Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

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rellik
 
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Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:48 pm

Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

Post by rellik »

Here's my first pass at what seems to be a popular self-education project: a thermostat. I'd be interested in feedback, particularly from people that have done similar projects :) I use Google Calendar for scheduling, and nodeJS for logging/graphing

The details: http://www.plainlystated.com/2011/07/bu ... g-arduino/

The schedule: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?s ... ca/Chicago

The graphs: http://hot-or-not.plainlystated.com/

skylen
 
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:54 pm

Re: Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

Post by skylen »

Thanks for sharing your project. Have you found that your new “Arduniostat” provides better temperature accuracy than your original thermostat? My digital thermostat (a basic model that appears similar to your original one) feels like it has fairly poor temperature measurement accuracy.

I have been working on a similar design myself; however, my goal is not so much the programmable set-point scheduling, or even more accuracy temperature measurement, but rather I want to convert to a zoned HVAC system. Rarely-used and isolated rooms, and the entire downstairs, can get absolutely frigid, while the upstairs kitchen and dining area is still uncomfortably warm. Not to mention there's no point in controlling the climate to rooms that are going to be unused for most of the day.

Because I have an already-finished house and HVAC system, the hardest part will probably be designing motorized dampers for each vent in the house. The dampers will have to be both inexpensive and easy to install without ripping into walls or ceilings. I am thinking of either a small geared-motor assembly, hobby servo, or stepper motor to rotate an aluminum damper plate through a 90° range; this assembly would be installed in every vent in the house. I may run CAT5 UTP (Plenum rated) through the HVAC ducts to supply power and communication lines to each damper. The DIY Zoning project has a lot of useful information. (I prefer that my system is implemented entirely in a self-contained microcontrolled system rather than take the PC-centric approach of DIY Zoning, however.)

rellik
 
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:48 pm

Re: Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

Post by rellik »

Skylen,

My old thermostat had horrible temperature sensing, and this one one (based on adafruit's TMP36) is greatly improved. I have it set to kick on/off if the sensed temperature is more than one degree (F) away from the desired temp, and it feels much more stable than the old system.

Your zoned HVAC sounds very cool! Hopefully you'll put up some cool guides when you get yours working :)

belibaste
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 5:07 am

Re: Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

Post by belibaste »

Hello,
Sorry formy bad english, I am french.

well I want to use google calendar for switching ON/OFF digit input of my Arduino.
How do you realise this ?

rellik
 
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:48 pm

Re: Adruino Thermostat + Google Calendar

Post by rellik »

belibaste wrote:Hello,
Sorry formy bad english, I am french.

well I want to use google calendar for switching ON/OFF digit input of my Arduino.
How do you realise this ?
My thermostat is connected to a computer via USB, and that computer has a program that periodically connects to google plus to query the status. You can find my code (written in nodeJS, though any language will do just fine) on github: https://github.com/plainlystated/Thermostat

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