Home Automation - Smartkit

[SauRoNZA]

Anyone tried this? https://github.com/jpbarraca/pai

Call me stupid but if I wanted to hook this up with a USB FTDI > Serial interface to have it talk to my Unraid box, would I still connect the VCC and GND pins? Surely that would cause some sparks as it powered from the USB end?

Or does it "meet in the middle" somehow?

 

[xrapidx]

Call me stupid but if I wanted to hook this up with a USB FTDI > Serial interface to have it talk to my Unraid box, would I still connect the VCC and GND pins? Surely that would cause some sparks as it powered from the USB end?

Or does it "meet in the middle" somehow?

Not sure if it helps, but it looks like they were discussing something similiar recently:

Gitter

gitter.im

 

[SauRoNZA]

Not sure if it helps, but it looks like they were discussing something similiar recently:

Gitter

gitter.im

Well if nothing else it at least tells me that nothing will explode.

I was just under the impressiont the serial port PROVIDES power, not that it needs it from the serial adaptor.

But yeah mine is 5V compatible so will just attempt it with that and wire it up I guess.

 

[Steamy Tom]

Pool automation

What you guy done with pool automation?

At a basic level use a Shelley to run the light and pump?

Sensor for water level

Auto top up

PH probe with continuous reading?

Temperature monitoring

After being used to run the pump for an extra 3 hours?


Anything else?

Do you not get automatic pool controllers for filter backwash etc that does that on a schedule?

I can't see why you would want the light on a schedule or timer or automatic switch, maybe a remote switch might be nice but seems a bit of a waste for me personally.

sensor for water level might be nice but i wouldnt have auto top up with it.

might be nice to have a switch after the timer to remotely turn on and off i guess.

I dont think auto backwash is the best idea, you should backwash based on pressure not time. And when you do so you should unplug the creepy and clean the baskets anyway so seems silly to automate only one part of it when there are dependencies.

I personally feel that automating things just to automate them without real benefit or logical reason doesnt make sense.

 

[xrapidx]

I can't see why you would want the light on a schedule or timer or automatic switch, maybe a remote switch might be nice but seems a bit of a waste for me personally.

sensor for water level might be nice but i wouldnt have auto top up with it.

might be nice to have a switch after the timer to remotely turn on and off i guess.

I dont think auto backwash is the best idea, you should backwash based on pressure not time. And when you do so you should unplug the creepy and clean the baskets anyway so seems silly to automate only one part of it when there are dependencies.

I personally feel that automating things just to automate them without real benefit or logical reason doesnt make sense.

I enjoy my light being automated, it comes on an hour after sunset - and turns off at 11pm. Lights up the area round the pool - and creates a nice ambiance.

The pool pump automation is useful if you have solar heating - with the proper variables, you can have the heating happening optimally, without the need to adjust the schedule as the year moves on based on time.

Unrelated question - why unplug the kreepy on backwash? (unless it's just to clean the baskets - mine seldom have anything in them)

 

[Steamy Tom]

I enjoy my light being automated, it comes on an hour after sunset - and turns off at 11pm. Lights up the area round the pool - and creates a nice ambiance.

The pool pump automation is useful if you have solar heating - with the proper variables, you can have the heating happening optimally, without the need to adjust the schedule as the year moves on based on time.

Unrelated question - why unplug the kreepy on backwash? (unless it's just to clean the baskets - mine seldom have anything in them)

The effect is nice with the light i guess, just a waste of power

the solar heating makes perfect sense.

the lid even normally states to remove the creepy, i can think of possibly 2 reasons, you restrict flow and you could possibly suck dirt the wrong way through the filter which i guess for the most part is ok as you rinse, unless particles get stuck in the fingers for example etc.

 

[xrapidx]

The effect is nice with the light i guess, just a waste of power

the solar heating makes perfect sense.

the lid even normally states to remove the creepy, i can think of possibly 2 reasons, you restrict flow and you could possibly suck dirt the wrong way through the filter which i guess for the most part is ok as you rinse, unless particles get stuck in the fingers for example etc.

I replaced mine with 15w LED light, it'll use about 1kw every 20 days.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I’m starting to get really annoyed with Node Red and it’s lack of logging information.

When it works it works well, but more often than not just doesn’t and then there is absolutely zero explanation as to why.

At this rate Home Assistant directly, beats it every single time for reliability and consistency.

 

[rodga]

So some sonoff items arrived this morning. Decided to order some as I needed something else, and well the actual thing I needed (car part) was sent out later so hasnt arrived yet. Go figure.

Got 1 x basic r3, 1 x sonoff mini and a couple of of ifan3's. The new basic is slightly bigger than the old one, the pcb might be the same size though didnt check. The sonoff mini is pretty cool, not just for its size, but it also has connector points for a hardwired switch. This will make installing behind an actual switch pretty straight forward. I will hopefully get around to doing it this weekend if I can get a neutral to my switch.

