- Sat Dec 31, 2016 10:19 am
#60198
Cheers forlotto, yeah I'm still around for now, but keeping in the backround to avoiding stepping on toes unless occasionally offering help that's been asked for.
I don't have much worth taking videos of, I'm afraid.
I had been gearing up to do some video tutorials for a follow-on 'Workshops' series to the Driving Lessons, and had several things lined up including Voice Announcer, IR Clone Extender, Analog Joysticks for CCTV Pelco PTZ, PIR & Beam-break Triggers etc, but I'm no expert and it would only be stuff that I've muddled through alone, and quite frankly I'm probably best not sticking my neck out just to be useful for target practice. Especially as it was going to be based around networking of different node functionality using the EasyNet non-IP network framework I've been developing for gawd knows how long. But people seem happy playing with individual bits of the jigsaw anyway, and there doesn't appear much interest for putting bits together to make bigger pictures. Which is just as well, cos although I've got EasyNet working ok, it's maxxing out Esp_Basic to the point of suffering 'quantum wierdness'. As with things like embedded font capability and software pullups, it could use a bit of development help to overcome, but I'm afraid there's never been any help forthcoming whenever I've asked, and it's not even worth asking anymore since a point was made about who is doing the asking rather than what's being asked. So things aren't likely to change or improve anytime soon, therefore I expect I'll just be dumping my mixed bag of maxxed out Esp_Basic bits and revert back to Arduino's... probably using a stripped down version of EasyNet as an autonomous slave comms module for allowing the Arduino's to easily interact with each other.
I think that's a shame, cos Esp_Basic is a terrific achievement, and although there's plenty of Esp_Basic examples around there's practically nothing demonstrating more than one type of functionality at any one time... so it would surely benefit from a simple versatile way of connecting individual bits of jigsaw together to help it become 'this AND that' instead of just 'this OR that'. EasyNet can offer a simple effective transport, but my amatuerish programming for getting past any missing Esp_Basic features leaves no room for carrying any useful luggage. It's in need of a couple of new commands which might shrink the required script sufficiently, eg: a better string parser, or some way to relate the relative WORD() function to its parent character string to avoid repeatedly stepping through 'bloaty' nested DO WHILE LOOPS. There's probably no technical reason why a handful of new commands couldn't allow all the EasyNet core functionality to be included within Esp_Basic itself, much like cicciocb achieved with UDP - but he's long gone, and the situation is what it is, so my Esp_Basic EasyNet usage looks destined to just be a slave to more useful Arduinos.
Looking on the bright side, it will allow Arduino's (and PICs and 'fruit' Pi's etc) to interactively share their functionality using simple serial text messages without needing to know any networking or IP addresses or need for servers or cloud services.
Wow, a long ramble from me also, eh... and still not done!
As far as IR is concerned, did you know you can combine all your IR remotes into just one 'universal' remote controller? I bought 3 cheap 'universal programmable IR remote controller's from ebay a while ago for less than 3 quid each, with free (if slow) delivery. They have multiple 'pages' of buttons, allowing cloning (recording) buttons from several remote controllers.
There's lots of similar devices to choose from, and if you want to spend more you can get fancy hi-tech programmable remotes with built-in screen (bit like a smart phone) for displaying multiple pages of virtual touch-buttons.
You could even make your own universal IR remote control from your smart phone by sending virtual button presses from web pages via wifi to an Arduino or Esp_Basic IR 'blaster' (much as cicciocb did in an old example)... and although it would still be dependent on wifi connection, it doesn't have to exclude use of ordinary IR remote(s).
The general idea of universal remotes is that one page is used for your TV buttons, another page the Sat rec or KODI box, etc. And I've done all that, but I couldn't be arsed with keep changing pages, so I've also made it even more simple and convenient by combining just the essential buttons from the different remotes all onto the same page (we can still select the different dedicated pages of buttons if we need).
