34 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
Title: Remote Control Light Switch
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Date: 2014-10-09
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Category: Creations
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Summary: A device to toggle my lights remotely.
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I wanted the ability to toggle my bedroom light remotely for convenience. I
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designed a circuit that allows me to control my light with any
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device that can load a webpage.
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I still wanted to be able to control the light manually, so I bought a metallic
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face-plate and turned it into a capacitive touch sensor. The slightest touch
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anywhere on the plate is enough to toggle the light. I had to electrically
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isolate the metal screws from it because they screw into a grounded switch box.
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## Function
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I have a Raspberry Pi ($35 computer) on my home network that runs a web server.
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When you connect to it in your web browser, a page loads with buttons to turn
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the light on or off. When you press a button, the server executes a command that
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sends a message over Bluetooth to the light switch. The Bluetooth module in the
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wall receives this message and forwards it to the microcontroller, which
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processes it and toggles the relay. The whole circuit is also powered from mains
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by an AC-DC converter.
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This entire process happens quicker than half a second, so it feels instant.
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<span class="aside">Black stuff's liquid electrical tape</span>
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