Posts made by Moshe Livne

@AWI Darn you are right!!!!! Thanks! Have been dealing with rpi and upwards lately so assumed it has some kind of internal clock.
Thanks again!

@AWI as it should.... but - it should show a very long number.... not a 4 digit one. and not the same values each time i run the code.

this is a test code, just to show the problem. in the original code there was static var, etc and the difference was checked.

It has been a long time but i am back... however, I must have lost it!

Millis now return 4 digits results and I can find the reason. It might be the update of the libraries the arduino IDE asked me to do. Anyways, here is the code:

#define MY_DEBUG
#define MY_RADIO_NRF24

#include <SPI.h>
#include <MySensors.h>                       // Mysensor network

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:

}

void loop() {
    unsigned long now;

    Serial.println("entering loop");
    now=millis();
    Serial.print("now=");
    Serial.println((unsigned long)now);
      sleep(5000);


}

couldn't be simpler....

now the result:

x00
x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x000 MCO:BGN:INIT NODE,CP=RNNNA--,VER=2.1.1
3 TSM:INIT
4 TSF:WUR:MS=0
11 TSM:INIT:TSP OK
13 TSF:SID:OK,ID=28
14 TSM:FPAR
33 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
272 TSF:MSG:READ,0-0-28,s=255,c=3,t=8,pt=1,l=1,sg=0:0
277 TSF:MSG:FPAR OK,ID=0,D=1
2040 TSM:FPAR:OK
2041 TSM:ID
2042 TSM:ID:OK
2044 TSM:UPL
2046 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-0-0,s=255,c=3,t=24,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:1
2054 TSF:MSG:READ,0-0-28,s=255,c=3,t=25,pt=1,l=1,sg=0:1
2059 TSF:MSG:PONG RECV,HP=1
2061 TSM:UPL:OK
2063 TSM:READY:ID=28,PAR=0,DIS=1
2067 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-0-0,s=255,c=3,t=15,pt=6,l=2,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0100
2073 TSF:MSG:READ,0-0-28,s=255,c=3,t=15,pt=6,l=2,sg=0:0100
2080 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-0-0,s=255,c=0,t=17,pt=0,l=5,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:2.1.1
2088 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-0-0,s=255,c=3,t=6,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0
2095 TSF:MSG:READ,0-0-28,s=255,c=3,t=6,pt=0,l=1,sg=0:M
2100 MCO:REG:REQ
2103 TSF:MSG:SEND,28-28-0-0,s=255,c=3,t=26,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:2
2109 TSF:MSG:READ,0-0-28,s=255,c=3,t=27,pt=1,l=1,sg=0:1
2114 MCO:PIM:NODE REG=1
2116 MCO:BGN:STP
2118 MCO:BGN:INIT OK,TSP=1
entering loop
now=2120
2121 MCO:SLP:MS=5000,SMS=0,I1=255,M1=255,I2=255,M2=255
2127 MCO:SLP:TPD
2129 MCO:SLP:WUP=-1
entering loop
now=2131
2131 MCO:SLP:MS=5000,SMS=0,I1=255,M1=255,I2=255,M2=255
2138 MCO:SLP:TPD
2140 MCO:SLP:WUP=-1
entering loop
now=2142
2142 MCO:SLP:MS=5000,SMS=0,I1=255,M1=255,I2=255,M2=255
2148 MCO:SLP:TPD

I have been staring at this for the last two hours... Any help will be appreciated. I am sure it is something ultra stupid

Regards,
Moshe

@JahFyahh it was mostly trial and error. I was lucky and my initial setup was good but these sensors have very sensitive adjustment (all cheap sensors do, i think) and sometimes a fraction of a turn is enough to change things. I think I wrote a simple "read in a loop" sketch and shaked it a bit (like a washing machine, small shakes) to see if i have a read. Hope that helps. I think top of the machine vibrates a bit more than back. if you put on the back, maybe try to mount it high as the upper part moves more than the lower part.

@JahFyahh yes, still using it. I never get false readings although lately I started getting the notifications half way through the cycle. Need to check the glue.

