Looking For working Examples of Relay Control, Contact Monitoring & Temp Display

[prairietech]

I'm looking for some working examples of controlling relays, monitoring contact closures and recording temperature to the Gateway.  They don't need to all be in the same application.  But I have various pet projects that use one or two of each.  There is a DS18B20 user project listed but the link to cupidcontrols does not work.

Writing code is not something I have been able to do.  However modifying an example with one relay and adding more relays is something I think I can handle.

I like the Gateway features of remote programming, logging, graphing, sending alerts and setting schedules. But the predefined applications Felix has provided unfortunately don't all fit my needs.  The CT-50 thermostat control on the other hand was just what I was looking for!

[Felix]

I think all these things have been illustrated in one way or another through different types of nodes.
For instance SwitchMotes show how you can report button presses (contact closures) and also control relays (to turn on lights).
With such nodes as WeatherShield+Moteino or similar, which send messages like "F:123.45" will register temperature and automatically get logged/graphed.
The gateway software simply provides a middleware between your specific hardware (which doesn't necessarily have to be from Low Power Lab) and your visual interface.
You can even interface to 3rd party hardware, and even wifi devices, the CT-50 thermostat being a good example.
Everything is provided for free, so it's totally expected that you have to be able to understand what the code does, to change it (settings at least) and load it on your devices, and modify the gateway metrics as needed to make this all work the way you want.

[prairietech]

You certainly make valid points. But I'm one of those users more interested in the end result of a working product that writing the code to make it work.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to learn how to write code and have tried to learn.  But I just can't seem to get that "aw-ha" light bulb to turn on in my head.  And now with a pending home remodel in the works, time to invest in learning how to write / modify code is at a premium.

You have made a very attractive hardware and software package with many features I am really interested in.  But the fine tuning is just out of my grasp.

If I needed a mailbox notifier or a motion detector, I would be in great shape since you have already done all the coding for me.  But I am just looking for some generic examples of remote relay control and dry contact monitoring via the Gateway.

I appreciate the huge investment in time you have given the Gateway software and at bargain price. But since my coding ability stinks, I'm would be willing to pay for my lack of coding abilities.  Pay Pal anyone?

[Felix]

John's DIY Playground has put together a bunch of videos that go more in depth on the gateway and the way everything is held together in hardware and software.
I am long due to make some videos to explain more of the hardware features.
I think some understanding will still be a good thing in the long run, when things stop working or act weird. That can happen, and it could be as simple as an IP address change.

Anyone is welcome to offer coding skills for hire or request paid coding services. Unfortunately I do not have the time to offer consulting.

[detroit_johnny]

Hi prarietech - John here from John's DIY Playground.  I released my 3rd video in the intro to Moteino videos today.  I created the 3 videos so a total beginner could (hopefully) understand the process for setting up a new sensor node with 2-way communication.  You most likely get the most out of the 3rd video.  The first two are more introductory and also show how to solder the headers and antenna.

The 3rd part of the video series can be found on YouTube here.  Please subscribe to my channel as I plan to do more on Moteino in the future! Thanks!!

[Felix]

John, very nice work as usual

FYI if you add the graph:1 to the metric, it will automatically start logging a graph for that metric as long as the values are numeric. This is nice for anything that changes value.
I should also make more icons to choose from... an LED and light sensor. Maybe metrics should also have icons of some sort so you can tell which is a LED and which is a light sensor, other than via a description. Many details like that could be improved but so little time on my hands these days for that type of polishing...
The UI bug where the node icon gets resized caught my attention. I tried to reproduce it but with the latest sources I cannot. If you hit F12 you should see any errors in the debug console when that happens, please report any if you run into those again. But it might also be worth updating to the latest release of the gateway, there have been bug fixes and new features added, and planning to add more.

Where did you get the Fritzing Moteino component? Did you make that yourself or did you find it somewhere? I know people have been talking about fritzing but I haven't really tracked any progress anyone has made. Would be nice to be able to have an official version so people can download/use it on their own.

[detroit_johnny]

Thanks Felix!!  Hope it helps the community.  And thanks for the tip about adding the graph:1 to the metrics.js file.

The large icon issue only seems to happen just after the first time I add a new node, and keeps happening until let's say all the node details are defined.  Here are the steps:  I could recreate the issue by deleting my John's DIY example node, then letting it add itself (when new data from light sensor comes into the gateway).  When it first pops up on the display console, the icon is proper size.  It's only until after I look at node details, and choose the John DIY example in the drop down, then hit the Home icon to see the main dashboard again that the large icon pops up.  That will continue to happen however until I force the LED on/off controls to appear by going into the Console screen and manually sending an "LON" command to my new node, forcing LED on.  Then after that the button is showing up in the John Example node and the dashboard is happy.  No more large icon.  So in a way this "error" of the large icon is in a way alerting me to the fact that I'm missing something on one of my node controls. 

Attached is a screen shot of the error console with the large icon.  I don't know if I'm looking at the right area of the debug screen for you to come up with a root cause.

As far as getting the Moteino fritzing component, I'm pretty sure I grabbed it from this forum.  A couple members uploaded their very nice work.  Thanks guys!!

[Felix]

Thanks for the details, the error is not descriptive enough to point to an obvious bug. I will have to try to duplicate this on my own.

[prairietech]

Thanks for the you tube video!  I'm anxious to give it a try this weekend. I think us newbies could use more instructional video like this.  Keep them coming!