DIY ZigBee

[Ryan Press]

For fun I'd like to share a couple ZigBee things I have made recently.  These are not directly related to zigbee4java, but I do use it with them.

This is a 3D printed case for my WeBee CC2531 dongle. I converted the ZigBee logo to a dual color 3D model.

The second is a lamp from the local store modified to be ZigBee controlled.  It has a pushbutton for on/off and dimming.  It can report local changes of light brightness via attribute reporting.

I am now working on a ZigBee wall switch.  The idea is that it will cover the existing switch, held on by magnets.  This way the existing wall switch can be left in the "on" position so the smart bulb is always powered, then my new switch can control the light.  Thus solving the "smart bulb" with the "dumb switch" problem.  I will post photos when I finish making this.

Ryan

[Tommi Laukkanen]

Hi Ryan

These are really cool projects. Which 3D printer are you using?

I really like your solution for covering for the existing wall switches. The magnets sound like elegant solution which will work with switches having different form factors.

Best regards,

Tommi

[Ryan Press]

Hi Tommi,

It's a SeeMeCNC Rostock MAX v2 printer, I built it as a kit.  It's modified with a dual filament extruder and some other things.  It a good value and produces some nice quality prints.

The ZigBee switch I am designing will also be 3D printed.  In USA the spacing of the screws in the cover plate are always the same, so I figured the ZigBee switch could have magnets at these locations.  There are a couple different kinds of switches in our house so this design should work for all of them.

For the nightstand lamp I have a single pushbutton for everything; I might make the wall switch the same way.  Short press will toggle the light (with on remembering the last dimmed setting) and a long press will ramp the brightness up or down for dimming.  I'm not sure mechanically how a large single button will work so I will need some linkage (think of the scissor lift) or maybe I will have a double throw momentary toggle instead.

For anyone wanting source files for these projects I would be happy to share them.

Ryan

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[Chris Jackson]

Hey Ryan,
Great stuff - what hardware are you using? Is this an XBee? I was looking at using the NXP JN5168-001 as it’s a single package (i.e. doesn’t require an additional micro controller which I think is needed for most other solutions)? I’ve been busy with work over the past couple of weeks so haven’t progressed it, but NXP have firmware for HA and ZLL and the tools are open source (unlike the TI stuff).

Chris

[Ryan Press]

Hi Chris,

It's a TI CC2530 board from WeBee.  There are a handful of different ones on eBay or DX for around $15.  The CC2530 is an 8051 micro; the stack does run on the same processor but it includes an RTOS so if you're careful you can run your own app alongside the ZigBee stuff.  For simple things like a light and a switch it works just fine.

Yeah the TI requires using the IAR EW8051; there is a trial version available.  TI might support ZStack with Code Composer in the future.

There are some holes in the ZStack support that I needed to implement myself.  I'm curious if NXP has a more complete implementation of ZigBee.  Those NXP boards look pretty cool, and the price is right.  Know of any cheap debugger pods or eval kits available?

Thanks,

Ryan

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[Chris Jackson]

Not exactly a development board, but should work all the same is this (http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/Mesh-Bee-Open-Source-Zigbee-Pro-Module-with-MCU-JN5168-p-1751.html). It's a module with the same chip (rather than the module) and SEEED also sell interfaces for programming and development.

From what I can tell the NXP system looks quite good - I think their toolchain uses Eclipse, and they seem to have samples available for HA and ZLL...

I started playing with the TI stuff a while back and got the demo version of the IAR tools, but I'm running on a Mac and it's all pretty messy - another reason why the NXP looks nice :)

Chris

[Ryan Press]

That looks pretty nice, indeed.  For in-circuit-debugging I found the $125 pod here http://www.beyondsemi.com/beyond-debug-key/#tab3.  I'm not quite sure if the pinout of the MeshBee will support this as the JTAG pins are kind of split up.

I've already ordered the CC2530 boards for the switches, but I might try NXP for my next project.  Or you can get it and let us know how you get on.  :)

I use Fedora so yeah I have to run IAR in a virtual...  Not sure if Beyond Studio supports Linux, as to download it I have to complete the "application process"...

Ryan

[yaron...@gmail.com]

On Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 2:40:15 AM UTC+2, Ryan Press wrote:
> For fun I'd like to share a couple ZigBee things I have made recently.  These are not directly related to zigbee4java, but I do use it with them.
>
>
> This is a 3D printed case for my WeBee CC2531 dongle. I converted the ZigBee logo to a dual color 3D model.
>
>
>
>
>

> The second is a lamp from the local store modified to be ZigBee controlled.  It has a pushbutton for on/off and dimming.  It can report local changes of light brightness via attribute reporting.
>
>
>
>
>
>

> I am now working on a ZigBee wall switch.  The idea is that it will cover the existing switch, held on by magnets.  This way the existing wall switch can be left in the "on" position so the smart bulb is always powered, then my new switch can control the light.  Thus solving the "smart bulb" with the "dumb switch" problem.  I will post photos when I finish making this.
>
>
> Ryan

Very cool stuff! thanks for sharing!
About the switches, In the past I built some IR controlled switches using regular wall switches and they came out really nice, maybe it can help you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1hANL0uFMI

[Ryan Press]

I have finally made a few switches, here are the pics.

 

I am going to make some PCBs to replace the proto board and clean up the wiring.  The connector off to the side is for the debugger, it is only needed for development.  The energy harvesting from the solar is working very nicely, so far I can do polling at 5 second period and still keep the battery charged, using only indoor light.  It also supports the temperature and light intensity clusters; not very accurate but why not.  The light intensity could be combined with a motion sensor to determine if the light needs to be on or not.

The ZigBee binding to a light works perfect, with no delay from pressing the button to the light turning on.  The other feature is dimming when the button is held down.

Thanks for looking.

Ryan

[Tommi]

Very nice crafting there :). Thanks for posting.

- Tommi

[han.a...@gmail.com]

Hi,
I also have made some Zigbee modules myself. They are based on Netvox hardware. I'm currently using ZB4O in combination with Homerun to control my house, but as ZB4O is no longer maintained, I'm thinking about changing to zigbee4java.
You can find details about my zigbee setup and devices on my website: www.zigbeedomotica.nl
The last device I have build is a touch controller for stepping a dimmable light up and down. I also printed the housing for this device with a 3d printer(m3d). I still have to add this to my website.
Regards, Han Alink