Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you have any write ups or code on this to share?
I am working on one. I will post it on HN when it's done :)
Cool, looking forward to it!
The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
81–90 of 199 posts
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
My favorite is the ATTINY 85. It's so cheap and yet, it can do almost most of the things you can do an Arduino. And yes, you can program it using the Arduino IDE as well. How do you deal with the small number of pins? The NRF24L01+ uses SPI, which requires 4 pins. There are some guides on how to hook up an NRF with 3 pins. I think that only leaves 3 pins (besides VCC and GND)? The ATtiny seems to be very attractive o…
I have no clue what your project is, but a lot of us like the ESP8266/ESP32 which are ~2$ and ~5 per module, or around double with their dev kits. Get's you lots of GPIO + wifi.
I do like them, I have a supply of Wemos D1 Minis ;). I also like the Robotdyn Blue Pill (STM32, fun for playing with Rust).
Regardless, I find the minimalism of the ATtinies interesting too, but haven't made the plunge yet.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah from what I've seen you can desolder the status LED to lower the current even more. With the ESP32's you can use the lower power processor as well. I want to automate my blinds, which is kinda annoying as that means ~6 different, "high up" spots in high visibility areas, and obvious motors mean "high power" (compared to micro amps). I'm really not sure how to approach this one yet...
Don't you have to run power to the blinds to run the motor to move them up and down anyway?
You assume the blinds are power to begin with.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you in the United States? I'm just curious how your homeowner's insurance feels about this? That is, will they still pay out for a claim should something happen, and they determine your modifications were at fault? Because if the adjuster or whomever does find you have such modifications - they -will- blame those. And probably deny your claim and coverage (and probably cancel your policy). At least that would lik…
does insurance feel the same way about a Nest and other commercial devices that are already available?
A homebrew device with some IGBTs controlling main voltages, controlled by an Arduino, is vastly different from a commercial product that has to pass UL/Intertek/TUV certification (not to mention FCC EMC compliance). Those certifications exist specifically to protect consumers from devices that will burn their house down.
This isn't to say that I would discourage a hobbyist from building their home automation controls. I would strongly recommend learning about designing electronics for mains voltage (creepage and clearance, grounding strategy, fuses and other circuit protection, types of transformers and how they're built (double insulated?), capacitor voltage rating|derating, ripple current ratings, lifetime vs. temperature, etc.
You can be a hobbyist and design things well, just be thorough when it's something that can set you and everything you love on fire if you do it wrong.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you in the United States? I'm just curious how your homeowner's insurance feels about this? That is, will they still pay out for a claim should something happen, and they determine your modifications were at fault? Because if the adjuster or whomever does find you have such modifications - they -will- blame those. And probably deny your claim and coverage (and probably cancel your policy). At least that would lik…
I went with a IotaWatt for measuring my home energy usage. It is based on the ESP8266 and is completely opensource hardware and software. You retain control of your data or you send to an external server. https://iotawatt.com/
It doesn't measure voltage and thus can't measure true energy consumption = power, only currents. It then must estimate power based on some preset voltage. Not to mention those clamps can't have precision or time resolution for truly interesting stuff.
A toy, in other words. It might be good enough to get a rough idea what eats more or less and when, but it'll never match the utility power meter which is what you're paying by.
cdrc: I rewire my houses myself, because those licensed loons can't be trusted with a 12V light bulb. At least that way _I_ am sure it won't blow up or burn or whatever.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#86The title is misleading because only the chip by itself costs $1. If you buy the microcontroller( chip + peripherals), it costs more than $1. For example MSP430:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Texas-Instruments/MSP-E...
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#87Having used half the IDE's this person outlined, I really really really really wish every single one had a "write Makefile" option. Maybe 1/4 or the IDEs I use do that successfully. I always end up using GDB for debugging, and then the IDE for asm-level tweaking (well, I don't do the tweaking, someone smarter than me does :), but I can do 90% of my work in GDB). In the "real world" IAR Embedded Workshop is the hands-…
Agree so much. Every project I run, I start off working with the available IDE (Keil, Eclipse) that the manufacturer likes and then take the effort of writing a Makefile for it. Absolutely hate dealing with IDEs and their buried settings! Terminal, code editor and gdb FTW :)
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
I went with a IotaWatt for measuring my home energy usage. It is based on the ESP8266 and is completely opensource hardware and software. You retain control of your data or you send to an external server. https://iotawatt.com/
It doesn't measure voltage and thus can't measure true energy consumption = power, only currents. It then must estimate power based on some preset voltage. Not to mention those clamps can't have precision or time resolution for truly interesting stuff. A toy, in other words. It might be good enough to get a rough idea what eats more or less and when, but it'll never match the utility power meter which is what you're…
The IoTaWatt does measure voltage. You plug in a calibrated AC wall wort as well as the DC USB power supply.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#89I feel obligated to mention in every one of these threads the wemos D1. I actually have a tough time explaining just how incredible this board is. You can program it in the Arduino environment, meaning if you are doing any hobby electronics, you're probably already really familiar with the programming modalities. It comes with a programmer, and power regulator. No fussing with anything like you might have to with a b…
this looks really cool! any project write-ups online that show how it can/ is being used?
If you search for "ESP8266" (especially on a website like hackaday.com) you will see a lot of projects using these boards or very similar ones. You can also look up the ESP32, which is the big brother of the ESP-8266 with Bluetooth LE, more CPUs, and some other cool features.
Re: The Amazing $1 Microcontroller (2017)
#90[deleted]