PhoneyTV for Vera is Here!
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So here is a fun project for you to build... introducing PhoneyTV for Vera.
PhoneyTV is a Home Automation connected security device that mimics the ambient light produced by a television. This makes your house appear to be occupied and will hopefully deter would-be robbers from trying to enter your house.
Some highlights:
- Utilizes the MySensors basic sketch for relays, therefore controllable by Vera.
Energy efficient versus actually leaving a TV on. My 12x 1/2watt LEDs are burning average of about 5 watts with the PWM... a nightlight basically.
It I can be BRIGHT with 12 10mm LED's produces the light of a 50in LCD TV, in my observation.
Utilizes 6 channels featuring 3 PWM pins in order to vary the intensity of blues and whites.
Uses no Delays, rather it uses a timer to produce its random flickering while maintaining terrific radio connection.
Is customizable to allow you to adjust your PhoneyTV to behave to your specific preferences.
Is EASY to make... It can be 100% powered by your Arduino and with exception of the actual LED's (I used 12pcs of 1/2watt super-bright 10mm LED's) only requires a board and a few resistors (be careful with this red LEDs).
It can be powered with an old cell phone charger or any 7-12V power supply.
You can create a custom, fun housing to camouflage or highlight your PhoneyTV. I repurposed a box that has been sitting on a shelf empty for a while. It is nice because when it is not in use, it can be invisible.
You can breadboard it on your UNO in under 45 minutes and depending on your box, build in in one evening.
It can be improved... While this produces a pretty realistic effect, nothing is preventing you from adding more to it like dimming or even multiplexing.
It is inexpensive versus buying something like FakeTV, where after $30, you will still have to add Home Automation ready outlet if you want to control it. I used a Nano, but you could try a ProMini and save a few bucks.
Is expandable. Why not add a Thermometer, Hygrometer or Barometer? For a few more dollars you can monitor the room you keep your Phoney TV in.
I have attached some photos of the approach I took to build the physical box, of course there are many possibilities for you to consider and build.
I'll post the sketch in an update...
I want to give credit to DeltaNu1142 for the inspiration and the idea, thanks!
- Utilizes the MySensors basic sketch for relays, therefore controllable by Vera.
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The Sketch:
the Schematic...
So simple, there is no reason not to try it!
There is an UPDATED Version below, which adds a momentary pushbutton switch to control it locally. (software debounce)
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Hi @BulldogLowell,
This looks exactly like something I need in a a couple of weeks
The pdf says 1:4 but I see only page 1.
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The other pages are from the schematic diagraming software for BOM, etc, but I didn't fill out the lists so they are blank pages.
Te resistor values depend on the LED's you choose but I used these. and chose to do the diffusing cover. If you buy diffused LED's you may get better results if you use a clear or frosted diffuser/cover.
Besides the arduino and the radio, here are the resistor values, the pinouts are in the sketch as far as the colours.
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Really nice! Thanks....
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I followed your instructions and built a PhoneyTV this weekend. Great success!
This was the first time I used a prototype board to build something and it wasn't really that difficult. If there is some other beginner out there who's thinking about building this project, I say go for it.While I was at it I put a DHT22 on the board, maybe I'll substitute it for a Dallas DS18B20 to cut cost.
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Good thinking on the Dallas sensor. I just ordered a few and am looking forward to adding them here and there as I build more stuff.
And soldering isn't too bad, yeah?
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Hi
Im a bit confused about the J1 in the schematic... It seems you dont use it or i dont understand what it is
But how is the diodes then connected to the board?Regards
Jan
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@stofakiller said:
Hi
Im a bit confused about the J1 in the schematic... It seems you dont use it or i dont understand what it is
But how is the diodes then connected to the board?Regards
JanJan,
the LEDs I used are through-hole pins; I soldered them to the board. The photo shows their respective resistors connected to them accordingly. I soldered a trace to connect all of the cathodes to ground, put the resistors in series with the anodes. PIN>>RESISTOR>>ANODE.
As far as the connector numbers go, use the MySensors standard radio connection and the pinouts for the LEDs detailed in the sketch. In my experience, having the Blue and White on some PWM gives a more realistic effect. The numbers don't match the Nano because I used the header component in the software I used to create the circuit diagram.
good luck why your build!
