Arduino - Teh Forum

From:	ANT_THOMAS	18 Jan 2014 13:00
To:	ALL	1 of 542

40898.1
Who's got one and done anything interesting with one? Since I'm looking to buy a house sometime this year I've been looking into more and more home automation things. One thing that I really want to be able to do is turn on/off lights remotely and I think LightwaveRF devices are what I want. I had considered using a few relays but it probably wouldn't be safe and I don't think it gives me the control I'd like. I did want to use one of many RaspberryPis to do that because they are capable of transmitting at the correct frequency and I have used one to control some Remote Control plug socket. Unfortuntely it doesn't look like anyone has written anything to do the job without using the expensive LightwaveRF WiFi link which I have no interest in buying. The good news is that someone has figured it all out for the Arduino so I think I'm going to go down that route. Bought a couple of very cheap Arduino Nanos on ebay which should arrive in a couple of weeks. Ken: Did you do much with yours? ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	Chris (CHRISSS)	18 Jan 2014 14:43
To:	ANT_THOMAS	2 of 542

40898.2 In reply to 40898.1
Quadcopter ;) Never got around to getting an arduino. And the only think I've used my Pi for is XBMC. Me

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From:	koswix	18 Jan 2014 17:50
To:	ANT_THOMAS	3 of 542

40898.3 In reply to 40898.1
I made mine control a 16x4 LCD display I pulled out of an old printer. Currently building a robot arm using stepper motors (also pulled from old printers) and 4 easy driver stepper controllers, that can be had from China for about £2.73. Still trying to workout the cheapest way to control bigger steppers (~2.5 amps), but once I've found the best way of doing that I'm going to build a CNC router using the arduino as a g code interpreter. And a bunch of other projects lined up, too. ▪ ┌────┐ ┌────┐ │ │ │ │ ▪ │ └────┘ │ │ ──┐ ┌── │ ▪ ┌──────┤ ▪ ▪ │ ┌┘ │ │ ▪ ┌─┤ └──┐ │ │ ┌──┘ │ │ │ ││ ││ │ ┌─┐ │ │ └─┼┤ └┴─┴───┘ │ │ │ ─┘│ │ │ │ ┌──────┐ └┬──────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └───┘ └───┘ If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	18 Jan 2014 18:02
To:	koswix	4 of 542

40898.4 In reply to 40898.3
Sounds fun. They're easy enough to get to grips with then? Actually got a couple of stepper motors that I've used with my RPis, not thought of anything more useful than an automated panoramic photo taker. Hopefully the stuff from China doesn't take too long to arrive. I was impressed a few weeks ago, something arrived in 8 days which included the Christmas/New Year week. ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	koswix	18 Jan 2014 18:34
To:	ANT_THOMAS	5 of 542

40898.5 In reply to 40898.4
So easy. On a basic level JTS just a question of choosing a pin and then saying if you want it on or off. Obviously it can (and does) get more complicated, with analogue pins and PWM and and stuff, but it's very easy to get started. My steeper drivers are due to turn Uo between the 20th of Jan and 5th of Feb.they came on Tuesday (about 10 days after ordering) ▪ ┌────┐ ┌────┐ │ │ │ │ ▪ │ └────┘ │ │ ──┐ ┌── │ ▪ ┌──────┤ ▪ ▪ │ ┌┘ │ │ ▪ ┌─┤ └──┐ │ │ ┌──┘ │ │ │ ││ ││ │ ┌─┐ │ │ └─┼┤ └┴─┴───┘ │ │ │ ─┘│ │ │ │ ┌──────┐ └┬──────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └───┘ └───┘ If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	Chris (CHRISSS)	18 Jan 2014 18:58
To:	koswix	6 of 542

40898.6 In reply to 40898.3
Nice. I like the using of parts from old things. How much work is it to get a CNC machine going? Someone on anther forum I visited has made their own and was cutting pieces from aluminium plate with good results. Me

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From:	koswix	18 Jan 2014 19:49
To:	Chris (CHRISSS)	7 of 542

