Chris Bergeron's Blog » electronics

Security system integration

Chris — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:34:58 +0000

Today I worked on the security system / home automation integration project. The security system now communicates with the home automation computer and it can now send events/triggers to remote servers. In the following picture you can see my homemade PIC reporting circuit (left), the security system (center left), the staging area for my homemade circuit breaker interruptor (center right), and the breaker panel (right).

Integrating these systems has proved to be more difficult than I initially thought. I’m on track for total home automation and internet connectivity via my event log and my remote iPhone control panel.

Here’s a picture of the installation:

Security System

Created Energy summary page

Chris — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:37:26 +0000

I created an energy usage summary webpage to give me an ‘executive dashboard’ of my home energy usage.

Security System: Added mysql integration

Chris — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:46:16 +0000

I wrote a program to read events from the security system and put them into an RSS Event Log . I have some logic in it so that not everything gets recorded. I wouldn’t want a would-be robber knowing when the system is armed or disarmed, of course!

An event is anything that is monitored by the security system, including door openings, windows being opened / closed, etc.

Security System: Update 1

Chris — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:07:53 +0000

I’m adding a circuit breaker interrupter to my home security system. The purpose of it is to completely turn off some breakers in the home when the alarm is in ‘AWAY DAY’ mode. The goal is to conserve energy by completely disabling certain circuits in the house. I have a lot of electrical vampires, things that consume electricity even when turned off, in my home. One example is our DVR. It draws about 50 watts even when it’s powered off. I don’t have any scheduled recordings, so it makes sense to disable it when it’s not being used. This is only one example, but one of many devices that consume power when I don’t need them to. As a result, I’m building a circuit that breaks the electrical circuit when we’re not home. If the resultant savings are a few hundred watts (that would otherwise run 24/7) it will be a worthwhile endeavor; particularly considering the introduction of solar power. Here’s a picture of the interruptor circuit:

Reading data from Itron Centron, and openAMR

Chris — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:54:26 +0000

In anticipation of installing a Solar Array at home (someday), I’m going to need to monitor my power usage more accurately. I’ve created a worksheet to approximate my power usage, but I need more solid data. So, I’m going to need to read data directly from the Itron Centron CL200 meter. It uses ANSI C12.19 and C12.22 standards for transmitting data, so I should be able to tap into it after I familiarize myself with the specs. The CL200 also transmits watt-hour usage via infrared pulses on the top of the meter. It seems that the meter transmits 1 pulse for every watt hour of usage, so in the near-term I’m going to have to build a circuit to read this data. Once I’m able to read the data, I can begin analyzing it and I’ll post it (along with graphs) on this site.

Fortunately, there’s already an existing open-source project dedicated to Automated Meter Reading(AMR): OpenAMR

Another blogger is also working on a similar project. His page can be found here: http://davestech.blogspot.com/2008/02/itron-remote-read-electric-meter.html

Laptop LCD + Overhead projector = projection LCD

Chris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:48:32 +0000

I took an LCD display out of an old laptop computer and coupled it to an overhead projector. The result is a 5′ projection screen. It’s not the highest quality, but in a dark room it’s suitable for watching movies, surfing the web, or playing computer games. Here are the pictures:

Making a surge protector computer controlled

Chris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:03:28 +0000

I have a computer in the kitchen that has an LCD and speakers that are AC powered. Instead of having switches mounted everywhere, I hacked a surge protector to make it computer controlled. This way, when I power on the PC it powers on the LCD and the speakers. When the computer is off, the surge protector is off as well. It was an easy project, just requiring a relay in place of the standard surge protector switch.

Using a DS1820 temperature sensor

Chris — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:06:22 +0000

Just for fun, I added a Dallas Semiconductor DS1820 temperature sensor to my home office. It doesn’t really serve any purpose; I just like data. Here’s a graph of it’s data:

Homemade home security system

Chris — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:49:18 +0000

I’m building a custom security system for my home. It’s going to be internet connected and it will integrate with my iPhone. I’ve built the interface board and I’m in the process of programming the software. Our home was pre-wired for security sensors, so it will be trivial to attach and integrate them.

My product featured in Car PC Hacks

Chris — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:38:49 +0000

The Dashwerks DSSC Startup and Shutdown Controller appears in a great new carputer book by O’Reilly Publishing: “Car PC Hacks: Tips and Tools for Geeking Your Ride” by Damien Stolarz; (paperback – 382 pages; ISBN: 0-5960-0871-0; July 2005).

About the book

The best selling book about hacking cars and computers is perfect for both computer hackers and car hackers alike.

Description

A car PC or carputer is a car tricked-out with electronics for playing radio, music and DVD movies, connecting to the Internet, navigating and tracking with satellite, taking photos, and any electronic gadget a person wants in a car. All these devices are managed and controlled through a single screen or interface. The only place car PC enthusiasts can go for advice, tips and tools is a handful of hard-to-find Web sites–until now. Car PC Hacks is your guide into the car PC revolution. Packing MP3 players, handheld devices, computers and video-on-demand systems gives you a pile too heavy to carry. But add a car and put them together, you’ve got a powerful and mobile multimedia center requiring no lifting. The next time you give kids a lift, you won’t hear, “Are we there yet?” Instead, expect “We’re there already?” as they won’t want to leave the car while playing video games from multiple consoles. Car PC Hacks is the first book available to introduce and entrench you into this hot new market. You can count on the book because it hails from O’Reilly, a trusted resource for technical books. Expect innovation, useful tools, and fun experiments that you’ve come to expect from O’Reilly’s Hacks Series. Maybe you’ve hacked computers and gadgets, and now you’re ready to take it to your car. If hacking is new and you would like to mix cars and computers, this book gets you started with its introduction to the basics of car electrical systems. Even when you’re unclear on the difference between amps and watts, expect a clear explanation along with real-life examples to get on track. Whether you’re venturing into car PC for the first time or an experienced hobbyist, hop in the book for a joy ride.

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazine, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly has been a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

Publisher of the iconic “animal books” for software developers, creator of the first commercial website (GNN), organizer of the summit meeting that gave the open source software movement its name, and prime instigator of the DIY revolution through its Make magazine, O’Reilly continues to concoct new ways to connect people with the information they need. O’Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. Long the information source of choice for technologists, the company now also delivers the knowledge of expert early adopters to everyday computer users. Whether it’s delivered in print, online, or in person, everything O’Reilly produces reflects the company’s unshakeable belief in the power of information to spur innovation.

For ways to contact O’Reilly and more information about the services we provide, see our Contacts page.

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