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Okay, now i better understand, because in the schematics the J1 is connected to pin 3 and i didnt get it to work, but also the D1 you use is Blue, but in the sketch the first one you use is white
So now i got the 6 diodes connected, what about the other 6? are the connected parallel? (whites, red greens etc)Regards Jan
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@stofakiller said:
Okay, now i better understand, because in the schematics the J1 is connected to pin 3 and i didnt get it to work, but also the D1 you use is Blue, but in the sketch the first one you use is white
So now i got the 6 diodes connected, what about the other 6? are the connected parallel? (whites, red greens etc)Regards Jan
Sorry about the schematic, I actually recall thinking that would come back to haunt me. I'll fix it to make it easier for the next guy
Yes, I put two LEDs on each 'channel' wired in parallel. This way, you can power all 12 LEDs with the arduino, no problem.
Six channels with two LEDs each.
Blue1
Blue2
White1
White2
Red
GreenI arranged them in this 4 x 3 matrix attached and used more space between the rows for a square-ish (that isn't a real word!) arrangement.
FYI, I'll probably get to adding a pushbutton to turn it on/off. I'll post that if I can get to it.
I also wanted to look at using SoftPWM.h and move some LEDs to the analogue side for even more variation in brightness.
Finally, I want random go-dark dips (turning all LEDs off for a moment) and I didn't want to do it using delays, I will get that in there too.
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I have an updated version attached to:
Add a pushbutton to control it locally (I am using an interrupt on Digital Pin 2, which is not in use presently, so you can disconnect your radio connection to pin 2)
Improved the dark dips of light, again trying to make it even more realistic.
cleaned up the code to make it (a lot) simpler; I eliminated the generic relay 'stuff' and made is single use, basically.Now you can leave it plugged in and turn it off if you are occupying the room... and no longer have to worry about plugging it back in
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Completed upgrade to version 1.4, removing Relay capability.
PhoneyTV update attached:
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Hi @BulldogLowell
get work am in the middle of working the hardware
I cant seem to download the V2 or V3.1 versions I get the reply as is is the pic
Suggestions?
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When I create this file it states only ashii characters allowed and asks meto delete the file
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Rename it to something shorter and try again.
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Once again @hek you have come to the rescue.
Back to planning the phoney, I think this is a terrific app hats off to @BulldogLowell
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@BulldogLowell In the final stage of boxing this unit I like it and sure will use it in the coming months.
Question is when it was included to vera she made the node and then created the light node for it complete with on and off buttons, are they supposed to work or ignore these and use the local interrupt on d2 but would be cool to control this remotely with vera or in a scene.Great project!
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@5546dug said:
are they supposed to work or ignore these and use the local interrupt on d2
you will be able to turn on/off at the controller and with the (quite optional) attached button!
do you need it to work just by the button, and no controller? that is an easy mod if that is your use case.
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@BulldogLowell , In a perfect world I would like to control Phoney TV over vera/my sensors.
right now I can use RST to drop the lights for a few secs only, but that is a physical action .I did look at phoney tv 2.0 and see the pin was changed to pinbutton and declared as an output?
There was a relay in this sketch, or is the vera switch node to be therelay ? I see when you push button it changes the state of the lights but I think not the power to the nano.I guessing my guesses are wrong.
Enough guessing from an old guy!
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Actually, the arduino never turns "off." Rather, cycling the "power" merely stops the output to the blinking/fading LEDs.
I'm not clear on your question... are you trying to use PhoneyTV without a controller at all?
anyways, you want the latest version above: PhoneyTV_V3.1_MySensors_V1.4.1.ino, i think
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@BulldogLowell yes I have v3.1 So I was wrong -at least consistent!
I have Vera controller and at the moment My Sensors serial GW is connected ,The vera dashboard shows node for light on and off and that is really what I want. To start the lights remotely , I think using the reset locally (d2 to gnd?) may work but only if we are there
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Should also tell you I use ui5 in my veras case it makes a difference and I can toggle the switch off and on in my Device page but no Phoney TV changes.
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@5546dug said:
The vera dashboard shows node for light on and off and that is really what I want.
then you are there...
is it working?
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no it is not
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@BulldogLowell I see in v3.1 pin d2 is called ' button pin' and is an' input' and 'pullup'
(understand it is for the pushbutton use but even then it is only for a few sec. in my setup.)
Also there is d13 defined as for the relay and used with the radio could that be an issue?How is the controller/GW telling the Phoney TV to change states? Do I need to run a wire from d2 (?) to gnd/vcc to create an interupt?