Then the ifan3, theres not much info out there on these (well at least from the little that I have searched). Besides the US guys complaining that the fan speeds dont work correctly with their fans. I have one ceiling fan installed in the study (old pull rope style), I have 2 more in boxes that need to be installed in the bedrooms (remote controlled) and then I need to get one more for the lounge. Will hopefully be able to give some feedback soon if there is any difference between the pull style vs remote fans (if they ever get installed), I doubt there will be, but you never know.

Since its getting pretty hot I decided to get out the pedestal fans in the meantime. I thought I would connect one up to a basic so I can just use my phone while in bed to turn it on or off. Its working fine, the speed selections still work on the fan but not as good as without it for some reason, seems to be spin faster on speed 1 than if it wasnt wired with a basic. Taking it out of the case it was the perfect size to squeeze into the fan housing. Some pics.

Before closing it up, I decided to test out the ifan 3 on the pedestal fan. This actually works much better than the basic! The speed control works 100%, infact instead of the 3 speeds you now have 9 speeds in total. Speed settings 1, 2 and 3 on the fan x slow, med and high on the sonoff. You really have much more control speedwise, which is great if you just want circulate the air at night without too much noise. The remote is a bonus too and works great. Since the ifan is much bigger than the basic, I put the basic back in and will get around to modelling an enclosure for the ifan that will clip onto my pedestal fan.

 

[Steamy Tom]

So some sonoff items arrived this morning. Decided to order some as I needed something else, and well the actual thing I needed (car part) was sent out later so hasnt arrived yet. Go figure.

Got 1 x basic r3, 1 x sonoff mini and a couple of of ifan3's. The new basic is slightly bigger than the old one, the pcb might be the same size though didnt check. The sonoff mini is pretty cool, not just for its size, but it also has connector points for a hardwired switch. This will make installing behind an actual switch pretty straight forward. I will hopefully get around to doing it this weekend if I can get a neutral to my switch.

Then the ifan3, theres not much info out there on these (well at least from the little that I have searched). Besides the US guys complaining that the fan speeds dont work correctly with their fans. I have one ceiling fan installed in the study (old pull rope style), I have 2 more in boxes that need to be installed in the bedrooms (remote controlled) and then I need to get one more for the lounge. Will hopefully be able to give some feedback soon if there is any difference between the pull style vs remote fans (if they ever get installed), I doubt there will be, but you never know.

Since its getting pretty hot I decided to get out the pedestal fans in the meantime. I thought I would connect one up to a basic so I can just use my phone while in bed to turn it on or off. Its working fine, the speed selections still work on the fan but not as good as without it for some reason, seems to be spin faster on speed 1 than if it wasnt wired with a basic. Taking it out of the case it was the perfect size to squeeze into the fan housing. Some pics.

Before closing it up, I decided to test out the ifan 3 on the pedestal fan. This actually works much better than the basic! The speed control works 100%, infact instead of the 3 speeds you now have 9 speeds in total. Speed settings 1, 2 and 3 on the fan x slow, med and high on the sonoff. You really have much more control speedwise, which is great if you just want circulate the air at night without too much noise. The remote is a bonus too and works great. Since the ifan is much bigger than the basic, I put the basic back in and will get around to modelling an enclosure for the ifan that will clip onto my pedestal fan.

You aren't running an inverter by chance are you?

 

[rodga]

You aren't running an inverter by chance are you?

Im not, but what type of inverter are you talking about?

 

[Steamy Tom]

Im not, but what type of inverter are you talking about?

I just mean in terms of supplying your regular loads to the house in terms of a back up system/solar integration.

I primarily wanted to ask what you knew about the impact a diode rectifier has on the inverter considering you are talking about these fan speed controllers, thus the question if you had one.

 

[rodga]

I just mean in terms of supplying your regular loads to the house in terms of a back up system/solar integration.

I primarily wanted to ask what you knew about the impact a diode rectifier has on the inverter considering you are talking about these fan speed controllers, thus the question if you had one.

Wish I had a solar power supply system installed.

I think @Sinbad would probably be able to answer you?

 

[xrapidx]

So this evening my wife forgot her HA password... a quick google advised to delete the .storage folder... right after hitting enter I realised that was a shitty idea.... lost everything I'd done in lovelace.

 

[SmartKit]

So this evening my wife forgot her HA password... a quick google advised to delete the .storage folder... right after hitting enter I realised that was a shitty idea.... lost everything I'd done in lovelace.

Being a dev that's something I've learnt over the years. If you're going to delete something BACK IT UP FIRST!

 

[Steamy Tom]

Being a dev that's something I've learnt over the years. If you're going to delete something BACK IT UP FIRST!

yeah or rename it etc then test, cant tell you how many _bak, .bak _orig files I have xD

 

[xrapidx]

I usually do - but so used to my stuff being in its own files, completely forgot about the interface - worst is - I wanted to move it into its own config file just after sorting out her access

 

[xrapidx]

Just by chance - I had a browser window open with the raw editor from the weekend - 90% recovered:

 

[xrapidx]

What does everyone's home automation interface look like?

Here's a few screenshots of mine - left out the more sensitive screens. (security, etc). Still a work in progress - I recently implemented a "Dark" theme that gets set at sunset

 

[xrapidx]

I initially had all the apps... But... The PT involved :/