Full Automatic Roller Shutter Controller

Before introducing this project I would like to give credits to the people who's hard labour made this project possible :

The people from sunrise-sunset API :

https://sunrise-sunset.org/api

Rui and Sara Santos from Random Nerd Tutorials :

https://randomnerdtutorials.com/

The Micropython community :

https://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/esp8266/tut...

Alan Wang for his Web-based clock :

https://www.hackster.io/alankrantas/very-simple-mi...

Take care when building/testing/operating this project ! 220V( or 115V ) present ! Use at your own risk !

And now something completely different ( Monty Python ) ...

My roller shutters were oldskool pushbutton operated and I felt the need to improve . But it was almost impossible to use COTS ( commercial off the shelf ) stuff because the neutal wire was hidden somewhere ...

Because I don't like to use crowbars , sledgehammers and other heavy stuff let's have some electronic/software fun !

The solution is a battery-operated system , ultra-low-power , so an ESP8266 was chosen ( using the deepsleep mode ) . But if you can reach the neutral wire feel free to use a power supply .

Working principle is very simple : the controller is in deep-sleep mode for 10 minutes , wakes up and connects to your router . It fetches UTC time , sunrise-sunset times and compares them . After sunrise the shutters go up , after sunset they go down . When up a flag is set to prevent unnecessary relay operation ( save power ) , same logic if the shutters are down . Time accuracy is about 10 mins because of the sleep mode used .

Supplies

Hardware :

links are to my favourite supplier in the Netherlands :

ESP8266 controller ( use ESP12E) for low power : click here :-)

FTDI or other USB-to-serial programmer

2 Arduino 5V single relay modules : click here :-)

5V power supply ( if acces to neutral wire is possible) : click here :-)

2S1800mAh Lipo ( if not )

1 or 2 step-down converters ( 1 if power supply is used ) : Banggood or Ali

2 or 3 transistors BC547B ( 3 if optional buzzer is used )

5V buzzer ( optional )

3 resistors 27kOhm 1/4W

prototype PCB

connectors etc.

soldering gear

Software :

Micropython flashed into the ESP12E

Thonny IDE or your favourite environment

Step 1: Pick Your Version ( Battery or Line Operation )

If you have access to the neutral wire it's better to use the power-supply version , no need for a LiPo battery .

It's also possible to buy COTS-gear (what is COTS ?)and ignore this Instructable but it is more fun to DIY !

Remove the mechanical switches and look for the neutral wire ( caution : pull the circuit breakers first !! )

You'll need only one step-down converter and a decent 5V supply .

Refer to the schematics "line powered version " .

If you're unlucky : refer to the schematics "battery powered version" ...

Step 2: Test/Modify/Adjust Your Hardware

It is always a good idea to test your modules before putting things together . This will save troubleshooting time when Murphy strikes ( again ) ...

Line powered version : connect your 5V supply to the mains and verify 5V present at output .

Step-down converter : connect input to the 5V from the supply and carefully adjust for 3.3V .

Battery version : the safest thing to do is using a lab power supply set to 8V and current to 100mA or so .

If something is wrong a Lipo pack will smoke everything connected to it ...and sometimes itself ...

Adjust one converter to 5V ( relay power ) and one to 3.3V ( controller ) .

If OK both can have their inputs connected to the battery pack .

The relay modules can be tested very easily : connect 5V to Vcc , GND to GND and short the IN and GND terminals . Relay should "click" and green LED should illuminate . Red LED is always ON ( 5V power ) .

If both relay modules are tested and OK it's recommended to unsolder the red and green LED if you're building the battery powered version . Less power , more battery time ! If my calculations are OK the battery must be charged approx. every 40 days .

Step 3: Preparing the ESP12E

Because we all have different computers/operating systems it's kinda hard to write a guide on installing Micropython . But we have a helping hand from the people of Random Nerd Tutorials , they did an excellent job !

Here's the link : Installing Micropython

Thank you very much Rui and Sara Santos for your excellent work !

We are using the ESP12E to save power so we need an extra device to flash/program it . No problems , it's all covered here : see "uploading code to the ESP12E"

When using ESPtool.py it's best to erase the flash , then unplug the programmer and ESP12E , plug it in ,then flash the firmware . Disconnect . When done disconnect the GND-GPIO0 connection or the chip will enter flash mode when plugged in . Look for the REPL REPL micropython .

This can also be done in your favourite IDE ( I use Thonny on an Ubuntu machine ) .

Very important : check the firmware integrity : at the REPL , type :

import esp

esp.check_fw()

Output should be "True"

After flashing the firmware the ESP has boot.py already installed . Now download my silly script (main.py) . It must be edited ( Thonny again ...) in order to work . Change following lines :

ssid = "your_SSID"
pw = "your_password" with the correct SSID and password for your router .

url_time = "http://worldtimeapi.org/api/timezone/Europe/Brussels"

Replace Europe/Brussels with your location ( unless you're a Belgian like me )

url_sunrise_set = "https://api.sunrise-sunset.org/json?lat=51.16697&lng=4.45127&formatted=0"

here insert the correct lat/long values

up_relay.on()

utime.sleep(40) replace the "40" by the time (in seconds) needed for the shutters to open

up_relay.off()

do the same for the down_relay .

Done ? save the file and load it into your ESP :Uploading the script

main.py
Download

Step 4: Building the Hardware

Build the hardware as shown by the schematics . Start by the step-down converters and the decoupling capacitors . Make sure the 5V and the 3.3V are within tolerances ( the ESP12E will be destroyed when Vcc > 3.6V ) . Then solder the rest of the parts , check and double-check everything . Ready ? Go to the next step !

schematics.pdf
Download

Step 5: Checking the System ...

Before making the connections to the shutters ( and the dangerous potentials ! ) we must test our circuit .

First test : the relays must remain unpowered at power-up or return from sleep .

- remove the test jumper IO12-27k resistor ( disable beep )

-put your DMM in Ohms-beep mode and connect to the C and NO relay contacts

-power-up , the contacts must stay open on both relays

Second test : testing the "up"-relay after sunrise .

-this test must be done after sunrise

- connect the "beep-jumper"

-put your DMM in Ohms-beep mode and connect to the C and NO relay contacts of the "up"-relay

-power the circuit , beeper wil sound at power-up , after sleep mode ( 5s ) beeper will sound again and then the "up"-relay contacts should close for the time you programmed ( DMM should beep ).

-when the system reboots after a 2nd sleep the beeper must beep twice to indicate the rollers are already up .

Third test : testing the "down"-relay .

-put your DMM in Ohms-beep mode and connect to the C and NO relay contacts of the "down"-relay

-power-up the system just before sunset , DMM should beep when the "down"-relay is energised after sunset .

-after reboot the beeper should beep 4 times to indicate the rollers are already down .

When all tests pass you can disconnect the beeper .

Step 6: Connect the System to the Rollers

I re-used the switches ( Somfy ) to create a manual/auto switch and a manual up/down switch ( see schematics ) . My rollers are mounted on the sliding backdoor to the garden and it's not good to be locked out after sunset ...

Again , be very very carefull when installing to the roller-hardware , ask a friend or skilled electrician when in doubt !

That's all folks , have lots of DIY-fun and don't hesitate to contact me if something 's not clear or can be improved or ...

See ya !

Bob