Yep, both were 3D printed back then. The Toronto library actually has 3D printers so I built a CAD model and had it printed there. There are also have a lot of web-based companies who will print and ship out parts.
Since then I've built my own 3D printer, it comes in handy and they're getting pretty cheap.
Try out the web-browser interface. I have a 'webapp' at a tile on iOS. Still takes some time to boot, but much faster than the vera app. Slightly laggier but you get more features as well.
I would love to see the code behind this! Very cool
@korttoma said:
Ahh, I see. Maybe it is an option for you to add another (dummy) device of some type just to get more variables.
That's actually not a bad idea. Seems like a pretty simple solution. Thanks!
Hey all,
I"ve got a question about wire wrap, I bought some from a local electronics store but it seems that there isn't traditional insulation on the wire, it seems more like a paint. Is this typical? Or did I buy the wrong thing....
It's 26AWG
@korttoma said:
@naveen said:
I'm moving on to add another stepper and I need a few more custom variables (4) - is there any way to add new variables? Or is he maximum 5?
If you add another stepper to a node you will add another window cover device in Vera right? So shouldn't there be 5 more Variables for this new device right?
I wasn't planning on adding another device. I was planning on implementing the UP/DOWN functionality to control the sliding of the vertical blinds. While the V_DIMMER slider would control the 'tilt'
@hek said:
Yes, it is possible! You have a couple of options.
##Poll configuration data from node
- Select one of V_VAR1, V_VAR2, V_VAR3, V_VAR4, V_VAR5 to use for your configuration;
choose from your root or child nodes. You can use all five parameters per each of your root and child device. It is up to you how to design this;- Program your sketch to fetch variable from vera using gw.request(). You will have to take care to get reply later by yourself using in your callback method initialized in gw.setup(). See RelayActuator sketch for an example on how to handle incoming messages.
- First run of your modified sketch to request parameters. Be prepared that you will receive an empty string because at this time we have just created empty variables at vera side;
- Refresh your vera and go to particular child into Advanced Tab. You should be able to see your new variables named Variable1...Variable5. Variable1 corresponds to V_VAR1 inside your sketch etc.;
fill free to change empty field on vera side to the value your needed, Save changes;- Check with you Arduino, it should receive correct data at this point;
- You free to use whatever design you want. You can pull/request data at each start of you node or you can pull each 30 minutes like many z-wave devices do if they operate from battery. Other example can be if you need for your to nodes to communicate to each other and you need to tell a radio ID to one/both nodes to establish their communication. But for this one you probably want to use Push...
##Push configuration data from Vera to node
Example: You need to push data from vera on event or using schedule and it should be initiated instantly by vera, not by node. For example you want your clock to show external temperature received by vera from the Weather plugin or from other sensor.
Choose from V_VAR1, V_VAR2, V_VAR3, V_VAR4, V_VAR5 to be used for data push
Design your sketch to listen for incoming messages with desired variable. See RelayActuator for an example on how to handle incoming data.
Create a new scene on vera side. The scene should be run according to your goal. For example each 10 minutes;
Use Lua tab while editing scene to provide data for the push. For example this Lua is taking current temperature from Weather (vera id = 61) plugin and pushing it to the node (vera id for root device = 372) using VAR_5:
local temp = luup.variable_get("urn:upnp-org:serviceId:TemperatureSensor1","CurrentTemperature", 61)
temp = temp*10.0
luup.call_action("urn:upnp-arduino-cc:serviceId:arduino1", "SendCommand", {radioId="4;255", variableId="VAR_5", value=temp}, 372)SendCommand will push a message to your node. You can also call it with static values (without programming) using the Advanced tab in the scene editor.
(This post was updated to 1.4 from from @axillent old tips page on micasaverde)
I'm moving on to add another stepper and I need a few more custom variables (4) - is there any way to add new variables? Or is he maximum 5?
Cool, thanks for the advice!
I'm looking to get some more solid design for my blind controller, and I was looking into perfboard with wires. It seems like it will be really difficult to get all the connections I need with soldering pads together alone so wire would be needed.
