livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz
-
@Samuel235 there is no "capacitive touch button part", the touch function is managed directly by the IC of the board.
So they just have an electrode (big circle of copper) connected to an IC pin and a plastic circle glued to it to have more even light from the led.
What I am using is TTP223N (N version is more sensible) which is both very cheap and very easy to useNot sure I completely get what you mean, but I will have a search for how these little IC's work. Their datasheet looks pretty nice tbh, small, low cost, easy to get. Do they basically look for a 'press' on their input and then output 1 or 0 to a MCU, one on each button too, correct?
MySensors 2.1.1
Controller - OpenHAB (Virtual Machine)
Gateway - Arduino Mega MQTT Gateway W5100 -
Not sure I completely get what you mean, but I will have a search for how these little IC's work. Their datasheet looks pretty nice tbh, small, low cost, easy to get. Do they basically look for a 'press' on their input and then output 1 or 0 to a MCU, one on each button too, correct?
@Samuel235 They just have one output. You can have them work in "toggle" mode (press to set output high, press again to set output low) or in "normal" mode (default behavior) then output is high when touch is detected.
So yes, one ttp223 on each button. You can use other ics (TTP224 with 4 touch inputs for example) but I prefer TTP223 as you can put it very close to the touch electrode to avoid interferences.TTP223 is the IC that is used in all the cheap "one touch button" breakout boards on ebay/aliexpress/...
-
@Samuel235 They just have one output. You can have them work in "toggle" mode (press to set output high, press again to set output low) or in "normal" mode (default behavior) then output is high when touch is detected.
So yes, one ttp223 on each button. You can use other ics (TTP224 with 4 touch inputs for example) but I prefer TTP223 as you can put it very close to the touch electrode to avoid interferences.TTP223 is the IC that is used in all the cheap "one touch button" breakout boards on ebay/aliexpress/...
@Nca78 - These little beauties are perfect! I feel a light switch project coming on myself.... How is your development coming on?
Have you seen this: https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/4317/us-decora-style-wall-switch
Looks like it could be neat. But, not touch. Not sure what i would prefer tbh. Either way, i have myself a dual relay board that i'm in the finishing touches too before posting it up here and on Openhardware.IO.
How're you going about your switching, are you switching AC in the light switch, powering this from AC or DC or are you powering by battery and emitting wireless signals to the gateway to then switch relays not connected to this board?
-
I'm keeping the relays from the original livolo switch. My goal is to still have basic switch functionality even if the controller box and gateway are switched off/dead. This is only possible if the switch and the relay are physically connected.
For the progress well I soldered all components on a first board and tested MySensors connexion and touch functions+led indicators and it's all fine.
Tomorrow I'll update the script to manage the relays and test on the real switch. -
I'm keeping the relays from the original livolo switch. My goal is to still have basic switch functionality even if the controller box and gateway are switched off/dead. This is only possible if the switch and the relay are physically connected.
For the progress well I soldered all components on a first board and tested MySensors connexion and touch functions+led indicators and it's all fine.
Tomorrow I'll update the script to manage the relays and test on the real switch. -
@Samuel235 They just have one output. You can have them work in "toggle" mode (press to set output high, press again to set output low) or in "normal" mode (default behavior) then output is high when touch is detected.
So yes, one ttp223 on each button. You can use other ics (TTP224 with 4 touch inputs for example) but I prefer TTP223 as you can put it very close to the touch electrode to avoid interferences.TTP223 is the IC that is used in all the cheap "one touch button" breakout boards on ebay/aliexpress/...
@Nca78, does that mean I can send high from arduino to this electrode thus imitating the touch? If so, would it be easier to do that or send the high/low directly to the HC238 (to A0 - A2)? It seems that in the first case I can also easily control the dimming function by keeping high for a few seconds. Is there a way to control dimming directly through HC238?
And an unrelated question, will you be able to sell these replacement PCBs you're working on right now and when? I'm not sure I will have enough patience to solder arduinos/radios to dozens of the switches, so I'd rather buy your plug-n-play solution if the price is reasonable. -
@Nca78, does that mean I can send high from arduino to this electrode thus imitating the touch? If so, would it be easier to do that or send the high/low directly to the HC238 (to A0 - A2)? It seems that in the first case I can also easily control the dimming function by keeping high for a few seconds. Is there a way to control dimming directly through HC238?
