RGB LED strip

[DrJeff]

@maghac What board is that?

[maghac]

@DrJeff That's the Newbie PCB by @sundberg84 (https://www.mysensors.org/hardware/newbie-pcb)

[DrJeff]

@maghac Wow! I guess I haven't been around here for a while.

Thanks

[DrJeff]

@maghac Oh yes by the way the code above works great just added some code for Motion sensor and Now I have a much better light.

/**
 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
 * version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
 *
 * LED STRIP sketch for Mysensors
 *******************************
 *
 * REVISION HISTORY
 * 1.0 
 *   Based on the example sketch in mysensors
 * 1.1
 *   fadespeed parameter (send as V_VAR1 message)
 *   HomeAssistant compatible (send status to ack)
 * 1.2
 *   OTA support
 * 1.3
 *   Power-on self test
 * 1.4
 *   Bug fix
 * 1.5
 *   Other default values
 * 1.6
 *   Repeater feature
 * 1.7
 *   Multitasking. Alarm, Relax and normal modes.
 */

#define MY_OTA_FIRMWARE_FEATURE
#define MY_REPEATER_FEATURE
#define MY_NODE_ID 31

// added all the motion stuff DrJeff September 10, 2017
#define MOTION_1 3   // The digital input you attached your motion sensor.  (Only 2 and 3 generates interrupt!)
#define MOTION_ID 90   // Id of the sensor child
uint8_t lastMotion_1 = 0;
unsigned long previousMillis1 = 0;
unsigned long motionDelay1 = 10000; // interval at which to keep motion sensor trippped (milliseconds).  Used to prevent too frequent updates to Vera.
///

#define MY_RADIO_NRF24

#define MY_DEBUG

#include <MySensors.h>

#define CHILD_ID_LIGHT 1

#define SN "LED Strip"
#define SV "1.7"

MyMessage lightMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_LIGHT);
MyMessage rgbMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_RGB);
MyMessage dimmerMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_DIMMER);

// added all the motion stuff DrJeff September 10, 2017
MyMessage motion(MOTION_ID, V_TRIPPED);
//

int current_r = 255;
int current_g = 255;
int current_b = 255;
int target_r = 255;
int target_g = 255;
int target_b = 255;
int save_r;
int save_g;
int save_b;


float delta_r = 0.0;
float delta_g = 0.0;
float delta_b = 0.0;

char rgbstring[] = "ffffff";

int on_off_status = 0;
int dimmerlevel = 100;
int fadespeed = 20;
unsigned long last_update = 0;
int tick_length = 10;
int fade_step = 0;

int program_timer;
int program_cycle;

#define REDPIN 6
#define GREENPIN 4
#define BLUEPIN 5

#define LIGHT_NORMAL 0
#define LIGHT_FADING 1

#define PROGRAM_NORMAL 0
#define PROGRAM_ALARM 1
#define PROGRAM_RELAX 2

int light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
int program_mode = PROGRAM_NORMAL;

#define RELAX_SPEED 50
#define MAX_CYCLES_RELAX 7
const int program_param_RELAX[MAX_CYCLES_RELAX][3] = {
  {255, 32, 0},
  {255, 32, 16},
  {255, 16, 32},
  {255, 128, 0},
  {255, 32, 00},
  {255, 32, 32},
  {255, 0, 32}
};

void setup()
{
  // Fix the PWM timer. Without this the LEDs will flicker.
  TCCR0A = _BV(COM0A1) | _BV(COM0B1) | _BV(WGM00);

  // Output pins
  pinMode(REDPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(GREENPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(BLUEPIN, OUTPUT);
  // added all the motion stuff DrJeff September 10, 2017
  pinMode(MOTION_1, INPUT);  
//
  
}

void presentation()
{
  // Send the Sketch Version Information to the Gateway
  sendSketchInfo(SN, SV);
  present(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, S_RGB_LIGHT);
  // added all the motion stuff DrJeff September 10, 2017
  present(MOTION_ID, S_MOTION);
//

}

void selftest() {
  on_off_status = 1;
  current_r = 255;
  current_g = 0;
  current_b = 0;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(100);
  current_r = 0;
  current_g = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(100);
  current_g = 0;
  current_b = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(100);
  current_r = 255;
  current_g = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(100);
  on_off_status = 0;
}


void loop()
{
  static bool first_message_sent = false;
  if ( first_message_sent == false ) {
    selftest();
    set_hw_status();
    send_status(1, 1, 1);
    first_message_sent = true;
  }
    // added all the motion stuff DrJeff September 10, 2017//loop for motion
   unsigned long currentMillis = millis();

 if(currentMillis - previousMillis1 > motionDelay1)
  {

    uint8_t motionDetect1 = digitalRead(MOTION_1);

    if(motionDetect1 != lastMotion_1)
    {
      Serial.print("Motion 1 = ");
      Serial.println(motionDetect1);
      //  gw.send(motionStatus_1.set(motionDetect1 ? "1" : "0")); // Send tripped value to gw
      send(motion.set(motionDetect1));
      if(motionDetect1 == 1)
      {
        previousMillis1 = currentMillis;  //"Tripped" delay
      }
      else
      {
        previousMillis1 = currentMillis - motionDelay1 + 1000; //"Not tripped" delay for 1 second to stop rapid "not tripped" and "tripped" updates to Vera
      }

      lastMotion_1 = motionDetect1;
    }
  }

//end of motion loop

  unsigned long now = millis();
  
  if (now - last_update > tick_length) {
    last_update = now;

    if (light_mode == LIGHT_FADING) {
      calc_fade();
    }

    if (program_mode > PROGRAM_NORMAL) {
      handle_program();
    }
    
  }
  set_hw_status();
  
}

void receive(const MyMessage &message)
{
  int val;
  
  if (message.type == V_RGB) {
    Serial.print( "V_RGB: " );
    Serial.println(message.data);
    long number = (long) strtol( message.data, NULL, 16);

