give an idea on what it does...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWnyM8PdMvo

 

I really need a 3d printer, this took way too long to make :/

box.jpg

 

very cool! great for cars without parking sensors. What distance have you set the red ring of death to?

[Rocket-Boy]

very cool! great for cars without parking sensors. What distance have you set the red ring of death to?

Red ring is at 52cm currently but Im going to tweak it to have two different colour rings. Generally I want the car as far away from the workbench as possible while still closing the garage door.

There are times I need it as close as possible to the bench though so that I can wheel my table saw out.

So will create a ring for day to day and another one for getting at the saw.

[Stretch]

Now here's a cool project... Smart mirror

 

http://www.gregensom.com/mirrorProject.html

[The Ouzo]

has anyone tried a poolsense pod ?

basically a floating pod in your pool, communicates with your phone and tells you what chemicals to add and water temp etc.

 

They just look a bit pricey to me at 3k.

[dirtypot]

I finally finished my parking sensor. Its using an uno, ultrasonic sensor and Adafruit neopixel ring.

Making the box for it took waaaaay longer than the project itself!

 

The video quality is terrible but it should give an idea on what it does...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWnyM8PdMvo

 

I really need a 3d printer, this took way too long to make :/

box.jpg

 

That is so cool!  I love it!

[Rocket-Boy]

Now here's a cool project... Smart mirror

 

http://www.gregensom.com/mirrorProject.html

I was looking at that one a while back, its a really cool project. 

I see they are commercially available now too but at around $3k they are stupidly expensive. DIY definitely the way to do it.

[Rocket-Boy]

has anyone tried a poolsense pod ?

basically a floating pod in your pool, communicates with your phone and tells you what chemicals to add and water temp etc.

 

They just look a bit pricey to me at 3k.

I have never heard of it before but it looks quite interesting. Seems to use a Sigfox network so that means it will probably run on sqwidnet which will probably attract a monthly fee too.

 

Its a great idea though being able to monitor key metrics in the pool. Would be very difficult to DIY something like that because of the required amounts of chemicals to add and figuring out what those would be.

[Long Wheel Base]

has anyone tried a poolsense pod ?

basically a floating pod in your pool, communicates with your phone and tells you what chemicals to add and water temp etc.

 

They just look a bit pricey to me at 3k.

 

 

I have never heard of it before but it looks quite interesting. Seems to use a Sigfox network so that means it will probably run on sqwidnet which will probably attract a monthly fee too.

 

Its a great idea though being able to monitor key metrics in the pool. Would be very difficult to DIY something like that because of the required amounts of chemicals to add and figuring out what those would be.

Also never heard of it. I use the normal blue HTH box with a few drops of this and that. One lightning storm and my pool still goes green so clearly I am no good with the manual way. Pity I don't have 3k for a pool sensor thing right now.

[The Ouzo]

Also never heard of it. I use the normal blue HTH box with a few drops of this and that. One lightning storm and my pool still goes green so clearly I am no good with the manual way. Pity I don't have 3k for a pool sensor thing right now.

yeah, 3k is a bit steep to drop on this.

[Stretch]

Also never heard of it. I use the normal blue HTH box with a few drops of this and that. One lightning storm and my pool still goes green so clearly I am no good with the manual way. Pity I don't have 3k for a pool sensor thing right now.

And one lightning storm and there goes your 3k toy too

[Rocket-Boy]

So after even more research it looks like a fairly reasonably priced device.

The ORP sensors are expensive as heck and if you wanted to DIY something like this you would be in for probably around R2k for parts.

The real problem would be in finding value in the measurements taken, what those mean against your pool volume and in relation to that how much of x chemical you need to add.

 

Im normally the last person to recommend commercial solutions but this one I wouldnt try and DIY.

[Long Wheel Base]

And one lightning storm and there goes your 3k toy too

Another good point.

I have a friend that went through about 4 or 5 pool gobbler things before just leaving the leaves. His dog destroyed the thing. They never lasted a week. Imagine the dog destroying your 3k toy after a few days. Wonder what would come up on your phone if you logged in while it was in the dogs stomach?