Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

aspork42 — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 02:52:14 GMT

This is awesome! I was /very/ close to adding PIR when I did my backsplash tile (video below) but IR light doesnt transmit through normal glass tile. I was going to embed the PIR sensor behind the tiles. In the end, I just embedded the LED strips, capacitive touch sensors, and one LDR photocell for sensing the lighting.

[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_df6y9scc4:740:466]

I will have to do a write up on this project at some point. I want to add a motion sensor in my kitchen to do just as you do as well. Here is an image of what the LDR reads out during a typical day (or at least this is what it read today).

This readout is an OpenHab display (in a web browser) which I have running on a cheap-o tablet which sits on the kitchen counter - it can briefly be seen in the video.

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-ee66d2ae-32a2-495e-a533-6498b565bd51/4152.contentimage_5F00_189940.jpg:620:465]

You can see the 'natural' changes in the lighting level and the plateaus where the normal kitchen lights went on and off.

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

danielw — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 14:12:25 GMT

Nice project! Using a PIR is a great idea. I still have 20W Halogens that I've been saying I'll replace when they fail. When they get left on in the kitchen, I walk in and count up 20W, 40W, 60W.... And think how much energy is being wasted.

How long and fast is your I2C Bus? I have never risked I2C other than on board comms thinking it is restricted to short distances. (I've just read at 10Kbaud it's 10m)

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

three-phase — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 21:15:34 GMT

Interesting project, look forward to future updates.

Kind regards.

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

shabaz — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 17:57:02 GMT

Just to put this out there as an idea (and maybe to be prior art to show it is in the public domain, if anyone tries to patent it in future : ) since the PIR is being used to detect humans, then that means it can also detect when humans are not present : ) and blast out light from UV LEDs. In other words, kill off bacteria on work surfaces, while people sleep and no-one is present to get exposed to the UV radiation. And auto-switch to normal lighting when people are present.

I've no idea if this is feasible or not.. never played with UV LEDs, nor deliberately played with bacteria : )

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

shabaz — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 00:15:38 GMT

Hi Gene,

This is very cool! It is a great idea to detect people and automate this. I wish I had considered that during the kitchen re-fit about 7 years ago, I implemented a push-to-select dim level (using an ATTiny doing PWM and a single waterproof push-button embedded in a tile) and as a result the under-cabinet lights tend to stay lit all day and night since it is just a small amount of power, but the very bad result was that the LEDs have significantly faded over the years, and some have failed in the strips. So now it looks not as nice : (

The PIR method would have extended their life massively, as would the phase 2 features you mention.

RE: Kitchen Lighting System Phase 2

DAB — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:49:40 GMT

Nice update to your project.

I look forward to reading your progress.

DAB