    // Save old value
    strcpy(rgbstring, message.data);
    
    // Split it up into r, g, b values
    int r = number >> 16;
    int g = number >> 8 & 0xFF;
    int b = number & 0xFF;

    init_fade(fadespeed, r, g, b); 
    send_status(0, 0, 1);

  } else if (message.type == V_LIGHT || message.type == V_STATUS) {
    Serial.print( "V_LIGHT: " );
    Serial.println(message.data);
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val == 0 or val == 1) {
      on_off_status = val;
      send_status(1, 0, 0);
    }
    
  } else if (message.type == V_DIMMER || message.type == V_PERCENTAGE) {
    Serial.print( "V_DIMMER: " );
    Serial.println(message.data);
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val >= 0 and val <=100) {
      dimmerlevel = val;
      send_status(0, 1, 0);
    }
    
  } else if (message.type == V_VAR1 ) {
    Serial.print( "V_VAR1: " );
    Serial.println(message.data);
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val >= 0 and val <= 2000) {
      fadespeed = val;
    }

  } else if (message.type == V_VAR2 ) {
    Serial.print( "V_VAR2: " );
    Serial.println(message.data);
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val == PROGRAM_NORMAL) {
      stop_program();
    } else if (val == PROGRAM_ALARM || val == PROGRAM_RELAX) {
      init_program(val);
    }

  } else {
    Serial.println( "Invalid command received..." );
    return;
  }

}

void set_rgb(int r, int g, int b) {
  analogWrite(REDPIN, r);
  analogWrite(GREENPIN, g);
  analogWrite(BLUEPIN, b);
}

void init_program(int program) {
  program_mode = program;
  program_cycle = 0;
  save_rgb();
  
  if (program == PROGRAM_ALARM) {
    light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
    current_r = 255;
    current_g = 255;
    current_b = 255;
    program_timer = 50;
  } else if (program == PROGRAM_RELAX) {
    program_timer = 300;
    init_fade(fadespeed,
              program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][0],
              program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][1],
              program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][2]);
  }
}

void handle_program() {
  program_timer--;
  if (program_mode == PROGRAM_ALARM) {
    if (program_timer == 0) {
      program_timer = 50;
      if (program_cycle == 0) {
        program_cycle = 1;
        current_r = 0;
        current_g = 0;
        current_b = 0;
      } else {
        program_cycle = 0;
        current_r = 255;
        current_g = 255;
        current_b = 255;
      }
    }
  } else if (program_mode == PROGRAM_RELAX) {
    if (light_mode == LIGHT_NORMAL) {
      program_cycle = (program_cycle+1) % MAX_CYCLES_RELAX;
      Serial.print("Next cycle step ");
      Serial.println(program_cycle);
      init_fade(fadespeed * RELAX_SPEED,
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][0],
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][1],
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][2]);
    
    }
    
  }
}

void stop_program() {
  restore_rgb();
  light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  program_mode = PROGRAM_NORMAL;
}

void save_rgb() {
  save_r = current_r;
  save_g = current_g;
  save_b = current_b;
}

void restore_rgb() {
  current_r = save_r;
  current_g = save_g;
  current_b = save_b;
}
void init_fade(int t, int r, int g, int b) {
  Serial.print( "Init fade" );
  light_mode = LIGHT_FADING;
  target_r = r;
  target_g = g;
  target_b = b;
  fade_step = t;
  delta_r = (target_r - current_r) / float(fade_step);
  delta_g = (target_g - current_g) / float(fade_step);
  delta_b = (target_b - current_b) / float(fade_step);
}

void calc_fade() {
  if (fade_step > 0) {
    fade_step--;
    current_r = target_r - delta_r * fade_step;
    current_g = target_g - delta_g * fade_step;
    current_b = target_b - delta_b * fade_step;
  } else {
    Serial.println( "Normal mode" );
    light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  } 
}

void set_hw_status() {
  int r = on_off_status * (int)(current_r * dimmerlevel/100.0);
  int g = on_off_status * (int)(current_g * dimmerlevel/100.0);
  int b = on_off_status * (int)(current_b * dimmerlevel/100.0);

  set_rgb(r, g, b);
  
}


void send_status(int send_on_off_status, int send_dimmerlevel, int send_rgbstring) {
  if (send_rgbstring) send(rgbMsg.set(rgbstring));
  if (send_on_off_status) send(lightMsg.set(on_off_status));
  if (send_dimmerlevel) send(dimmerMsg.set(dimmerlevel));
}

[mick]

Hey @maghac - just wondering how you got the 12V to your fitting? have you got a transformer in the ceiling above ? Regards, mick

[maghac]

@mick No, I have a separate 12V cable and a transformer from a regular wall outlet.

[mick]

@maghac Thanks for the reply, mate. The light looks great mounted up - very impressed!

[maghac]

@mick said in RGB LED strip:

@maghac Thanks for the reply, mate. The light looks great mounted up - very impressed!

Thanks! The "relax" program is actually quite nice since it changes colours so slowly so it takes a while before you notice it. A great way to impress your dinner guests

[xypzo]

I dont know what went wrong, but RED is just always on. Yesterday in the breadboard it was ok. Today in the breadboard red was on. So i thought lets just solder it... Now I soldered it to a pcb, RED on all the time. This must be a ground issue, but where do i look?

It is even red when just all the connections are off, 12v to raw and strip, then connect ground to arduino, BOOM red comes on...

[maghac]

@xypzo Double check your connections, perhaps you're connecting to the wrong pin on the arduino? If you swap red and green, what happens then?

[xypzo]

@maghac said in RGB LED strip:

your connections, perhaps you're connecting to the wrong pin on the arduino

Then green keeps on, so it should be a pin 6 problem, but i can't find it. Maybe I try a 10kohm resistor between gate and ground... Or IRFZ instead of IRLZ transistors.

