Use RF Switches without Pilight

V1per

Hello,

Pilight is not longer supportet so i don’t know how I can automated my RF Switches. The Switches are from Pollin and I can switch them from the terminal with the command:
pilight-send -p pollin -s 7 -u 4 -t
on and with
pilight-send -p pollin -s 7 -u 4 -f
off.
Have anybody an idee how I can send this command whith pimatic?

Regards Andre

Icesory

Do you own the remote for this switches?
Do you have successfully installed pimatic-homeduino?

V1per

I run pimatic with a Raspberry Pi.
I don’t know pimatic-homeduino but it sounds like it is for an Andruino or not?

I have the remote controll for the switches but I’m not able to read them. I think the 433MHz receiver is not working.

Icesory

pimatic is only the framework for extensions.
You need a plugin ti receive the 433MHz signals. In the past it was done with pilight but this isnt longer supported.
When you want a pimatic only installation you need to install the plugin “pimatic-homeduino”.
This can work with the GPIO pins from the Raspberry. But it is recommend to use an per serial port connected arduino.

V1per

Thank for your answer.
When I understand you right you say I have to buy an arduino and connect them to my raspberry?

Can’t pimatic send commands? When I connected by ssh with my raspberry an I write and send on the bash the command: pilight-send -p pollin -s 7 -u 4 -t
Pilight switched my switch on.

Icesory

Pimatic is the framework it is completely different from pilight.
When you have installed the Plugin pimatic-homeduino with the GPIO driver than it should work to.
But your CPU load is around 40%. When you connect a Arduino with the Homeduino.ino sketch installed your CPU usage sink and the quality of receiving can be increased.

There is the readme for instructions.
https://github.com/pimatic/pimatic-homeduino

Icesory

P.S: Pimatic dont have a commandline like pilight. It is not possible to send RF signals with pimatic over the command line.

V1per

Thanks for your long answer. 40% CPU load is too much on the raspberry runs also a volkszaeler who smart meter some power from our home.

But you understand me wrong, pimatic don’t send RF signals over the command line. Pimatic should send the command “pilight-send -p pollin -s 7 -u 4 -t” over the command line.
Pilight send then the RF signal.

Icesory

Why do you want to use pilight, when you can have a pimatic only system?

V1per

I don’t want pilight but with the Hardware I have (no arduino) I don’t know how I can switch my RF switches from Pollin.
I am right that the pimatic-homeduino plugin is from you?
Do you have an Idee why the cpu-load on the raspberry is so high with the homeduino plugin?

The pimatic-homeduino plugin can also connect the DHT22 temperarure sensor?

V1per

Can I use a Arduino Nano V3.0 (that cost only 5€)?
How I connect the arduino board with the raspberry, per USB?
Is this all I need?

leader21

an arduino nano flashed with homeduino is recommended to be used with pimatic.
it’s no big deal! check ebay (i see you’re from Germany …)

http://www.ebay.de/itm/1x-Controller-Board-XTWduino-Nano-V3-0-ATMEGA328P-Mikromodul-fur-Arduino-/261726378031

the cpu load comes from decoding the rf signals and filtering (as far as i know).
pilight has an attiny prefilter that takes over some work. this part is done from homeduino on the arduino nano at pimatic. so the nano takes over a lot of computing.

as icesory said, you can use pimatic and homeduino without an arduino but this will raise the cpu load, 'cause the pi has to work some more.

i’m also using volkszaehler but on another pi in the basement at the energy meters.
pimatic has a volkszaehler-plugin to take over the data. that’s working good.
i think you can run pimatic and vz on one pi without problems, since vz does not use that much resources. BUT I would still recommend to use an arduino nano for the RF receiving and transmitting part! don’t know how vz will work at high cpu loads

and yes - the dht sensors can be used with the arduino or with the pi directly.

V1per

Hello leader21 yes I’m from Germany (vielen Dank für die ausführliche Antwort).

I have bought the Arduino Nano I think when it arrives I need some support from the experts here.
I have no experience with Arduino.

Need I something to flash the arduino or goes this with a PC the correct programm and an USB cable?

Need I a cable to connect the arduino with the pi?

Is there a tuturial how I connect the RF receiver and sender and the DHT22 to the arduino nano?

