Custom Cortana MQTT Commands

February 19, 2019June 27, 2016 by jhottell

Cortana can easily be extended to aid you with your DIY home automaton projects. In this example Cortana sends MQTT commands to open and close a garage door as well as ring the doorbell with custom jingles. By the way, you don’t have to use MQTT, you can also do a whole lot of other things as well from opening a file, opening a program, or launching your favorite websites.

As of the writing of this entry I am frantically trying to finish documenting the MQTT Doorbell and Garage Door Opener devices in separate posts. Hopefully I can get those whipped out in a few days.

HC-21 Simple Wifi Serial for Arduino Tutorial

October 11, 2014 by jhottell

The Simple Wi-Fi HC-21 module is a meager $10-$15 bucks on ebay right now. It is a simple Wi-Fi serial port server or virtual serial port. This means it is self contained and will handle all the overhead of negotiating a Wi-Fi connection and communication leaving more room for your application in the Arduino.

X10 Control Using Arduino, Modbus, and ScadaBR

September 1, 2014May 4, 2014 by jhottell

X10 Lighting and appliance modules are cheap on Ebay, I wanted to control them with my HMI (ScadaBR) so I put a X10 and Modbus library together in an Arduino to turn on and off the modules.

How To Scale A Thermistor for An Arduino

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

Thermistors And Your Microcontroller

A thermistor is a simple temperature component, basically it is a variable resistor that the resistance changes in it depending on the temperature. Such a simple device needs a few more components and scaling in the microcontroller to give the desired C or F temperature reading.

Arduino Modbus PLC / RTU

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

PLC/RTU

A Programmable Logic Controller, PLC or Programmable Controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller

Home Automation HMI with Mango M2M

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

HMI

A HMI (Human Machine Interface) is the system by which people can interact with a machine. The user interface includes hardware (physical) and software (logical) components.

Netduino VB button tutorial and Event Handlers

September 1, 2014May 25, 2012 by jhottell

Programming a button press with VB and your @Netduino, Event handlers and interrupt ports. In this tutorial I show how to program the Netduino to light up the onboard LED when the button is pressed, I then go into event handlers and latching buttons.

Netduino VB Tutorial 1 Blink

September 1, 2014May 18, 2012 by jhottell

This is the first in a series of tutorials on programming the Netduino with Visual Basic or VB. You can program the netduino with either C# or VB but VB is now my language of choice.

Netduino VB Programming Environment Setup

September 1, 2014May 18, 2012 by jhottell

Programming your Netduino with C# is fine and all, however, I am not going to do it any more. It is super easy to make the switch to a more forgiving programming language by the name of Visual Basic or VB.

Netduino FIrmware Upgrade Tutorial

September 1, 2014May 18, 2012 by jhottell

In order to upgrade or replace the firmware in your Netduino you will need to download some software first.

DIY Arduino Oscilloscope with the Nokia 3310 GLCD screen

September 1, 2014January 1, 2012 by jhottell

I’ve seen videos on YouTube using an Arduino and a Graphical LCD screen (GLCD) to create a simple Oscilloscope. The annoying thing is that I found no help whatsoever on how to build one. I spent a few days figuring out how to use the Nokia 3310 LCD screen and then figuring out how to sample an analog port to create a fun oscilloscope effect.

Arduino Arrays and Recursion Tutorial

September 1, 2014January 1, 2012 by jhottell

As a follow up to my DIY Arduino Oscilloscope video or as a stand alone tutorial, this video should help you understand arrays and recursion in Arduino. You can find the original post here: DIY Arduino Oscilloscope with the Nokia 3310 GLCD screen

Arduino 6 AI temperature scanner with LCD display

September 1, 2014January 1, 2012 by jhottell

I had a need for a temperature scanner to troubleshoot overheating on my Duramax LB7 pickup while towing. A commercial solution to collect 6 temperatures may have run me over a thousand dollars so I ordered some thermistors and for about 40 bucks in parts made one myself.

Automatic chicken door version two.

September 1, 2014December 6, 2011 by jhottell

As it is getting cold again and my chickens made it through the summer just fine, it is time to revisit and revitalize my automatic chicken door.

The older model was a large door that slid on a track that would get leaves, snow, and ice messing the whole thing up. Also the mecanisim that opened the door was a string that tension was held on with springs, the string would knot up and stop working, blowing the fuse sometimes.

Netduino Tutorial, Knob and Sweep

September 1, 2014November 18, 2011 by jhottell

In this video I show how to connect a servo to a Netduino and also how to program the servo library into a new solution. The sweep program will drive the arm of the servo back and forth while the Knob program will move the arm of the servo when you turn a potentiometer.

Arduino Servo Tutorial, Knob and Sweep

September 1, 2014November 18, 2011 by jhottell

In this video I show how to connect a servo to an Arduino and also how to load the sample servo programs included with the Arduino software. The sweep program will drive the arm of the servo back and forth while the Knob program will move the arm of the servo when you turn a potentiometer.

How to program an Arduino

September 1, 2014October 21, 2011 by jhottell

The absolute beginners guide to programming an Arduino Duemilanove for the first time. I will take you through downloading the Arduino programming software, configuring the software, writing your first program, sending it to the Arduino, and testing operation.

Unboxing the LM3S811 Evaluation Kit

October 21, 2011 by jhottell

Here I show what’s included and how to work the LM3s811 kit from Texas Instruments. You can acquire this kit …