BTW, bought a LD362A ufo which works great with my controller, but i still want to win this battle!

[maghac]

@xypzo said in RGB LED strip:

@maghac said in RGB LED strip:

your connections, perhaps you're connecting to the wrong pin on the arduino

Then green keeps on, so it should be a pin 6 problem, but i can't find it. Maybe I try a 10kohm resistor between gate and ground... Or IRFZ instead of IRLZ transistors.

BTW, bought a LD362A ufo which works great with my controller, but i still want to win this battle!

You could try to use a different pin. Can't remember off the top of my head which pins are PWM capable though.

I've had a couple of cheap arduino clones where some of the pins were not correctly soldered.

[xypzo]

@maghac The stupid thing, is that the day before, same setup, no red lights stayed on. It happened overnight!!! Maybe the mice did it! :')

[maghac]

@xypzo Gremlins!

[xypzo]

what DID happen the day before, was that when i added more WHITE, at around 60% white the whole unit stopped responding to any inputs, it would just freeze in that color, until i removed the 12v power supply. Also strange!

[bgunnarb]

Hi!
I'm doing some further development based on the sketch by @maghac and @DrJeff above and I have found two potential bugs that could create some unexpected behaviour.
The first is that if you have #DEFINE RELAX_SPEED 50 in the sketch and then set fadespeed (V_VAR1) to anything greater than 650 or so, you will get an overflow when you call the function init_fade (t, r, g, b ) since t is defined as int in init_fade.
fadespeed can be set between 0 and 2000 in the sketch. So then the resulting fadespeed could be anything, even negative.

init_fade(fadespeed * RELAX_SPEED,
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][0],
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][1],
                program_param_RELAX[program_cycle][2]);

Also in this function there is a potential risk of a "divide by zero" crash since the input variable t is used as fade_step to divide in order to get the size of each step in the fade cycle.

void init_fade(int t, int r, int g, int b) {
  Serial.print( "Init fade" );
  light_mode = LIGHT_FADING;
  target_r = r;
  target_g = g;
  target_b = b;
  fade_step = t;
  delta_r = (target_r - current_r) / float(fade_step);
  delta_g = (target_g - current_g) / float(fade_step);
  delta_b = (target_b - current_b) / float(fade_step);
}

It might be that this function is never called with fadestep = t = 0 but since this is a value allowed in the input check of V_VAR1 nasty things may happen.
Part from this I am impressed by the sketch. Once I have debugged my own additions I will post the project here.

[maghac]

@bgunnarb Thanks. As program space is limited, I chose not to put too much effort in input data validation, instead relying on the controller to not submit incorrect values. Maybe a quick range check would not waste so many bytes though.

Right now I am however experiencing some strange behavior - I can turn the the lamp on and off and I can dim it, but I cannot change the color of the strip. Also, the RELAX program does not work but the ALARM program works fine. So there are some other bugs that need to be ironed out

[maghac]

@moskovskiy82 said in RGB LED strip:

And it worked. Except that fading/RELAX don't work out for me. Instead just get a flashing of white light. So i thought you might know some other parts must be adjusted as my arduino knowledge is not there yer

That's the alarm program you are seeing. Perhaps it doesn't decode the incoming messages properly - I'll have to take a second look at the code.

[moskovskiy82]

Thanks. Will await eagerly for v1.8 as it seems this is the only great RGB code left for mysensors

[micah]

@maghac Great project.

I've made something similar, Arduino Pro Mini 5v, 5m LED strip (non-addressable), nrf24L01+ and MOSTFETs

I know it took me awhile to find code examples, so I figured I would share my code incase it helps anyone else.

I use Domoticz as a controller. This code talks to:

• Switch - to control turning my color cycle fade effect on
• Dimmer - to control the speed of the color cycle fade effect
• RGB switch - to control having only a single color turned on and the brightness of the string.

Much of my code is standard stuff, using FastLED analogue, but I'm particularly proud of the brightness part, since I bashed my head against the keyboard several times trying to figure it out

//## INCLUDES ##
#define MY_DEBUG
#define MY_RADIO_NRF24
#define MY_NODE_ID 20

#include <MySensors.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <FastLED.h>

#define cID_RGB_SELECTOR 0
#define cID_CYCLE_EFFECT 1
#define cID_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED 2

#define PIN_RED   5
#define PIN_GREEN 6
#define PIN_BLUE  3

//## VARIABLES ##
// MySensors
#define MySensors_SketchName      "RGB LED Strip"
#define MySensors_SketchVersion   "v0.3"
MyMessage MySensors_MSG_Last_Color(cID_RGB_SELECTOR,V_VAR1);
MyMessage MySensors_MSG_RGB_Selector(cID_RGB_SELECTOR, V_LIGHT);
MyMessage MySeonsors_MSG_CYCLE_EFFECT(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT, V_LIGHT);
MyMessage MySensors_MSG_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED, V_DIMMER);
bool MySensors_RequestACK = false;
// Single color
int Solid_RGB_Active=0;
char Solid_RGB_Color[] = "000000";
uint16_t Solid_RGB_Brightness = 0xFF;
// Cycle effect
int Cycle_Effect_Active=0;
unsigned long Cycle_Effect_pMillis = 0;
long Cycle_Effect_Speed = 20;
static uint8_t Cycle_Effect_Current_Hue;
// Supporting
bool Status_Change = false;
bool Print_Debug = false;

// ## Primary flow control
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) ;
  Serial.print("compiled: ");Serial.print(__DATE__);Serial.println(__TIME__);

  pinMode(PIN_RED,   OUTPUT);
  pinMode(PIN_GREEN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(PIN_BLUE,  OUTPUT);

