Home Automation

[Robbo]

12 hours ago, sirweste said:

Anyhow, when I first got the boat I really REALLY want to automate my solar panels on a 2 axis motor driven frame. 

I assumed using Pi, with a sun time table to work out angles and an electronic GPS to set the default zero that day. 

This is the thing that I want automated. Maximise the power potential to save on running the bloody engines.

That's a little bit over what you need to do the job.   Basically all you need is a couple of light sensors pointing away from each other, the one that gets the most light the motor turns it into that direction, if both sensors get the same light then your pointing at the sun.   Google solar tracking sensor, or DIY solar tracking, or diy solar tracker arduino.

 

12 hours ago, sirweste said:

I'd also like to sort out my down lighting. As presently it's real hard to find low enough lumen with a decently wide beam and a nice warm light. I thought of some sort of home auto system with dimmers, seemed like a lot of work though! 

That's how I started and I also wanted some nice warm downlights.

 

The downlights I went with are Hella EuroLED 75 (http://www.hellamarine.com/en/products/interior-exterior-lamps/euroled-75/), these have a fairly wide spread, and a colour temperature of 2700K.   They are quite bright tho, so I tend to run them at 70% and their not the cheapest thing on the block.  Like most LED lights the colour temperature stays the same when dimming tho not like a incandescent bulb.     However if your looking for nice evening ambient light when watching the TV, no downlight is going to work, you really need some up lights, etc.

 

With automating the lights I went for the Philips Hue controller, it's USB power source, but needs wired Ethernet to plug into a router (although it only needs to be connected for using the App, if your justing using motion sensors and switches it works disconnected).   It uses the Zigbee standard to control lights so you can use TP bulbs and ballasts.

 

I went with these; https://amzn.to/2wKRg7a, but they don't seem to be available, however these https://amzn.to/2oOESQc should do the job as well.

I also looked at https://amzn.to/2NW2AoH, which had the benefit of been able to connect directly to some push switches as well.  It uses Z-Wave tho so you'll need another controller (like a Pi or the Samsung SmartThings).   If you power the ballasts they usually go to their last on setting so can still be controlled via a physical switch if you wanted that.

 

With the automation part, I use some motion sensors (from Hue) to turn the lights on depending on the lightlevel,  i've got it to only come on at 10% during the night so you don't get blinded.  The third party app iConnectHue has a few more options on what the switches and sensors can do over what the Hue app can do.     

 

If I wanted the Pi to control everything I think I would look at XBee to control the ballasts that I have, or look at Z-Wave (and the ballast linked above), but also RF stuff as you can get boards for the Pi for all these and control via something like Node-Red.

[Robbo]

 

17 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

Looks like all I need is a new Pi with the appropriate operating system installed and a couple of VE direct leads to get started. Just found 20M of LAN cable so I can connect the Pi to the router.

It looks like the Venus install is a easier way to go if you want to use the Victron's VRM site.   You should be able to test even without a VE.Direct cable that you can install and getting it connected to the VRM site.   As it's a complete OS I would use a separate SD card (or Pi).    It's something I'm going to look to play with as well to see if it fills my needs!

Edited September 7, 2018 by Robbo

[WotEver]

53 minutes ago, Robbo said:

Basically all you need is a couple of light sensors pointing away from each other, the one that gets the most light the motor turns it into that direction, if both sensors get the same light then your pointing at the sun. 

Or, because the boat could be pointing in any direction, four sensors. As long as the panels are mounted on a 360 degree gimbal, which would probably be the hardest bit. 

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, Robbo said:

 

It looks like the Venus install is a easier way to go if you want to use the Victron's VRM site.   You should be able to test even without a VE.Direct cable that you can install and getting it connected to the VRM site.   As it's a complete OS I would use a separate SD card (or Pi).    It's something I'm going to look to play with as well to see if it fills my needs!

Thanks Robbo. I started another thread to ask about the Venus GX or CCGX to try and get some user experience. If you have any input on the GX, maybe answer over there.

On your idea of connecting the Pi to the Venus, I guess you could use the Pi to interogate the data being stored and then do something with it so you dont need to use the VRM. Is that what you were thinking?

[Robbo]

12 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Thanks Robbo. I started another thread to ask about the Venus GX or CCGX to try and get some user experience. If you have any input on the GX, maybe answer over there.

On your idea of connecting the Pi to the Venus, I guess you could use the Pi to interogate the data being stored and then do something with it so you dont need to use the VRM. Is that what you were thinking?

I’m following that thread as well , I’m going to have a play myself with the Pi method to see what it can do.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Robbo