Hi everyone,
I'm studying Computer Engineering and just got my graduation project. It's Arduino.
I don't have lots of experience with it, but it's what's necessary. So, I'm not yet seeking for a technical help, I'm just trying to put everything together in my head, so I don't make a mistake. I'm interested in your opinion.
They want me to turn on and off a bunch of home appliances with voice commands from a phone. If the wrong voice command is entered, it should send an SMS to a bla... bla... That's mobile application part. It's rather long.
First thing came to my mind is to get an Arduino Uno, a Bluetooth module and some relays to get these things done. Electronics is easy.
The thing is, I never worked with Bluetooth before. There're HC-06's, AT-09's, HM-10's. What would you guys recommend? I made a research. I got confused.
After, I get the Bluetooth module working with Arduino, connect Uno's output to relays and stuff, I mean after I'm done with the hardware part in general. Is there an easier way to code a mobile application that works with Arduino?
I'm planning to use Google's -or I don't know whose- voice API's to get speech recognition working. And I have send a string to the Arduino itself from that voice recognition. How can I code this?
Like I said, I'm not looking for the code. I'm interested in opinions. Any recommendations?
How long do you have for this project? It is pretty ambitious for a first project.
Do your teachers have any experience with arduino? Do they actualy yave an idea of what you are getting into?
MIT app inventor is pretty easy i got control over my esp8266 module turning lights on and off in just a hour on app inventor. (This was after i had everything working outside the app part).
Have you thought about espmodules? Have a look at the Wemos D1 Mini. Wifi enabled and arduino code compatible. Better range than bluetooth, pretty cheap, small, good allrounder to start with.
Bringamosa:
How long do you have for this project? It is pretty ambitious for a first project.
Do your teachers have any experience with arduino? Do they actualy yave an idea of what you are getting into?
MIT app inventor is pretty easy i got control over my esp8266 module turning lights on and off in just a hour on app inventor. (This was after i had everything working outside the app part).
Have you thought about espmodules? Have a look at the Wemos D1 Mini. Wifi enabled and arduino code compatible. Better range than bluetooth, pretty cheap, small, good allrounder to start with.
Thank you for the reply.
I'm on the first stage of the graduation project. Where you explain the stuff you're going to build and write a report about it. So, I have around 9-10 months until the deadline. I can learn in the meantime. I just need the right equipment and the right source. My teachers are very old. They taught us MIPS, 8086, 8051 and logic systems. They also have no experience with Arduino. But I really want to learn about it.
To be honest for the project no one cares about the range and the size. It's an academic thing. But if you believe that it'll be better, I'm getting one, and saving the bluetooth module as a plan B.
Should it be specifically Wemos D1 Mini? Because I found really cheap ESP stuff in Aliexpress. "LOLIN D1 mini" it says.
Wait with gathering stuff allready. These are ideas that come to my mind. Maybe other people have other good ideas. Give it some time so you can evaluate all the thoughts people come with.
More info might be needed do you have any experience at all with arduino? Do you own one? If so what are you able to do with it allready? You talk about relays, can you use them allready with arduino, same so with bluetooth.
It is important for people to know before they can help with suggestions.
In the mean while you can look up the diffrences between available arduinos and esp's. There are many in much diffrent sizes and prizes.
For me the biggest obstacle of a project like this would be the coding we can't say what would be yours. Again be more spacific about what you allready can.
Bringamosa:
Wait with gathering stuff allready. These are ideas that come to my mind. Maybe other people have other good ideas. Give it some time so you can evaluate all the thoughts people come with.
More info might be needed do you have any experience at all with arduino? Do you own one? If so what are you able to do with it allready? You talk about relays, can you use them allready with arduino, same so with bluetooth.
It is important for people to know before they can help with suggestions.
In the mean while you can look up the diffrences between available arduinos and esp's. There are many in much diffrent sizes and prizes.
For me the biggest obstacle of a project like this would be the coding we can't say what would be yours. Again be more spacific about what you allready can.
I have an Arduino Uno. I've only tried the basics. Turning on and off a LED with pulses and stuff. Coding in Arduino seems pretty basic compared to assembly. I loved it.
I'm familiar with other, older microprocessors like 8086's assembly language, MIPS's architecture and stuff.
Electronically I can design anything because I, for a long time, as a hobby, studied audio amplifier designs and took basic engineering electronics courses. So relays and connections aren't a problem. I've seen some microprocessor compatible relays with driver units, but I can also design a driver unit. I know we shouldn't force Arduino's output more than 20mA. I think a driver unit will be required.
I also can code in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript and Python without any problems.
There're actually two things I'm not quite confident enough. I never used an ESP or Bluetooth and I never coded a mobile application. It was an elective course, I didn't take it. My biggest concern is, I have to learn how to make a mobile application, and I have to make it work with a Bluetooth or ESP module. I literally have no idea how. Good thing is, I have 10 months to learn. 
That is some useful information.
I have no experience with bluetooth.
I have no experience with app creation except app inventor. Very basic block style programming. It was easy to use.
I think the advantage of esp's is the wifi. The are many tutorials about (even setting up your own) iot server and controlling the gpio pins of your esp modules. You can do this on a network without internet access (own server) or you can use the free servers offers and control everything from anywhere in the world. Using
You can keep it simpler and have every esp run its own server and access then via any browser and toggle gpio pins. This is very easy to implement in a simple app via app inventor.
I know it is an instructable but a kind of decent one giving you a good idea about the app blynk.
Build for what you want but via wifi instead of bluetooth. Use an app to control stuff.
Note, i would not use a ESP8266-01 but a wemos d1 mini variant with a matching relay shield on top.