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Pimoroni Automation HAT mini

feiticeir0

Hi everyone ! Hope to find you all well !

 

Since everyone will be using the Automation HAT mini, Pimoroni, in their blog, have a wonderful post about the Hat, written by Tanya Fish.

 

Just head to https://blog.pimoroni.com/automation-hat-tanya-teardown/  and read. Everything you need to know about the HAT workings and what does every output, input and relay do and how to work with them.

The post isn't really about the mini, but still applies.

 

They also have a getting started tutorial, but the blog post is better and more detailed (IMHO).

 

Happy coding .

 

JUST A SIDE NOTE: After reading the post, I got confused if the relay and the output wouldn't be the same thing. In a very short explanation: they are, in a sense, but the relay really cuts all the power (no electricity flowing) and the outputs still leave a bit of electricity flowing even if "turned off".

  • Tanyas work is always awesome, thanks for sharing!

  • Hello Bruno

    About outputs: you are right. Also consider that sink outputs can handle up to 500 mA whereas the relay can handle 2A

     

    Bye

  • in reply to amgalbu

    Hi !

     

    I know, thank you !

    I'm having a weird problem now - Using outputs to turn the grow lights on/off (12volts) - because the mini only has 1 relay - and it's working, but after 10s of the output is on, the relay starts working.. WTF ???

    I have the water pump connected to the relay and the lights to the output.. Very weird... Need to dig a bit more..

  • Hi Bruno and fellow challengers

    Nice to see a few challengers experimenting with the Kit. I have been experimenting with the 2 hats.

    Nice to know about what everyone is finding with the kit.

     

    In my blog Blog# 5 EAS - Research and Unboxing of the challenge kit, I am trying to translate the existing information in the few blogs, (including the excellent one Bruno has supplied ) ,that I have found on the Internet. Fell free to comment on it's contents, if you get some time.

     

    All the blogs that I reference in my blog , are pertaining to other models of the Hats. Which IMHO, was a bit confusing at first, but I was able to make sense with a little  bit of experimenting.

     

    I did find the blog on the Enviro helpful Getting Started with Enviro+  , and would have been nice to include the Enviro+ in the challenge, but  the Enviro will do, .I did find some problems in the Automation Hat blog though. the curl install script does not install the examples? for example.

     

    Code on

    Steve K

  • in reply to skruglewicz

    Hi !

     

    Nice you are experimenting and helping out others.

     

    It's true, the bash script does not install the examples. You need to clone the git repository - although you're not going to install it from source - to get the examples directory (or just download one by one ).

     

    Their instructions are also not clear, you also need to enable the SPI interface with raspi-config (or is it for the enviro hat? I'm confused already.. )

  • in reply to skruglewicz

    Hi stephen!

     

    I did use the Curl but it did, just it finds some strange error.

     

    Oh! You need to enable SPI!

     

    Thanks Bruno!

     

    Good luck everyone and happy making!

  • in reply to feiticeir0

    Thanks Bruno

    yes I was going to do that next, and get the examples manually.
    I think the SPI interface was for the environment but I’ll double check.
    my tests were working as I described in my blog so I don’t think  that’s the issue.
    Any case thanks so much for your collaboration I’ll update my blog with my findings.
    stay tuned

    Steve K

  • in reply to raspberrypitechguy

    Hi

    I got a directory  not found and then when I created the Directory and Re installed it didn’t install the examples either. That’s what I experienced. The test scripts I described in my blog worked on the automation hat so I don’t think it’s the SPI but I will investigate

    steveK

  • Interesting hat.  I might consider using this if i replace an arduino project for sensing co2 level, opening and closing freshair return dampers.