DIY Motorized Roller Shades + Wireless MQTT Smart Home Integration

=====TheHookUp=====
Website: www.TheSmartHomeHookUp.com
Twitter: @TheHookUp1
Patreon: / thehookup
=====PARTS=====
Roller Shade: amzn.to/3z65T3E
Geared Stepper Motor (amazon): amzn.to/2nkomGN
OR
Geared Stepper Motor (stepper online): goo.gl/DW3Bgw
Stepper Driver: amzn.to/2AReI85
OR
Stepper Online Driver (5V Logic Only): goo.gl/rt6nYv
ESP8266 NodeMCU: amzn.to/2nkeahq
OR
D1 Mini Pro: amzn.to/2Msm17L
External WiFi Antenna: amzn.to/2MsmfvD
Buck Converter: amzn.to/2MsPiPu
OR
5V Power Supply: amzn.to/2MsSWcr
4 Core 18AWG Wire: amzn.to/2OjVmdA
Jumper Wires: amzn.to/2OQzzeE
12V Power Supply: amzn.to/2APkGGy
M3 Screws: amzn.to/2KCWuXT
=====FILES=====
3d Printed Hub STL File: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
Mounting Holes Template: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
Arduino Code: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
ESPFlashEZ Program: github.com/letscontrolit/ESPE...
ESPEZ Shade Bin File: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
Configuration YAML Additions: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
Wiring Schematic: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
Node-RED Alexa Sequence: github.com/thehookup/MQTT_Mot...
=====Credits=====
Music by www.BenSound.com

[@bertmonkey8457]

So after a year of shelfing this project and trying again and again, I finally have it working properly. The issue I had was that, with GPIO0 being connected, whenever the NodeMCU power cycled / rebooted / Restarted, the NodeMCU would not load. Because it was you, I knew I would get it working, eventually. (I have never found a fault with any of your videos!) I watched your NodeMCU videos and found that a resister on the GPIO0 line solved the issue. Thanks AGAIN, for another fantastic video... because of you / this project I now know how to load Aurduino Libraries and flash with Arduino! Very happy!!!

[@AINEET]

I've been trying to do this on my own but never got started. This video will definitively get me there!

[@TheSgriffith2]

Your code is Gold Rob! Have 3 sets of motorized curtains now with a 4th being constructed now.

[@TheHookUp]

Awesome!

[@ein57ein]

You've got my gears turning with these videos. I'm watching all your curtain automation videos to see if it's something that will work for current curtains.

[@bertmonkey8457]

Watched it again for the 15th time... Finally managed to get it to work after hearing you mention the power consumption and tried a 2A power supply and shazam it worked! Thanks

[@engineerbel3afia]

I havent started implementing yet but i have to tell you, you solved a real mystery for me.. you are a great person sharing this :)

[@jimanddiana4103]

Great! I'm a fan now. Thanks!

[@federicodieleke5475]

Great. I was thinking how to automate my blinds. Thanks!

[@chadjansen9097]

Thank you Sir! Very good videos!

[@WillW]

Well done. Thanks for this.

[@DrZzs]

Fanfrickintastic! Rob, you are a stud! Great job! Heading to Patreon now to support you but if I win you can send the motor to someone else ;)

[@pepijntrampe918]

hey is it poseble to make a video as wel how to control curtins whit a esp8266 and mqtt

[@AutomateEverythingRM]

excellent content. The fact that you describe every single detail and present everything in such easy to understand language, i truly hope your channel takes off into the stratosphere. You certainly deserve it with the work you put into this.

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@seaha3750]

Okilidokili. Cool i am waiting for it. Thx man your videos helped me alot

[@rickknack6856]

This is great! I'm looking to do something very similar, but with twisting horizontal blinds. Any idea how to approach those? All other videos I've seen with those have been end results rather than how-to. You are so thorough in your videos, you just might be the man for the job!

[@luchoescobar]

You’re the man Rob great video!! Hope to win the giveaway!!!

[@seaha3750]

it would be the coolest thing on earth if you can realize it with an wemos and its motorshiel because its really tiny. i already bought the motor and waiting for your video. thx man

[@DavidKomando]

I've taken a few classes at Tampa Hackerspace, cool place.

[@how2q]

wow, great video. New Sub...Can't imagine how long it takes you to actually make the video ON TOP of doing the project!

[@TheHookUp]

That's certainly the downside to making videos, every project takes 5 times as long... but I'm still having fun with it, so it's all good.

[@MartinPugh]

Thanks Rob. Another amazing and completely practical implementation of Home Assistant and the physical world. I'd love to find a way to do this on a roman or vertical blind, ideal hacking something mostly off the shelf, but the options are few and far between unless you have very deep pockets. :-(

[@TheHookUp]

Yeah, my pockets are shallow and I like to build stuff, so those two traits go well together. Ha.

[@andreimicosovici1482]

Great idea. I will try to motorize my exterior rollers as they have also an amazing role in the winter. Motor & shelly 2 (roller function) could be a more noobie solution, right?

[@peterdahlheimer]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE EFFORT! just completed the project thanks to your efforts saving valuable time/money. used an ESP32, otherwise similar.

[@brucecalder7752]

Great project Rob. I built one using DC motors and a 3-D printed gearbox but this project is much better. Any chance of getting some close-up pics of the gearbox is connected to the blind itself? Also, how would you arrange a series of three or four blinds without having a large space between them due to the motor spacing?

[@TheHookUp]

That issue is next on my list of things to solve. You can see the 2 blinds I have are butted up to each other and have the motors at opposite ends, if you needed to have more than that you'd run into an issue. I'm trying to put something together for zero clearance, but I won't be done for at least a few weeks. I think DrZzs was cooking something up also.

