Arduino Automatic Blind Opener - Works With A Remote Control & Alexa

In this video I’ll be showing you how to build your own automatic blind opener using an Arduino Pro Micro and a stepper motor. The stepper motor is driven using an A4988 stepper motor driver and the opener is controlled through an infrared receiver. This enables it to be controlled using most standard infrared remote controls as well as through many smart home devices such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot using a universal remote.
For a detailed write-up on the build and further description of the code & 3D print files, have a look at the full build through this link - www.the-diy-life.com/arduino-...
Parts List and Purchase Links:
Arduino Pro Micro - amzn.to/2URgInG
Nema 17 Stepper Motor - amzn.to/3bD5ERQ
A4988 Motor Driver - amzn.to/3aEDdDc
Infrared Receiver - amzn.to/341rmfG
10K Resistor - amzn.to/2yrVCot
100uF Capacitor - amzn.to/2UzqNqj
Infrared Remote (With Sensor) - amzn.to/343jdra
Machine Screws - amzn.to/2V7vaZ5
Ribbon Wire - amzn.to/340xB3B
Header Strips - amzn.to/2wY3k9g
3D Printer Used - amzn.to/33MXHH0
Filament - amzn.to/2QNYemS
If you’ve got any suggestions for Arduino projects or tutorials, let me know in the comments section below.

[@joshuaoduroadu5376]

Splendid work man. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👍👍

[@dassault7618]

Damn, I'm downloading this. The NVGS sold it to me lol. Awesome video

[@kornshifter]

nice work man, excellent.

[@sattarsattar4206]

great work man. ill make one too!

[@matthewfelgate]

Nice work. I would like to do some blinds like this!

[@macdaddy313]

Hey Michael Great vid, thanks for sharing. Video quality and audio is excellent. I'm doing a similar project. What I'm struggling with is how does your system remember the position in case of loss of power?

[@rayztech7384]

Great work. Maybe use a tmc2209 to reduce stepper motor noise

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Ramino. I've actually bought a TMC2209 to try out, I just need to get around to installing it!

[@AugustineKar]

About how long does it take to open and close?? Thanks for sharing

[@babadito]

Great Video! What do you think about using a Mg946r Motor Servo 13kg instead of the Nema 17 Stepper Motor?

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Álvaro. I don't think a servo would work very well for this type of project. You'd need to modify the servo for continuous rotation (the Nema 17 motor turns around 100-200 times for the blind length) and then you lose the servo's position control. You'd need to then add limit switches to the open and closed travel limits.

[@NimbusDesu]

Hi, when trying to write the code to the Arduino, I get an error 'IRrecv' does not name a type. Then it goes along with other errors pertaining to that. Do you have the libraries for the remote? Is that what I'm missing? Thanks.

[@cytokynesys]

Hi, this is a really nice solution you've built, I'd love to build something similar using a NodeMCU board, but regrettably I'm not proficient in the coding side, have you any idea if your code could be modified to accomodate this?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes it should be able to be modified to suit another microcontroller.

[@arthurlai669]

Hi, how does the blind opener get powered? Did you put a battery into the housing, if so, how often does it need to be replaced?

[@MichaelKlements]

I powered it using a 12V power supply which plugs into a socket on the bottom of the case. You’d probably need to replace or recharge a battery every couple of days with the Arduino and infrared sensor always on, unless you implement a power saving sleep and interrupt to wake up.

[@BlueeBubble]

Can this work with Google?

[@lawrencex5745]

Can you do this project again with an Arduino Nano. As I am struggling to get hold of a Pro micro....

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Lawrence, you can use the same pins for the Arduino Nano. Just be aware that the power pins are labelled a bit differently on the Nano, but the function is the same.

[@misio783]

hello, I'm just struggling with the TMC2209 driver and I have a problem. The maximum setting of the blinddlength step is 3200, it is 20 turns. When setting a larger number does not give any result.

[@MichaelKlements]

Try changing the blind length parameter from int to float

[@antsc096]

Hi! I'm trying to create this project but am new to this. If I am to use a 12v 2A power supply as you have, do I need to step down the voltage before supplying it to the arduino? You haven't mentioned this in the video which is why I'm curious as to how you pulled it off without damaging the Arduino. Thanks and appreciate the video and 3d files!!

[@MichaelKlements]

You should have your power supply braching off to your Arudino and to the stepper motor driver. Most Arduino boards can handle a supply voltage of up to 12V, so no need to step it down first.

[@drillwave3592]

I have no experience in soldering would this be hard for me?

[@MichaelKlements]

I don't think any of the soldered joints are particularly difficult and they're not directly ono heat sensitive components, but you might want to practice a bit on some old PCBs or prototyping PCBs first.

[@dablet]

how big was this roller shade of yours? it looks like 40x72 inches. mine is 60x 72, i wonder if the nema will have enought torque to lift the vinyl roller shade

[@MichaelKlements]

It's around 47x94 inches. Nema motors come in a range of sizes with different torque outputs so you should be able to get one that can lift your roller shade.

[@BlueeBubble]

Can you also explain if we can do this with NodeMCU? And have an on and off function with Google assistant? No IR? I really want to build this! Thank you!!

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you should be able to. There are loads of projects that people have built using NodeMCUs and Google Assistant control over WiFi.

[@BlueeBubble]

@@MichaelKlements I can't find any :( can you help me as to where to start please?

[@MichaelKlements]

I don't have a Node MCU or a Google Home / Android phone. Here's a good guide to start with - www.instructables.com/GOOGLE-ASSISTANT-CONTROLLED-SWITCH-USING-NODEMCU/

[@ismaelmn3633]

Donde encontraste el engrane que acoplas al eje del motor? Translated with google: Where did you find the gear that couples to the motor shaft?

