💬 RFM69 Livolo 2 channels 1 way EU switch(VL-C700X-1 Ver: B8)
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Hi all
Can I suggest some improvements for that project?
For sure I agree with @tonnerre33 about make a version board for only one gang switch.
I buy regularly (once a month or so) some parts from livolo and from last 4 or 6 months I see that the switch plate boards (for the EU version) are the same on hardware specs at least from 6 or 9 month ago.
But we can expect that in near future (maybe few months) Livolo manufacturer make some changes and updates on his designs, because they regulary are doing that in past. So we need keep prepared for that and for make the propper updates to this project to mantain it working with the next version Livolo switchs.- -One gang switch I think is most common switch people have installed or at least I think is needed too with this two gang project version.
2.- Maybe will be better use (or make another plate board version) for the RFM69HW (high power), because the pinount on HW not match with RFM69CW you use, and HW type have same working specs but with the plus that HW type have high power possibilities and is most easy to find and both have similar price.
3.- How can be little better documented all the changes (wiring) we need do on the power relay plate board?
At least for me is hard to do correct wiring only seeing the photo and is easy to do some mistake trying to solder the wiring in the correct pins and places.
So I suggest trying to do some more work on that and maybe include some scheme and plan and take all best pic from each wiring bridge is needed to do that we can see without doubts the correct place to solder it.PD: @tonnerre33 I think one or two way switch function not be affected with this project plate board, because that function only differ on the pic (MCU) Livolo switch firmware and litles changes on power relay plate board to wire the additional pic pin output two way function to the COM connector.
Nothing of that function should be affected by anything that this plate modifies on the Livolo switch.My best wishes !
@jirm said in 💬 Livolo EU switch Mysensors integration:
Nothing of that function should be affected by anything that this plate modifies on the Livolo switch.
I hope because i have many 2 way and the same for my futur home ;)
And what about NRF24L version ?
Many people are using RFM69 but 2.70$ RFM vs 1$ NRF ... Ok for command the sensitives nodes like roller shutters but why for the light ? -
No, I didn't tested a 2 way switch so I don't know how it behaves in that case. I don't have and I don't use switches with that setup.
@mtiutiu
Of course all we are here to help you make all the proper test needed with all Livolo parts that we speak. One or two gang with/and one or two way, other plate hardware revisions, etc...That all we need for do that is the avaibilitty to get your plate boards designs working on our houses.
Personally I'm so busy (and so lazy) to make all this project working from scratch trying to find plate board manufacturer, solder all (wooow smd) parts, etc... etc... and need if possible some at least "semi-mounted" plate boards printed and with the smd parts soldered.
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@jirm said in 💬 Livolo EU switch Mysensors integration:
Nothing of that function should be affected by anything that this plate modifies on the Livolo switch.
I hope because i have many 2 way and the same for my futur home ;)
And what about NRF24L version ?
Many people are using RFM69 but 2.70$ RFM vs 1$ NRF ... Ok for command the sensitives nodes like roller shutters but why for the light ?Personally I think that much better specs from RFM vs NRF and the working radio band (433, 868 Mhz vs 2,4 Ghz) are most than enough reasons to spend that 2 $ more on RFM.
But...more always is better. So we can dream with another plate board version for NRF in the future...who knows
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Hi all,
So after some time of testing I give you the final revision of this board which is 0.5. The latest files are available on the openhardware.io page but always the most recent are on my github repo of course(I'll try to keep both in sync anyways). By using good tantalum caps where required I got a good stability for the node. It will be kept for testing for one month still starting from this week(testing already started). So far I'm very satisfied with the results.
As a final note for all of you there: when designing hardware always use good components - especially good filtering capacitors because most of the issues and instability happens because of that.
I will try to design the pcb for the one channel variant of the switch too when I'll get my hands on it so stay tuned. I see that some people asked why RFM69 instead of NRF24L01: this is because the RFM69 module is superior in terms of performance/stability/range compared to the latter(trust me it worth the money difference as I tested both along time). And because it works in the sub-GHz band it's also less prone to interference compared to the 2.4GHz band which is used by all Wi-Fi equipment.
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Wow, great. I guess there is no way to be able to buy these boards pre soldered w. components?
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Hello, for information, the version has changed :( Here is the new board : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-EU-Standard-Livolo-AC-110-250V-The-Base-Of-Wall-Light-Touch-Screen-Switch/1898648882.html
But there is good news, 3V and 12V are directly accessible ;) -
Hello, for information, the version has changed :( Here is the new board : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-EU-Standard-Livolo-AC-110-250V-The-Base-Of-Wall-Light-Touch-Screen-Switch/1898648882.html
But there is good news, 3V and 12V are directly accessible ;)@tonnerre33 said in 💬 Livolo EU switch Mysensors integration:
Hello, for information, the version has changed :( Here is the new board : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-EU-Standard-Livolo-AC-110-250V-The-Base-Of-Wall-Light-Touch-Screen-Switch/1898648882.html
But there is good news, 3V and 12V are directly accessible ;)Might be bad news in the (very) short term, but it will soon be much better as it means after modification to adapt to the new version @mtiutiu board should not require any hardware modification on the main power/relay PCB as 12V is now available.
