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https://github.com/cemrajc/smart-autocurtains

An Arduino based smart-curtain implementation.
https://github.com/cemrajc/smart-autocurtains

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An Arduino based smart-curtain implementation.

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README 

        
# Smart Auto-curtain System



A foundational system for controlling a stepper motor based on remote input,

ambient light readings and locally measured temperature.



Every curtain system is different, so some independent design is required.



**Please read this whole document before building! Seriously!** (I mean, c'mon,

it's not that long - it'll save you a bunch of time in the setup)



## What it does



The basic system will open or close curtains based on remote control input. In

the event of remote control failure, the system has two integrated buttons to

operate the curtains.



**However,** the system can do much more than simple remote operation. If

"Auto-brightness control" is enabled, the system will close the blinds if

outside light levels exceed a pre-determined threshold. This is to assist with

sleeping in bright-early environments.



Also, depending on the local temperature (and your currently active settings),

the system may open the blinds to allow sunlight or air circulation.



Note that the system does not use the local time to operate, because the

hardware required adds unnecessary complexity to the setup and user operation of

the system.



## System components:



1. Arduino Nano

    * Could be substituted for a different type of Arduino

    * Minimum specs:

    * Must have a regulated power supply

2. Stepper Motor and controller (more info - todo)

3. 5V power supply and cable (more info - check max rating for stepper)

4. 2 momentary push buttons

5. 1 photoresistor

6. 1 temperature sensor

7. 1 IR LED (for receiving remote signals)

8. 1 RGB LED (or 3 separate red, green, blue LEDs - diffused!)

9. Arbitrary IR remote (buttons will be programmed in)

10. Perforated circuit board (minimum 300x250)

11. Solid-core wire (cleaner than stranded)

12. Resistors (220, 1k, 10k)

13. Cardboard / MDF (more info when final casing completed)

14. Bump-press limit switch (for homing the system)



## Tools required:



1. Soldering Iron and Small Fan (to evacuate soldering smoke)

2. Wire strippers (optional, but highly recommended)

3. Screwdriver



## Building (TODO)



# Set-up procedure



The Smart Autocurtains require the following setup:



* Set the remote buttons

* Set the "away" position



These settings are saved in the Arduino's non-volatile memory, so the settings

are not wiped in a loss-of-power event. In other words, you should only have

to set up the system once.



Before attempting setup, make sure that the power is on. The system should

flash a green LED once when the power is turned on. Then, the curtains will

automatically seek the home position. If it is the first run, a red LED should

turn on next.



## Setting remote buttons



When you first run the system (or run it after a user-reset), you will need to

record the buttons on your remote. Every remote is different, however this

should still be a simple procedure. If you have difficulties, try changing the

remote you are using and making sure the remote is functional.



To check that your remote has battery, point a smartphone camera at the IR LED

on the front. Then, press a button. If the camera shows a flash, then the

remote is functional.



Some remotes are more reliable than others. Hold the remote a least 2 feet

(0.5 meters) away from the IR receiver and press each button quickly.



To record which buttons do what, follow these steps:



1. Observe that a red LED is lit up on the device (first run only)

1. Press the button on the remote that you want to correspond to "open"

1. Keep pressing this button (it needs four consecutive signals). If the LED flashes Red/Blue (Purple) then the remote sent a partial signal and you need to start again. Make sure that each press is quick.

1. Observe that the system flashes a blue LED exactly once

1. Choose and press the "close" button on the remote (4 times again)

1. Observe that the system flashes a blue LED exactly twice

1. Choose and press the "cancel" button (same deal as with the others)

1. Observe that the system flashes a blue LED exactly three times

1. Choose and press the "auto-dawn" button (to enable/disable closing the curtains when it gets bright in the morning)

1. Observe that the system flashes a blue LED exactly four times

1. Choose and press the "auto-temp" button (to enable/disable force-opening the curtains when the temperature exceeds 28 degrees C)

1. Observe that the system flashes a blue LED exactly five times and the curtains proceed to the home position



Note that it will take about 30 seconds for the settings to be saved into the

permanent memory, so don't power down the system at least until then.



**Important:** on first run, be prepared to quickly power down the system in

the event that the homing switch does not function correctly. If the stepper

is allowed to run past home, it may stall and/or cause damage to the device or

your curtains.



Now is a good time to mention that we take no responsibility for any damages

caused by the system (although, to be fair, it's pretty unlikely that anything

seriously bad could happen).



## Setting home and away positions



#### What are home and away positions?



The curtains have two key positions, "home" and "away". The home position is

set by where the homing switch is placed. Depending on how the system is set

up, home and away could be in very different places. Regardless, home is the

position the curtains should be in when _open_. Home is set automatically by

the system, assuming the limit switch is properly in place.



Once home is found (the system re-homes every time on startup), the "away"

position must be set by the user (if it has not been already). 



#### How to set the away position



To set the away position, wait for the "red blue" LED sequence (purple on an

RGB system) and then proceed to press and hold the open/close buttons (on the

remote, or the onboard buttons) to set the away position. If the directions

are wrong (i.e the open button closes the curtains) then you will need to

switch the rails to which the curtains are clipped.



_Note:_ Holding down a button may not work on some remotes. In this case, you

will need to repeatedly press the open/close remote buttons to step the

curtains into the desired position. Alternatively, press and hold the onboard

system buttons (this should always work).



Once you are happy with the curtain's position as the "away" position, press

and hold both onboard buttons for 2 seconds. The away position is now set, it

should not need to be set again (unless you reset the system).



## All done!



When the away position is set successfully, the device should flash a green

LED. Your Smart Autocurtains are now ready for use!



