In our modern semi-dystopia, it seems like most companies add automation features to their products to lock them down and get consumers to buy even more proprietary, locked-down components. The few things that are still user-upgradable are getting fewer and farther between, but there are still a few things that can be modified and improved to our own liking like this control panel for a heat recovery ventilator (HRV).
HRVs are systems that exchange fresh, outside air with stale, inside air while passing them both through a heat exchanger to keep from wasting energy. Many systems run continuously but they aren’t always needed, so some automation is beneficial. This upgrade from [vincentmakes] improves the default display for a Zehnder Comfoair Q350 HRV with a color display as well as adding it in to a home automation system, letting a user control fan speeds remotely as well as alerting the user when it’s time for filter replacements and providing up-to-date information from all the sensors in the HRV.
The project builds on a previous project which adapted an ESP32 to interact with the CAN bus used on these devices. With these upgrades the user can forgo the $300 proprietary upgrade that would be needed to get the same functionality otherwise. It’s also fully open-source so all that’s needed is to flash the firmware, replace the display, and enjoy the fresh air. There’s other modern HVAC equipment that can benefit from new controllers and a bit of automation as well.
You don’t have to, you can still open the window. But if it’s cold outside and you have to open the window a few times a day, it quickly gets impractical, annoying, uncomfortable and inefficient.
In the summer I like to keep my garden door open the whole day, but during winter I’d really prefer to have such system.
Truly, when I think of our dystopic age, the lack of windows is what really sticks out. I don’t even remember the last time I saw one.
Yeah i think we all like fresh air from a window, if its within a few degrees of an ideal temperature and not raining or unreasonably humid out. In my part of the world this only happens for certain parts of the day maybe a couple dozen days on a good year.
On other days a system like this really helps as part of an energy efficent home thats built much tighter than ones built in the mid 20th century.
My favorite times to open the window are when the aqi is 200 from wild fires or when it’s -22F outside. Yeah a plastic core that transfers heat between two tiny 50 cfm streams of air, then optionally filters it, with simple analog circuit for control is total high tech dystopian bullshit. Fry my lungs and burn natural gas baby!
I’ve been coming to Hackaday for over 20 years now and one thing I always find comforting is that no matter how the world changes I can always come to the comment section here and find the dumbest thoughts humanity has to offer. Thank you for keeping the tradition going.