  Event_ColorTestBars();

  request(cID_RGB_SELECTOR, V_VAR1);
  request(cID_RGB_SELECTOR, V_LIGHT);
  request(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT, V_LIGHT);
  request(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED, V_DIMMER);
}
void loop() {
  if (Cycle_Effect_Active == 1){
    unsigned long currentMillis = millis();
    Event_RunCycleEffect(currentMillis);
  } else if (Status_Change){
    Status_Change = false;
      #ifdef MY_DEBUG
        if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("STATUS CHANGE");}
      #endif
    if (Solid_RGB_Active == 0){
      Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Black );
    }else if (Solid_RGB_Active == 1){
      CHSV colorHSV = rgb2hsv_approximate(str2CRGB(Solid_RGB_Color));
      Event_SetLEDColors(CHSV(colorHSV.h, colorHSV.s, Solid_RGB_Brightness));
    }
  }
}
// ## MySensors Methods
void presentation()  {
  sendSketchInfo(MySensors_SketchName, MySensors_SketchVersion);

  present(cID_RGB_SELECTOR, S_RGB_LIGHT, "RGB Color Selector", MySensors_RequestACK);
  present(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT, S_LIGHT, "RGB Cycle Effect", MySensors_RequestACK);
  present(cID_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED, S_DIMMER, "RGB Cycle Effect Speed", MySensors_RequestACK);
}
void receive(const MyMessage &message){
  #ifdef MY_DEBUG
    if (message.isAck()){
      Serial.println("Got ack from gateway");
    }
  #endif
  if (message.type == V_LIGHT){
    #ifdef MY_DEBUG
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("message v_light");}
    #endif
    int current_Light_State = message.getString()[0] == '1';// Incoming on/off command sent from controller ("1" or "0")
    if (message.sensor==cID_CYCLE_EFFECT){// is Cycle Message
      if (current_Light_State==1){//turn cycle on
        Event_LightCycle(true, true, false);
        Event_SolidColor(false, false, true);
      } else {//turn cycle off
        Event_LightCycle(false, true, false);
        Event_SolidColor(false, false, true);
      }
    } else if (message.sensor==cID_RGB_SELECTOR){// is RGB Message
      if (current_Light_State==1){//turn RGB on
        Event_SolidColor(true, true, false);
        Event_LightCycle(false, false, true);
      } else {//turn RGB off
        Event_SolidColor(false, true, false);
        Event_LightCycle(false, false, true);
      }
    } else {
      #ifdef MY_DEBUG
        Serial.print("UNKNOWN Light - Message:");
        Serial.print(message.getString());
        Serial.print(" - Sensor:");
        Serial.println(message.sensor);
      #endif
    }
  } else if (message.type == V_RGB){
    #ifdef MY_DEBUG
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("message v_rgb");}
    #endif
    String szMessage=message.getString();
    strcpy(Solid_RGB_Color, getValue(szMessage,'&',0).c_str());
    Solid_RGB_Active = 1;
  }else if (message.type == V_DIMMER) {// if DIMMER type, adjust brightness
    #ifdef MY_DEBUG
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("message v_dimmer");}
    #endif
    if (message.sensor==cID_RGB_SELECTOR){// is single Message
      if (Solid_RGB_Active==1){//turn RGB on
        Event_SolidColor(true, true, false);
        Event_LightCycle(false, false, true);
      } else {//turn RGB off
        Event_SolidColor(false, true, false);
        Event_LightCycle(false, false, true);
      }
      Solid_RGB_Brightness = map(message.getLong(), 0, 100, 0, 255);
      CRGB colorRGB = str2CRGB(Solid_RGB_Color);
      CHSV colorHSV = rgb2hsv_approximate(colorRGB);
      colorHSV = CHSV(colorHSV.h, colorHSV.s, Solid_RGB_Brightness);
      Event_SetLEDColors(colorHSV);
      #ifdef MY_DEBUG
        if (Print_Debug) {
          Serial.print("colorHSV.h:");
          Serial.println(colorHSV.h);
          Serial.print("colorHSV.s:");
          Serial.println(colorHSV.s);
          Serial.print("colorHSV.v:");
          Serial.println(colorHSV.v);
        }
      #endif
      Event_SendLastColor();
    } else if (message.sensor==cID_CYCLE_EFFECT_SPEED){// is Speed dimmer Message
      Cycle_Effect_Speed = map(message.getLong(), 0, 100, 1, 202);
      #ifdef MY_DEBUG
        if (Print_Debug) {
          Serial.print("Cycle_Effect_Speed: ");
          Serial.println(Cycle_Effect_Speed);
        }
      #endif
    }
  }else if (message.type == V_STATUS) {           // if on/off type, toggle brightness
    #ifdef MY_DEBUG
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("message v_status");}
    #endif
    Solid_RGB_Active = message.getInt();
    Cycle_Effect_Active = 0;
    if (Solid_RGB_Active == 0){
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("Strip OFF");}
      Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Black );
    }else{
      if (Print_Debug) {Serial.println("Strip ON");}
      Event_SetLEDColors(strtol(Solid_RGB_Color, NULL, 16));
    }
    //Event_SendLastColor();
  }else if (message.type==V_VAR1) {            // color status
    String szMessage=message.getString();
    #ifdef MY_DEBUG
      if (Print_Debug) {
        Serial.println("message v_var1");
        Serial.println(szMessage);
      }
    #endif
    strcpy(Solid_RGB_Color, getValue(szMessage,'&',0).c_str());
    Solid_RGB_Active = 1;
    Cycle_Effect_Active = 0;
  }
  Status_Change = true;
}
// ## Events
void Event_LightCycle(bool t, bool s, bool u) {
  Cycle_Effect_Active = (t) ? 1 : 0;
  if (u){
    send(MySeonsors_MSG_CYCLE_EFFECT.set(Cycle_Effect_Active),MySensors_RequestACK);
  }
}
void Event_SolidColor(bool t, bool s, bool u) {
  Solid_RGB_Active = (t) ? 1 : 0;
  if (u){
    send(MySensors_MSG_RGB_Selector.set(Solid_RGB_Active),MySensors_RequestACK);
  }
}
void Event_SetLEDColors( const CRGB& rgb){
  analogWrite(PIN_RED,   rgb.r );
  analogWrite(PIN_GREEN, rgb.g );
  analogWrite(PIN_BLUE,  rgb.b );
}
void Event_SendLastColor(){
  String current_status=Solid_RGB_Color+String("&")+String(Solid_RGB_Brightness)+String("&")+String(Solid_RGB_Active);
  send(MySensors_MSG_Last_Color.set(current_status.c_str()),MySensors_RequestACK);
}
void Event_RunCycleEffect(unsigned long theMills){
  if (theMills - Cycle_Effect_pMillis >= Cycle_Effect_Speed){
    Cycle_Effect_pMillis = theMills;
    Cycle_Effect_Current_Hue = Cycle_Effect_Current_Hue + 1;
    Event_SetLEDColors( CHSV( Cycle_Effect_Current_Hue, 255, 255) );
  }
}
void Event_ColorTestBars(){// Event_ColorTestBars: flashes Red, then Green, then Blue, then Black. Helpful for diagnosing if you've mis-wired which is which.
  Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Red );   delay(500);
  Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Green ); delay(500);
  Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Blue );  delay(500);
  Event_SetLEDColors( CRGB::Black ); delay(500);
}
// ## Helper Functions
String getValue(String data, char separator, int index){
 int found = 0;
  int strIndex[] = {0, -1};
  int maxIndex = data.length()-1;
  for(int i=0; i<=maxIndex && found<=index; i++){
    if(data.charAt(i)==separator || i==maxIndex){
      found++;
      strIndex[0] = strIndex[1]+1;
      strIndex[1] = (i == maxIndex) ? i+1 : i;
    }
  }
  return found>index ? data.substring(strIndex[0], strIndex[1]) : "";
}
int x2i(char *s) {
  int x = 0;
  for(;;) {
    char c = *s;
    if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') {
      x *= 16;
      x += c - '0';
    }else if (c >= 'A' && c <= 'F') {
      x *= 16;
      x += (c - 'A') + 10;
    }else {
      break;
    }
    s++;
  }
  return x;
}
char* str2char(String command){
    if(command.length()!=0){
        char *p = const_cast<char*>(command.c_str());
        return p;
    }
}
CRGB str2CRGB(String s){
  String r = str2char(s.substring(0,2));
  String g = str2char(s.substring(2,4));
  String b = str2char(s.substring(4,6));
  uint8_t red = x2i(r.c_str());
  uint8_t green = x2i(g.c_str());
  uint8_t blue = x2i(b.c_str());
  #ifdef MY_DEBUG
    if (Print_Debug) {
      Serial.print("r:");
      Serial.println(r);
      Serial.print("g:");
      Serial.println(g);
      Serial.print("b:");
      Serial.println(b);
      Serial.print("red:");
      Serial.println(red);
      Serial.print("green:");
      Serial.println(green);
      Serial.print("blue:");
      Serial.println(blue);
    }
  #endif
  CRGB colorRGB = CRGB(red, green, blue);
  return colorRGB;
}

