The Network Of 1-Wire Devices

teensynet

[jimmayhugh] is a homebrewer and has multiple fermentation chambers and storage coolers scattered around his home. Lucky him. Nevertheless, multiple ways of making and storing beer requires some way to tell the temperature of his coolers and fermenters. There aren’t many temperature controllers that will monitor more than two digital thermometers or thermocouples, so he came up with his own. It’s called TeensyNet, and it’s able to monitor and control up to 36 1-wire devices and ties everything into his home network.

Everything in this system uses the 1-Wire protocol, a bus designed by Dallas Semiconductor that can connect devices with only two wires; data and ground. (To be a fly on the wall during that marketing meeting…) [jimmay] is using temperature sensors, digital switches, thermocouples, and even a graphic LCD with his 1-wire system, with everything controlled by a Teensy 3.1 and Ethernet module to push everything up to his network.

With everything connected to the network, [jimmay] can get on his personal TeensyNet webpage and check out the status of all the devices connected to any of his network controllers. This is something the engineers at Dallas probably never dreamed of, and it’s an interesting look at what the future of Home Automation will be, if not for a network connected relay.

13 thoughts on “The Network Of 1-Wire Devices

  1. Nice project but not sure about the name. The only link to Teensy is that it just happens to use a Teensy module but it gives the impression it is something official by PJRC. The webpage is covered with unregistered trademark ™ symbols for TeensyNet as well.

    There are plenty home automation networks out there. The problem is that they tend to be proprietory and/or expensive. Look at KNX aka EIB for one that has wide support by multiple manufacturers and has pretty much every kind sensors + actuators you can possibly want. It is all extremely expensive though.

    1. Hi, Paul here, the creator of Teensy. I really don’t believe this is a case of “confusingly similar”, especially since it’s a peripheral that uses a genuine Teensy board. It would be a different situation if it were a whole dev board.

      I do have mixed feeling about the graphic his website uses in the upper left corner. Brian, if you’re reading this, maybe a “NSFW” warning or something should go next to the links?

  2. Could somebody please explain to me the joke in “(To be a fly on the wall during that marketing meeting…)”? Either it’s not a joke, or it’s too complicated, or needs some background, or I’m too stupid to understand it. Anyway, cool project.

          1. khashmeshab, it’s rather easy to understand. Just don’t try too hard to understand! :)

            Imagine you invented something. The company you work for think it’s great but it need a fancy name for marketing reasons. Here’s where the imaginary marketing meeting comes in. Wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall (figuratively speaking) during that meeting? :)

          2. “Look at what one of our engineers came up with…”

            “Oh, great! That’s going to give us an edge over our competitors. What’s it called?”

            “Well, we don’t have a distinctive name yet.”

            “What’s sepcial about it?”

            “it’s serial instead of parallel, requiring no more than a single wire. And ground, of course.”

            “Ground? That’s an implementation detail. Lets call it 1-wire because it sounds like magic! People will stumble over this and it will stick.”

            “Superb idea!”

            “+1”

            “Awesome!”

            … and so forth. :)

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