@m26872 said in Encapsulated transformers instead of traditional switching power supplies like Hi-Link:
for me the sunny season is too short.
I havn't yet tried to use solar batteries in winter so maybe I have the same problems (despite the fact that I'm living 3 degrees south of you), but I have backup solution for very cloudy winter days - regular battery charger.
@OldSurferDude well, the ESP8266 is limited to 4 TCP clients in arduino IDE. This can't be really increased. I did som experiments and you can set it up to 15, but after the 5th client on my web server, I got a freeze.
Maybe you got something wrong. #define MY_GATEWAY_MAX_CLIENTS 2 defines how many controllers (eg Home Assistant) can connect to the gateway, not how many sensors/MySensors devices.
And yes, you can have multiple TCP gateways in HomeAssistant. I got an NRF24, an RFM95 long range and a RFM95 short range gateway (all based on ESP32) on the same Home Assistant.
Regards, Edi
What I didn't quite figure out was how it operates independently as a regular light switch.
What I find most interesting is that this is 8 years old. There have been some incredible advances in the IoT world in that time. I was about to do a similar thing which morphed into an ESP-12F then added a touch screen. I call it the Universal Light Switch
Imagine this: All the switches are identical. Any switch can easily be configured to control up to five devices ... and then changed, on-the-fly, to control a different set of devices.
My design is part of a system that would require a controller (eg. Home Assistant), an MQTT broker, and receiving modules in the devices being switched. It's WiFI which assumes an access point.
The DIY ULS is under $20 and the off-the-shelf receiving modules are under $10. (About the cost of a non-networked dimmer switch) If one doesn't have the controller and MQTT broker, they can run on an old (5 years?) computer (which is cheaper than an old RasberryPi).
This project is a good one!
OSD
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