I was wondering what is the best strategy to connect the arduino to other components? Should I first solder the pins onto the arduino, place the arduino in the perfboard and then wrap the wire around the pin at the bottom of the board and solder (with all wires running on the bottom of the perfboard)? Or should I solder the pins to the board itself, connect two pads together, and then run a wire from the connected pad on top of the board to another pad?
Or is there an entirely better way to do this?
Thanks!
Hmm, yeah that would work. It just seems like overkill for a few extra pins (price and size wise). I didn't realize there were 8 analog pins on the APM, those should actually be enough to drive all the things as long as they work OK as digital outputs.
I figure the shift register will cause problems because I won't be able to build an 'AccelStepper' object since the input for the constructor is a pin number. I assume I'd have to modify the code if I want to put it through the shift register.
Do you have any recommendation for this? I don't think the digital+analog inputs will be enough to connect two steppers and a luminosity sensor.
Do you foresee any issues using the shift register I linked previously?
@hek said:
Here comes a little preview of the upcoming touch display scene controller example.
Hope to finalize a little youtube clip before the release.
Wow, was this started only when I mentioned it? Because if so, kudos on the quick turn around! Looks great! You as well, @korttoma , what's yours like??
Do you need a pen to touch the buttons or are your fingers okay?
Does it seem pretty accurate (how many buttons could you cram on that screen)?
I'm wondering if its worth putting some serious time in to print a nice body and get a rechargeable LiIon and a charging dock, or if its just simpler to get a cheap android tablet or something.
That's a good tip, thanks!
I guess something like this could also work: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ShiftOut
I'm looking to connect two stepper drivers to the Arduino, each one needs 2 digital pins for step/dir and 3 pins to control microstepping. I'd also like another pin to connect a light sensor to it. Is there a board that can support all these pins (~12) and the radio? Or would it be best to just get two Arduino pro minis and split it up?
I don't know what I was doing wrong before, but I got the non-block run feature working with your code. I have my blinds controlled by XBMC as well, so if I start and stop a movie in quick succession, I want to make sure the blinds end up in the right spot. I've attached the relevant snippets of code below
void loop(){
if (gw.messageAvailable()) {
//Serial.print("New message from GW");
// ot new messsage from gw
message_s message = gw.getMessage();
setRelayStatus(message);
}
stepper1.run();
}
and then when you get the message:
if (message.header.type==V_DIMMER) { //
float IncomingControl = atoi(message.data);
//Serial.print("Message: ");
//Serial.println(IncomingControl);
//Serial.println((100-IncomingControl)/100*-1*fullOpenSteps);
delay(5);
float incomingNewPosition = (100-IncomingControl)/100*-1*fullOpenSteps;
stepper1.stop();
stepper1.runToPosition();
stepper1.moveTo(incomingNewPosition);
int IncomingControlSend = IncomingControl;
gw.sendVariable(CHILD_ID, V_DIMMER, IncomingControlSend);
}
@korttoma , did you ever try using the accelstepper run() command instead of runToPosition(). From my understanding the run() command is non-blocking and you put it in your main-loop. That way, if Vera sends a new commands you can set it to stop immediately using:
stop();
runToPosition();
I gave it a shot and the motor didn't seem to move at all - I'm not sure if you ever experimented with it, thought I'd ask.
Btw, here is the final bracket!
I would imagine it won't use so much power considering it is moving for such a short time. Keep in mind that sensors and actuators are very different in terms of when they can sleep.
Most of the sensor sketches wake the arduino up only when there is a trigger on the sleep pin, and then sleep after sending the command to vera. With an actuator, there is nothing to wake the Arduino up so you need to keep it listening all the time, or have some intelligent sync system that turns it on at a specific interval and Vera will only try to communicate in this interval.
To get an idea if its feasible try to figure out the power consumption of the Arduino, and see if the sunlight throughout the day is enough to at least power that.
I don't see why not, as long as you get a servo that doesn't require insane voltages (<8V). You can power the Arduino using a step-up converter (like in the store) to maintain a constant 3.3 or 5V.
I'm curious what kind of z-axis coupler that is? I had a hard time finding them for servos