Hey everyone, I finally finished my touch panel for my bedroom wall and am here to show you how i made it. Unfortunately its not installed in my wall yet as I might be moving and don’t want to make anymore holes in my walls, but its coming with me and has already proven itself very useful in the state it is in.
Arduino is an open-source electronics platform that is often used for home automation projects. There are many Arduino projects in PDF format for download available online, both simple and complex. If you are interested in learning more about Arduino, or finding a project to get started with, I recommend checking out the Arduino projects site.
Overview
– Infrared control of TV
* Power Toggle
* Volume Control
* Mute
* Input
– RF controlled outlets
* power on or off for 2 outlets
– Local internet control using a Netduino
Parts—————————————————————————–
1x Arduino mega
1x Touch screen and touch screen shield
1x Netduino
1x pack Shop Basic 3pk indoor wireless remote control
4x 2n3904 transistors
1x Infrared led
1x switch (kills RF transmitters battery, saves battery power)
Step 1: The Build
The build was not too difficult so I won’t go into that much detail.
RF – wall outlet transmitter
i used 4 x 2n3904 transistors to simulate pressing the buttons for the RF transmitter. The remote still works as normal, just has a hole in the back with some wires now. In addition to running a ground wire from the RF transmitter i also added a kill switch to the battery. They are a pain to order online (12v, 23amp battery) and they don’t last that long.
Netduino
The netduino has 5 wires connecting the digital pins (out) to the arduino’s analog pins (in) to simply trigger 4 of the buttons on the RF transmitter as well as the TV power toggle by reading in the voltage.
Arduino Mega with touch screen
Besides the 5 pins in the analog from the netduino, I wired in 6 wires out, 4 to trigger the RF transmitter’s buttons, 1 for a ground, and another for the infrared led. Bolted that sucker to the front of this nice wooden box and called it done 🙂 The box will be behind a wall so only the touch screen will show anyway.
Three wires poke out of the box to hook everything up, a USB cable for power, an ethernet cable, and the IR led (which will be installed higher above the device).
Step 2: The Menu
Here’s a quick overview of the menu:
Main Menu (1st image)
From here you can choose between the “TV” menu, the “Settings” menu or toggle the power of my two wall outlets. The network toggle is just to prevent errors when the netduino powers on. Plus it keeps my friends from messing with my room.
TV Menu (2nd image)
One of the initial reasons for this touch screen was to power on/off my TV when leaving and entering the room, i plan on placing the screen above my light switch so when I am rushing to leave i don’t have to search for the remote.
Options menu (3rd image)
Why not toss on a quick paint application and background changer? While learning the touch screen i had a little fun, figured it would be a waste to leave them behind.
Memo (4th image)
Simple paint like drawing.
Background (5th/6th/7th image)
Drag to choose color, after you change the color the buttons become the opposite (in hex value) to keep visibility.
Step 3: The Code
Netduino
“if it isn’t broken don’t fix it ”
Neonmika’s netduino webserver is excellent to use; it allows for individual pin control including pwm, and is very easy to use. For some reason I had a lot of difficulties with my netduino (should have just budged for the arduino network shield) and this webserver was exactly what i was looking for.
http://forums.netduino.com/index.php?/topic/2889-neonmikawebserver/
Arduino Mega
UTFT – Thanks to Henning Karlsen which helped me get started using the touch screen
IRremote
and like my other posts, i have no problem sharing my code with anyone who wants it (email me at cgmalantonio@gmail.com), but my code is for my specific set-up and most likely of no use to you entirely. If you are having troubles with anything i worked with PLEASE email me and i will gladly send you my code, as well as (try to) answer any, if not all of your questions!
About The Author
Hassan Zaka
I am an expert in accounting and possess diverse experience in technical writing. I have written for various industries on topics such as finance, business, and technology. My writing style is clear and simple, and I utilize infographics and diagrams to make my writing more engaging. I can be a valuable asset to any organization in need of technical writing services.
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