Making Home Automation Modules Talk To Each Other


[Danny] has been working on an RNET to Sonos bridge. These are devices from two different manufacturers used to facility whole-house audio systems. Usually there’s a main controller with a large color screen and then several satellite controllers like the one above which have some of the features but at a lower cost. Normally you’re limited to using hardware from one line of devices in order to get them to talk to each other but [Danny’s] saying ‘no way’ to that restriction.

His latest post has some of the details on how he pulls this off. He used an RS232 serial connection with an Arduino to sniff out the data stream from the RNET base unit. Once he figured out the protocol he used the Arduino to parse all incoming commands, format them for the Sonos controller, and send it over the Ethernet cable to that device. He’s got everything tied together and working. Take a look at the proof in the clip after the break.

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Cellphone-controlled Home

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/exTpD0–BCo]
[Tixlegeek] used a Motorola 68HC705J1 development board to remotely control his home through his cellphone. The video above, as well as [Tixlegeek]’s website, is in French, though the video has been captioned. The development board (called the ERMES125) is controlled by a PIC externally. It has an array of LEDs, and apperantly a few high voltage relays. The PIC is connected to a laptop through a serial interface. The laptop is running a small web server, which uses CGI to control the PIC from a webpage. This system allows [Tixlegeek] to log onto the webpage from his web enabled phone, click a few buttons, and have appliances turn on or off through relays controlled by the PIC (via serial signals from the laptop).

XMPP And Home Automation

xmpp_office_lights

[Matthias] from Intuity Media Lab put together a nice bit on controlling office lights with XMPP from his Android phone. In the article, he explains the components involved in the project, why he chose XMPP, and lists everything you need to replicate it. The project makes use of a wide variety of tools and libraries, weaving together code from multiple languages to achieve its goal. Overall, his project is a welcome change in a world full of Twitterbased solutions.

Home Automation Via Twitter

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVm1VKB43ww]

We’ve seen tons of stuff hooked up to send updates to twitter when something happens. That’s what we expected when we first read this tip from [Matt]. We were pleasantly surprised to see he’s actually doing the opposite. He has rigged several items to an IoBridge module and he can control them by sending tweets to his account. In the video you can see him sound a buzzer and change a display on an LCD. Its nice to see twitter being used as part of the control as opposed to updating us every time someone flushes.

Servo Switch Assemblies

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0hBCdMJ96g]

If you are interested in trying out some home automation, but don’t want to get into the potentially dangerous area of hacking your house wiring, consider these servo switches. These allow you to flip a switch, using a servo. They are clean, temporary, and fairly compact. You can purchase them at oomlout.com or download the designs and build your own.

WAP Controlled Home Automation

homeauto

[Josh] sent in a home automation project he did a little while ago. It has a total of eight switched outlets. The main focus of the project was WAP access for remote control from any cellphone. The control box is based on a design by [Ashley Roll] for controlling eight servos using a PIC microcontroller. A listener app written in Java monitors the control web page and sends signals to the board via serial port. He used opto-isolated 240V solid state relays for each of the outlets. All the pieces are available on the site and he might even do a custom control board design if there is enough interest.

Hack Your Litter Box


Cat poo stinks.  We all know it. Those of us who have cats, though frequently amazed at the sheer magnitude of stench our cuddly friends are capable of, do little to remedy the situation.  Sure, sometimes we buy the fancier kitty litter or the special food.  [agraham999] decided to be a little more proactive.  He built an automated exhaust system for the litter box. He wasn’t content to just rig a fan blowing to an exhaust vent either, he hooked it up to an automation system and a motion detector.  The total cost for the project was $80, not including the mac mini that serves as the brains.

Be sure to read through the comments for some very in depth discussion about power usage and solar conversions.

[via Boing Boing Gadgets]