@chuckconnors I seriously doubt that. the washing machine has much move violent movements. For the dryer I think I would go with current as it is continuously drawing current (lots of current!) while working. In retrospect I would do the same with the washing machine if it was not under warranty. get a small junction box, expose about 3cm of the cable and use non invasive current sensor, all inside the box. Problem is, as always, power for the arduino.
another option that I considered is taking a good quality power strip, with lots of space in it and putting the sensor and the arduino inside it or only the current sensor (as the wires are exposed usually inside the strip) and the arduino device and charger on the outside. many modern strips have good quality USB sockets so no need for charger.
just my 2c... not saying you should touch mains, etc bla bla bla....

@petewill My original plan was to unintrusively detect the ring and trigger the arduino without effecting the bell circuit. However, it proved to be a bit more complicated and 2 dead arduinos and several other fried components later I gave up.

@petewill ummmm you could still cut the ring even if it was the other way around with a relay. Sorry to be a pain can't fight my mold hehehe. generally I find the reliability of dorrbells (especially the old wired kind) to be excellent. mine has been working flawlessly for at least 35 years.

Hello all - sorry I have been away for so long...
This bring back memories http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1620/mysensored-doorbell
I wish I found a way of triggering the notification from the ring and not the other way around, as this way when something happen to your arduino the doorbell will not ring. Didn't happen yet - it works perfectly for 6 months but I would feel more relaxed if it was the other way around. Oh well...

@Cliff-Karlsson sorry for the delayed reply.
It needs to be set just on the verge.... So, turn it slowly until it is 0,give it slight turn back. These sensors do not have good signal amplification (its ok for the price i guess) so they work in a vwry narrow ranfe

@Didi, did you end up doing horrible things to these? You said something about flashbox?

@NeverDie oh come on! Do it! Do it!

@MarkV are you using rf69? did you follow the instructions for downloading the libraries and installing them in the arduino IDE (see http://www.mysensors.org/about/arduino, scroll down a little)

@NeverDie I have no idea!!!! maybe digikey are selling counterfeits? hihihi
that is not a bad price.

@NeverDie very cool chip but a bit dear.... even on aliexpress (assuming it is not a counterfeit - Oh no! here we go again!)

@NeverDie I mean in reality... people here measured 30uA compared to 3uA in similar nrf setup. could be the result of many things, might be just a kink that has to be ironed in the software.

@Francois darn, by now i can wire the nrf from memory. Now to learn new wiring....
The power consumption in idle is still something to consider

@epierre Osrry, forgot to mention that the killer was the lack of amplification on the cheap modules. The diff between silence and hand clap few cm from the mic was only a few numbers on the reading. When you have amplification it stretch it across the 1023 range, I think.

@epierre I have ordered almost any kind of sound sensor on aliexpress for my washing machine sensor (at first I thought to get the beeps). They were all really bad.... I went the vibration way, but if I had to start all over again I think I would get https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9964

@hek Ultra cool!!!!

@epierre He meant in the sense that it does not display or use it for anything. he said there "it is used to store/retrieve variables". The thread was about the option to show the vars as part of the sensor output. for storing and retrieving, it works.... verified.... I might get annoyed enough to add to the code that the lua script can also retrieve these vars and then it would be sweet.....

@epierre can you please link to the post?

@epierre it does but in a strange way. The vars are not display vars. They are stored in the db and can be fetched and set only by the sensor. Tried it, it works....

@CoolCooler good luck! May the force be with you....

@Bertb can now see the scheme! thanks. But can't see the BOM

@Bertb I tried adding "html" suffix to it but it didn't work.

@CoolCooler You have but a few years of experience on me I was also new to arduino until a year ago.
Anyways, a slightly more detailed explanation, gathered from many sources:
The HVAC codes are defined as states, probably for historical reasons. The HVAC will probably not recognize or respond to partial state. The only thing that is not a state is the off code. You can see this in action if you cover the remote, switch mode to, say heating, uncover it and press temp down. you will get the HVAC heating afterwards although the code was not sent
To add a bit more complexity to the equation, even if you have the right setup to reproduce the codes, every HVAC has different coding scheme and as "recording" IR actually involves relatively hi frequency sampling you also need memory, which regular arduinos have very little of. Also, not all HVACS work on the same IR frequency. There are several libraries around but from what I tried they seem to work on only very specific models or firms.
I truly don't see what you gain from your approach over using the remote as your transmitter, but whatever float your boat...

