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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : MMBasic For Smart-house Systems?
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| Andrew_G Guru  Joined: 18/10/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 871 |
Hi all, My questions is - what do you do by way of smart-house systems (using MMBasic but possibly other systems) and where can I (& other TBS members) get further information? In about six months we will be demolishing our house (5km north-east of Melbourne, Aus.) to build anew. It will be two storey, well insulated, flat roof and have north facing windows (shaded in summer by a large liquid amber tree - which also shades half the 250m2 roof). The floors will be either real or mock timber, over concrete slab for half the ground floor, the rest on battens over chipboard. Carpet upstairs. We will have solar panels, possibly batteries (or provision for them) and rain water collection and storage (plumbed to all except the kitchen and bathroom cold water taps), solar hot water system, possibly with heatpump boost and heatpump-driven hydroninc heating and reverse-cycle air conditioning for cooling. We will be off the gas grid but, at least initially, connected to the power and water grids. We are in the design/approval phase and I want to make full provision for "smart-house systems". I'm prepared to pay for professional systems, especially on safety related or regulated aspects - such as inverters, diverters and battery management systems, but if a MM DIY system is better then I'm happy to look at it too. I'm keen to have elements as integrated as possible. (I would describe my MM and MMBasic skills as between beginner and intermediate.) Thanks in advance, Andrew |
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CaptainBoing Guru Joined: 07/09/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2170 |
A micromite 28pin and HC-12 combo in every "smart point" then use a star connection with a master to control the lot. I use a similar setup in several pool/snooker club systems to turn the lights on and off on tables controlled by a PC that does the metering and membership etc. but it could easily be expanded to do *much* more and the network is two-way so if you want data back from the remotes, that is easy. HC-12s will do a mile in open air so you'll easily control stuff in and around your home. concept, protocol, working slave code and POC master VB6 source here. All traffic is encrypted so no-one is going to sniff your network and start pranking you. I have yet to do a master in MMBasic but will update the article when it is done. The radio interface for the PC is a CH340G + HC-12 - it could not be easier. In two of the clubs, they have a "feedback" pod in the toilets - customers press a happy/meh/sad fac and the pod will transmit that back to the base... acts as a smart alert to service staff. These pods also have an MP3 player (tiny SDCard jobbie) which will play a recorded message if FIRE mode is triggered (and testable) 2017-08-09_073739_FBP.zip in three common languages. my 2p |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Maybe i am old-fashioned, but i prefer cable over radio/wifi especially when you have the opportunity to make it part of your build. RS-485 to every point you want to have some control going to central point(s). I am weary of living inside a space that is bombarded with radio signals 24/7. For home entertainment ethernet cable is a must. It is the only way to get smooth playback all the time. Wi-Fi is still not able to deliver that. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
I also have a dislike of RF/WiFi when there is an alternative. Install ducts everywhere so you can fit the new bigger/extra cables in when the latest wiz-bang is invented. It wont be long before a lot of the signal cabling is fibre (but don't tell the government) Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3378 |
This depends on where you are and what your standards are. For 4 years my wife and I have used in two different houses either a wifi-connected PC or a wifi-connected Roku box driving a projector giving us an 8-10' image (1280x720). We find this image quality satisfactory (though clearly (as it were), our demands are not as high as those of others). Early on we had some problems with losing the signal, though I think that had to be the provider connection, since it has now become much more reliable with no change in hardware on our end. Sometimes now there is image degradation (but not loss), though once again I think this is down to our provider, with Netflix detecting loss of transmission speed and throttling back. Notwithstanding, I would agree that hard wiring is the way to go for new construction, just because you can. (But 25 years ago I wired a house with 2-pair shielded twisted pair--the best reasonable-cost alternative at the time), and now I doubt that any of it is used.) In my current house, which I heat minimally but do not occupy in the winter, I have a not-well-integrated monitoring and control system which is mostly wifi, with separate picaxe + mini-router combinations providing temperature monitoring and some control. On two occasions this system has saved me hundreds of dollars (and perhaps thousands if the house were to freeze up) by notifying me of anomalous conditions, which my plumber was able to rectify before damage was done. For additions and possible replacements I am looking at something like CaptainBoing's MM28 + HC12 setup. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| Andrew_G Guru Joined: 18/10/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 871 |