# How to use the Smart Autocurtains



Once the curtains are set up according to the above procedure, you can operate

the curtains in the following ways:



## Using the remote



With a single press of the open or close buttons, the curtains will travel the

full distance to the home/away position respectively. If you only want the

curtains, say half-open, then press the cancel button halfway through the

motion.



Once a motion is canceled, a subsequent motion will pick back up from where

the curtains currently are.



Note that, since this system is designed to be flexible, remote performance is

not always as good as if it was a native system.



## Using the on-board buttons



There are two buttons, one to open, and one to close. If both buttons are

pressed at once, the curtains will cancel their current motion (assuming there

is one being made).



**WARNING:** When you first press a button, the system needs time to wake up

from low power mode. Because of this, you may need to hold one of the buttons

for at most 1 second to get the system to respond. The system will re-enter

low power mode after 10 seconds of no user input.



If both buttons are pressed and held for 4 seconds, the entire system should

reset - including clearing all settings, remote buttons and positions. The

system will need to be setup from scratch if reset in this way.



## With the "smart" features



There are two smart features, "autodawn control" and "autotemp control". These

smart features operate the curtains without user input in response to readings

from light and temperature sensors.



To **enable/disable** these features individually, press the corresponding buttons

on the remote that were recorded during setup and observe that the system

should flash a red or green LED for "off" or "on" respectively.



## Autodawn



This feature is the reason this system exists. Where I (the developer) live,

it gets fairly bright at around 4 or 5am. I prefer to wake up at 7am, but the sun

won't let me. You get the idea.



The system uses a light sensor to determine if it is currently night. It does

this by waiting for the light levels to drop below a "night-time" threshold

for a minimum of 30 minutes. If it is night (or the system _thinks_ it is),

then the curtains will open, to allow air circulation.



Then, when light levels exceed the "night-time" threshold level for at least

30 minutes, the system will close the blinds to prevent early-brightness from

waking you up.



## Autotemp



Having the curtains closed for brightness is only good as long as the

temperature is bearable. Based on external research, 28 degrees C is a general

threshold at which humans find it difficult to sleep. For this reason, if

autotemp is enabled, the curtains will be forced to open to allow air

circulation - regardless of autodawn. Of course, user input will override the

auto-temp setting (for up to 1 hour) unless autotemp is disabled, and then re-

enabled.



Whether or not this feature makes sense for you depends on your unique

circumstance. It also assumes that your windows are actually open - otherwise,

all it does is let in sunlight and make things worse!



# Common Issues



## I have to hold the on-board button before it works



This is normal. When you first press a button, the system needs time to wake

up from low power mode. Because of this, you may need to hold one of the

buttons for at most 1 second to get the system to respond. The system will re-

enter low power mode after 10 seconds of no user input.



## My remote doesn't work when I try to set it up



Try another remote. The system should recognize most remotes, but there are a

few whacky ones out there that don't work for some reason. If you can't get a

_normal_ Infra-Red TV remote to work, and you've tried other remotes, then you

may need to reset the system.



## My remote doesn't work anymore - it used to!



To check that your remote has battery, point a smartphone camera at the IR LED

on the front. Then, press a button that you have recorded on the system. If

the camera shows a flash, then the remote is functional.



If your remote is working, but the system is not responding, then try holding

the remote really close to the IR receiver on the device, shielding if from

the environment with your hand. If this fixes the problem, you will need to

identify possible sources of infra-red interference and remove them from the

environment.



If the system still doesn't work, follow the troubleshooting procedure below

to cycle the power, and if necessary, reset the entire system.



## I have some other problem



Follow the troubleshooting procedure below. If this still does not resolve

your issue, then I'm out of ideas. If you find a problem that is not resolved

by following the procedure below, don't hesitate to open a GitHub Issue and I

will try to work with you to resolve the problem.



# Troubleshooting



## Deep cycle the power



If the system is malfunctioning, follow these steps to try and resolve the issue:



1. Turn the system off with the power switch, then turn off the switch at the wall.

2. Wait for 5 seconds to ensure all power has drained from the system

3. Turn the wall switch back on (nothing should be happening yet)

4. Turn the device's power switch back on



Now, you should see the system flash a green LED twice and the system should

go to home.



## Well, that didn't fix it.



Press and hold the onboard buttons for 4 seconds. The system should flash a

red LED twice, then reset itself - clearing all settings. Then, go through the

setup procedure again and see if the system is now functioning correctly.



You should not have to do this often/at all. If you find yourself regularly

doing this, then check that the stepper is rotating _continuously_ (i.e. no

jumpiness or skips) when opening/closing the curtains. If it does not rotate

continuously, then you will need to reduce the torque on the stepper by either

adjusting the curtains, so they move with less friction, or by upgrading the

stepper motor to one with higher torque. A stepper upgrade is difficult work,

and is left as an exercise only to advanced users. 



## Something is probably broken.



If there are no green flashes on startup, confirm that the LEDs are functional.

Still no flashes, then either there is something wrong with the code, or the

Arduino is malfunctioning - possibly due to loose connections, or a short

circuit. If you have made modifications to the code, you will need to debug it

yourself.



If you do see two green flashes, the system should move the curtains

to the home position. If the curtains do not move, and are not already at the

home position, check the wiring to the stepper motor and confirm that power is

being correctly applied.



If the wiring is correct, and still no motion, use your fingers to test the

temperature of the motor and all the IC's (integrated circuit chips). They

should all be at room temperature, or only slightly warm. If any of the chips

are too hot to touch, immediately power down the system and triple check the

wiring, paying careful attention to potential short circuits due to faulty

resistors/capacitors.



If the curtains move, but do not stop when they reach home (or they home too

early/at random positions) power down the system and confirm that the limit

switch is functioning correctly and is properly hooked up to the Arduino.



If the curtains do not reliably return to the home and away positions, go to

the previous section to check that the stepper is functioning correctly.