@scurb This looks very interesting and my factor now to save me from having to create my own :-). I have been planning to do the same thing (although maybe on a smaller software scale) by writing a simple Python server that would pull serial packets off of a gateway arduino (either running mysensors or something I write myself) and pipe this through MQTT to openHAB. I have two questions:
How do you interface with a sensor network? Do you go through a serial connection to read the serial packet format (a,b,c,d)? I see several implementations that put the mqtt client directly on the Arduino, but it seems much cheaper for me to just plug it into a USB port to get a virtual serial port instead of investing in a separate ethernet shield
How does an item configurations look like for a switch in openHAB? I'm looking to build a toggle switch which toggles light on or off every time it is activated, and I cannot really understand how to configure the switch to allow this behaviour for an mqtt input.
Feel free to take the second question with me directly since this might not be very interesting to the others in the forum
Hello @reinhold,
yes the PCB works, I have assembled one and tested it for basic function (not all buttons and leds) but I have stability problem that comes from the software, I put it aside to do other things and didn't have time to go back to it, if there is some interest for it I will find some time and finish at least a basic script.
@TON-RIJNAARD You need to select the board based on the bootloader you have flashed. Complile the code in Arduino and try burning the hex file using a programmer (USBasp, AVRISP, etc..) if are facing issues with Arduino.
The author has done some good work ensuring good design practices; trace separation, fuses, etc. but I don't see any extra I/O brought out on this particularl switch. You would have to carefully solder to the chip itself, and modify the code a bit.
You could use magnetic switches. Put a magnet on the blinds and the switch in window sill.
The author notes that this is not an Arduino, but uses the same chip that the Arduino uses. The author doesn't explain how the chip is programmed. This method could have been used.
It may be just as easy to use an RF Nano with a little power supply. This suggestion is not nearly as robust as the author's. For example, these power supplies have gotten bad reviews mainly because the mains power traces are too close together. I justify using them because in all likelihood a failure will pop the power supply and probably the Nano, too, noting that these are cheaper than the fuses you would put in to protect them. I am fully aware of the risks involved in doing this, and you should be, too (eg. burning down your house).
-OSD
