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$30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

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Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#131

Post by RankingMember »

scotty79 wrote: post #101
foobarian wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blinds shown under this article are pretty ordinary vinyl type blinds that leak a ton of light. I wish I could find blinds thick enough to behave like cardboard over windows, that could also be opened on a daily cadence. At this point I gave up on blinds and put a shirt over my eyes to sleep. I thought about just covering the windows permanently but I don't relish that idea.

I don't really understand having trouble with light when you sleep. Personally if I'm tired I happily sleep on summer noon with window opened. Just not in direct sunlight to avoid sunburn. And it's super pleasant experience for me. Better than regular sleep in the darkness at night.

Yeah this must be something that varies based on the person- I have some amazing sleep during daytime naps with sunlight streaming in. Consequently, I totally don't understand the fixation on blind openers, but I get that other people have different needs.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#132

Post by joezydeco »

aidenn0 wrote: post #84
joezydeco wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've ever encountered German rolladen you'll forget all about awnings.

Awnings are, IMO strictly better than those: - You never have to move them - In the summer (when the sun is higher) it blocks out lots of sun - In the winter (when the sun is lower) it lets in more sun

You've never been in a room during the day with the rolladen all the way down. It's pitch black. It's pretty great. The good ones that separate slowly when rising also let you infinitely adjust the level of light and outside air that comes in.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#133

Post by aidenn0 »

lm28469 wrote: post #118
aidenn0 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awnings are, IMO strictly better than those: - You never have to move them - In the summer (when the sun is higher) it blocks out lots of sun - In the winter (when the sun is lower) it lets in more sun

With a properly designed house your roof overhangs should already take care of that: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e5e91c81d669b... https://www.house-energy.com/images/Overhang.gif I feel like we design houses like we design cars and many other modern things, form over function and fix the problems by adding a ton of overcomplicated technologies. If you have huge openings and no overhangs I'd go for…

What about houses with more than one level? The overhangs help not at all on the ground-floor.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#134

Post by Chris2048 »

J_Shelby_J wrote: post #8

I just want to share that these are by far the best home automation you can have. I love my smart lights, hacked together smart humidifier, smart fans (the vornado dc fans with outlet switches), intake air pump, and air quality monitoring. But nothing has the quality of life impact of smart blinds. It’s the best, and probably only, way to reliably keep your sleep schedule in sync. Smart lightbulbs - four of the brigh…

There's a whole science of how natural sunlight differs from leds (and its biological effect) and how to recreate it. I believe SAD lights try to replicate sunlight, but generally modern LEDs, even "warm" ones are missing key wavelengths and have a different profile from sun/sky light. There are now LEDs much closer to real sunlight, but they are also more expensive (though arguable not more so than knocking out more windows.

What I'm surprised at is how rare fake windows/skylights are. I mean, such products/companies exist, but they seem to be relatively niche, and accordingly expensive (as in "call our sales team for pricing" expensive), not really ready for your usual DIY/domestic consumer.

I think what we really need is monitor/TV companies producing low-res, high lumen screens for this purpose, hopefully mass produced. I think Sony has produced a "passive" screen ("the Frame") , that is effectively a matt tv mean to display slow/static images to replace hanging pictures (and even stuffs the electronics in the wall to keep a low profile), but it's still a luxury niche.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#135

Post by modo_mario »

ars wrote: post #114
seanalltogether wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Automated blinds can also have a good effect on temperature control. In the summer you can have your south facing blinds automatically close when you leave the house to block out the sun.

I have that, but for my entire house - in the Summer the walls get covered with sun blocking plates, and in the winter the walls are exposed to the rays of the sun. If you want your own, you can buy it, it's called: Parthenocissus tricuspidata or you can get the Parthenocissus quinquefolia. It really does work!