40898.7 In reply to 40898.6
In pinciple, not much. All you need is three movable axis, 3 stepper motors, and appropriate drivers and control software. Of course in reality its much harder, you need a very sturdybframe, good accuracy on your linear bearings (as in: are they parallel? Are the surfaces constst width along the length etc.), pricey acme rod and ballnuts for the linear drive systems. And you have to make sure the thing is properly square when you build it. I already have access to a laser cutter so I plan to laser cut the precision parts, and laser cut templates for the parts I can't cut by laser. I'm also planning on making it a bit of a junkbot, with as many free/recycled and inappropriate materials as possible. Hopefully get it done over the summer. ▪ ┌────┐ ┌────┐ │ │ │ │ ▪ │ └────┘ │ │ ──┐ ┌── │ ▪ ┌──────┤ ▪ ▪ │ ┌┘ │ │ ▪ ┌─┤ └──┐ │ │ ┌──┘ │ │ │ ││ ││ │ ┌─┐ │ │ └─┼┤ └┴─┴───┘ │ │ │ ─┘│ │ │ │ ┌──────┐ └┬──────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └───┘ └───┘ If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	koswix	18 Jan 2014 19:50
To:	ANT_THOMAS	8 of 542

40898.8 In reply to 40898.1

Which Nanos did you get? I'm going to need some for a project later this year.


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If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	18 Jan 2014 19:59
To:	koswix	9 of 542

40898.9 In reply to 40898.8
I quite simply went for the cheapest presoldered Nano (with USB) I could find on ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171204215696 Also got 2 Pro Minis which need a USB to Serial adapter (that I already have) which only has the serial headers soldered - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251336801022 I'll probably use the Nano for messing around since I can easily plug it into a breadboard, then use Pro Mini for anything more permanent. I also bought a bluetooth transceiver thing to maybe make it wireless. ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	koswix	18 Jan 2014 20:22
To:	ANT_THOMAS	10 of 542

40898.10 In reply to 40898.9

Oh that is cheap. Will be interested to see if they are reliable, I've got a project in mind that will basically be installed and forgotten, so reliable boards are essential.


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  └───┘      └───┘

If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	18 Jan 2014 20:51
To:	koswix	11 of 542

40898.11 In reply to 40898.10
I'm going to have a look to see if there's any decent reviews of the cheap copies. My general feeling on stuff like this is to go for the cheapest possible because I've seen plenty of items similar where, let's say the cheapest you can get one is for £2 there will be other sellers/websites selling the exact same item for upto around £10 where you'd be under the wrong assumption thinking it is actually better in any way. Not sure if that made any sense....! ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	koswix	19 Jan 2014 00:47
To:	ANT_THOMAS	12 of 542

40898.12 In reply to 40898.11

Aye, unless you're buying from a reputable place that actually makes them then chances are you're buying the same cheap stuff.

The great thing with arduino is that it's open source, so the cheap ones are the same design. The only difference is the manufacturing - and China's pretty good at that part.


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┌─┤       └──┐  │  │  ┌──┘                      
│ │          │ ││  ││ │   ┌─┐                   
│ │          └─┼┤  └┴─┴───┘ │                   
│ │           ─┘│           │                   
│ │   ┌──────┐  └┬──────────┘                   
  │   │      │   │                              
  │   │      │   │                              
  └───┘      └───┘

If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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From:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	20 Jan 2014 22:10
To:	ANT_THOMAS	13 of 542

40898.13 In reply to 40898.1
Not yet. I am thinking of getting the Pi to Arduino bridge shield but the shield costs as much as the Pi and Arduino together. I am actually starting to do a lot of what you are wanting to do. The part I'm having a hard time with is deciding which automation software to use. There are a lot of choices and some of them are pretty complicated! If you decide on one let me know so I can check it out. If we both use the same package we could potentially help each other. --------------------------------------------- Give me liberty or, I dunno, something.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	20 Jan 2014 22:47
To:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	14 of 542