And an unrelated question, will you be able to sell these replacement PCBs you're working on right now and when? I'm not sure I will have enough patience to solder arduinos/radios to dozens of the switches, so I'd rather buy your plug-n-play solution if the price is reasonable.@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
@Nca78, does that mean I can send high from arduino to this electrode thus imitating the touch? If so, would it be easier to do that or send the high/low directly to the HC238 (to A0 - A2)? It seems that in the first case I can also easily control the dimming function by keeping high for a few seconds. Is there a way to control dimming directly through HC238?
I think you can simulate the press by setting the pin to a high level, it will cheat the capacitance measurement and should generate a "click". But I take no responsibility for that :P
I don't think the dimmer is using an HC238, which is a decoder that takes 3 pins as input and sets one of it's outputs high, it's convenient for the relays they use but not suitable for a dimmer. They are probably using PWM for that. I have no dimmer switch here, I ordered one but I still need time to receive it...
So if you want to control a dimmer livolo switch at the moment, try to simulate touches on the buttons and the mcu on their sensor board will do the job for you.And an unrelated question, will you be able to sell these replacement PCBs you're working on right now and when? I'm not sure I will have enough patience to solder arduinos/radios to dozens of the switches, so I'd rather buy your plug-n-play solution if the price is reasonable.
I will be able to sell them if they work fine on the long term, but that will need at least one month in the wall to be sure, then another month to order and get the fixed PCB (got some improvements to make already...).
I want to get the dimmer swith also to have a look and if possible make a PCB compatible with both normal switch and dimmer.
For the price I have no idea, either I get them done in China but I don't think there will be enough volume and it takes a lot of time to prepare (but that's an interesting process to learn :)), or I make them myself which takes a lot of time and logistics to assemble, test, ship. BOM is already around 10 US$ so I don't think it could go below 20US$ for final board. That would make the final swith around 10$ more than the radio version of livolo switch, as with my pcb you can just buy the cheapest switches, without radios. -
Hello, I just found out that Livolo is selling the glass plates (EU standard only, too bad for me :( ) alone on it's aliexpress shop. 3.72€ for square plate (1 or 2 switches), 6.24€ for double sized plate (up to 4 switches) and 8.77€ for triple size (up to 6 switches !).
I have US(AU) sized switches here so I'm a bit screwed up, but I think I will try to order a double plate and put on top of one of my switches boxes which are a bit smaller.
Check the "EU DIY Parts" category in the Livolo shop. -
@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
@Nca78, does that mean I can send high from arduino to this electrode thus imitating the touch? If so, would it be easier to do that or send the high/low directly to the HC238 (to A0 - A2)? It seems that in the first case I can also easily control the dimming function by keeping high for a few seconds. Is there a way to control dimming directly through HC238?
I think you can simulate the press by setting the pin to a high level, it will cheat the capacitance measurement and should generate a "click". But I take no responsibility for that :P
I don't think the dimmer is using an HC238, which is a decoder that takes 3 pins as input and sets one of it's outputs high, it's convenient for the relays they use but not suitable for a dimmer. They are probably using PWM for that. I have no dimmer switch here, I ordered one but I still need time to receive it...
So if you want to control a dimmer livolo switch at the moment, try to simulate touches on the buttons and the mcu on their sensor board will do the job for you.And an unrelated question, will you be able to sell these replacement PCBs you're working on right now and when? I'm not sure I will have enough patience to solder arduinos/radios to dozens of the switches, so I'd rather buy your plug-n-play solution if the price is reasonable.
I will be able to sell them if they work fine on the long term, but that will need at least one month in the wall to be sure, then another month to order and get the fixed PCB (got some improvements to make already...).
I want to get the dimmer swith also to have a look and if possible make a PCB compatible with both normal switch and dimmer.
For the price I have no idea, either I get them done in China but I don't think there will be enough volume and it takes a lot of time to prepare (but that's an interesting process to learn :)), or I make them myself which takes a lot of time and logistics to assemble, test, ship. BOM is already around 10 US$ so I don't think it could go below 20US$ for final board. That would make the final swith around 10$ more than the radio version of livolo switch, as with my pcb you can just buy the cheapest switches, without radios.@Nca78, thanks! I'm going to try this touch simulation, probably tomorrow.
They use PIC16F690 chip for the dimmable switch versions: http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/PIC16F690
$20 seems reasonable, I paid $22 for the one gang dimmable switch, so the total would be $42. -
@Nca78 if you search aliexpress hard enough you'll fund us standard plates only. Search "livolo glass plate -eu -uk"
@wallyllama said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
livolo glass plate -eu -uk
Maybe but I'm missing your point ?