@rvendrame Considering cost of postage and logistics involved it would probably be cheapest to just order two units from Ali to him? its 8$ including shipping if i remember correctly

@CoolCooler as detailed in the post, the recording and playing of aircon is far from trivial. Actually, i don't think I have seen anyone making it reliably. Every keypress send the full new state, not only the modification. So, if you press temp down you actually send fan speed, new temp, vane, etc. The remote i used could work for you. I suggest you invest 3$ and find out... The remote is mysrnsored do the controller can adjust the settings based on other sensors.

@NeverDie

1. Authentic module testing (they might be reluctant to give something like this as it can probably be used to make the copies closer to the original - but worth the try)
2. QA testing - packet drop, etc at different speeds

@NeverDie If/when you get contact with nordic rep, it would be great if they can provide a sketch that does the testing. they probably have one...

@otto001 I would think that reed might be a bit of a problem if too windy. Don't know for sure but got the impression that their response time is far from being instantaneous. Probably a better idea would be to use hall effect, no? you might even use a current measuring sensor if you rotate a turbine. but i am just guessing, I really don't know much.

@rvendrame @Bertb this guy detail his methods here http://lygte-info.dk/info/usbPowerSupplyTestHow UK.html

he has some kind of gadget that produce 2500v to 5000v.

Anyway, I am convinced that this is safe (or at least MUCH safer then what people here have been using). If one of the electrical wizards can detail the circuit with extra fuses, diodes and varistor (what is that???) I think it can help us all.

@pjeterinfo I still need to cut the traces on mine....

@mntlvr said:

@Moshe-Livne said:

@mntlvr don't use this as it has shorts. Use the corrected one someone posted a few comments back

Thanks Moshe-Livne but I can't find any comments on this posting about anyone buying boards that work can you help with this or is it best just to make your own?

Just upload the brd file pjeterinfo posted

@Bertb that is actually a very good surface temp for overload from what I saw in the other tests. Very promising.

@mntlvr don't use this as it has shorts. Use the corrected one someone posted a few comments back

@Bertb yes,although to be expected. Did you see the comparison mentioned a bit earlier in this thread? That is the first thing he checked

@Sparkman I cater for the community members needs:

@Anticimex Wee sensor is just Hygrometer, no? I am sure we will see you here much more now, and at strange hours. Also, it is known that if you give him interrupt at pin 2 he will wake up from sleep...

For a different approach, must less intrusive, you can try http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1662/air-conditioning-hvac-control-work-in-progress

@Bertb it is hard to see from the photos, are the capacitors rated for 105c?

@Bertb thanks! Good detective work! It seems the chip provide all the protections needed. That is very encouraging

Your controller needs to be always on as the gw does not store the data. Rpi is very common and very economical. Common controllers are listed on the mysensors website under "build".

@Yveaux wonderful! Even if fake, ones with correct ack bit will probably work better so its a step in the right direction

@hek You can't access these from the UI. He would have to write a sketch that sets this var. Not big deal but awkward. would have been nice if the VAR1-5 could be accessed.

@peterkins They are probably 5v inside so you just have to figure out (like ServiceXp did) where to tap in. or, if you want something completely non intrusive just use a sound detector....

And here they are, mounted properly:

@NeverDie No expert so just regurgitating what I read here on other threads:
The capacitor serves two purposes:

1. give the module extra juice while transmitting
2. clean and smooth the noise on the power

for (1), electrolite capacitor is good enough. for (2), people here said that ceramic is much better as it has all sorts of good qualities that has 3 or 4 letters acronyms. (not an expert!)

the capacitor needs to be mounted as closely to the module otherwise the legs serves as antenna for interference or something.

if you have a good power supply that produce good, clean 3.3v (a battery is a good example), connecting it directly to the nrf vcc is better than taking the 3v3 from the arduino.

@Didi

@NeverDie I do not use capacitors but I have noticed that the quality of the power supply is important but USB from a computer should have very little noise so that is not the reason.
If you happen to have capacitors, would be interesting to see how they effect the results.
@hek (or anyone else who knows what they are doing), as this seems to be a universal problem, why don't you start a github sketch with simple regression results that will evolve with time? we can also start a google drive spreadsheet to collect the results so we can record who we bought it from, include a photo and the results. Although the Chinese merchants can be fickle with they supply chain, at least on aliexpress you can verify beforehand with them that you are getting specific things and if you get something else you just don't pay. It is possible to establish good and reliable supply with them if they see that it brings them consistent returns and rating - I have done that with components for my LED lights. But we need a simple way of telling what we get....

