Help with project idea

[mack7066]

Hello all,
Having read other threads I am not coming in asking if you can tell me what final project I should do. One of the standards for our University is that the item you are designing for your final project can not be commercially available (you can't already buy it). One of my hobbies is rescuing pet reptiles that have not been well cared for. Different reptiles require different environmental conditions within their enclosures (i.e. basking platform temp/humidity, overall enclosure temp/humidity, etc.) for optimum health. I was thinking of creating a wireless mesh network using the zigbee protocol to manage the environmental conditions within the enclosures (multiple enclosures). I figured if it worked on a small scale for me with 8 enclosures that it might be something a zoo could possibly use. I know I use individual enclosures for different types of reptiles depending on what species the pet store/ vet askes me to take in, and it would be nice to be able to monitor, or even change the conditions within each enclosure from a central point without installing cables to every sensor/heater/fogger/fan/light that is needed. The idea here is I could place a low power zigbee transceiver with the appropriate sensor atached where needed within the enclosure and monitor the various conditions on a PC, or maybe even just an LCD. I have searched the web (google, bing, etc.) and have not been able to locate anything like this. Does anybody know if there is something like this that is already commercially available? Hope not as it seems like it would be a fun project.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

You can buy a ZigBee thermostat. But it does sound like an interesting project.

A string of 1wire DS18S20 sensors would make excellent temperature sensors and they can be strung together (30 devices upto 300' total)

One upcoming project of mine is a basic ZigBee thermostat as a future add on to a Home Automation controller I'm designing right now.

PS XBee S2 are now ZigBee compatible and cheap $20

 

[4pyros]

One upcoming project of mine is a basic ZigBee thermostat as a future add on to a Home Automation controller I'm designing right now.

Thats cool will it be all wireless?

Does anybody know if there is something like this that is already commercially available? Hope not as it seems like it would be a fun project.

I cant say that I have ever seen anything like that. Andy

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Yes the first thermostat will be wireless (just two wires for a power supply)
I'm trying to ween people off conventional thinking for wall thermostats. I'm also designing my HA/HVAC hardware for a connected user (someone who uses the internet regularly) and is familiar with a browser.

Technically the thermostat on the wall need no user interface, but traditionally people are used to one.
**broken link removed**

 

[4pyros]

"there's an app for that"

Bill; I was asking about your HA controller, will all the interfaces be wireless?

Andy

 

[blueroomelectronics]

No. The only built in wireless will be ZigBee.
It will have Ethernet so
1. connect it to your wireless router and it's wireless
2. use an Asus WL-330g (WiFi to Ethernet bridge / access point)
The ZigBees can form a mesh so you can link devices wirelessly

Here's the post on the main device from an HA forum.

After pouring through all your comments here and in several other forums I'm getting very near to the final specification before I begin drawing the schematic.
I've settled on a main MPU (PIC32MX695F512H) and most of the I/O options.

1 Ethernet
1 XBee S2 (ZigBee)
2 DE9 serial ports DTE (1 RS485,422,232. programmable to 5 ports by double duty, the CTS/RTS & DTR/DSR pins can be made RX/TX pins!)
3 Relays (1 NO/NC, 2 NO)
1 RTCC with trickle charger (DS1388)

Suggestions needed on

SD card or micro SD mounted internally or 256kB of SPI EEPROM?

Four 1/8" stereo jacks with various I/O from IR out, IR in, GPIO, analog, 1wire. Making it versatile as it's technically eight I/O lines (two per jack) all under control of a secondary PIC. I'm trying to keep it from getting jumper happy so I'd appreciate your comments on what you'd like to see with four 1/8" phone jacks. If I left something out do tell.

PS name suggestions also appreciated. Magnus One? DUCK?