DZ + ADK: Overseer for test drive

[Vadim Tkachenko]

Hello lurkers,

http://www.homeclimatecontrol.com/overseer

This is all the hardware you need to get started:
http://diy-zoning.blogspot.com/2012/06/dz-android-working-installation-in-267.html

Fair warning: the library the configuration depends on
(http://code.google.com/p/tiny-spring/) had some bugs that made it
unusable for the purpose of configuring this app last time I checked,
so the configuration needs to be pretty much compiled in.

Default is six LM34 sensors, six servos and (for now) two pure A/C,
furnace or forced ventilation relay outputs. Can be changed upon
request, of course.

--vt

[Tim Small]

On 28/06/12 07:38, Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
> Hello lurkers,
>
> http://www.homeclimatecontrol.com/overseer
>

Cool. I'll have to take a look when I have a heating system actually
installed - currently I just have a gas condensing-boiler (AKA furnace)
sitting (not plumbed or wired-in) in a cupboard under the stairs, and
some coils of polybutylene pipe.

I noticed that the "ADK 2012" hardware has just been released - the
ATmega2560 processor has been upgraded to an Atmel SAM3U (I think -
if-so 96MHz ARM Cortex M3 chip with 53k onboard SRAM). I suppose things
like Python would be a viable alternative to C++ with that amount of RAM
(Hmm, it looks like you could actually run Python on the original ADK
boards as well, if you didn't mind adding a RAM expansion card to it
http://ruggedcircuits.com/html/megaram.html ).

Tim.

[Vadim Tkachenko]

Hello Tim,

> Cool.  I'll have to take a look when I have a heating system actually
> installed - currently I just have a gas condensing-boiler (AKA furnace)
> sitting (not plumbed or wired-in) in a cupboard under the stairs, and
> some coils of polybutylene pipe.

Kick me if I don't come up with additional details by that time. I'm
trying to fill the gap in the schematics - how to actually drive the
relays. Here's what I ordered (some of it is still in the mail):

- more LM34s (surprisingly, they seem to work just fine even on 10m
flat three wire cable if the output is backed up with a capacitor);
- G5LE-14-36 DC5 relays (cheaper, backordered)
- G6RN-1-DC5 relays (more expensive, almost half the coil current of
G5LE-14-36, arrived)
- ULN2803A Darlington Array (in the mail)

The plan for now is to feed the relays and servos from 5V source.

Arduino stock power supply (the 9V one for Mega ADK) is absolutely
insufficient to drive anything more than one servo, have to have a
dedicated one.

> I noticed that the "ADK 2012" hardware has just been released - the
> ATmega2560 processor has been upgraded to an Atmel SAM3U (I think -
> if-so 96MHz ARM Cortex M3 chip with 53k onboard SRAM).

Did you find the link to the actual hardware? I've been looking
around, but I guess my brains are not compatible with their layout -
don't see it anywhere.

Side note: I am really disappointed with the way Arduino folks are
keeping their code. Unlike the Java world, it is all in shambles and
pieces, and there's no authoritative source for anything, zillions of
forks, and none of it is version controlled - in the end, I ended up
with just cloning whatever pieces were sufficient for the task into my
own repository. Hope they change their ways and come up with something
like Maven - but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Back to ADK - I'm quite impressed with ADK 2.0, but don't think I
should get to it right away. I'd expect the new board to be more
expensive, whereas the old one is sufficient for the job and will be
hopefully dropping in price.

In any case, whatever comes out on Android side will be backward
compatible to ADK 1.0 - and, when I (or someone else) get my hands on
it, there'll be a pure serial port - for all the ADK is for the
Arduino side is a fancy serial port.

> Tim.

--vt

[Tim Small]

On 30/06/12 20:42, Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
>
> - more LM34s (surprisingly, they seem to work just fine even on 10m
> flat three wire cable if the output is backed up with a capacitor);
>

Do you particularly recommend these over the DS18B20 etc? Any other
options? I'm thinking I'll probably end up with 20 or so sensors (e.g.
I'll probably embed a couple in the underfloor heating to make this
easier to control), so I'll end up needing to multiplex them in some
way. Two sensors in each floor slab is probably wise I suppose, it'd be
a shame if one of them stopped working…

As far as humidity is concerned, have you tried the AM2302s or DHT22s?

BTW, I found an interesting looking NDIR CO2 monitor (plus humidity+temp
with RS232 output) on eBay recently. I have one on order, and will
report back when I've had a chance to give it a spin…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330748222997

… not a thing of beauty by any means, or the ideal format for DZ, but I
think it'll be useful to get a feel for how indoor CO2 varies, and where
I would need to put smaller NDIR sensors for DZ.

> - G5LE-14-36 DC5 relays (cheaper, backordered)
> - G6RN-1-DC5 relays (more expensive, almost half the coil current of
> G5LE-14-36, arrived)
>

I was wondering if solid-state alternatives are viable options instead
of electro-mechanical relays?

>
> Did you find the link to the actual hardware? I've been looking
> around, but I guess my brains are not compatible with their layout -
> don't see it anywhere.
>

Nope not really. I knew that the SAM3U is the Arduino Due was
originally supposed to use the SAM3U:

http://arduino.cc/blog/2011/09/17/arduino-launches-new-products-in-maker-faire/

but I suppose that could change.