Does it not create humidity issues? I always liked that look but I live in Belgium where it can be way too rainy in spring/autumn and i'd assume there'd be leaves then.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#136

Post by emorning3 »

J_Shelby_J wrote: post #8

I just want to share that these are by far the best home automation you can have. I love my smart lights, hacked together smart humidifier, smart fans (the vornado dc fans with outlet switches), intake air pump, and air quality monitoring. But nothing has the quality of life impact of smart blinds. It’s the best, and probably only, way to reliably keep your sleep schedule in sync. Smart lightbulbs - four of the brigh…

>> But nothing has the quality of life impact of smart blinds I have a ton of sleep problems and just wanna push back here a little... going for a brisk walk in the fresh air and sunshine every day works a lot better for me.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#137

Post by kayodelycaon »

Chris2048 wrote: post #134
J_Shelby_J wrote: post #8

I just want to share that these are by far the best home automation you can have. I love my smart lights, hacked together smart humidifier, smart fans (the vornado dc fans with outlet switches), intake air pump, and air quality monitoring. But nothing has the quality of life impact of smart blinds. It’s the best, and probably only, way to reliably keep your sleep schedule in sync. Smart lightbulbs - four of the brigh…

There's a whole science of how natural sunlight differs from leds (and its biological effect) and how to recreate it. I believe SAD lights try to replicate sunlight, but generally modern LEDs, even "warm" ones are missing key wavelengths and have a different profile from sun/sky light. There are now LEDs much closer to real sunlight, but they are also more expensive (though arguable not more so than knocking out more…

My local IKEA has light boxes with a film sheet over them to make fake windows. They look surprisingly realistic.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#138

Post by modo_mario »

foobarian wrote: post #46
J_Shelby_J wrote: post #8

I just want to share that these are by far the best home automation you can have. I love my smart lights, hacked together smart humidifier, smart fans (the vornado dc fans with outlet switches), intake air pump, and air quality monitoring. But nothing has the quality of life impact of smart blinds. It’s the best, and probably only, way to reliably keep your sleep schedule in sync. Smart lightbulbs - four of the brigh…

The blinds shown under this article are pretty ordinary vinyl type blinds that leak a ton of light. I wish I could find blinds thick enough to behave like cardboard over windows, that could also be opened on a daily cadence. At this point I gave up on blinds and put a shirt over my eyes to sleep. I thought about just covering the windows permanently but I don't relish that idea.

A good number of European countries have rolling shutters. Mine are probably older than me and make the room pitch black.

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#139

Post by tbyehl »

WaitWaitWha wrote: post #40
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #7

Fwiw automated blinds in the bedroom are a 100% no brainer benefit. It's wonderful and better than an alarm clock with 0 mental load (set the times to open close across the week once and then never think about them again, you can keep the weekend manual if you like). As in a lot of home automation actually makes things worse. Replacing a convenient light switch with an app? 100% terrible idea and actually makes thing…

> As in a lot of home automation actually makes things worse. Replacing a convenient light switch with an app? 100% terrible idea and actually makes things inconvenient, don't automate those. The key to proper home automation is not to destroy the "normal" functions already in place, but to augment them with automation. Smart switches that do not function without connectivity are not smart. I discourage new implement…

I love my smart plugs and power strips! Mostly not for lighting or other high-touch purposes, but I do use a few Lutron Caseta plug-in dimmers for lamps that aren't on switched outlets as the remotes can go in a standard Decora-style wall plate and they work regardless of the hub being online.

I've got Zigbee and Wi-Fi/Tasmota outlets running the heating and lighting for my chicken brooders[0], my partner's plant lights, fish tank lights, probably more that I'm forgetting. At our cabin the mountains, an outlet + temperature sensor combined with Home Assistant's Thermostat helper gives us temperature control over an extremely basic window A/C unit and we cast an HA dashboard to a nearby Google Home screen. A smart power strip controls all of our "cabin intra" -- router, cable modem, LTE backup, etc. HA automations monitor them all and restart anything that stops working, and a Tasmota rule ensures that nothing can gets stuck in the Off state due to automation failure or operator error.

[0] https://imgur.com/a/uDGYBzh

Re: $30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener (2024)

#140

Post by yojo »

kayodelycaon wrote: post #77
foobarian wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blinds shown under this article are pretty ordinary vinyl type blinds that leak a ton of light. I wish I could find blinds thick enough to behave like cardboard over windows, that could also be opened on a daily cadence. At this point I gave up on blinds and put a shirt over my eyes to sleep. I thought about just covering the windows permanently but I don't relish that idea.

If you get desperate, you can use painter’s tape and aluminum foil.

I do this at airbnbs when I'm traveling, particularly in the summer in Europe. The number of bedrooms I've been in with only gauzy curtains that get full morning sun is mind boggling. Hat tip to The Martian for turning me on to the trick.
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