40898.14 In reply to 40898.13
I haven't even looked at any pre-built packages but I guess there's no harm in looking and trying a couple. My plan was to totally make my own and a web interface to go with it. It may sound a bit silly but to a point I've already done quite a bit. I've got ways to turn on remote sockets over the Internet from my phone via a web page, easily check temperatures, activate motion detection etc. The only thing I think might be more difficult is to make the software to possibly control central heating. To be able to set timers in a sensible fashion without using cronjobs etc. ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	20 Jan 2014 22:51
To:	ANT_THOMAS	15 of 542

40898.15 In reply to 40898.14
What are your concerns with relays? I have a bunch that I was intending to use for lighting, have you had trouble with them? Well then there you go! Making your own might be the least complicated way of doing it! --------------------------------------------- Give me liberty or, I dunno, something.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	20 Jan 2014 23:20
To:	ANT_THOMAS	16 of 542

40898.16 In reply to 40898.1
I haven't had any issues with them but I'm yet to try them with any mains electricity. They're bloody easy to use and very useful though. I do have concerns around safety, I could be being over cautious but I don't want to fudge something when it comes to mains. So, a list why I don't think relays are ideal for me. 1) Quality of relay - what makes a good relay? How much do properly decent ones cost with all the correct levels of insulation across circuits? Would I trust the ones I've bought from China? Probably not. (would I even be insured if I fit them myself and they caused a fire?) 2) Each relay will need cables running to whatever is controlling it. 3) I want a physical switch as well as being able to remotely control. 4) Switching states. Which carries on from 3... I want to be able to know whether something is on or off, or be able to calculate/work it out. If you use a relay and a physical switch I'm guessing it would need to be done in a similar fashion to having two switches for one light (upstairs/downstairs on stairs etc) which if I've worked the wiring out right you'd very quickly not know whether the relay being on/off would mean the light is on or off because of the use of the physical switch. I think this would make it impossible to turn a light on/off unless you already knew whether it was on or off. That may not seem like an issue but for example if I was out of the house and wanted to turn a light off, I want to be able to issue an "off" command. There could be a chance that the light is already off and I didn't know, with a relay I'd end up turning the light back on. My current answer to this is LightwaveRF switches. So to answer the above 1) High quality products, much safer, tested etc. More expensive than relays though. 2) Simple to fit, just replaces your normal wall switch. Controlled wirelessly. 3) It is a physical switch that can be remotely controlled. 4) It can be issued with an "on" or an "off" command. So if you want to try and turn something off that is already off it stays off. ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	20 Jan 2014 23:26
To:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	17 of 542

40898.17 In reply to 40898.15
That was obviously to you! ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	20 Jan 2014 23:30
To:	ANT_THOMAS	18 of 542

40898.18 In reply to 40898.16
Interesting. Yeah I'm not crazy about having to wire everything up. I am going to look into these lightwave things in a bit, it might make more sense for me to use them. Thanks! --------------------------------------------- Give me liberty or, I dunno, something.

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From:	ANT_THOMAS	20 Jan 2014 23:41
To:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	19 of 542

40898.19 In reply to 40898.18
There's a number of other RF options out there. Some that have a bit of a dummy switch which is battery powered and can go anywhere which acts as a remote and the RF received goes above the light fitting in the ceiling. There's even some lightbulbs out there that have it built in. I wanted to easiest way to fit a remote controlled light and that was two screws and 2 or 3 wires with the LightwaveRF switches. The switch I ordered should arrive in the next couple of days and I can have a play. Hopefully it does what I want. Or more so, I hope I can get the Arduino talking to it properly! ┌─────┐ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─┘ └─┘

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From:	Ken (SHIELDSIT)	20 Jan 2014 23:43
To:	ANT_THOMAS	20 of 542

40898.20 In reply to 40898.19
I have a set of the Phillips Hue bulbs. Most of the Open Source Automation programs that I've messed with can control them. But the downside is they are crazy expensive. I don't think I'll be getting any more but who knows. --------------------------------------------- Give me liberty or, I dunno, something.

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