Thanks folks: CaptainBoing - thanks for the link to "Fruit of The Shed". I poked around a week or two ago but I've only had a chance to briefly look at the specific code now. I will look in more detail ASAP. May I add my congratulations to you for setting up the library. Part of my reason for asking my question was that there may be useful links to other members' projects that, if people agree, can be added to the library (eg a topic of "Smart House Systems" or whatever)? I'm not rushing into wireless just yet as I can't get my HC-12s to work at low power from batteries (they are are OK off mains). They will of course be important for remote devices or those I forget to include upfront. MicroBlocks and TassieJim - yes I take your points about cable and conduit. I was thinking 25mm conduit (with draw lines), large radius bends, cable risers in the service shaft (about 300mm sq). What are the pros and cons of RS-485 vs Cat5 within the house with say 30 to 50m max runs? Lizby - thanks. I haven't started to think about TV etc. (SWMBO doesn't countenance anything bigger than 30" at present - an 8x10' would cause yet another bedroom to be built). But of course it has to be connected to the www. Am I right in assuming that you monitor the temperature in several rooms, display it at a central monitor? How does the system control the temperature and how does it alert you to anomalies? I am, of course, on the lookout for information such as circuits and code that may help me develop/tailor systems for my own use. For example, TassieJim do you have any details of your water-tank and water management set-up? What do people do for smart lighting (commercial motion sensing systems or MM inputs)? Thanks again, Andrew |
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| CaptainBoing Guru Joined: 07/09/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2170 |
you (and everyone else) are most welcome. Without getting slushy, most of the stuff in there is other people's efforts and I have got so much inspiration from them, it is only right to share-back and I am determined not to let it fade away. As a Wiki, pages are assembled as articles and the concept of Topic doesn't really exist outside of each article - it is just the title for the page. But you can add Home Automation to the title, put it in the meta tags for the page, create a new category for it... It will all be searchable and the results will be grouped on topic. I publish my own here stuff and people are free to take/modify what they like for any purpose. I have tons of backlog but there is a limit to how much I can put up, work for clients and hold down a 9-5. I need a clone (but the wife/kids are dead against that!) Take what you want/need and please discuss and update any articles - you may be the only person that noticed a problem or missed-trick. |
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| MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
CAT5 or CAT5e are excellent for both ethernet and RS-485. Obviously you can not mix them but they are good for both types. You just need to take care of the right cable termination as those are different. That has more to do with the kind of drivers and speeds. With maximum lengths of 50m there is no problem. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3378 |
Andrew--my setup is a hodge-podge built up over more than a decade. Most of my temperature monitors are DS18B20s attached to PICAXEs, which connect via usb serial to small router devices with wifi running the Linux openWrt system (for instance, the Dockstar (no longer sold), various GL.iNet devices, or current low-cost favorite, nexx wt3020). These routers are wifi devices, and they send formatted, timestamped changes in readings using the linux utility, netcat or nc to a tcp "listener", another router which concatenates the sensor readings. This device scans the messages and sends me a list of the readings by email several times a day. If there is an anomalous reading, a text message is sent to my phone. I have been 1,000 to 2,000 miles away in the winter when I have gotten these alerts. I called my plumber the first time, because temperatures in the upstairs of my Nova Scotia house were rising. He found a zone valve stuck on, and replaced it before it ran my oil tank dry, which could of allowed the house to freeze up. The second alert informed me that the temperature in the basement (which is typically well below 10C in the winter) was rising. The plumber found and fixed a small leak in a copper pipe spraying boiler water. In addition to temperature monitors in the rooms, I have DS18B20s in tubes strapped to the supply pipes for my three hot-water heating zones, and one on the return after they are combined. On my local network, I can also control an electric heater in my barn. The main device, wifi router, and provider modem are on a UPS so I can get a notification if power is lost. If starting afresh, I would not use this combination, though it has been pretty reliable for me. I would be inclined to use PICAXEs or MM28s with HC12s--run from mains but perhaps with battery backup as needed. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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