Beginner advice - automatic blind opener.

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

Hi,

I am absolute beginner to Arduino and hoping to to learn the ropes with my first project.

I have a blind in my kitchen that opens and closes via a vertical poll that you twist round.

I am hoping to put together a small device that can do the following:

  • Automatically and close via a motor
  • Be controlled via a light sensor mounted to the glass (i.e. so it automatically closes when it starts getting dark outside).
  • Be powered by a rechargeable battery
  • Contain a small solar panels, afixed to the window, that keeps the battery topped up.

Is this actually achievable?

If so, I would be really grateful for some advice on what parts to buy.

Thanks

2

Interesting that there were 17 views of your post before me - I suspect, that if they were viewed by experienced Arduinites (new word, just invented) then they exhaled a collective sigh and moved on.

As a self-confessed absolute beginner you have a lot to learn - it's not quite like putting LEGO block together, although once you have some basic understanding it can be like that.

These are the [some of] topics you need to understand to achieve your goal:

  1. How to interpret the light sensor
  2. How to charge a battery without it exploding AND how to monitor the battery level
  3. How to power a (stepper) motor to turn that blind rod the exact number of times before it breaks (or doesn't quite open the blind)
  4. How to put your Arduino to sleep for long periods, waking now and again to check light levels
  5. How to connect the Arduino to your PC
  6. How to upload the simplest of programs to it and understand what is going on (port-wise)

If this project is your ultimate goal after a few weeks of doing the above then YES! Of course it is do-able. By you, right now, as your very first project. Not a chance. You'll get frustrated, post a zillion questions on this forum (that's fine, it's what the forum is for) and eventually decide it 'just didn't work'.

This is NOT meant to demotivate you at all, but you have to be realistic. If a person could not drive a car (and had never learned to do so) you wouldn't give them a large truck and say "Drive this to the warehouse and reverse into that small space leaving enough space for the tailgate to come down", would you?

So I would say, go and buy a UNO, a light dependent resistor (photo-resistor) and see how you get on. That will show you (and us) how well you can implement the simple things before spending money on something that may never get implemented.

If you succeed in that quest then you can probably work out some of the other components you need but will probably seek a second and third opinion here again - and I look forward to that day, really I do.

Take the leap but not into an abyss. Other responders may think I'm being unduly pessimistic but I've seen it too many times before that initially enthusiastic hobbyists take on too much too soon and then give up, such a shame,

Anyone else care to comment?

3

What may be of use to you when/if you eventually become engaged in your project is this. I post mention of it since it may also be of interest to other Arduinites. I have not used/tested the one I bought so cannot attest to it's performance. It is advertised as 10000mAh but mine arrived marked as 20000mAh. - Scotty

4

scottyjr:
What may be of use to you when/if you eventually become engaged in your project is this.

Access denied

5

Good advice. Don't try to do the whole project at once. Break it down into sections that you can use later.

Buy an Arduino Uno, install the IDE and experiment with the example programs so that you get used to program structure. Change the examples so that you get used to the effects of what you do. Make the LED blink faster or slower than the Blink example. Understand how the BlinkWithoutDelay example works and why it is better than Blink. Change BWOD so that the on and off periods are different. Read a potentiometer input and print the value that you receive from the pin that it is connected to. Make the LED blink when the pot is at one end of its travel and not the other. Make the blink period in BWD proportional to the pot position.

All of this (and more) will give you a good grounding in using the Arduino environment and hardware. Read Stepper Motor basics to see how to control a stepper motor then buy one and experiment. Make it run faster/slower. I am afraid that I can offer no advice as to the size/type of stepper motor required to drive your window blind.

6

Access denied

Thank You. Fixed. - Scotty

7

Thank You. Fixed. - Scotty

Nope. "Access denied"

8

scottyjr:
Thank You. Fixed. - Scotty

try again..... (NEXT!) :slight_smile:

"I" think its a doable.. and as a 'whole' a nice beginner project.

I say that because its made up of several 'beginner steps/projects' that should be done individually.. and then combined into 1 working project.

In my mind.. some of the 'questionable' stuff comes up when thinking about:

1.) Solar panel for charging? (havent played with any myself).. but you mentioned you wanted things small/discrete.. have you thought how.where you are going to mount this?

2.) same for the servo or stepper motor.. thoughts about you want to mount/secure this to the 'knob/nub' where the stick/pole attaches? (motor needs to be secured so when it spins only the nub spins.

Still using a stepper, photoresistor are all nice beginner things to play around with and get comfortable with.

Myself.. I would suggest by-passing the charging of the battery until you get comfortable with things.. (over-charging circuits is not something to ignore/take lightly)

swapping out a simple cell is easier until you get 'hang' of things..