I don't really need the button, but I will leave it there
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@BulldogLowell Just noticed your post is v3.1 lib 1.4.1 and I have lib 1.4
That might be why I can't control from Vera ....then there is that d2 interrupt connection.
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hmmm, looking at the code I posted I see why you have a problem.
Try this:
/* * PhoneyTV v3.1.1 * * This Sketch illuminates 6 sets of LED's in a random fashion as to mimic the * light eminating from a television. It is intended to make an empty home, * or an empty section of a home, appear to be occupied by someone watching * TV. As an alternative to a real television left on, this uses less than 1% * of the electrical energy. * * With the use of the MySensors plugin and gateway, PhoneyTV is intended to * be used with a controller (e.g. Vera or Raspberry PI). * * Sketch does not use any delays to create the random blinking as a way to * assure that communication back to the gateway is as unaffected as possible. * * You can adjust the length of the blink interval and its "twitchyness" by * modifying the random number generators, if you prefer more/less 'motion' in * in your unit. The lines are highlighted in the code, play around to create the * random effect you like. * * Sketch takes advantage of available PWM on pins 3, 5 & 6 using the white/blue LEDs * to allow fluctuations in the intensity of the light, enhancing the PhoneyTV's * realistic light effects. * * Created 12-APR-2014 * Free for distrubution * Credit should be given to MySensors.org for their base code for relay control * and for the radio configuration. Thanks Guys. * * 29-May-2014 * Version 2: Simplified the code, removing all redundant relay setup from original * code. Added an on/off momentary pushputton option to be set up on pin 2. Inproved * the dark dips for longer duration (can be configured) at intervals. * * 6-Jun-2015 * Version 3.1 * Updated for MySensors V1.4.1 * Contributed by Jim (BulldogLowell@gmail.com) Inspired by Josh >> Deltanu1142@gmail.com */ // #include <MySensor.h> #include <SPI.h> #include <Bounce2.h> // #define SKETCH_NAME "PhoneyTV" #define SKETCH_VERSION "3.1.1" // #define RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME 20 // #define BUTTON_PIN 2 // Arduino Digital I/O pin number for button #define CHILD_ID 1 // #define RADIO_ID 5 //AUTO // #define DEBUG_ON // #ifdef DEBUG_ON #define DEBUG_PRINT(x) Serial.print(x) #define DEBUG_PRINTLN(x) Serial.println(x) #define SERIAL_START(x) Serial.begin(x) #else #define DEBUG_PRINT(x) #define DEBUG_PRINTLN(x) #define SERIAL_START(x) #endif // MySensor gw; MyMessage msg(CHILD_ID, V_LIGHT); // byte ledPin3 = 3; // White using PWM byte ledPin4 = 4; // Red byte ledPin5 = 5; // Blue using PWM byte ledPin6 = 6; // Blue using PWM byte ledPin7 = 7; // Green byte ledPin8 = 8; // White (No PWM) // Bounce debouncer = Bounce(); byte oldValue = 0; boolean state = false; boolean oldState = false; int dipInterval = 10; int darkTime = 250; unsigned long currentDipTime; unsigned long dipStartTime; unsigned long currentMillis; byte ledState = LOW; unsigned long previousMillis = 0UL; byte led = 5; unsigned long interval = 2000UL; int twitch = 50; int dipCount = 0; int analogLevel = 100; boolean timeToDip = false; boolean gotAck=false; // void setup() { SERIAL_START(115200); pinMode(ledPin3, OUTPUT); pinMode(ledPin4, OUTPUT); pinMode(ledPin5, OUTPUT); pinMode(ledPin6, OUTPUT); pinMode(ledPin7, OUTPUT); pinMode(ledPin8, OUTPUT); pinMode(BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP); // debouncer.attach(BUTTON_PIN); debouncer.interval(50); // gw.begin(incomingMessage, RADIO_ID, true, 0); // configured as a repeating node!! gw.sendSketchInfo(SKETCH_NAME, SKETCH_VERSION); gw.wait(RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME); gw.present(CHILD_ID, S_LIGHT); gw.wait(RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME); while(!gw.send(msg.set(state), false)) { gw.wait(RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME); } gw.wait(RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME); DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Sensor Presentation Complete")); } // void loop() { gw.process(); debouncer.update(); byte value = debouncer.read(); if (value != oldValue && value == 0) { state = !state; while(!gotAck) { gw.send(msg.set(state), true); gw.wait(RADIO_RESET_DELAY_TIME); } gotAck = false; DEBUG_PRINT(F("State Changed to:")); DEBUG_PRINTLN(state? F("PhoneyTV ON") : F("PhoneyTV OFF")); } oldValue = value; if (state) { if (timeToDip == false) { currentMillis = millis(); if (currentMillis - previousMillis > interval) { previousMillis = currentMillis; interval = random(750, 4001); //Adjusts the interval for more/less frequent random light changes twitch = random(40, 100); // Twitch provides motion effect but can be a bit much if too high dipCount = dipCount++; } if (currentMillis - previousMillis < twitch) { led = random(3, 9); analogLevel = random(50, 255); // set the range of the 3 pwm leds ledState = !ledState; switch (led) //for the three PWM pins { case 3: pwmWrite(); break; case 5: pwmWrite(); break; case 6: pwmWrite(); break; default: digitalWrite(led, ledState); } if (dipCount > dipInterval) { timeToDip = true; dipCount = 0; dipStartTime = millis(); darkTime = random(50, 150); dipInterval = random(5, 250); // cycles of flicker } } } else { DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Dip Time")); currentDipTime = millis(); if (currentDipTime - dipStartTime < darkTime) { for (int i = 3; i < 9; i++) { digitalWrite(i, LOW); } } else { timeToDip = false; } } } else { if (state != oldState) { for (int i = 3; i < 9; i++) { digitalWrite(i, LOW); } } } oldState = state; } // void incomingMessage(const MyMessage &message) { if (message.isAck()) { DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("This is an ack from gateway")); gotAck = true; } if (message.type == V_LIGHT) { state = message.getBool(); DEBUG_PRINT(F("Incoming change for sensor... New State = ")); DEBUG_PRINTLN(state? F("ON") : F("OFF")); } } // void pwmWrite() { if (ledState == HIGH) { analogWrite(led, analogLevel); } else { digitalWrite(led, LOW); } }
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@BulldogLowell Thanks
I will try. 3.1.1 when I get home
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@BulldogLowell
here is screen shot of error codeArduino: 1.6.5 (Windows 8.1), Board: "Arduino Nano, ATmega328"Using library MySensors in folder: C:\Users\Carolyn & Doug\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MySensors (legacy)
Using library SPI in folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\arduino\avr\libraries\SPI
Using library Bounce2 in folder: C:\Users\Carolyn & Doug\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Bounce2 (legacy)
C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr/bin/avr-g++ -c -g -Os -w -fno-exceptions -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -fno-threadsafe-statics -MMD -mmcu=atmega328p -DF_CPU=16000000L -DARDUINO=10605 -DARDUINO_AVR_NANO -DARDUINO_ARCH_AVR -IC:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\arduino\avr\cores\arduino -IC:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\arduino\avr\variants\eightanaloginputs -IC:\Users\Carolyn & Doug\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MySensors -IC:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\arduino\avr\libraries\SPI -IC:\Users\Carolyn & Doug\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Bounce2 C:\Users\CAROLY~1\AppData\Local\Temp\build5063782765207672318.tmp\phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.cpp -o C:\Users\CAROLY~1\AppData\Local\Temp\build5063782765207672318.tmp\phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.cpp.o
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino: In function 'void setup()':
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino:111:6: error: 'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino:113:6: error: 'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino:116:8: error: 'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino:118:6: error: 'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino: In function 'void loop()':
phoney_tv_july_20_3.1.1.ino:133:10: error: 'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
'class MySensor' has no member named 'wait'
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I think you need to update your MySensors IDE.
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Ok I will try that also
Thanks
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@BulldogLowell I downloaded lib 1.4.1 and just like that your code worked 100% THANKS.
It is something I could not have done.
Just a question, when in your code 3.1.1 you have a few scattered lines through out the declaration code with only // on these lines does it mean anything in particular ?
I couldn't find anything wrote up like the notations of /* and */ for writing comments and paragraphs .
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@5546dug said:
Just a question, when in your code 3.1.1 you have a few scattered lines through out the declaration code with only // on these lines does it mean anything in particular ?
Adding the "//" is only a personal preference of mine to use the comment marks rather than leaving a blank line. for me, with a certain text editor that I use, it is easier to edit and not inadvertently delete some curly brace and screw up my code!
@5546dug said:
your code worked 100% THANKS.
happy to hear you are going now, sorry about the mixup.
