Re: Lighting control system using Crozet microcontroller

["Andy Laurence" <andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

alan_singfield wrote:
<snip cool stuff>
> The controller cost £200 and the remaining parts less than
> £100, so I think its worked out to be reasonably cost effective.
> Has anyone else done anything similar (and dare I say it) for less
> money?

Funny you should say that.  Today is set aside for hacking together a cheap
lighting system.  It's based on two PIC chips.  The whole thing runs over
CAT5, and is either standalone, or interfaced with a PC.  Each unit can
control 11 lights, and has status reporting.  One PIC constantly reads the
status of the switches (Clipsal units in my case), and outputs a serial
string when one is activated.  This serial string can either be sent
directly to the controller PIC, or into a PC (as I shall be doing).  The
switches are plugged into the input board via lengths of CAT5.

The second PIC is the one that controls the lights.  It takes the serial
input, and depending on the command, switches one of the 11 relays on or
off.  This sends a line in the CAT5 high, which operates a relay in the
light switch, switching the light switch on.  It then sends a serial status
report out showing what relays are now on/off allowing the HA controller to
update flags.

Of course, this lighting system is centralised, and is not restricted to
lighting.  It can control heating, or pretty much anything else.  It also
does not support dimming.  I have only one reservation about it so far, and
that's how the relays will operate over CAT5.  If this proves difficult,
the
parts are so tiny that I could put one of these systems in each light
switch.  They could also be controlled by serial RF modules too in this
case
(although without status reporting).

Cheers,
Andy (off to Maplin for some bits)
--
http://projects.andylaurence.co.uk
http://ha.andylaurence.co.uk