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Any ideas for stuff to build with this besides a thermostat? I'm talking about for a fun side project to learn the ropes, not necessarily the next $3.2B IoT com

by nilkn 13y ago

Any ideas for stuff to build with this besides a thermostat? I'm talking about for a fun side project to learn the ropes, not necessarily the next $3.2B IoT company.

hershel 13y ago
An idea: A web connected[1] ultrasonic sensor unit, that you put[3] on the side of your car , and while driving, it recognizes[2] empty parking spaces and sends the location[4] to a cosm.com map. [1] through your phone hotspot. [2] since an ultrasonic sensor senses distance, it can sense if you have a car near you or an empty space. [3] Maybe with vacuum stick units. [4] You'll need a gsm shield for that.
- yitchelle 13y ago
  That's a great idea. Another way of doing this is to use Google map. Google map already knows your location for their collection of traffic data [1], they could cross reference this to when they car leaves a parking location. The emptying of the car park is notified to Google map. Trouble is the data is only available to Google. [1] http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/07/how-google-tracks-traffic/ http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/07/how-google-tracks-tra...
dzhiurgis 13y ago
Turn on coffee machine and toaster just before leaving the shower (or close to the end of your sleep cycle). Servo big enough to close central heating valve (the big knob next to your heater). Automatic light switches when you leave house or going to sleep. Smart monitors, esp. water leak alert when you are not home. I think a really great improvement would be GSM module, delivering connection over Whispernet (aka hassle free).
maxerickson 13y ago
A temperature logger? There are lots of microcontroller-that-you-program-via-usb communities. Arduino is a good search word. Also, this discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7071080 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7071080 included this tumblr: http://bltuc.tumblr.com/ http://bltuc.tumblr.com/
- technomancy 13y ago
  Once you add networking, Arduinos don't really have much cost benefit over a full-fledged Linux SOC board. An Uno plus an Ethernet shield ends up being nearly the cost of a Raspberry Pi, which is several times more powerful. I built out my XMPP-controlled office thermostat on a BeagleBone Black, which costs a bit more than the Pi but has way more pins, including analog inputs, which are pretty important for temperature sensors. Plus using a Linux machine meant being able to choose your language instead of being stuck with C, so I took the chance to learn some Erlang: http://technomancy.us/171 http://technomancy.us/171
  - maxerickson 13y ago
    Yeah, there are lots of options. The $40 wifi-included board featured in this story sort of has a nice installation story though (maybe fussy setup, but one less cable).

by nilkn 13y ago

Any ideas for stuff to build with this besides a thermostat? I'm talking about for a fun side project to learn the ropes, not necessarily the next $3.2B IoT company.

hershel 13y ago

An idea: A web connected[1] ultrasonic sensor unit, that you put[3] on the side of your car , and while driving, it recognizes[2] empty parking spaces and sends the location[4] to a cosm.com map. [1] through your phone hotspot. [2] since an ultrasonic sensor senses distance, it can sense if you have a car near you or an empty space. [3] Maybe with vacuum stick units. [4] You'll need a gsm shield for that.

yitchelle 13y ago
That's a great idea. Another way of doing this is to use Google map. Google map already knows your location for their collection of traffic data [1], they could cross reference this to when they car leaves a parking location. The emptying of the car park is notified to Google map. Trouble is the data is only available to Google. [1] http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/07/how-google-tracks-traffic/ http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/07/how-google-tracks-tra...

dzhiurgis 13y ago

Turn on coffee machine and toaster just before leaving the shower (or close to the end of your sleep cycle). Servo big enough to close central heating valve (the big knob next to your heater). Automatic light switches when you leave house or going to sleep. Smart monitors, esp. water leak alert when you are not home. I think a really great improvement would be GSM module, delivering connection over Whispernet (aka hassle free).

maxerickson 13y ago

A temperature logger? There are lots of microcontroller-that-you-program-via-usb communities. Arduino is a good search word. Also, this discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7071080 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7071080 included this tumblr: http://bltuc.tumblr.com/ http://bltuc.tumblr.com/

technomancy 13y ago
Once you add networking, Arduinos don't really have much cost benefit over a full-fledged Linux SOC board. An Uno plus an Ethernet shield ends up being nearly the cost of a Raspberry Pi, which is several times more powerful. I built out my XMPP-controlled office thermostat on a BeagleBone Black, which costs a bit more than the Pi but has way more pins, including analog inputs, which are pretty important for temperature sensors. Plus using a Linux machine meant being able to choose your language instead of being stuck with C, so I took the chance to learn some Erlang: http://technomancy.us/171 http://technomancy.us/171
- maxerickson 13y ago
  Yeah, there are lots of options. The $40 wifi-included board featured in this story sort of has a nice installation story though (maybe fussy setup, but one less cable).