“Alexa, Turn On My Coffee Maker”

[Justin_Seattle]

Not sure if this is the right forum for a question like this, so please be gentle.

I want to Alexa enable a Bonavita BV1900TS coffee maker. It’s a very simple machine that just has a momentary switch that engages a relay to turn on the brew and turn off when done.

My idea is to just plug the coffee maker into a controllable outlet, basically a WiFi controlled relay.

Goal: When power is first supplied to the coffee maker I want the momentary switch to be “pressed,” to engage a brew cycle, and after that to return to working normally.

My plan: I would use a normally closed relay across the momentary switch to engage it and a capacitor charge delay to then open that relay and return the machine to normal function.

Are their better ways to accomplish this?
Here’s some photos of the circuit inside the coffee maker.

 

[alec_t]

Welcome to ETO!
As you have to fill/load the coffee machine manually, why can't you just use the normal power switch immediately afterwards? Doing so would provide valuable physical exercise during this lockdown period.

 

[Mac_Birmingham]

I had the same issue with my garage door and solved it with some help from others on this forum. The key to this is having an internet switch that allows 'inching', sonoff switches do that. Inching allows you to determine how long the switch stays on for when you trigger it, I have my garage door set to to 0.5 seconds. On opens it, whilst opening on again stops it, once open on closes it. I used a low voltage switch as I only needed 5v, but there's lots of comments on how to make the output dry so it acts as a relay. Hope this helps.

Garage Door Controller

I'll get to the question and then fill in the details. Any idea which terminals on my existing garage door PCB I can trigger to remotely open and close? I have an ANSA door control, which has a physical open/close button and a RF receiver for a keyfob. I've just wired a small internet wireless...

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[Nigel Goodwin]

Obviously a classic solution would be to use a 555 timer to trigger the button, allowing much better and reliable control than just a capacitor - I did this many years ago at work, to convert old cam-corders to surveillance cameras - really good cameras. but if the power goes off the cameras don't come back on.

A modern day, and superior, solution of course would be to use an 8 pin PIC in place of the 555.

 

[gophert]

Are their better ways to accomplish this?

The sonoff low voltage solution would allow you to keep the coffeemaker plugged in and the sonoff would make the connection on the push button (if you can wire it to something). Or, you can make a button-pushing mechanical finger and have the sonoff trigger the finger to push the button!

And...
The modern way to make a one-off microcontroller-controlled device is to use an Arduino or, if wifi is needed, an ESP32/ESP8266.

 

[Visitor]

The modern way to make a one-off microcontroller-controlled device is to use .....if wifi is needed, an ..... ESP8266.

Which is exactly what the Sonoff modules are based on.

 

[Justin_Seattle]

Thanks for all the input. I was thinking that with a simple relay, resistor, capacitor hooked to either the 5v or 12v on the existing board would be the simplest. I would just have Alexa toggle the outlet control off, wait 1 minute and toggle it on and leave it on. This would trigger my startup relay across the momentary switch. Let me look into some of these ideas mentioned.

 

[Justin_Seattle]

Looked at the sonoff module. Seems perfect. By the time I price out 1-off capacitors and relay at Mouser I can’t even beat that price. The magic of mass economies of scale...

 

[Visitor]

I have 20+ Sonoffs in my house. They work quite well.

 

[ronsimpson]

I have 20+ Sonoffs in my house. They work quite well.

Do you use PC software or phone software? Something different than eWeLink?

 

[Visitor]

We got a Samsung SmartThings hub. It works with devices from many vendors and is open so it can be expanded. For example, there is Arduino code called STAnything (or maybe it's STAnywhere) to easy make compatible devices using ESP8266s and ESP32s.

Most of my interactions are via Google Home Minis.

Ewelink is still needed for setup.

 

[ronsimpson]

ST_Anything
Looks good but probably over my head. Not good with software. I tried Node Red on the Raspberry Pi and almost have it going but just too much code.

Google Home Minis look like a good interface. Lower cost than my keypad thing. Can Google talk Sonoff? I don't see it on the list.

 

[Visitor]

I honestly don't remember if Google talks to Evelina. IFTTT (If This Than That) can pretty simply link all the pieces together without too much effort.

 

[gophert]

I honestly don't remember if Google talks to Evelina. IFTTT (If This Than That) can pretty simply link all the pieces together without too much effort.

I heard they are charging a $199/year developer fee. Is there still a DIY version for free

 

[Visitor]

There hasn't been any fee to date for me, but I've heard rumors of a fee being charged in some areas because IFTTT is charging vendors a fee to be included.

The fee I have seen being charged is $10 (ten) per year.

And thinking back, Ewelink is Goggle/Alexia compatible directly. I only needed IFTTT to integrate it with SmartThings.

 

[Dr_Doggy]

would enjoy to see the tcp strings used for such applications so i could spoof in a device, ifttt just confused me and i think it only works on existing paired devices

but as a more simple solution may i suggest the Belkin wemo smart switches

 

[Visitor]

but as a more simple solution may i suggest the Belkin wemo smart switches

Ewelink works directly with Goggle and Alexa as I recalled above, so Belkin switches and Sonoff devices are pretty much equal as far as operation, at about a 10x difference in price.

 

[ronsimpson]

The Sonoff work well for me for On, Off, Timer, Temperature. The piece I am missing is looking at a event like a switch closing. I know it can be reprogram and make it a '*******' with no father. I could use a wifi 'is switch closed' module.

 

[Visitor]

Sonoff recently came out with some new stuff including some parts like you've described. Check on iTead's page.