Hi Everyone,
I initially started with a goal and MySensors suited, and was very approachable. I built it and it still works. I didn't need much help.
I had a bunch of fun getting things to work and acquired some skills. The work with MySensors helped me get a job as an embedded software engineer, with my environmental sciences i.e. data analysis background.
Since getting that job, I have moved much more towards minimalism in my private life. As such I am designing simple systems that don't need automating, and asking myself what I need. My current focus during my spare time on ultralight winter backpacking/skitouring as well as vipassana meditation helps me see more clearly what is necessary to be happy. My insight does not bode well for most of current IoT use.
I may make some noise when I have decided that a certain thing is necessary AND I need help OR if I dare to show off ;). Meanwhile, enjoy the peace and quiet.
I think when I do get back into MySensors, it will be when I combine my statistics and firmware knowledge: so-called embedded AI applied to inventory management. That is also the solution to truly devalue a cloud connection, in my opinion. Do the work locally (or on your gateway), and say something, if necessary. We'll see if that tendency/thought makes sense in a few years.
I will also revisit MySensors when I want to build an energy harvesting sensor. This is somewhat proximate. I am not a big fan of batteries.
Thank you for the support and the handy framework. I am grateful for the simple systems that work, and keep working.
Going outside now :).
Kind regards,
Brian
@Callahan i own a few wemos d1 minis that also just fail to be recognized during download. Do you have another esp that you can check out, just to rule out the board itself?
I, too, am a "gray hair" (if I had hair). I despise cloud dependent devices. The reasons are many. ISPs, despite what they say, are not reliable. ISPs are so close to be monopolies, that they act like them. Your ISP can, and will, prevent access to the cloud if they have a competing product.
The manufacturers of cloud dependent devices, sell your information and statistics on how you use the devices. This is how they make money. When one of these manufacturers goes out of business, the company that buys up the IP continues to sell that information and ceases the little support that one did get.
I might be getting a little paranoid here, but I'm pretty sure there is unrelated-to-function software (spyware) incorporated into many products. (In the late 90's, the company for which I worked resisted the temptation to do so, despite heavy pressure from marketing.) I call it "ET phone home" Maybe the software is innocuous enough, but it can be hijacked by bad actors.
There is another problem plaguing home automation and that is poorly designed and poorly documented (which leads to pathetically supported) hardware and software. More so the latter. FAQs and forums are afterthoughts of the slothful, but now it's all we have.
I agree with ProfRob and I would add "better documentation".
As a note, when I pull on my pants, I sit on my bed, start my pants onto my feet, roll back and pull both legs up at once
Perhaps my definition about "controller", is a bit broad here.
What could be done, is to have a thin "controller", that receives MQTT from the existing gateway, hands out IDs if they are requested from a new node, and translate the message into homie compliant topics. That is all it has to do, should not care about the rest of the automation at all. Should also be able to translate back from homie compliant to mysensors.
This could be written in python, c#, javascript, rust etc. The benefit is that you have (relatively) easy editing of configurations at hands, without re-uploading sketches to your gateways / nodes, if you decide that node X should be named Y instead.
And I am in no way trying to treat anyone as a fool!
Thanks.
The motion sensor is used to turn on the lights in the garage via a Sonoff mini.
Also, I've had the garage door randomly open by itself (power glitches?) a few times over the years. So I'm adding an automation to close the door if no motion is present and it is after midnight.
Basically, you seem to search for a "multi-contact-multi-relay" solution. This for sure is possible with MySensors, but still the question remains: Why MySensors at all? For that kind of task, no controller is needed, to me this seems to be "just a simple arduino sketch" running on a single MCU.
Independend if you want to go the MySensors route, imo you will have to go through a fast learning curve. Good starting point may be https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/4847/multi-button-relay-sketch/33 - but this is with monostable buttons and not bistable contacts. So first steps could be to understand, how this sketch works and can be extended to more buttons/relays (you may need port extenders or a different MCU to add more PINs), then to adopt it to bistable contacts, and last switch additional relays for the "indicator LEDs".
Additional remark: If you finally want to use additional controller software and "need" additional communication between multiple MCU's (for other tasks), have a look at RS485 transport layer (or PJON (in development?)).
@BearWithBeard Hello !
I'm new to the forum. I just found out about MySensors today actually.
I tried making my first gateway, and had the same exact problem as @skom
A quick search brought me here.
Looks like downgrading the ESP Board Library to 2.7.4 works fine indeed.
Thank you sir.
I love the Internet, and I love you guys.