@NeverDie do you use a good power supply?

@Didi Any initial results? curiosity is killing me....

@Daniel-Lindberg go wire wrap! Its the future!

@pjeterinfo Oh I didn't notice them. Darn, and I soldered the wires...

@oded00 Still waiting for the 22pf capacitors...
It was made in resolution for home made PCBs and single layer. oshpark can make the lines much smaller and make more layers so there is no need for soldering the "red" lines. you still need to solder the components (nrf, capacitors etc)
I live in NZ

@NeverDie it was about a year ago

@Daniel-Lindberg don't rush into choosing a controller - play with them (it is hard without sensors). What I am actually saying - you need to find the controller that match your needs and there is sometimes a gap between reality and web sites, so keep an open mind and don't get fixated. Other than that.... I would suggest the nrf with external antenna for the GW and some enclosures.... and cables!!!!

@Qu3Uk Also, worse comes to worse, use PU construction adhesive. very messy but they are rated for electrical conductivity and fire. if you ever want to take this off, you are in big trouble....

@Qu3Uk there is something called liquid tape. It's expensive.... Cool stuff though

@Qu3Uk mine was picrust, so the rpi was recycled into runeaudio music player and the crust was given as a present to a friend....
I tried HomeGenie and it was nice but.... It didn't work well with z-wave (that I was using back then) and had stability problems (well, at least with z-wave).
Domoticz is far from being perfect. lots of things that would feel "natural" are missing in the UI, like drawers and all these fake switches are really awkward to keep track of. BUT... it works and its stable and scripting is very good.

@Qu3Uk You are right... yes, they should have charged a small monthly fee... I really liked my Ninja other than the fact that it was cloud based and I always felt a bit reluctant to let the cloud reach into my network. Also 433mhz is problematic.
It is funny how many bright ideas goes into the rubbish bin because of people who can't do the math
I use domoticz. I tried openHAB and another 2 that I can't remember - they were all very hard to set up - openhab has a challenging learning curve, and that's an understatement

@Qu3Uk In the sense that they are going to go bankrupt and leave their customers hanging with unsupported hardware? May I point out that @Addison looks a bit dodgy? He joined in, posted this strange post almost right away and was never heard from again?

@gol fair enough... Thanks!

@hek but the gw write this information to the serial, right? There are lots of problems people have because of routing. I know I had a couple (uncleared eeprom that still had hardcoded parent, nodes deciding to connect to the gw instead of the repeater etc) and i would really like to see the topology without stopping domoticz

@hek that is true... is there a way to write in the unix "plugin" side messages to a FIFO? does the gateway writes everything to the serial including topology? I guess it does otherwise MSController won't be able to display it.

@rvendrame would be interested to see how you wire everything together

@Didi sharpening your knives and putting the plier in the fire?

@hek I beg to differ.... This project is much more complicated both to setup and understand and it is on a much lower level. It is a "hack" not an integral part of the software.
Also, theoretically, the arduino "sniffer" can also act as a watchdog or detect network anomalies more easily then digging through the logs with wireshark.
Again, theoretically, myscontroller or other easily created tool can show you the network topology in real time while this sniffer will require you to do it yourself or analyze dumps.
The basic idea of mysensors is the KISS principle, no? Using a sniffer node you can in 2 min see the network communication and even have the arduino or a simple program decode it.

I don't know if this is possible, but can the gateway send everything it writes on the serial to another node that will act as debug monitor? Currently the only way to see what the gateway writes is to use wireshark which is not trivial on headless rpi.

@scalz Can you post the sketch? It might help in finding what is wrong.

@tbowmo hmmm haven't looked at the details in the sketch but suppose we have 50, 50 , 51, 50, 51, 51, 51 wouldn't the results be:
50, 50 = 50
50, 50, 51 = 50.3
50, 51 = 50.50
50, 51, 50 = 50.50
51, 50 = 50.50
51, 50, 51 = 50.6
50, 51 = 50.50
50, 51, 51 = 50.6
51, 51 = 51
51, 51, 51 = 51

so no over 0.5 fluctuation?
I think a threshold would work better. can be by running average but from a fixed, last reported temp.

