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Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

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Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#31

Post by aequitas »

dirktheman wrote: post #17

It's a cool project, but for these kind of things I'd rather use a Shelly1. Runs locally, can easily be flashed with Tasmota firmware and it connects to my Home Assistant instance. This thing has never failed me and it's only $15, way cheaper than a Pi (keep the RBPi as your Home Assistant server!)

I second this. Pi is well suited for HA if you don't do have database stuff. And the Shelly allows to still keep manual controls in case your automation is broken.

Although I've grown cautious of products like Shelly which use Wifi as they will become obsolete once their Wifi security protocol becomes broken (like WEP en WPA). But then again the same probably goes for more expensive Zigbee and Zwave devices.

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#32

Post by dkdk8283 »

zaabis wrote: post #20
dkdk8283 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check the todo to start: > Add laser beam switches with reflector (stops & reverses the door when interrupted, for safety reasons) Garage doors also have torque limits. If there’s an obstruction (such as a person) the door stops or reverses direction.

The UI is built with that in mind. - User has to keep pressing UP/DOWN buttons in order the door to work. - If connection is lost door stops. - If there are both actions door stops. - If there are hardware actions and phone actions door stops. The beams are also considered as a feature.

Since it’s WLAN the door can operated outside line of sight. Door should reverse, otherwise someone could get pinned.

I don’t have small children so I’m not personally worried, but I do question if the deviation from standard automatic door UX is a good decision.

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#35

Post by zaabis »

metaphor wrote: post #28
snickmy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All valid points, the beauty of Github is that you can write a pull request and add all those informations to the project, or even better, you can write what an alternative solution would be 'Instead of using X, you can use Y'. If you feel extreme generous you could even use this as a teaching opportunity. Explain concept like Creepage starting from the existing example and propose the alternative solution from there…

A courtesy HN response and 3 self-service pointers is the limit of my generosity...for everything else, find a charity.

A PR would be great actually. Open source projects are amazing and more people can use it safe. Or you can share here the improvements and will modify it myself.

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#36

Post by GordonS »

theamk wrote: post #3
zaabis wrote: post #2

Garage door opener using raspberry pi and web technologies. Features: - Web interface with multiple user accounts. - React/Material UI front end. - NodeJS backend with registration/login flows.

.. all data stored on SD card and lost during one of power outages / if someone bumps the cable / if it gets too hot in the summer

Not sure this actually happens. In practice.

A friend works at an oil company, and they have dozens of rpis deployed on offshore rigs, and in land rigs in the middle east. They are working in pretty harsh conditions, with high salinity, sand in the air, high vibrations, very low temps, very high temps... and yet over the 6 years they have been running, not 1 has had a fault.

All use SD cards, and they haven't been glued in or secured in any way.

At this point, the RPi SD-card fault thing is becoming a meme.

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#37

Post by dirktheman »

aequitas wrote: post #31
dirktheman wrote: post #17

It's a cool project, but for these kind of things I'd rather use a Shelly1. Runs locally, can easily be flashed with Tasmota firmware and it connects to my Home Assistant instance. This thing has never failed me and it's only $15, way cheaper than a Pi (keep the RBPi as your Home Assistant server!)

I second this. Pi is well suited for HA if you don't do have database stuff. And the Shelly allows to still keep manual controls in case your automation is broken. Although I've grown cautious of products like Shelly which use Wifi as they will become obsolete once their Wifi security protocol becomes broken (like WEP en WPA). But then again the same probably goes for more expensive Zigbee and Zwave devices.

My WiFi-connected IOT devices run on a separate network, with outgoing connections disabled, but that's more out of a privacy concern.

I'm a big fan of IOT and home automation, with one exception: door locks. I wouldn't trust any electronic device with my door lock. There's just so much more that can go wrong, both from a technical and a security standpoint. Also, electronic door locks aren't THAT more convenient than my physical house key.

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#38

Post by jmwilson »

metaphor wrote: post #19
zaabis wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate?

For starters, 240VAC input represented by what appears to be a vanilla barrel jack; PCB relay module that doesn't look like it'd come close to meeting clearance, creepage, etc requirements expected of such applications; wiring represented as discrete point-to-point while completely ignoring the importance of gauge, insulation rating, etc. I just hope an ignorant passerby doesn't try to hack this up with speaker wire…

It's a Fritzing diagram, which is to say it's a schematic, not a layout. So the thickness of lines should not be taken as indicative of any physical properties like connector style, wire gauge, or insulation. Clearance and creepage are concerns for PCB designers, but there doesn't seem to be any custom PCB layout and design work here - why mention it?

Re: Show HN: Raspberry Pi garage door opener

#39

Post by zaabis »

las_balas_tres wrote: post #34

Don't commercial garage door openers have safety mechanisms to cut out the motor if there is a blockage. e.q. if someone gets caught under the door they won't get killed by the motor still trying to close the door but will rather cut out

They do, check the comments the UI has some protection already built in. The rest are feature requests.
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