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Well..I was expecting this to happen at some point in time. This is the nasty thing that may happen when you rely on some external board(s) to do your work. It is a good thing that the 12V line is now exposed..but the pcb needs to be recreated.
And who knows in the future when it might change again. So in the end the best solution would be to have all the boards made(including the power/relays one) so that no one needs to rely on the Livolo company. But for the moment I don't have enough knowledge/time - at least not too much regarding power electronics and creating live wire only power supplies(including testing/safety/etc). -
Well..I was expecting this to happen at some point in time. This is the nasty thing that may happen when you rely on some external board(s) to do your work. It is a good thing that the 12V line is now exposed..but the pcb needs to be recreated.
And who knows in the future when it might change again. So in the end the best solution would be to have all the boards made(including the power/relays one) so that no one needs to rely on the Livolo company. But for the moment I don't have enough knowledge/time - at least not too much regarding power electronics and creating live wire only power supplies(including testing/safety/etc). -
This post is deleted!
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Hi,
Because some people asked here: I don't have anything for sale unfortunately and I don't have time to produce and sell ready made boards. The project design files are available for free so anyone can build it. But be aware that you need to have the right livolo switches(as seen from the project pictures). Latest ones produced by the Livolo manufacturer use another hardware revision which is not compatible with the pcb that I've designed.
Regarding BOM and total price for producing one board I didn't had time for that either and the thing is that the price varies depending from where you supply the components.
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Hi,
Because some people asked here: I don't have anything for sale unfortunately and I don't have time to produce and sell ready made boards. The project design files are available for free so anyone can build it. But be aware that you need to have the right livolo switches(as seen from the project pictures). Latest ones produced by the Livolo manufacturer use another hardware revision which is not compatible with the pcb that I've designed.
Regarding BOM and total price for producing one board I didn't had time for that either and the thing is that the price varies depending from where you supply the components.
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Hi @mtiutiu - Firstly nice work. I bought a few and sent on a little gratitude also.
Is there a revision or something on the lenovo switches to make sure that I have the right one? I have quite a few now and a few more on the way so I just want to make sure I am all set.
Thanks!
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@mtiutiu Thanks for the quick response, can only eat PCBs without components? I can not make a PCB.
Few weeks ago I uploaded and shared to Oshpark pcb web service this @mtiutiu pcb design (but take care !!! I think this is not last one version @mtiutiu design), so anyone can easily find it there and order build some pcb if like.
You can check it at https://oshpark.com/shared_projects , and easyly find it with only enter "livolo" word in the search case.
Sadly I don't have enough time yet to involve more in this project, but in near future I'm going to that and test that awesome design that this project have.
Regards
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@jirm The differences between the hw designs that I made are very small and have no impact regarding the final functionality of the board(the OSHpark version is ok too). The biggest change was to trim down a little bit the round corners of the board so that it fits from the start inside the switch case(otherwise you need to use some abrasive paper to trim it a little bit - but not much). I also added a ferrite bead to filter high frequency noise that may come from the dc-dc switching power supply and replaced the important filtering capacitors with tantalum ones(but the old board revision model can be used also to solder 0805 type tantalum caps as the footprints are large enough).
@shabba VL-C700X-1 Ver: B8 is the hw revision of the Livolo switches that I have. But this is marked on the power/relays board from inside and not on the enclosure. So in other words you can see that revision only if you open the switch. Otherwise it's impossible to say as the Livolo manufacturer sells it using the same model number(like VL-C702 or something like that) but the hw revision can be different and can only be seen inside the switch. You can see the board that I have by inspecting the pictures posted on the project page.
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Few weeks ago I uploaded and shared to Oshpark pcb web service this @mtiutiu pcb design (but take care !!! I think this is not last one version @mtiutiu design), so anyone can easily find it there and order build some pcb if like.
You can check it at https://oshpark.com/shared_projects , and easyly find it with only enter "livolo" word in the search case.
Sadly I don't have enough time yet to involve more in this project, but in near future I'm going to that and test that awesome design that this project have.
Regards
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Crap! I have version C2. I have already ordered all the BOM components! Doh.
Can the old PCB be hacked into working with this? What is the actual difference?
Thanks!
Can you post some pictures of the new board? I'm curious how it looks on both sides. I'm referring to the power/relays board underneath. I may need to recreate this project board after the new one because my friend for whom I made this project initially bought the new version of the Livolo switches. So in the end I think I'll work on the new version but only after he receives the switches as I need to compare and see the differences from both a mechanical and electrical point of view.
Don't worry about the BOM as that part stays the same. What could change is only the PCB layout and its size and/or outline.
