One of the original intents of having the laser was to make it easier/quicker to build cases/enclosures and other functional rather than artistic objects.
I now have an WiFi HVAC sensor that lets me directly read the status of the system; Fan, Heat, and Cool. It displays on a remote sensor that I’m also building a case for. The remote sensor shows indoor/outdoor temperature/humidity and what is running as well as time. I’ll also be adding a sensor to get the supply temperature from the AC because… well, because.
I originally built the remote display to read the status of the Ecobee thermostat, but it limits you to ~3-4 minute updates which doesn’t give a real-time view of what the fan/system are doing.
The board is built around an ESP8266 WiFi chip, with H11AA1 optocouplers to read the state of thermostat controls. There’s also a 24V/5V converter to self-power the system.
a) because I could
b) we actually try to keep the house temperature controlled by using outside air as much as possible. Seeing real-time indoor vs outdoor lets us know at a glance when to open/close doors and windows.
Green = Temperature. Left = Indoor, Right = Outdoor. Flash = Fan running
Blue = Humidity. Left = Indoor. Right = Outdoor. Flash = AC running
Red = Time. Flashing = Heat running.
We’re just adding new heating, venting, and gas hot water which are all going to be hooked in, and Alexa will do the arbitration. Bought a bunch of 1a 230V>5V transformers and DHT11/22s to do the in-ceiling job. I was going to github it.
The remote sensor uses a DHT22 for indoor temperature/humidity. I also use a BME280, but ran out of pins after running the 3x displays.
I can’t bring myself to hide anything in-wall/ceiling that is line voltage and not UL listed. This isn’t hidden, but I’d rather run something line 5V or 10V with LVDO to 3.3v/5V. There’s not much current involved so voltage drop shouldn’t be an issue.
I’m using wall switch and ceiling light cavities to place things. Our houses here are all timber and I’m slowly going through and replacing 1930s wiring, sockets and switches with a heavier grade of cable - currently only 1mm, changing it out to 2.5mm with modern trip switches/RCDs.
I’ve done my workshop already, but the supply to it is undersized.
And in the thirty years since I last lived here they’ve gone and gotten all officious and require things like certification, taking a lot of the fun out of it all My certification lapsed about 25 years ago. Back to school.