Oitzu

@V1per You can connect the arduino and the pi with a usb cable. (Mini-USB)
The flashing can be done directly over this connection.
See: https://github.com/pimatic/homeduino (flashing)

V1per

Than for your answer, then I look for a mini USB cable. Is this the cable you need to charge your smartphone?

leader21

@V1per said:

Is this the cable you need to charge your smartphone?

i just had a closer look - the micro usb is for handy usually.
the mini usb is used at playstations for example or at usb drives.

this is the nano conector !

the dht sensor can be implemented with this device :

{
  "id": "homeduino-temperature",
  "name": "DHT",
  "class": "HomeduinoDHTSensor",
  "type": 22,
  "pin": 13
}

so no big deal, just be sure to connect the data wire to pin 13.

here’s howto connect your receiver and sender to the nano and how to set up the plugin: https://github.com/pimatic/pimatic-homeduino

this link here will bring you to the arduino sketch that must be uploaded to the nano (as oitzu said) https://github.com/pimatic/homeduino
follow the steps to upload homeduino to the nano.

your steps are :

upload the homeduino sketch to the nano
connect the receiver, sender and dht to the nano
insert the homeduino plugin to the plugin section of the config.json
insert the dht device to the devices section of the config.json

this should be it.

sweebee

@V1per said:

Thanks for your long answer. 40% CPU load is too much on the raspberry runs also a volkszaeler who smart meter some power from our home.

But you understand me wrong, pimatic don’t send RF signals over the command line. Pimatic should send the command “pilight-send -p pollin -s 7 -u 4 -t” over the command line.
Pilight send then the RF signal.

I used the pilight attiny filter before with pimatic-homeduino gpio. I had no issues with high cpu load. You could try this first. I replaced it because it didn’t work very well with my temperature sensors.

If it doesn’t work well for you, you can always use an arduino.

demlak

im using the pollin rf switches with a cheap china rf send/receiver modul directly at the GPIOs on my RPi rev b. without an arduino… i can´t see any 40% CPU loads… it works without any problem in here and with pimatic… so… maybe the 40% CPU Load depends on a special setup? maybe i can´t just see this? (used tool “top”)

just install the send and receive moduls like you did before… and use the correct device settings after installing the pimatic plugin homeduino

by “correct settings” i mean: use the correct pins for transmitter and receiver! here is a list of the correct correlations:
wiringpi-pins

my plugin:

{
      "plugin": "homeduino",
      "driver": "gpio",
      "driverOptions": {},
      "debug": true,
      "receiverPin": 1,
      "transmitterPin": 0
    }

example device:

{
      "id": "rfswitch3",
      "name": "RFSwitch3",
      "class": "HomeduinoRFSwitch",
      "protocols": [
        {
          "name": "switch2",
          "options": {
            "unitCode": 4,
            "houseCode": 28
          }
        }
      ]
    }

the unitcode works like this:
its just the decimal version of the binary code you used… when im talking about binary code… i mean the dip-switches on the devices… 0 means dip switch down… 1 means dip switch up… read from left side means 01001 = ▼▲▼▼▲ <- the second and the last are "up"
switch Number 1 = 16
switch Number 2 = 8
switch Number 3 = 4
switch Number 4 = 2
switch Number 5 = 1

so… a unitcode of “4” means switch number 3… on your device with the dip-switches, you use “00100” ▼▼▲▼▼… <- the third is “up”…

the houseCode is the systemcode and works like this:
its just the decimal version of the binary code you used…
for example: 11010 = 26

if you don´t know how to convert binary<->decimal… use this website (or one of the thousend others): http://www.exploringbinary.com/binary-converter/

V1per

@demlak
You are my Hero!!!
Now the RF-Switches running without Arduino and without Pilight.
And you and @sweebee are, right the CPU-Load with the pimatic homeduino plugin is not higher.

Thanks at all who postet here to help me.

Andre

demlak

ok… now i know what the “40%” problem is…

today my RXB6/3400RF receiver arrived from china…

i never got such high cpu usage… but now, were i replaced the crappy old receiver with my new RXB6 / 3400RF, vhduino gets CPU Usage between 31 and 43%… and the RPi gets slow as hell… damn´it
and finaly the RPi is that heavy loaded, that not even a ping is replied…

this seems to be a faulty vhduino app?

(i also tried different GPIOs with same result)