@scalz these are new i think and beibg propagated to shops. Every time I search i get more....

@petewill @didi found a cheaper source:
http://www.tme.eu/en/details/gs05e-usb/mains-power-supplies/mean-well/
shipping to the US 9.90. still ridiculously expensive but not as bad as mouser

This is completely unrelated to mysensors...
I was thinking of making some LED light "toys" for my kids from the huge amount of LED strips leftovers I have. they are all 12v strips. What would be the best (i.e. economical and not cumbersome) way of driving them from 2xAA batteries?

I have asked the guy who made this excellent list to test the meanwell - hopefully he will oblige. I still haven't been able to find anything with OTP even remotely in this price bracket....

@petewill said:

@ThinkPad Thanks for posting. It's good to see how the tests are performed. Unfortunately I don't have the equipment or skill to know how to test. Hopefully we will be able to find a safe one that we can all use.

@Moshe-Livne have you been able to find the meanwell chargers from anywhere besides jameco?

@Yveaux no no no.... I didn't explain myself well I guess.
The mysensors node "press" buttons on a universal remote control, see http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1662/air-conditioning-hvac-control-work-in-progress

The universal remote is powered from the arduino as well. As long as it is powered it remembers the settings for the aircon. once I power down the node the remote powers down as well and has to scan to find the right settings.

@GuyP It does... Now I realize that if I knew what I was doing (and I don't) it could probably be made smaller and no need for soldering at all.

Thanks! will let you know how it worked out. Might take a bit of time as I am now finishing my AirCon remote sensor.

My Air conditioning remote control sensor is almost done. However, each time I disconnect it, I have to go through a truly annoying search sequence that not only turns my poor aircon on and off but can also take 3 minutes. Is there a simple way of providing battery backup to a circuit? One option would be to use a powerbank but if there is something battery based i would prefer it.

@petewill My supplier is not selling these
apparently they are new
@jemish It is still a work in progress. @didi will do some tests and we are trying to get some more for testing.
Based on http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/indexUSB UK.html I would choose the apple one (http://lygte-info.dk/review/USBpower Apple USB power adapter UK.html)... But YMMV. I am not sure it has OTP

@AWI did you consider using http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/ ?
should be possible to convert into movements reasonably easily
I agree that its probably more waste of energy and money, but so much fun! and you can probably fit the same system on your turret gun tower and track intruders.

@GuyP PCB arrived from oshpark!

What capacitors did you use for the crystal? and what resistor for the dallas?

@n3ro Brilliant! He recommends to take out the voltage regulator. it is easier (and works better) just to snip off one leg as described here http://www.mysensors.org/build/battery. I'll try his other mods.... hopefully now my nodes will last forever!!!!

@NeverDie I would like to add my support for your worthy quest. Some time ago I was looking for a way to make MySensors RFID like tags for presence detection but the result was just too big as well as too energy consuming.

@hugo_pn try and check the following:

1. Try to power the relay directly (from vin or from the transformer). I had the same problem. The vcc just don't give out enough juice.
2. Check if your relay is 5v. Another member here ordered 5v and got 12v relay....

@MarcusG you got it right....
Just a little more of my vast knowledge with failures

1. If you go z-wave (which is not a bad option, all things considered, but not cheap), try to get everything from the same brand. It works better. like Aeonlabs or Fibero. There is also a new standard Z-Wave+ which will probably make anything not Z-Wave+ Obsolete very quickly so you might want to take this into consideration.
2. Domoticz worked very well with both Z-Wave and MySensors. When you decide on the architecture you go with, try to verify if everything you want is supported by the controller. For example I had a Z-wave AirCon remote control (an obsession of mine, it seems) from a respectable company that was only supported by their device. Nothing else.... 100$ just pafffttt disappeared.
3. What @didi said :-). if you can do that - it will simplify your life. There are still all kinds of considerations - do you wire for 220v or for 5v (and then you face the problem of drop in current or something) or for 24v and step down or whatever - not an expert just remember reading about this. As this was never an option for me I didn't put too much thought into it.

@Bram81 strange - I am running domoticz for ages (using most updates beta branch) with no stability issues.

@Dwalt Including the Apollo 13 one?
I can see why. If anything goes wrong you want to be able to fix it with no electricity and with as little equipment overhead as possible.