Hopefully this proves useful to someone

[micah]

Here is a photo of my actual device with the cover off

[maghac]

@moskovskiy82 I'll see if I'll have time to work on it this week, I'll post an update when I have something.

[Plantex]

@maghac

Hello
I need some help !

I've ordered few IRLZ44N Mosfets to play with Dimmable LED Actuator project.
Adafruit RGB LED stripe uses IRLB8721
Could You please tell me if I could use mentioned IRLZ instead of IRLB in case of described RGB project ?

Thank You in advance.

[bgunnarb]

@Plantex
In my opinion that should work just fine. The specs are fairly similar. I am using the IRLZ44N myself to drive a five meter long RGBW LED-strip and they do not get warm, even without a heat sink. Total current consumption at 24V is just above 2A when all LEDs are lit.
Schematics below:
0_1511539204888_LEDstrip_sch.pdf

[Tinnyt]

Geat Work

[chorob]

Great project! I could use some help getting this to work. I am using the newbie PCB, just a regular RGB LED for testing and Homeassistant as my controller. Hass adopts the node but I get this error message everytime I restart the node and the switch does not appear on my frontend.

"Not a valid message: Not valid message sub-type: 40 for dictionary value @ data['sub_type']"

I am running '2.0' in my hass config file. I have tried '2.1.' and '2.1.1' with no success. Homeassistant version .60.

I have several temperature sensor nodes talking to hass just fine. Any ideas? I assume I am just missing something simple as I am relatively new to homeassistant and mysensors.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[maghac]

Well, it took some time, but here is v1.8 at last!

I have modified the code to handle RGBW strips, since I realized that the white light from RGB strips is very uncomfortable and not really suitable for general illumination. It should be fairly easy to convert it back to RGB though. Adding the W channel means that I now need 4 PWM pins, and therefore it was necessary to redefine one of the pins that the radio is connected to - the sketch now expects CE to be connected to pin 8 instead of 9 which is the default (a pro mini only has 3 free PWM pins if you use the default setup).

I've also completely changed now programs/modes are implemented so it should be easier to add new programs. Feel free to experiment with this and let me know what you think.

