First Project: Is This Setup Correct?

Getting Started
1

Hi everyone!

I’m a complete newbie in this area and would like to seek some advice on an IoT/Home Automation project that I’m excited to get started on.

Basically, I’d like to control window blinds, air conditioners, and fans from one web interface. It’s a little ambitious for someone with no experience so I’ll probably focus on getting the window blinds working before I start on the other devices.

Window Roller Blind

An existing roller blind will be modified into a motorised blind connected to WIFI. The blind will be controlled using a web interface.

Based on what I could research online, I’ll need 3 main items.

  1. Particle Photon
  2. Motor shield
  3. Stepper motor

It seems like the only motor shield available is the Phobot (www.monkmakes.com/products/phobot). Are there any other alternatives? International shipping and availability is an issue for me as I reside in Singapore.

I’ve also been searching on stepper motors and the variety out there is mind-boggling. What kind of stepper motor would be suitable for such a project (voltage, etc.)? What are the specs to look out for?

How does power supply work with a photon + shield? Does the power enter the shield, which in turn powers the photon? Or is it the other way round?

Finally, can such a rig be battery-powered? Not too keen on running a cable all the way up the wall…

The future projects to control air conditioners and fans would involve using a Photon to send out IR signals. Is this doable for someone with little to no experience?

Any other comments on feasibility or tips would be most welcome as well.

Thanks!

2

You don’t necessarily need your own motor and driver if you can find a cheap motorise-your-blinds-kit and just fiddle its controls (e.g. with the relay shield or your own transistor circuitry :wink: ).

With non-Particle dedicated shields that have a high current demand (like a motor shield) it’s usually necessary to power the shield and the Particle seperately. If yhe shield has a 5V or 3.3V output, you can power the Particle off that but need to make sure it’s properly filtered DC.

Running off a battery will be tricky since the motors do need some power.

About IR there are some threads here discussing that, and the a good place to look is at AnalysIR