@MarcusG I suppose someone more knowledgeable then me will probably give a more detailed answer, but my 2c:
Mysensors is not that great for inwall light switches. the main problem is, well, the mains...
it is very tricky and dangerous to make a very small ac/dc transformer that can fit and work inside the wall. no one here managed to do it yet although several are thinking about it.
if you add extra wires to any light switch i guess that shouldn't be a problem but it will increase your BOM for the house. You can also mix together several systems, like z-wave for lights and mysensors for everything else.
You also need a controller. Domoticz, OpenHAB and Vera seems to be the most popular but have a look at the controller section. No controller is perfect, so you need to see which one fits the best to your use case.

@5546dug Yes, 20$ now looks like a lot of money... Last time I used it it was over a 100$
Anyway, I also hesitated but a few soldering mistakes and the inability to save your soldered components without a reflow station made me resort back to wire wrap. In retrospect it is probably the best 20$ I spent in this hobby. Reasons:

1. It is fairly quick - no need to wait for the iron to heat. you want to do something you just do it.
2. you can do it anywhere - its almost like knitting.... you can do it while cooking dinner or watching tv (ok, I am making this up) but really - no need for powerpoint of lots instruments
3. no obnoxious fumes so the kids can "help"
4. unless you are really good at soldering (and I am not) you can't get anything remotely as neat.
5. it is very zen like

this is the one i got http://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shipping-1PCS-305-meters-long-electrical-wire-line-high-quality-30awg-ok-line-Wire-Wrap/32319341509.html
the wire will probably last me a lifetime....

properly made wirewrap is as permanent as soldering, at least according to wikipedia. never had problems with wirewrap deteriorating

Just an update: this works perfectly. I always know when I miss the postmen now....

Maybe this will be of interest http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1345/sensebender-micro/228

@petewill I have a supplier on ali that sells meanwell reasonably cheap. I used to buy all the power supplies for the LED lights I made from him. I will ask him for a quote. The downside is that he ships everything DHL.... still might be cheaper. where are you located?

@kapperi this code is supposed to attach a specific child id (the numbers in the array) to a specific order of sensor discovery. so, if your order gets mixed up you can still sort it out. its not the best solution but if this is not a very common problem and you do not add and remove sensors all the time it should solve your problem.

Following this instructable, I decided to invest 3$ in a 1000 in 1 remote (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Lowest-profit-Universal-LCD-Display-AC-Remote-Control-Controller-For-Air-Conditioner-Conditioning-1000-in-1/1980863274.html)

I ordered two kinds but this one was much better then the other one (i.e it worked )

Soldering to the copper lines the way the kid did in the instructable proved to be problematic (at least for me) and I ended up soldering to the contacts of the pressure sensitive pads. At first I thought to use it without LCD but ended up with it as otherwise I don't know what is the current setting.

It actually work!!! I can turn my AC on and off!!! a dream comes true!!!
However, turning it on will bring it to one preset. this is not too bad - I actually want only to heat the bedrooms before kids go there and turn off the ac that they left on....

Here is a nude photo:

I know there are some sharp eyed people in this forum, so yes, in the photo the remote is just powered by the arduino, i tested first by giving the transistor 5v manually.
I have ordered 4 more of this remote and will do a cleaner work on the soldering

@ThinkPad Fascinating read.... If you read through the thread you will see that we actually go to the same conclusion. The meanwell charger should be good - they are respectable company and it has the 3 safeties we were looking for. It is not a very common charger - I have never seen it being sold before.

@kapperi There is no real problem IMHO with adding another layer of abstraction.
just add an array

int child_ids[] = {1, 2, 4, 3};

and in the sketch use:

gw_present(child_ids[i], S_TEMP);
.
.
.
.
gw_send(msg.setSensor(child_ids[i])....);

(code is unchecked but you should get the gist of it)
The child ids are logical so you can set whatever you like as long as you are consistent in using it. You might have to delete the node and re-include it to get it to work right the first time you change things around.

@gloob can you share where you got the good nrf from?

@CaptainZap The motion detector (if you are using one like in the store) has two little dials on it. One is sensitivity and the other is time delay (see http://www.mpja.com/download/31227sc.pdf). Try to play with these until you get the effect you are looking for

cool project! why do you need to monitor the water meter?