/**
 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
 * version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
 *
 * LED STRIP sketch for Mysensors
 *******************************
 *
 * REVISION HISTORY
 * 1.0 
 *   Based on the example sketch in mysensors
 * 1.1
 *   prgspeed parameter (send as V_VAR1 message)
 *   HomeAssistant compatible (send status to ack)
 * 1.2
 *   OTA support
 * 1.3
 *   Power-on self test
 * 1.4
 *   Bug fix
 * 1.5
 *   Other default values
 * 1.6
 *   Repeater feature
 * 1.7
 *   Multitasking. Alarm and RELAX modes.
 * 1.8
 *   Reengineered programs/modes logic.
 *   RGBW variant. Requires 4 PWM pins, so we need to move use a different pin for one of radio connections.
 */

#define MY_OTA_FIRMWARE_FEATURE
// #define MY_REPEATER_FEATURE
#define MY_NODE_ID AUTO

#define MY_RADIO_NRF24

//#define MY_DEBUG

// Normally the radio uses pin 9 for CE
#define MY_RF24_CE_PIN  8

#include <MySensors.h>

#define CHILD_ID_LIGHT 1

#define SN "LED Strip"
#define SV "1.8"

MyMessage lightMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_LIGHT);
MyMessage rgbwMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_RGBW);
MyMessage dimmerMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_DIMMER);
MyMessage prgspeedMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_VAR1);
MyMessage programMsg(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, V_VAR2);

#define RR 0
#define GG 1
#define BB 2
#define WW 3

byte current[] = {255, 255, 255, 255};
byte target[] = {255, 255, 255, 255};
byte save[] = {0, 0, 0, 0};
byte temp[] = {0, 0, 0, 0};

float delta[] = {0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0};

char rgbwstring[] = "000000ff";

int on_off_status = 0;
int dimmerlevel = 100;
int prgspeed = 20;
unsigned long last_update = 0;
unsigned long tick_length = 5;
int fade_step = 0;

int program_timer;
int program_cycle;
int program_step;

// Make sure these are PWM pins
#define REDPIN 6
#define GREENPIN 5
#define BLUEPIN 3
#define WHITEPIN 9

#define LIGHT_NORMAL 0
#define LIGHT_FADING 1

#define PROGRAM_NOP 0

int light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
int program_mode = PROGRAM_NOP;

#define SET 0    
#define SET_AND_WAIT 1    
#define SET_RANDOM 2
#define SET_RANDOM_AND_WAIT 3
#define FADE 4
#define FADE_RANDOM 5
#define WAIT 6

typedef struct rgb_cmd {
  byte cmd;
  int p;
  byte rgbw[4];
} rgb_cmd;

rgb_cmd program_ALARM[] = {
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 25, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 25, {0, 0, 0, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 25, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 25, {0, 0, 0, 0}}
};

rgb_cmd program_RELAX[] = {
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 32, 0, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 32, 16, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 16, 32, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 128, 0, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 32, 0, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 32, 32, 0}},
  {FADE, 1000, {255, 0, 32, 0}}
};

rgb_cmd program_PARTY[] = {
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {255, 0, 0, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {255, 0, 0, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {255, 0, 0,0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {255, 0, 0,0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {255, 0, 0, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 10, {0, 0, 0, 255}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 50, {0, 0, 255, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 50, {0, 255, 255 ,0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 50, {255, 255, 0, 0}},
  {SET_AND_WAIT, 50, {0, 255, 0, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}},
  {FADE_RANDOM, 50, {255, 255, 255, 0}}
};


rgb_cmd* programs[] = {
  &program_ALARM[0], &program_RELAX[0], &program_PARTY[0]
};

const int program_steps[] = {
  sizeof(program_ALARM)/sizeof(rgb_cmd),
  7,
  22
};

void setup()
{
  // Fix the PWM timer. Without this the LEDs will flicker.
  TCCR0A = _BV(COM0A1) | _BV(COM0B1) | _BV(WGM00);

  // Output pins
  pinMode(REDPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(GREENPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(BLUEPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(WHITEPIN, OUTPUT);
  
}

void presentation()
{
	// Send the Sketch Version Information to the Gateway
	sendSketchInfo(SN, SV);
	present(CHILD_ID_LIGHT, S_RGBW_LIGHT);
}

void selftest() {
  on_off_status = 1;
  current[RR] = 255;
  current[GG] = 0;
  current[BB] = 0;
  current[WW] = 0;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(200);
  current[RR] = 0;
  current[GG] = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(200);
  current[GG] = 0;
  current[BB] = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(200);
  current[BB] = 0;
  current[WW] = 255;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(200);
  current[RR] = 0;
  current[GG] = 0;
  current[BB] = 0;
  set_hw_status();
  wait(200);
  on_off_status = 0;
}

void loop()
{
  static bool first_message_sent = false;
  if ( first_message_sent == false ) {
    selftest();
    set_hw_status();
    send(rgbwMsg.set(rgbwstring));
    send(lightMsg.set(on_off_status));
    send(dimmerMsg.set(dimmerlevel));
    send(prgspeedMsg.set(prgspeed));
    send(programMsg.set(program_mode));
    first_message_sent = true;
  }

  unsigned long now = millis();
  // Maybe we wrapped around? Then reset last_update to 0.
  if (now < last_update) {
    last_update = 0;
  }
  
  if (now - last_update > tick_length) {
    last_update = now;

    // If we're fading, finish that before we do anything else
    if (light_mode == LIGHT_FADING) {
      calc_fade();
    } else {
      if (program_mode > PROGRAM_NOP) {
        handle_program();
      }
    }
  }
  
  set_hw_status();
  
}

void receive(const MyMessage &message)
{
  int val;
  
	if (message.type == V_RGBW) {
    for (int i=0; i<=3; i++) {
      temp[i] = hextoint(message.data[i*2]) * 16 + hextoint(message.data[i*2+1]);
    }
    // Save old value
    strcpy(rgbwstring, message.data);

    init_fade(prgspeed, temp); 
    send(rgbwMsg.set(rgbwstring));

	} else if (message.type == V_LIGHT || message.type == V_STATUS) {
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val == 0 or val == 1) {
      on_off_status = val;
      send(lightMsg.set(on_off_status));
    }
    
  } else if (message.type == V_PERCENTAGE) {
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val >= 0 and val <=100) {
      dimmerlevel = val;
      send(dimmerMsg.set(dimmerlevel));
    }
    
  } else if (message.type == V_VAR1 ) {
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val >= 0 and val <= 2000) {
      prgspeed = val;
      send(prgspeedMsg.set(val));
    }

