DZ + Android + Arduino

DZ core has been ported to work on Android OS using ADK devices as actuators.

Supported Android hardware:

• Galaxy Nexus (unlocked) running ICS 4.0.4 (verified);
• Nexus S running ICS 4.0.4 (verified);
• Any phone or tablet running Android 2.3.3 or higher that supports ADK.

Supported ADK hardware:

• Arduino Mega ADK (verified);
• Arduino boards with USB Host Shield capable of running ADK firmware.

What's in it for me?

• No more messy software installation - DZ will install from Android Market.
• No more messy hardware installation - all necessary peripherals are reduced to the Arduino board with the connector shield on it.
• No more messy configuration.
• There's a good chance that soon you will be able to - gasp - just buy it, nail it to the wall and it will "just work".

What's in it for me if I don't have or don't want a tablet/phone?

Arduino can still be used as a single peripheral device for all DZ needs.

Can I get it now?

Yes and no.

• Arduino firmware is available from the source repository.
• Android application will be soon published to Android Market.

Stay tuned.

When I can get it, what do I get?

In default configuration,

• 6 analog temperature sensors
• 6 servos
• 2 4-way HVAC control blocks

Currently, 1-Wire and XBee drivers for DZ are in development. After they're done,

• As many sensors as 1-Wire bus supports;
• As many sensors as XBee network supports;
• Up to 48 servos;
• As many HVAC control blocks as XBee network supports.

Is it compatible with current DZ installation?

Yes, all aspects. The same Android application will be used to control all flavors of DZ.

Read more...

${mobile-device} + ${appliance}, Nokia edition

Not sure if this post reached the right audience, so reposting it here:

Nokia released the Control Center - a complete home automation solution.

Here's a video - there's a couple of fragments worth looking at if you're interested in temperature zoning.

I don't have any doubts that this system will be beyond the reach of the majority of readers here, and doubt that partial solutions will be offered (though wouldn't be surprised if this actually happens, I've been trying to show for years that this is quite doable).

Still, it's worth noticing that the big players are finally catching up to the game.

First Pulse Screenshot

See Pulse Project blog for further details.

Pulse, Reloaded

Once upon a time, there was an overheating video card. It begat the Pulse project, the hardware health monitor. Later, overheating house begat DIY Zoning, and since its inception, Pulse started to wither away into oblivion - a few years later I marked its status on SourceForge as "inactive", and today, there's not even a web page for it.

However, recent emergence of Android changed a lot. For a long time, lack of hardware support for DZ was a showstopper - nobody wants a zoning system that needs a computer in order to operate it. Smartphone, however, is a completely different deal.

Almost exactly a year ago I started planning for it. A month ago, I got my hands on the hardware. Today, I can say with confidence that G1 can deliver, and it does make sense to implement a control system with a mobile interface based on Android platform.

One of the lessons of DIY Zoning development was that it is a bad idea to have a monolithic system - I had to split it up three or four times before I was happy with the distributed features of the whole system. Not to repeat the same mistake, the application will be more generic than just a zoning system controller.

Hence, hereby the relaunch of the Pulse project is announced.

It'll be a short while before the feature set is established, the project site is again complete with content, and version control system will have the code - I just don't want to release half-baked barely functioning code prematurely, it is still in the works. It's just that privately expressed interest towards the project exceeded the critical mass recently, and I thought you folks would like to know what I'm working on.

Stay tuned.

Who Needs A Thermostat, Take Two

So I guess I'm not the only one thinking about using mobile WiFi enabled devices for controlling home automation devices.