Newb looking for information on home automation

Hi folks,

New here, not new to programming and embedded systems. And I like to communicate with others of similar interests when I'm getting started in an area of interest.

At the moment I'm looking into home automation or more appropriately, automating things around the home using stuff like Arduino and perhaps other microcontrollers. (Right now I'm working with the STM32F4 and a demo board for that can be purchased for about $15. Not as simple to use but about 10x the power of the Arduino.)

One of the needs I want to fulfill is wireless networking. I really want to be able to connect these devices to a central PC so I can monitor and control the various devices.

Now I just need to figure out the best forum to ask about this

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dougw over 11 years ago

Hi Hank,
One module you might check out is the Cypress Semiconductor PSoC4 Prototyping Kit. It costs $4 and includes a system-on-a-chip ARM Cortex M0 MCU. The PSoC Creator development environment is very powerful, easy to use and it is free - and it is not crippled in any way.
I have used it in a couple of home automation projects so far. I use Bluetooth for wireless because I can use any smart phone to control the system and HC05 Bluetooth modules are inexpensive. Bluetooth reaches every part of my 2-storey house and its basement.
You can check my projects here:
Henrietta's Daughter - Smart Thermostat
Henrietta - The Clock Version
Cypress also has a Pioneer Kit based on the same processor which costs a bit more, but is arduino compatible:
Smarter Life Challenge - The Henrietta Project - Final Summary
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dougw over 11 years ago

Hi Hank,
One module you might check out is the Cypress Semiconductor PSoC4 Prototyping Kit. It costs $4 and includes a system-on-a-chip ARM Cortex M0 MCU. The PSoC Creator development environment is very powerful, easy to use and it is free - and it is not crippled in any way.
I have used it in a couple of home automation projects so far. I use Bluetooth for wireless because I can use any smart phone to control the system and HC05 Bluetooth modules are inexpensive. Bluetooth reaches every part of my 2-storey house and its basement.
You can check my projects here:
Henrietta's Daughter - Smart Thermostat
Henrietta - The Clock Version
Cypress also has a Pioneer Kit based on the same processor which costs a bit more, but is arduino compatible:
Smarter Life Challenge - The Henrietta Project - Final Summary
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e14 Contributor over 11 years ago in reply to dougw

Thanks for the tip and toe link to your writeup. It amazes me what a few $$$ will buy!

Edit: I wonder if this setup could be supported by GCC on Linux.
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