Beginners Home Automation Self Build Projects?

Hi,

Anyone know of links or ideas for self build (hobbyist electronics) projects for home automation whether this be the x10 type system or other wired or wireless ideas?

I am in particular interested in computer control so I guess all the peripheral control units might also count?

I'd also be interested in finding out more about simple appliance and lighting control electronics projects or ideas (U.K. so 240 volts) using low voltage triggering \ control (optocouplers, PC ports, etc..??)..

I guess I would be at beginners level so just interested in seeing whats out there and what others have done small scale..

Any ideas \ links?

Pete UK.

Hallo Pete,

Seriously, since you say you are a beginner (we all have been) I suggest not to start out with X10 or anything that connects to mains power. 240V is nothing to sneeze at. It can kill you or others and if some module circuitry fails you might burn down the house.

I'd start with something easier.

Regards, Joerg

Hi Joerg,

I understand your concerns but I'm not that much of a beginner in life :).

Just a beginner in electronic circuit building and the ideas of home automation from a electronic hobbyists point of view.

I have done lots of standard 240 volt wiring and rewiring and felt the kick of 240 volts on many occasions so to that I guess I'm an oldie...

I guess I was asking for links or ideas for simple projects that anyone could achieve with some patience and a steady hand (and of course a respect for mains electricity.).

Cheers

Pete

You can easily control an X10 Firecracker from a hardware serial port on a computer. Using the Apache webserver, you can control it over the internet if desired. You can also control things like servos which can do various things. I've got some basic info below.

Lots of great ideas there.

Part of the reason I am looking for alternative and self build projects is the lack of x10 stuff in the UK and the sometimes double the cost price for the same units and from exactly the same outlet (all be it selling to the UK.)

Well that and I would like a nice practical challenge.

I figure I'm going to have a go at controlling items near my PC to start with so your servo web cam idea looks interesting though even sourcing the ezservo1 engineered chip seems a problem in the UK... (A backwards country for consummers :-( )

Eitherway thanks for that... your stuff has sparked even more interest in me.

Pete

You go to the post office, and put your mail on "vacaion hold". ;-)

Cheers! Rich

It's important to think this whole thing through. I see a fair bit of so called *home automation* but it is really home integration. Automation is what happens when you drive a car, pop the bread in the toaster or stick the washing on. Most *home automation* relies on pressing one button which then, will say, dim the lights, close the curtains and turn on the telly. For the effort that this would involve to integrate it would be far less effort, even over 100 years to do it manually. In these *home automated* houses, I look at the multiple button panels in each room and start to wonder what each button may do, and then which one I need to press just to turn on the lights - the word overkill comes to my mind. Everything is possible but at what cost in time and $. Pure automation should rely solely on human movement throughout the abode - and action as required. Most *automation* talk is just pie in the sky stuff for the fabulously wealthy. I mean, who needs to be able to turn on the bathroom lights from the other side of the planet. I feel though it would be nice to have lights come on and curtains opening and closing when you are away, for that lived-in-look but what about the junk mail that's sticking out your letter box - how do you automate that. ;-)

If you need to *automate* then think small scale in individual control areas running from separate PIC's or the like. KIS.

Cheers.

I agree. There are small scale tasks that can be automated just as my plug in timer switches on and off my lamp in the livingroom to a schedule whilst I am away on holiday.

Actually this is one of the best pieces of automation and I don't need x10 or anything special. Just a £5 ($9 ?) plug in digital timer.

I have re-adjusted my goals to something more achievable and two fold.

One is the have it now option of buying a few x10 (or similar) modules to schedule off my PC. This will allow me to set up simple routines for heating the house, lighting etc...

I actually think x10 though is eventually a bit limiting as were reliant on what manufacturers think is useful... and here in the UK X10 is an absolute rip-off..

The second is the hobby bit. This again will have some PC imput and require me to build a couple of circuits to control several items such as 240volt switches \ relays and lower voltage motors as well as have some inputs such as reading light and temperature levels.

At this stage for the hobbyist bit I would be happy to simply click a button on my keyboard and see a fan start whirling around or point a sensor towards the light and see my PC tell me it's detected it.

However as I am not a programmer I am reliant on what software is available which in turn dictates the physical mechanisms available to me.... That's where I need to do a lot more reading before going off far down a path that will eventually be limiting.

Although, as I am very interested in 240 volt and other device switching from a purely electronic standpoint, I can get on with that regardless of centralised automation issues.

But yes. On the self build side there is a lot more to think about before I start making grander plans.

Pete

Look, if you are not big into programming may I suggest you look at PICAXE chips. Available right there in the motherland. see

, these are used in High Schools so they have to be easy, cheap and destruction proof. You can have multiple inputs and outputs - start bigtime with the PICAXE-28 - with 4 analogue inputs, 8 digital inputs and 8 digital outputs. see Programming is easy and all you need is a few cheap components to programme them. Connect 3 wires to your serial port - use an old mouse for the connection. There is lots of info out there and they can be re-programmed about 1000 times. Here is an example of the programming:

main: if pin1 = 1 then lamp goto main

lamp: high 4 wait 10 low 4 goto main

In the above example if pin 1 goes high ie. +5V, then the program will advance to "lamp" and pin 4 will go high for 10 seconds then go low. The program will go back to the main loop. Pin 1 input could well be a button. Pin 4 could drive an opto isolator for your 240V interface to turn on a lamp for 10 seconds.

Now try the above example with your computer. The point I am making is that there is an easier alternative to tying up a computer running 24/7 plus all the programming required. I have worked with these in the past and they are a breeze.

Of course if you really want to use a computer ........

Cheers.

Actually Chris that's really helpful and I was suprised at how cheap they are.

I agree. I think I mostly meant programming ports and stuff. I can do a little onscreen BASIC programming and what you have pointed me too seems nice, easy and functional.

:o)) Actually my PC is on 24/7 as it runs BOINC (SETI n stuff) but was going to scale down to a mini-itx type for always on type jobs.

I've ordered one of their starter kits as they are cheap enough and it'll give me something to get started with.

Quite excited now.

Cheers

Pete

I hope it all works out for you.

Cheers.