  } else if (message.type == V_VAR2 ) {
    val = atoi(message.data);
    if (val == PROGRAM_NOP) {
      stop_program();
      send(programMsg.set(val));
    } else {
      init_program(val);
      send(programMsg.set(val));
    }

	} else {
		return;
	}

}

void execute_step(rgb_cmd cmd) {

  if (cmd.cmd == SET) {
    set_rgb(cmd.rgbw);
  } else if (cmd.cmd == SET_AND_WAIT) {
    set_rgb(cmd.rgbw);
    program_timer = cmd.p;
  } else if (cmd.cmd == SET_RANDOM) {
    set_rgb_random(cmd.rgbw);
  } else if (cmd.cmd == SET_RANDOM_AND_WAIT) {
    set_rgb_random(cmd.rgbw);
    program_timer = cmd.p;
  } else if (cmd.cmd == FADE) {
    init_fade(cmd.p, cmd.rgbw);
  } else if (cmd.cmd == FADE_RANDOM) {
    init_fade_random(cmd.p, cmd.rgbw);
  } else if (cmd.cmd == WAIT) {
    program_timer = cmd.p;
  }
}

void init_program(int program) {
  program_mode = program;
  program_step = 0;
  program_timer = 0;
  save_state();
  execute_step(programs[program_mode-1][0]);
}

void handle_program() {
  if (program_timer > 0) {
    program_timer--;
  }
  
  if (program_timer == 0) {
    program_step++;
    if (program_step == program_steps[program_mode-1]) {
      program_step = 0;
    }
    execute_step(programs[program_mode-1][program_step]);
  }
}

void stop_program() {
  restore_state();
  light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  program_mode = PROGRAM_NOP;
}

void save_state() {
  memcpy(save, current, 4 );
}

void restore_state() {
  memcpy(current, save, 4 );
}

void set_rgb (byte rgbw[]) {
  light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  memcpy(current, rgbw, 4);
}

void set_rgb_random (byte rgbw[]) { 
  light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  for (int i=0; i <= 3; i++){
    current[i] = random(rgbw[i]);
  }
}

void init_fade(int t, byte rgbw[]) {
  light_mode = LIGHT_FADING;
  fade_step = t;
  memcpy(target, rgbw, 4);
  for (int i=0; i<=3; i++) {
    delta[i] = (target[i] - current[i]) / float(fade_step);
  }
}

void init_fade_random(int t, byte rgbw[]) {
  light_mode = LIGHT_FADING;
  fade_step = t;
  for (int i=0; i<=3; i++) {
    target[i] = random(rgbw[i]);
    delta[i] = (target[i] - current[i]) / float(fade_step);
  }
}

void calc_fade() {
  if (fade_step > 0) {
    fade_step--;
    for (int i=0; i<=3; i++) {
     current[i] = target[i] - delta[i] * fade_step;
    }
  } else {
    light_mode = LIGHT_NORMAL;
  } 
}

void set_hw_status() {
  analogWrite(REDPIN, on_off_status * (int)(current[RR] * dimmerlevel/100.0));
  analogWrite(GREENPIN, on_off_status * (int)(current[GG] * dimmerlevel/100.0));
  analogWrite(BLUEPIN, on_off_status * (int)(current[BB] * dimmerlevel/100.0));
  analogWrite(WHITEPIN, on_off_status * (int)(current[WW] * dimmerlevel/100.0));
}

byte hextoint (byte c) {
   if ((c >= '0') && (c <= '9')) return c - '0';
   if ((c >= 'A') && (c <= 'F')) return c - 'A' + 10;
   if ((c >= 'a') && (c <= 'f')) return c - 'a' + 10;
   return 0;
}

[mfalkvidd]

@maghac I have used the rgbww (warm white) version. Have not compared it with the normal version, but ww is supposed to give a more pleasant tone. By mixing in a lot of red, some green and very little blue I was able to match our existing halogen bulbs very close to 100%.

https://www.openhardware.io/view/122/Dimmable-LED-kitchen-light-Arduino-APDS-9960-RGBWW-led

[bgunnarb]

@maghac I have implemented your 1.8 and I am impressed with the good structure and the performance of your code! Kudos!

[dmonty]

Just finished a similar project using WS2812B.

• MySensors/Domoticz support.
• Infrared Remote support (common 44 key color picker)
• Color change & fade animations ++.

https://github.com/dmonty2/ir_remote_leds/tree/mysensors

[maghac]

@bgunnarb said in RGB LED strip:

@maghac I have implemented your 1.8 and I am impressed with the good structure and the performance of your code! Kudos!

Thanks! Let me know if you have any problems with it - I am still facing some issues actually. After some time (a couple of days or so), the LED strip does not respond to on/off commands any longer. I've implemented a debug feature to try to diagnose the cause of it (I send the node a V_TEXT message and it responds with a series of V_TEXT messages containing the values of variables).

[maghac]

@dmonty said in RGB LED strip:

Just finished a similar project using WS2812B.

• MySensors/Domoticz support.
• Infrared Remote support (common 44 key color picker)
• Color change & fade animations ++.

https://github.com/dmonty2/ir_remote_leds/tree/mysensors

Cool. I've played with WS2812B and FastLed in another project. But I'm not sure if they are good enough for general illumination though?

[bgunnarb]

@maghac
No, I have not experienced loss of response like that. At least not since I upgraded my GW to 2.2.0.

One thing happened though: I was testing the relax, alarm and party modes several times. After that, when fading from one colour to the next in normal mode, it looked like the program first wanted to fade through a number of colours before reaching the final value. This happened a few times and after that it became unresponsive. Cycling power made it go back to normal. I have not been able to repeat the behaviour.

[dmonty]

@maghac

Cool. I've played with WS2812B and FastLed in another project. But I'm not sure if they are good enough for general illumination though?

