CrowBox modifications, and ported crOS with wifi

[Adam]

Hello everyone!

I just finished my crowbox build and have it in its temporary location while I workout some bugs in the modified crowbox software.

Modifications: 

1. Access door nut holder thing. I cut the acrylic wrench in two and glued the 3mm nut inside to capture it permanently.

2. My green acrylic had a slight warp, that I didn't notice until my box was assembled and during the testing of the coin platform it was binding. I noticed that if I applied slight pressure to the rails the coin platform would open without issue. I took a piece of scrap acrylic from the side of the clear sheet and trimmed it to just wider than the opening between the rails and the servo. I placed a piece of the styrene on top of the spreader so servo wouldn't rub. 

Lastly, I ported over the original CrOS to an Arduino ESP8266 NodeMCU. I'll mention that this is centered around the home automation software, Home Assistant, but the crowbox OS can run independent of the Home Assistant.

Currently the features are:

1. WIFI access, either as a client (connected to a wireless router) or ad-hoc (connecting directly from phone/computer to the crowbox)
2. Ability to change programs remotely
3. Platform sensor, see when someone/something is on the perch
4. Coin sensor - see when and how many coins have been collected
5. Reset coin count remotely
6. Restart the crowbox
7. Uptime - see how long your crowbox has been up (good if its on solar power, or for troubleshooting)

I hope the mods will be helpful for someone, I can't wait to see how the crows respond to the box.

Adam

[Josh Klein]

Very cool! Send video of the birds' reception!

- J

ᐧ

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[mrbr...@gmail.com]

Thank you so much for posting this, Adam! I'm a huge Home Assistant fan and have been slowly building my Crow Box. Hoping to finish it this spring/summer and adding it to Home Assistant is the cherry on top and extra motivation I need.

Thinking of using the Uno I purchased for this in another project and buying an Uno WiFi instead (even if it's a little more than buying an Uno + ESP).