5 ms·

Wow, this is the most convoluted and overengineered way I've seen of setting a timer. It even involves a third-party server and email registration. Bravo!

wpietri 4y ago
I am plotting a worse one. I have plenty of old phones sitting around, and the laundry in my apartment building has machines with weirdly inconsistent timing. I want to write a small mobile app that will transmit accelerometer data to my home Prometheus/Grafana setup so that I can put the phone on top of the machine and monitor for the end of the cycle.
- atoav 4y ago
  Maybe ir would be simpler to get one of those smart energy monitoring plugs and plug the machine in there. When it is done power use should drop significantly.
  - selcuka 4y ago
    Excellent idea. It should be possible to configure something like Home Assistant to send a notification when the power usage goes up, and then down. This should also work for the dryer.
    - Rebelgecko 4y ago
      I'm not sure if there's smart plugs that reliably/safely work with dryers (edit: electric dryers, that is)
      - Toutouxc 4y ago
        My Aqara smart plug says it can handle 2300 W, which should be okay for the kind of dryers sold in Europe (apparently the new ones are mostly sub 1000 W).
        kevviiinn 4y ago
        In the US electric dryers run on 240v which has a different plug. Not sure how they are in the EU but it's something to consider when looking for one of those plug monitors
        Toutouxc 4y ago
        That’s easy, the whole Europe is 230 V at 50 Hz and basically the same plug (except I think Switzerland and the UK).
      - selcuka 4y ago
        I'm in AU, certified smart plugs are 240V/10A. Dryers don't need a special outlet.
    - nbar1 4y ago
      I had a configuration exactly like this via HomeAssistant. Set the trigger when the power output spiked above X and sent a notification when it eventually dipped back below X for Y amount of time. Unfortunately I could not find a plug suitable for the dryer, but for the washer it was great. I eventually decided to decommission the majority of my smart home accessories and HomeAssistant entirely.
  - wpietri 4y ago
    It's not my washer and dryer or my electrical outlet.
- brokenmachine 4y ago
  IMO anything that needs a signup to a web service that you don't control is worse. Personally, I'd use an esp8266 or esp32 for that. I'd also try to find a better way of sensing whether it's running/finished, by connecting directly to the power led (you can also siphon power to run the microcontroller from the washing machine itself), or measure power usage at the plug.
  - wpietri 4y ago
    It being the apartment building's laundry machines, I think my landlord would have something to say about me opening them up and connecting to the LEDs.
rezonant 4y ago
Load sensors in modern washers (and moisture sensors in modern dryers) mean that the timer is an estimate. But still, a timer with a reasonable buffer on it is fine. Just less nerdy.

wpietri 4y ago

I am plotting a worse one. I have plenty of old phones sitting around, and the laundry in my apartment building has machines with weirdly inconsistent timing. I want to write a small mobile app that will transmit accelerometer data to my home Prometheus/Grafana setup so that I can put the phone on top of the machine and monitor for the end of the cycle.

atoav 4y ago
Maybe ir would be simpler to get one of those smart energy monitoring plugs and plug the machine in there. When it is done power use should drop significantly.
- selcuka 4y ago
  Excellent idea. It should be possible to configure something like Home Assistant to send a notification when the power usage goes up, and then down. This should also work for the dryer.
  - Rebelgecko 4y ago
    I'm not sure if there's smart plugs that reliably/safely work with dryers (edit: electric dryers, that is)
    - Toutouxc 4y ago
      My Aqara smart plug says it can handle 2300 W, which should be okay for the kind of dryers sold in Europe (apparently the new ones are mostly sub 1000 W).
      - kevviiinn 4y ago
        In the US electric dryers run on 240v which has a different plug. Not sure how they are in the EU but it's something to consider when looking for one of those plug monitors
        Toutouxc 4y ago
        That’s easy, the whole Europe is 230 V at 50 Hz and basically the same plug (except I think Switzerland and the UK).
    - selcuka 4y ago
      I'm in AU, certified smart plugs are 240V/10A. Dryers don't need a special outlet.
  - nbar1 4y ago
    I had a configuration exactly like this via HomeAssistant. Set the trigger when the power output spiked above X and sent a notification when it eventually dipped back below X for Y amount of time. Unfortunately I could not find a plug suitable for the dryer, but for the washer it was great. I eventually decided to decommission the majority of my smart home accessories and HomeAssistant entirely.
- wpietri 4y ago
  It's not my washer and dryer or my electrical outlet.
brokenmachine 4y ago
IMO anything that needs a signup to a web service that you don't control is worse. Personally, I'd use an esp8266 or esp32 for that. I'd also try to find a better way of sensing whether it's running/finished, by connecting directly to the power led (you can also siphon power to run the microcontroller from the washing machine itself), or measure power usage at the plug.
- wpietri 4y ago
  It being the apartment building's laundry machines, I think my landlord would have something to say about me opening them up and connecting to the LEDs.

rezonant 4y ago

Load sensors in modern washers (and moisture sensors in modern dryers) mean that the timer is an estimate. But still, a timer with a reasonable buffer on it is fine. Just less nerdy.