Yes, the WS2812B are most definitely accent-style lighting with beautiful animations.

The code also drives a relay switch to turn on my larger light. It shows up in Domoticz as two lights.

[ikkeT]

Thanks a lot for sharing this! I already did the Arduino and MySensors stuff, and started thinking of writing program for it. I'm glad I found this, it fit exactly what I was doing. Here's your code a bit modified, and added some different kind of lamps for the next one looking for references: https://github.com/ikke-t/Arduino-RGB-leds-and-lightbulbs/blob/master/README.md

The additional piece here is how to command this from OpenHAB, as that's my controller. One needs to modify the RGB info via rules, it's there for reference:

https://github.com/ikke-t/Arduino-RGB-leds-and-lightbulbs/raw/master/src/rgb.rules

There are links within that file to references for how to create similar rules for RGB mangling.

[yoshida]

@maghac A friend just showed me your 1.8 version sketch, and for me so far this is the best working sketch even though I have one issue under Domoticz. (setup: raspberry with mysensors 2 serial gateway, node is arduino pro mini, and 4 mosfet, right now only on breadborad. )

So I can't control the white and the RGB leds independently. If I adjust the brightness for the W-led, like raise up, the RGB leds will lower their brightness in the same ammount. Same for the RGB, if I raise up the RGB brightness, the W led lowers itself.
Also the turn on/off seems to be strange if I want to turn on/off the RGB and W independently.

Are these features, or bugs width Domoticz?

I assumed that I will be able to control independently the W and the RGB channel, in domoticz I have two device, one RGB light device, and one White lamp device.

Can you please help, if all ok with this behaviour, or something needs to be adjusted for Domoticz in the sketch?

Thanks,
Yoshi

[maghac]

Hi,
yes, W is just another channel and it works the same way as the RGB channels. There is one single on/off and dimmer amount for all 4 channels. In Home Assistant this works as expected - there is one single unit which has a color selector for RGB values and a slider for the W value.

Not sure why Domoticz shows it as two separate units - perhaps you can check if there is an option to modify this behaviour?

[vladimir]

Hello everybody! The connected LED strip lights up, but for some reason the Atmega chip heats up very quickly and strongly. Has anyone come across this?
My connection scheme:

[sundberg84]

@vladimir - why inputing 5v to RAW? This pin can handle 6-12v only. Try inputing the 5v output from LM2940CT-5 to VCC instead.

[vladimir]

@sundberg84 I have version 3.3B. I always thought that this is the correct power connection if the source voltage is more than 3.3 V. And with this power connection I wanted to avoid using a separate voltage regulator for the radio module. If I feed 5V to the VCC input, will there be a logic signal on the terminals 3.3V or 5V? And will not this be detrimental to the controller?

[sundberg84]

@vladimir - ah sorry, my misstake. Didnt see the 3.3v there.
Strange your chip is getting hot... is there some solder-bridge that shorts something? A bad capacitor? Can you measure resistance between VCC and GND?

[vladimir]

@sundberg84 said in RGB LED strip:

Can you measure resistance between VCC and GND?

I completely rebuilt the whole scheme, I used the new components. This time I used Arduino Nano. Connect power to terminal 5V. The situation is repeated again, the microcontroller becomes very hot. But only when the light is on.

Honestly, I never measured the resistance. I hope everything was done right.

[sundberg84]

@vladimir not sure about this. Make sure you connected the digital pins to the gate (left pin on irlz44). I don't know why the IC should get hot unless you draw alot of current.

[vladimir]

@sundberg84 Sorry... I incorrectly connected IRLZ44. But last time they were connected correctly. Now everything works well. Only LM2940 slightly heats up, according to my subjective sensations, up to 60-70 degrees. This is normal?
I am very grateful for your help!

[sundberg84]

@vladimir LM2940 has recommended limit of 125dgr c. 60dgr should be just fine... but still a bit strange since this is rated for 1A and only powers the atmega328p. The current should come directly from the 12v source.

[vladimir]

@sundberg84 At this time, everything is collected on a plastic prototyping board, in the evening I will move all the components to a breadboard from a textolite, perhaps there will be better results.

[vladimir]

Colleagues, please share your fresh sketches for RGB-strips.

[vladimir]

@maghac said in RGB LED strip:

Well, it took some time, but here is v1.8 at last!

Maybe you have a sketch option for RGB stripes? Same wonderful, but without white LEDs?

[Jim de Groot]

Wanted to leave this here I currently created this PCB to work with @maghac his code. The prototype on the breadboard worked so now it is being produced. As soon as I have a working model I will post the gerber files so anybody interested can also order it for manufacturing. The weird shape by the way is because of a enclosure I am using this one (the 100 X 68 X 50).

[TRS-80]

I have been researching controlling LEDs and this seems one of the better threads on MySensors with links to all the relevant related projects (this @maghac OP one for analog RGB, @LastSamurai RGBW alternative, @dmonty for digital, @ikkeT and others' improvements, and finally @Jim-de-Groot latest board; sorry if I left anyone out). Thanks to everyone for sharing your work!

So I will ask here a variation of what I I asked @LastSamurai in his thread: Are all of you still using these MySensors based nodes?

Because I initially started thinking to use a MySensors based solution because I thought Wi-Fi based ones (although arguably easier, cheaper) like MagicHome controllers would be "too slow" but @LastSamurai seemed to state that he changed from MySensors because it was "too slow" in responding.

Or maybe the reasons are not speed / response time related? Maybe you guys didn't like that interface? Or maybe they were not as readily and cheaply available back when this post began (may 2017)? Or maybe people just like to tinker (I get it, some times I do too)?

But right now I am thinking about ordering some of those MagicHome devices just to play around with, they are only few dollars each on AliExpress instead of dorking around ordering boards, figuring out correct mosfets to use, implementing software, etc...

What am I missing here?

I am not trying to be contrary! I honestly want to know!