I replaced a mechanical light switch with a SwitchMote in my lab today. Quite exciting. The video shows the gist of how this worked out and how another synch-ed SwitchMote can control it!
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SwitchMote project update and demo
I put together a quick video to show the progress of SwitchMote and a simple demonstration of how it works and how it can be used in home automation. My goal is to offer a smart wireless light switch controller that allows syncronization with other units independently (without the need of a gateway/coordinator) to create light scenes, and increase the usability of a regular light switch.
MotionMote – Moteino motion sensor
I’m calling it MotionMote because it detects motion and because pretty much every type of wireless sensor or Moteino node name ends in “mote“. The possibilities for home security are endless, put this little guy in a corner near a door or on top of a cabinet somewhere and detect them intrudaz! Did I say there’s no wires?
Read on for details and source code and case design.
DIY beverage can stencil method in Popular Science!
So guess what … the soda can stencil method is in November 2013’s edition of Popular Science magazine!
The article only summarizes the process of making the stencils, pointing to a URL where there are more details:
Well great, if it made it that far it means some people think it’s cool. Judging from the feedback I got so far from emails and other venues I had mixed feelings about it, being a bit involved, even though it really is a great method once you get the hang of it – and I’ve made many stencils with this method, the advantages being that it’s dirt cheap and it gives you a high quality *metal* stencil in 30 minutes, one that will outlive your PCB revision and will still be practically brand new with very little visible wear.
Moteino R4, GarageMote & more
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There is now a new Moteino revision!
Actually two to be entirely correct: the R4 and R4-USB. The R4 will replace R2 and R3, since it will be able to host either RFM12B or RFM69W / HW transceivers. The R4-USB is a combination of R4 and FTDI adapter, all in one board.
Smart meters installed in my neighborhood
About a month ago I got a notice in the mail from DTE saying they will begin installing smart meters in my area. I didn’t expect that to happen soon since the last time I talked to them on the phone they said it was not being planned at that moment. To my surprise both the electric and gas meters were replaced/updated last week. So things can happen fast. Here are the good old meters:
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I was home on both occasions and the old electric meter was removed and replaced with a brand new Itron/Centron smart meter. Power went out for about 30 seconds. The gas meter was installed on a different day and I was happy to be able to snap some pictures. Continue reading
Laminator dimmer hack for PCB or stencil toner transfer
This post will walk you through a dimmer enhanced laminator mod that allows an alternative method to transfer toner to PCBs or metal stencils.
The clothing iron transfer method works pretty well to make metal stencils. But for larger stencils it might not be so feasible, and a lot of people reported that they could not get a consistent transfer with their irons, maybe because not all behave the same. I have to say there can be lots of potential points of failure in this process. It’s a lot of trial and error, and my stencil tutorial was meant to help with eliminating some of those failures that I’ve gone through. I decided to try the laminator mod to see how that works compared to the iron. Continue reading
Reflow oven insulation
My reflow oven is very low tech. I haven’t modified it at all and even so I’ve been using it to reflow thousands of PCBs ever since LowPowerLab started.
It has top and bottom elements, but the heat does not distribute evenly, understandably so – you can see through it. Sometimes PCBs that were on the inside edge would take longer to reflow. Air escapes in several different places all over the oven enclosure, especially on the bottom front and back:
It’s time for a small improvement, adding some basic insulation in an attempt to stop air flow, keep the heat in and hopefully make it more evenly distributed. Continue reading
RED hot Moteino R3!
A new batch of PCBs has come in, among them a revised Moteino R3 with red soldermask!
This also means R3 is back in stock and available in the shop!
This is an experiment but I already love these new red Moteinos!
I plan to offer the R2 in red as well sometime in the future.
Here’s a trial batch before baking, yum!
Forum now open
I added a forum for open discussion and support at http://lowpowerlab.com/forum
This was suggested and it makes sense because all the support email I get is mounting and I find myself repeating a lot of answers to common support issues.
So please use the forum if you have an issue with LowPowerLab projects or products. I will try my best to respond in a timely manner.
Also please share your projects using Moteino or any other experience you think might be relevant.