> Back to ADK - I'm quite impressed with ADK 2.0, but don't think I
> should get to it right away. I'd expect the new board to be more
> expensive, whereas the old one is sufficient for the job and will be
> hopefully dropping in price.
>

In the long term (once all the control is on the Arduino), the
standardised bluetooth will be helpful I think.

Tim.

[Tim Small]

On 30/06/12 20:42, Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
>

> - more LM34s (surprisingly, they seem to work just fine even on 10m
> flat three wire cable if the output is backed up with a capacitor);
>

Do you particularly recommend these over the DS18B20 etc? Any other
options? I'm thinking I'll probably end up with 20 or so sensors (e.g.
I'll probably embed a couple in the underfloor heating to make this
easier to control), so I'll end up needing to multiplex them in some
way. Two sensors in each floor slab is probably wise I suppose, it'd be
a shame if one of them stopped working…

As far as humidity is concerned, have you tried the AM2302s or DHT22s?

BTW, I found an interesting looking NDIR CO2 monitor (plus humidity+temp
with RS232 output) on eBay recently. I have one on order, and will
report back when I've had a chance to give it a spin…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330748222997

… not a thing of beauty by any means, or the ideal format for DZ, but I
think it'll be useful to get a feel for how indoor CO2 varies, and where
I would need to put smaller NDIR sensors for DZ.

> - G5LE-14-36 DC5 relays (cheaper, backordered)
> - G6RN-1-DC5 relays (more expensive, almost half the coil current of
> G5LE-14-36, arrived)
>

I was wondering if solid-state alternatives are viable options instead
of electro-mechanical relays?

>

> Did you find the link to the actual hardware? I've been looking
> around, but I guess my brains are not compatible with their layout -
> don't see it anywhere.
>

Nope not really. I knew that the SAM3U is the Arduino Due was
originally supposed to use the SAM3U:

http://arduino.cc/blog/2011/09/17/arduino-launches-new-products-in-maker-faire/

but I suppose that could change.

> Back to ADK - I'm quite impressed with ADK 2.0, but don't think I
> should get to it right away. I'd expect the new board to be more
> expensive, whereas the old one is sufficient for the job and will be
> hopefully dropping in price.
>

[Vadim Tkachenko]

Hello Tim,

>> - more LM34s (surprisingly, they seem to work just fine even on 10m
>> flat three wire cable if the output is backed up with a capacitor);
>
> Do you particularly recommend these over the DS18B20 etc?

Not really. 1-Wire sensors are digital, you don't get any noise. The
downside is that neither 1-Wire nor XBee are not supported *yet* by DZ
firmware - I need to get a stable baseline first.

>  Any other options?

None that I know of. However, if DZ wins that NXP ADK hardware, I'll
have something more to play with, and it supports CAN. Know nothing of
CAN at this point, though. In any case, the code is specifically
architected to be ready for new hardware - all you need to do is write
a driver.

> As far as humidity is concerned, have you tried the AM2302s or DHT22s?

Nope.

>> - G5LE-14-36 DC5 relays (cheaper, backordered)
>> - G6RN-1-DC5 relays (more expensive, almost half the coil current of
>> G5LE-14-36, arrived)
>>
> I was wondering if solid-state alternatives are viable options instead
> of electro-mechanical relays?

Of course, but I'm a software engineer, not a hardware engineer. Give
me the schematics and part list, I'll give you the working system.

There's one interesting detail here: sound. I find the sound of relays
clicking on startup and shutdown helping - sometimes, I can determine
the system load on how far apart clicks are. Other people hate the
sound. More on the topic: can't find the article, think it was in
Roundel magazine - did you know that the only reason there is a relay
in BMW's turn signal circuit is to make sound? :)

>> Back to ADK - I'm quite impressed with ADK 2.0, but don't think I
>> should get to it right away. I'd expect the new board to be more
>> expensive, whereas the old one is sufficient for the job and will be
>> hopefully dropping in price.
>
> In the long term (once all the control is on the Arduino), the
> standardised bluetooth will be helpful I think.

Yep. NFC is not the last thing in the book, too - you saw how Nexus Q
is configured, right?

> Tim.

--vt

[Tim Small]

On 01/07/12 22:07, Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
>
> Not really. 1-Wire sensors are digital, you don't get any noise. The
> downside is that neither 1-Wire nor XBee are not supported *yet* by DZ
> firmware - I need to get a stable baseline first.
>

I'm scattering 1-wire sensors around at the moment. Quite useful for
keeping an eye on how far through the curing process my concrete floors
are (since the GGBS and portland cement give off heat as the concrete
hardens).

>> As far as humidity is concerned, have you tried the AM2302s or DHT22s?
>>
> Nope.
>

I've been playing with some Sensirion SHT11s today - they're a
combination temperature and humidity sensor, with a digital interface
and pretty good accuracy - cost about $10 in bulk (got them on a PCB via
aliexpress for about $15 each). I've been using an arduino and this
code to read them:

http://thirdeye.dip.jp/arduino/Multiple_SHTs.pde

I'm going to have a go at seeing how tolerant they are to long noisy 2
wire buses tomorrow. If they're not up to it on their own, then I
suppose this is a possibility to string a load of them to a 1wire bus
via an arduino nano or similar:

http://robocraft.ru/blog/arduino/302.html

The DS1923 is also an option, as are others...


Tim.