I still need to buy the switch to have the box + main power/relay board.@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
They use PIC16F690 chip for the dimmable switch versions: http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/PIC16F690
They use the same PIC16F690 in all the switches but what is interesting is to know to which pins of the connector it is connected, and what is connected on the main/ac board to control the dimmers.If someone has the 2 way switches I'm interested to know what ics are connected to the A and B connectors and to which pins those ics are connected to on the 2x7 pins connectors.
-
@wallyllama said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
livolo glass plate -eu -uk
Maybe but I'm missing your point ?
I still need to buy the switch to have the box + main power/relay board.@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
They use PIC16F690 chip for the dimmable switch versions: http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/PIC16F690
They use the same PIC16F690 in all the switches but what is interesting is to know to which pins of the connector it is connected, and what is connected on the main/ac board to control the dimmers.If someone has the 2 way switches I'm interested to know what ics are connected to the A and B connectors and to which pins those ics are connected to on the 2x7 pins connectors.
@Nca78 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
@wallyllama said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
livolo glass plate -eu -uk
Maybe but I'm missing your point ?
I still need to buy the switch to have the box + main power/relay board.Nope, I missed yours. Someone mentioned getting glass plates only, then i saw your comment about US plates, and I combined the two. I return you to your regularly scheduled project.
-
@wallyllama said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
livolo glass plate -eu -uk
Maybe but I'm missing your point ?
I still need to buy the switch to have the box + main power/relay board.@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
They use PIC16F690 chip for the dimmable switch versions: http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/PIC16F690
They use the same PIC16F690 in all the switches but what is interesting is to know to which pins of the connector it is connected, and what is connected on the main/ac board to control the dimmers.If someone has the 2 way switches I'm interested to know what ics are connected to the A and B connectors and to which pins those ics are connected to on the 2x7 pins connectors.
-
@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
@Nca78, does that mean I can send high from arduino to this electrode thus imitating the touch? If so, would it be easier to do that or send the high/low directly to the HC238 (to A0 - A2)? It seems that in the first case I can also easily control the dimming function by keeping high for a few seconds. Is there a way to control dimming directly through HC238?
I think you can simulate the press by setting the pin to a high level, it will cheat the capacitance measurement and should generate a "click". But I take no responsibility for that :P
I don't think the dimmer is using an HC238, which is a decoder that takes 3 pins as input and sets one of it's outputs high, it's convenient for the relays they use but not suitable for a dimmer. They are probably using PWM for that. I have no dimmer switch here, I ordered one but I still need time to receive it...
So if you want to control a dimmer livolo switch at the moment, try to simulate touches on the buttons and the mcu on their sensor board will do the job for you.And an unrelated question, will you be able to sell these replacement PCBs you're working on right now and when? I'm not sure I will have enough patience to solder arduinos/radios to dozens of the switches, so I'd rather buy your plug-n-play solution if the price is reasonable.
I will be able to sell them if they work fine on the long term, but that will need at least one month in the wall to be sure, then another month to order and get the fixed PCB (got some improvements to make already...).
I want to get the dimmer swith also to have a look and if possible make a PCB compatible with both normal switch and dimmer.
For the price I have no idea, either I get them done in China but I don't think there will be enough volume and it takes a lot of time to prepare (but that's an interesting process to learn :)), or I make them myself which takes a lot of time and logistics to assemble, test, ship. BOM is already around 10 US$ so I don't think it could go below 20US$ for final board. That would make the final swith around 10$ more than the radio version of livolo switch, as with my pcb you can just buy the cheapest switches, without radios.@Nca78 I have a probably very stupid question. Why is it every time I'm trying to solder my arduino in parallel to the pins A0-A2 everything basically stops working - the lights would go on, but not off, dimmer would stop working either or the lights would just start flickering like crazy. What am I missing here? Is that somehow related to pull-up/down resistors? I tried both modes on arduino, INPUT to just listen what's going on when I'm touching the button and OUTPUT to actually control stuff, but both gave me the same results - nothing :(
-
Hello, just published my first version for the US/AU switch.
https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6489/livolo-3-buttons-us-au-switch-adapter/2Still needs some improvements, so no gerbers at the moment.
