Automatic Window Blinds Controller (PICAXE)

Step 15 Make, Hack, and Enjoy

Building projects is always fun. Building projects that have some practical purpose or that solve a problem are even more fun. This is one project that I get to enjoy everyday. It is so nice to have my blinds open every morning and close every evening. As an added bonus my house plants are much healthier too.

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Comments

[purpulhaze]

I'm interested in doing a project like this but with an avr microcontroller instead. Can you give me a lil more detail as to how you got the timing of the motor to work?

[biochemtronics]

 I have never used a AVR so I cannot help you with that. To get the timing correct I installed the unit on my blinds and kept changing the time settings until it opened and closed the way I wanted it to. Others have used limit switches to control the full open and full close positions. This works much better but requires mechanically attaching the switches to the blinds.

[purpulhaze]

I've been checking out that Solarbotics GM3 Gear Motor but can't figure what it really is. Is it a servo or stepper motor? Maybe more like both? Since I live in an apartment I need to design it so that it can fit outside of the blinds without modification. So it would have to control the hand rod. I don't think I can use a servo since I believe I need maybe a few revolutions to open or close. I'm thinking of using a stepper or maybe that Solarbotics GM3 Gear Motor.

My plan is to get a working wired prototype. Then I would like to make it wireless and be able to be controlled via my pc or remotely through the web. 

Connecting directly to a microcontroller seems straight forward but when I start thinking about going wireless it seems a lil' more complex and maybe a bit pricey too.

What are your thoughts on this?

[biochemtronics]

 Purpulhaze: The G# is neither a stepper or a servo. It is simply a gear motor. Using my design won't require any modification of the blind. As far as controlling the unit with no wires would be simple. Doing it remotely is a little more involved than i can handle. 

[purpulhaze]

kd5crs posted " The motor controls the shaft inside directly,rather than through the worm gear on the hand-turn rod." Didn'tthink this could be done without at least some modification to theblinds.

I think I figured out how I'm gonna to do it all. Got a lil' confusedtrying to figure out how to get one microcontroller to do everything.So  I'm not going to go that route. One microcontroller for theblinds module that would be connect  to a 2 channel rf wirelessmodule I purchased off of ebay.  Then I'll wire the remote to myarduino. As long as my computer is on I can telnet or remote desktop tocontrol the blinds. 

Love your instructable. Thanks for sharing. It's perfect for some of myhome automation projects.