So the same page of buttons on our universal remote controller can control TV volume/mute, select KODI or Sat channels, switch CCTV monitor to display different DVR cctv camera channels, control ptz (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) cams, and even turn the electric fire thermostat up or down. Sometimes an RGB table lamp changes colour when we change the fires thermostat setting, but that's not a problem, and in fact makes for a nice change (something similar happens to the 10m RGB flexible strip in our converted ex-ambulance camper when we control its TV).
I have one of the remote controls in the lounge, another in the bedroom, and another in my study - all programmed with the same functions on the same buttons... and all those locations also have a CCTV monitor, IR extender/repeater, and an amplified speaker (to hear system voice alerts).
For 20 quid you can get RJ45 IR extenders which also enable audio and video signal to be sent back in the other direction... so the source of what you wish to control and see and hear doesn't have to be local!
For 30 quid you can get multiple channels IR extenders allowing multiple sensors to send to multiple 'blasters'.
I seem to remember 'normal' IR operating around 38KHz and a few oddballs working at higher frequencies, but plenty of 'boadband' IR repeater/extenders and universal remotes are available nowadays that will cope with almost everything.
Most of my stuff connects to a central 'control' area in an adjacent workshop, where all the sensors and cameras are wired to. My intention is to replace the commercial items with my own bespoke versions which I can maintain and expand indefinitely. I've already tested most of the required functionality as proof of concepts... originally using Arduino until running out of onboard resources and deciding to opt for distributed functionality instead - then subsequently using Esp_Basic with the intention of hanging it all together using the planned EasyNet functionality. Circumstances are likely to make me revert back to an Arduino based system while just using Esp_Basic for connecting them together, but much (most) of the required Esp_Basic system functionality was already proved in isolation. I was concentrating on IR control to divorce from browser dependency, and although cicciocb only got as far as implementing Sony and NEC codes before departing, I believe one of the forum members recently said he's managed to do RAW (therefore anything). I haven't heard about it being included into mmiscools builds yet, but things aren't always announced. I did a very simple IR clone facility whereby each required button was pressed once then pressed again, and if the 2 consecutive signals matched, it automatically moves on to record the next button, which made cloning buttons quite quick and easy. I didn't bother saving them cos that was already proven by other things and I had already moved on to integrating a serial audio module for making an IR voice menu system... but soon had to drop the idea because of quickly reaching the 100 VARS limit (separate IR signals and mp3 files soon eat the vars up).
My point is, that for your purposes, most IR functionality is already possible with Esp_Basic... and anything that isn't you could do very easily with an Arduino, all of which have serial examples - I'm sure you're more than capable of driving an Arduino Nano for IR using serial from an Esp_Basic wifi extender/repeater if necessary.
Something else to consider is perhaps using IR to locally control mains switches and relays as a quicker and more convenient alternative to faffing around with a mobile phone for wifi control - it doesn't have to be 'instead of', it could be 'as well as'. The later Sonoffs for instance make gpio14 (I think) available, which you could have connected to an IR receiver, allowing the device to be switched by wifi and/or IR.
If you have one of the older Sonoffs without the spare gpio available, you could solder a pair of wires across the 'button' and connect your IR receiver in parallel to the button (or likewise with any other type of switches or sensors for that matter).
I have an IR controlled relay near my DVR which allows me to switch the composite video signal going out to our monitors between the normal multi-channale dvr display or just the 'gate' cam. When I can get around to it I will be using Tracker J's '1 of many' i2c multi-io switch to select any of several individual cams to display.
The point I want to make is that if you are creating your own 'important' control circuits, there's nothing stopping you from using whatever IR remote control button signals are the most conventient - ie: a couple of never-used buttons on your TV remote (or universal remote) allows such functionality to be instantly available. And there's nothing stopping you from having similar IR controllers sending to extender/repeaters at all the locations you might need such fast control convenience.
And also be aware that both IR receivers and IR sender LEDs are available as 3.5mm jack plug-in cable versions, so you can literally stick them wherever you want.
It'll probably be next year by the time you finish reading all this Forlotto, so I'll wish you a Happy New Year, and hope you might get some useful ideas from all the waffle.