-
@Nca78 I have a probably very stupid question. Why is it every time I'm trying to solder my arduino in parallel to the pins A0-A2 everything basically stops working - the lights would go on, but not off, dimmer would stop working either or the lights would just start flickering like crazy. What am I missing here? Is that somehow related to pull-up/down resistors? I tried both modes on arduino, INPUT to just listen what's going on when I'm touching the button and OUTPUT to actually control stuff, but both gave me the same results - nothing :(
@achurak1 said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
@Nca78 I have a probably very stupid question. Why is it every time I'm trying to solder my arduino in parallel to the pins A0-A2 everything basically stops working - the lights would go on, but not off, dimmer would stop working either or the lights would just start flickering like crazy. What am I missing here? Is that somehow related to pull-up/down resistors? I tried both modes on arduino, INPUT to just listen what's going on when I'm touching the button and OUTPUT to actually control stuff, but both gave me the same results - nothing :(
Sorry I forgot to reply to your question...
I ordered a dimmer and checked it, it has another PIC on the "main" board so I think it's not that easy to control, I suppose the PIC on the "main" board manages PWM, and it receives instructions from the PIC on the "sensor" board, we need to know how they communicate. -
@Markhill it cannot work, this board needs external power because the ESP8266 he is using is too power hungry, the switch cannot provide enough power. And this board is sized for EU switch it will not work with US or US/AU switch.
I'm working on 3 buttons and 4 buttons version with atmega and nrf24, power from the swith is enough so it's just a plug&play replacement. I'm testing the 3 buttons switch at the moment (same layout than 1 button in which only the center button is connected). It will be cheaper than 15$ if you solder it yourself, if you don't want to do smd soldering we can probably find a solution for pre-assembled boards.
-
@alexus said in livolo Glass Panel Touch Light Wall Switch + arduino 433Mhz:
hello. Is there a connection example with ESP?
Somewhere on youtube it seems, but using external power supply. It doesn't sound like a good idea to try to draw over 100mA from a power supply that was designed to provide less than 10, especially when a MySensors board can provide exactly the same functionality as a plug-in replacement of the livolo sensor board.
-
My goal would be to connect an arduino to the data pin on the power board and use the library to control livolo direct without a radio. The problem I have is that when i connect ground to ground on an ftdi I get magic smoke all over. Inuse my. Volt meter and sure enough the gnd pin is connected directly to the live input. Im guessing gnd and +3v "float" around the AC in some fashion.
Has anyone sucessfully bypassed the radio? Im thinking t may work if i power the arduino off the livolo power supply, or from a battery, but then if i connect that to an rs485 or other device with a real ground, kapow! At least that is what i am thinking will happen.
On a side note I have a regular, 2way, and remote switch, all the same revision and all US style, and from what I can tell the difference for 2way is a diode (d2) and a resettable fuse (r10). It lookes like there is basically a primative modem that sends/recieves the same data as the radio. (The radio is receive only, but 2 way has to be, well 2 ways). The "modem" is connected to "B" and "A" is connected to live and "gnd", which is why I think the dc voltage sort of floats on the ac.
-
My goal would be to connect an arduino to the data pin on the power board and use the library to control livolo direct without a radio. The problem I have is that when i connect ground to ground on an ftdi I get magic smoke all over. Inuse my. Volt meter and sure enough the gnd pin is connected directly to the live input. Im guessing gnd and +3v "float" around the AC in some fashion.
Has anyone sucessfully bypassed the radio? Im thinking t may work if i power the arduino off the livolo power supply, or from a battery, but then if i connect that to an rs485 or other device with a real ground, kapow! At least that is what i am thinking will happen.
On a side note I have a regular, 2way, and remote switch, all the same revision and all US style, and from what I can tell the difference for 2way is a diode (d2) and a resettable fuse (r10). It lookes like there is basically a primative modem that sends/recieves the same data as the radio. (The radio is receive only, but 2 way has to be, well 2 ways). The "modem" is connected to "B" and "A" is connected to live and "gnd", which is why I think the dc voltage sort of floats on the ac.
In order to have isolation why not use an optocoupler from arduino to send logic high or low to the livolo relays board? This way they won't share the same gnd and no more issues of this kind in theory. But this means adding the optocoupler as an extra component..but I don't think this is a big issue and it should be cheap also.
-
In order to have isolation why not use an optocoupler from arduino to send logic high or low to the livolo relays board? This way they won't share the same gnd and no more issues of this kind in theory. But this means adding the optocoupler as an extra component..but I don't think this is a big issue and it should be cheap also.