[@MichaelKlements]

It’s 3D printed, there’s a link to download the model files which include the gear in the guide linked to in the description.

[@ismaelmn3633]

Gracias por su apoyo colega! Tengo otra pregunta, cual es el torque del motor? Intente leer la descripción del producto pero el enlace a Amazon está roto Translated with google: Thanks for your support colleague! I have another question, what is the torque of the motor? I tried to read the product description but the link to Amazon is broken

[@irvanmaulana2060]

what size gears are you using?

[@MichaelKlements]

The gear is about 30mm diameter.

[@lukehan9290]

if i use the ESP8266 board that has wifi built in, I dont need a infrared remote with sensors anymore right?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you could do that

[@jordanb6029]

Hi does your design have a wifi chip? I can't tell

[@MichaelKlements]

No, it uses and IR receiver for communication

[@m.kanawati4385]

Well done! Any chance to replace the arduino with a D1 mini? I'm planning on designing a PCB that fits everything on the back of a NEMA17 Motor. Please let me know if you're interested

[@MichaelKlements]

It would be nice to replace the Arduino with something with Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi, it would certainly open up a few more options for control.

[@m.kanawati4385]

@@MichaelKlements I'll let you know when I make some progree

[@jordangoldberg8007]

hi hope your doing well! have you designed the PCB yet?

[@m.kanawati4385]

@@jordangoldberg8007 I's not complete because I got distracted with other Projects. Please feel free to contact me if you are serious about making this PCB.

[@charmaffi]

Hello, I did the project but the motor is not strong enough to operate the roller. It stays blocked. I have used the Nema 17 motor from Torque 1.8 which is the closest thing I have found. Could you tell me the exact number of the engine you use? Thanks

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Charlie, The motor I used was from an old 3D printer, so I don't have a datasheet for it. The strength of the motor you need depends largely on the blind though. The blinds, length, width, weight and mechanism design all play a role in how much torque is required to raise it. One easy way to get a bit more lifting power out of your motor is to reduce the size of the output gear on the motor. Making this gear smaller means that the blind operates slower, but the motor is able to lift a little more.

[@charmaffi]

@@MichaelKlements I'm going to try that. Thanks a lot Michael

[@andreknuttson88]

Could this be run with the same code on an arduino Uno?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you could use an Arduino Uno. You might need to change the pin numbers around but ther rest of the code will work on either.

[@alfatichfairuzhabibie1203]

what power source are you using for this project?

[@MichaelKlements]

I used a 12V 2A barrel jack power supply that I use for most of my Arduino projects.

[@alfatichfairuzhabibie1203]

@@MichaelKlements I used your video as a tutorial for my school assignment, and I'm still very confused about the details of the steps that you gave in the video. Is there a way to contact you personally so that I could get your help? I'm still very new at Arduino and I want to learn as much as I can 😁. Thank you in advance for your reply 😆

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Alfatich, Unfortunately I don't do one on one sessions at the moment but you can post any questions you might have in the comments section on my blog (linked in the description) and I usually get back to them quite quickly.

[@ridwa4542]

Hi, when i cahge 0xFF02FD to E0E020DF iam getting error message: 'E0E020DF' was not declared in this scope. how to solve this?.

[@MichaelKlements]

That looks like you've removed one of the formatting characters, so the code is expecting that to be a variable name and not a value. Check that you haven't removed the : or one of the { or } characters.

[@ridwa4542]

@@MichaelKlements Finally I made it. Everything is working except the the blind length, its giving me hard time. When I write, int blindlength = 9950000; Only button 2 and 3 are working and the travel distance is too short. Whate am I doing wrong? Should I punt May code here so that you can help me?

[@adrianmunteanu1792]

Im trying to make this project. When I use my remote, the motor vibrates instead of spinnig. Any help?

[@MichaelKlements]

Does the motor turn correctly if you give it a signal through your computer rather than using the remote? You need to figure out if its an issue with reading the IR signal or if there is an issue with driving the motor.

[@adrianmunteanu1792]

@@MichaelKlements I'm currently trying to figure it out. I have another question, can I power the Arduino and the driver with the same 12V supply? My motor can take 1.6A, will it burn the arduino?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes, the Arduino Pro Micro can handle 12V, so you can supply it from the same supply. Just make sure that you supply the motor and the Arduino individually from the supply (don't supply the motor controller from your Arduino). The motor controller will draw the current it needs from the supply and so will the Arduino, the 1.6A to the motor won't have any affect on the Arduino.

[@adrianmunteanu1792]

@@MichaelKlements I'm using another driver, TMC2130. I'm finding very difficult to make the project work. Any suggestion?

[@MichaelKlements]

The TMC2130 has a slightly different pin configuration for the enable and micro-steps side, which might be the issue. Have a look at the schematic I've used for my camera slider that used the TMC2208 (it looks like the same configuration) - www.the-diy-life.com/diy-motorised-camera-slider-with-object-tracking/

[@deleteq2481]

Is it posible to add second motor? Becouse I have two blinds and i want to add 2 motors to one adrduino?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you can add a second motor, you'll just need to run a cable from the one with the Arduino to the second motor. The Arduino has sufficient IO to drive another motor.

[@deleteq2481]

@@MichaelKlements thank you very much. And if I want to connect that second motor I connect it same as first motor yeah?

[@MichaelKlements]

You need to add a second stepper motor driver and you'll connect that to the Arduino in the same way as before.

[@deleteq2481]

@@MichaelKlements thanks😀

[@xntricity6446]

I have a concervatory with 6 roller blinds, would like to have one main controller and 6 motors from it, could 6 motors run off this with sufficient power? Many thanks