4 ms·

Practical engineer in me screams: SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY. Just plug the washing machine into a smartplug and alert when power draw drops to idle for more

Practical engineer in me screams: SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY. Just plug the washing machine into a smartplug and alert when power draw drops to idle for more than X minutes.

timedout_uk 1y ago
but where's the fun in that :P
- lillecarl 1y ago
  True, we all find enjoyment in different things
- m463 1y ago
  The fun is that you can reuse the setup for a japanese toilet, monitor energy use and use the data to play applause sounds in the bathroom after use.
  - ash_091 1y ago
    Pretty sure Japanese toilets support this use case natively.
    - m463 1y ago
      They DO have extensive settings on the LCD on the back of the remote if you pull it off the wall...
pavel_lishin 1y ago
Our previous washing machine had a mechanical rotating switch, sort of like an egg timer, built into it. I seriously thought about just gluing a pair of metal bits onto it to make a physical connection when it was done, which would either do something clever like trigger a RasPi into sending me a text, or something stupid like physically triggering a doorbell chime.
- userbinator 1y ago
  Some models do have an end-of-cycle chime on one of the timer contacts.
thehappypm 1y ago
My washing machine also makes a stupid chime melody thing. A microphone that listens for it would also be a simple way to do it.
- lillecarl 1y ago
  I would go for the "monitor a number" before "sound recognition", unless you're talking about just using an amplifier to bring the chime into the entire house.
  - thfuran 1y ago
    I'd dump cut the mic and wire it to some input before actually trying to check for the sound. But it's probably inconvenient to get to and monitoring overall power draw would be easy.
- imglorp 1y ago
  Or a current sensing transformer around its power cord.
russdill 1y ago
Can confirm this is super easy. It has the additional advantage of monitoring power usage and it allows you to cut power if the leak sensor under it goes off
xyst 1y ago
Not all washing machine appliances are same, unfortunately
- lillecarl 1y ago
  Does your machine run on petrol or manual labor? In that case, listen for an engine or someone complaining. I'm certain 99% of washing machines are powered by electricity, and if you live in 120V town and need 3 phase you can monitor power using the magnetic field on one of 3 conductors.

Practical engineer in me screams: SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY. Just plug the washing machine into a smartplug and alert when power draw drops to idle for more than X minutes.

timedout_uk 1y ago

but where's the fun in that :P

lillecarl 1y ago
True, we all find enjoyment in different things
m463 1y ago
The fun is that you can reuse the setup for a japanese toilet, monitor energy use and use the data to play applause sounds in the bathroom after use.
- ash_091 1y ago
  Pretty sure Japanese toilets support this use case natively.
  - m463 1y ago
    They DO have extensive settings on the LCD on the back of the remote if you pull it off the wall...

pavel_lishin 1y ago

Our previous washing machine had a mechanical rotating switch, sort of like an egg timer, built into it. I seriously thought about just gluing a pair of metal bits onto it to make a physical connection when it was done, which would either do something clever like trigger a RasPi into sending me a text, or something stupid like physically triggering a doorbell chime.

userbinator 1y ago
Some models do have an end-of-cycle chime on one of the timer contacts.

thehappypm 1y ago

My washing machine also makes a stupid chime melody thing. A microphone that listens for it would also be a simple way to do it.

lillecarl 1y ago
I would go for the "monitor a number" before "sound recognition", unless you're talking about just using an amplifier to bring the chime into the entire house.
- thfuran 1y ago
  I'd dump cut the mic and wire it to some input before actually trying to check for the sound. But it's probably inconvenient to get to and monitoring overall power draw would be easy.
imglorp 1y ago
Or a current sensing transformer around its power cord.

russdill 1y ago

Can confirm this is super easy. It has the additional advantage of monitoring power usage and it allows you to cut power if the leak sensor under it goes off

xyst 1y ago

Not all washing machine appliances are same, unfortunately

lillecarl 1y ago
Does your machine run on petrol or manual labor? In that case, listen for an engine or someone complaining. I'm certain 99% of washing machines are powered by electricity, and if you live in 120V town and need 3 phase you can monitor power using the magnetic field on one of 3 conductors.