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DIY Home Automation. Chris Barrett. Disclaimer. I am a hobbyist I have no attachments to any of the companies that I will mention other than that I have bought some of their products. References to the companies and their products do not constitute endorsements. What is Home Automation?.
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DIY Home Automation Chris Barrett
Disclaimer • I am a hobbyist • I have no attachments to any of the companies that I will mention other than that I have bought some of their products. • References to the companies and their products do not constitute endorsements.
What is Home Automation? • “home automation” • “smart homes” • “intelligent houses” • Automating aspects of your home to make things more efficient and/or enjoyable.
The Technologies in my House • X10 • 1-wire • Infrared • Text to speech • Caller ID • Digital IO
X10 • Powerline Carrier (PLC) • Control signals are sent over the house’s existing electrical wiring • no extra wiring is required! • The signals are not noticed by and don’t affect the operation of non-X10 equipment. • Developed and patented in 1978
Examples of X10 Equipment CM12AU Computer Interface AM12 Appliance Module LM15EB “Socket Rocket”
X10 Addressing Scheme • Each device (eg a light) is assigned an address • made up of a House code and Unit code • House Code – A,B,C,…,P • Unit Code – 1,2,3,…,16 • So a light in the kitchen might be K3 • 256 (16*16) combinations • Multiple devices can have the same code but will be controlled as one.
Examples of X10 Commands • K3 ON • Turns the kitchen light on • K3 OFF • Turns the light off • K3 DIM25 • Turns the light on but at 25% of it’s normal power
X10 – “Gotcha #1” • X10 wont work with devices that need a human to press a button for it to do something. • The device needs to be capable of doing its job as soon as it gets power. • For example, X10 • Wont work with a VCR, but • Will generally work with a kettle or a pedestal fan.
X10 - “Gotcha #2” • X10 signals can occasionally get lost or corrupted. • Most X10 modules are not bi-directional. • No feedback to confirm if the command was received.
1-wire • Firstly, it actually uses two wires … • 1 wire for ground • 1 wire for power and data • this is where the name comes from • The 1-wire devices in my house use the existing Cat-5E cabling. • Each device has a unique ID (like a MAC address)
iButton • One physical implementation of 1-wire devices. • Looks like a watch battery. • Two main types used for HA: • Thermostat • Serial number • Can be used to identify regular occupants
Infrared • IR transceiver connected to the PC • www.usbuirt.com • Allows the control of: • devices (eg TV, stereo, VCR) from the PC, and • the PC using a surplus IR remote. • An IR->RF->IR repeater allows me to keep the PC and USB-UIRT in a closet.
Text To Speech • Reads out information, reminders and warnings: • Reads out the weather forecast each morning. • Reminds me the night before and the morning of rubbish day. • Tells me when the news is on.
Digital I/O • Serial interface board • www.weedtech.com • Each of the 14 lines can be configured as inputs or outputs. • Switches, LEDs, push buttons, etc
Misterhouse • The ring master or brain of the the system. • Open source. • Written entirely in Perl • Multi platform – Win32, Linux, Mac, etc • All of the automation within my house was created using Perl. • www.misterhouse.net
Heating • Wireless thermostat. • PC based RF receiver (W800RF32) • www.wgldesigns.com • The system looks at the temperature provided by the thermostat … • Compares it to my desired temperature for the time of day … • If necessary sends commands to an X10 controllable relay which in turn controls the ducted gas heater.
Motion Detectors • Generally one in each room. • In some rooms, the lights are turned on automatically if motion is detected and it’s dark. • In all rooms, the lights are turned off if no motion is detected for a user-defined period of time.
Motion Detectors • Can double as sensors for an security system. • A work in progress at this stage.
Doors • The front and back doors are fitted with devices that send a signal whenever the doors are opened or closed. • The system advises when a door has been left open too long. • A device has also been fitted to a closet and a light is turned when on the door is opened. • just like the fridge.
Doorbell • Plays a WAV file when someone presses the button. • If the front door is not opened within 45 seconds then an email is sent to me indicating that we missed a visitor. • Future plan is to install a camera (eg web cam) to take a photo and include it in the email.
The code that manages the doorbell $Doorbell_timer = new Timer(); $Doorbell_Answer_timer = new Timer(); if (state_now $Doorbell =~ /normal/) { play(volume=>100, file=>'Trumpet1.wav'); flash $LoungeRoom_light; if (inactive $Doorbell_timer) { set $Doorbell_Answer_timer (45); set $Doorbell_timer (120); } } if (expired $Doorbell_Answer_timer) { Send_Email(undef,"Doorbell"," No-one answered the door",undef); } if ((state_now $FrontDoor eq "open") && (active $Doorbell_Answer_timer)) { unset $Doorbell_Answer_timer; print_log "Door has been answered - email will not be sent"; }
Caller ID • Modem detects the phone ringing. • The system: • reads the phone number from the modem, • looks up a database of phone numbers and reads out the name if it’s known or the phone number, and • sends an IR signal to the stereo to turn down the volume.
Weather Data • The system downloads: • Weather conditions (current temp, wind speed, etc) from the Bureau of Meteorology every 20 minutes. • Forecast information once an hour. • Conditions are plotted on a number of graphs. • Forecast is read out each morning, and when requested.
Irrigation • Project is on hold because of the water restrictions. • Plan is to have a system that will adjust watering parameters depending on: • the forecast for today and the next couple of days, • the current conditions, • the recent past conditions, and • any government imposed watering restrictions.
Example #1- My computer room Each morning when I walk into the room for the first time, the system: • Turns on the light if it’s dark, • Reads out the forecast for the day, • Reminds me if our dog needs its monthly pills, and • Turns on the radio in the lounge room and sets it to Triple J.
Example #2 - Rubbish Day • We have our rubbish collected on Thursdays. • On Wednesdays at 18:15, 19:15 and 20:15 the system announces that “It is rubbish day tomorrow.” • On Thursday morning the system announces at 07:15 and 07:45 that “It is rubbish day today.”
Example #3 - Front door • Motion sensor outside near the front door detects motion and turns on: • the exterior light if it’s dark outside and • the light immediately inside the front door if it’s dark inside the house.
Example #4 - News Time • At 17:57 the system announces that “The news is on soon”. • At 17:59 the system transmits IR signals to: • Turn the TV on, • Set the channel on the TransACT STB to 9, and • Set the stereo to accept the audio feed from the TV.
Demonstration • A live demonstration of the system via the Internet.