[@dp1971pd]

According to code (timer.setInterval(800, processStepper)) the processStepper is called every 800 ms, however the total time need to complete 4144 steps (5.18 turn of motor and 1 turn of gear shaft) is more than one second. Why is that? My motor has missed steps and just slips every one turn of gear shaft.

[@williammiller4143]

Great video. I have existing Coolaroo shades with chain operation. Looking at that website I see that they have an option to convert to crank operation. That means I should be able to attach a motor to the crank shift and operate it that way.. An excellent, video thanks for posting.

[@TheHookUp]

Yeah, that seems like it might be an easy addon. You should still be able to use the code I provided, just change the # of rotations. Let us know how it goes.

[@davekro12]

William, I also have (4) existing Coolaroo chain operated shades. Please post what you find if you convert to crank and how you adapted to 'The Hook Up's parts plan. Or email me at: davekro at comcast dot net big thanks. Dave

[@jcasari1]

Super video! Loved it. I've been waiting for something like this to jump start my project to add automated shades to my backyard windows. I'm wanting to do this to shades that fit inside the window frames (on the inside of the house). Any suggestions on how to add a motor without having the large gap at the end ? In other words, did you find any motors where the gearing would allow the motor to sit behind the roller instead of next to it?

[@TheHookUp]

I think it could be done with a gear set, you'd just mount the motor behind the blinds and then attach it flush on the end with the other gear. Sounds like a job for 3d printing.

[@aaronacj]

Looking to use 90% of this for a wireless chicken coop door. Any recomendations for adding limit switches, mostly to not cut chickens in half because they are not the brightest.

[@diegogarnier4906]

Great Video! how do you connect the 5v to input of Nodemcu? Thanks

[@StavrosSophocleous]

hi Rob, I have followed this tutorial and made a blind for my office. Is there a way to use this as a cover in home assistant? Thank you

[@shaunwhiteley3544]

Excellent! Thank you! I have been looking at getting some electric, remote controlled drive gate openers, I think what you have done here with a few changes would be perfect 😀, instead of attaching to a blind, I could attach a threaded rod to the stepper shaft, have a couplling nut on the shaft, attached to a long bar and a swivel bracket attached to the gate. As the shaft rotates, the coupling nut would move up and down the shaft to either pull or push the bar to open or close the gate. Commercial versions are very expensive. I have purchased a couple of the Amazon buttons, I have Wi-Fi near the gate so could use them as a remote 😀. Cheers

[@fortnoxz71]

this is exactly what I'm looking for. any way I could use ir control instead? or the projector USB 5 volts as a trigger to make the screen on and off? meaning when the projector is on the screen drops, and when off, the screen raises? I'd rather have ir control so the multi remote can make it work and not have to run wires. thanks, any help would be grateful

[@user-uv2gu8wm6h]

Wow

[@aimartin84]

I'm missing a close look about how you installed all the electronic part there so is not too exposed... What about the weather? Is not a problem? Great video, BTW! Cheers!

[@TheHookUp]

I ran wires to the motors and have the NodeMCU and drivers installed in a small cabinet under my patio roof. I probably have at least 50ft of wire running to each of the stepper motors (routed through the soffit) . Weather hasn't been an issue for the motors, the nodeMCU should be in a covered dry area. You could probably mount it in a tupperware with a little bit of kitty litter in it to keep it dry if you don't have a completely covered space.

[@YuvalGrimblat]

Rob, such a great video! I have a question - if I want to put a switch in my wall too, how can I do it? I see your DIY Motorized Roller Shades has only Wireless control via MQTT... And what do you think about using Shelly 2.5 and just connect it to the motor via Volt adapter?

[@HASSCASTS]

Hey, Rob. I think this video is great. It's very well produced and looks really professional :-) It's a project I've been I've been wanting to do for about 30 years (no joke, but back then I wanted to do it with metal contacts on the highest and lowest points and a metal strip on the base end of the blind that broke connections etc, I never did get around to it though)

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks John!

[@PietroBroccolo]

Really great video! But can you pls link me the video where you use the DC motor with encoder?

[@TheHookUp]

I haven't made it yet.

[@steveschmidt1039]

Any chance you could make the code changes for a 28byj motor with uln2003 motor driver - not sure how to translate your easy driver code into same - congrats on a great video

[@Deathbysnusnu125]

I've been looking around for anybody who has done motorized shutters and cannot find much of anything I have in my head plans to do it. The hard part is convincing my wife to allow me to get a 3D printer and other things that will make it easier

[@harold4113]

Hello is it possible to wire it to a L298N? If so, what do i have to change in the ini file?

[@scottsheeks7284]

Your video is great! And this is my next project. However, I do have 10' x 6' shades. Is there another motor you would recommend for the larger shades?

[@dcregistered]

Great video! Do you have any recommendations on how someone could automate plantation shutters?

[@TheHookUp]

That's a tough one. small linear actuator?

[@nathanblanchard8897]

Dr zzs has a video about opening/closing a full window with a linear actuator, maybe that can work! Wouldn’t be elegant but maybe it’ll give you a better idea :)

[@seaha3750]

Hey dude. My encoder motors are finaly arrived. I have no problem with with the hardware stuff i could cad them myself but please i am an electronic noob. So i need a code and a wiring. Maybe you do this project soon

[@mmmbbb759]

Hi First let me thank you for your work and your video they are quite clear. Unfortunately I ran into a few issues. First: once the D1mini is connected to my Wifi network, the webpage of the d1Mini isn't accessible anymore on it's new IP. So you cannot change anything without re-flashing. Unfortunately If you re-flash with the bin file the AP doesn't show up anymore, you need to "erase_flash" before you re-flash it again. My second issues comes with the fact I do not use the same stepper as you, therefore a full rotation isn't occurring. Actually when I used the "stepper controller" you said to buy, the stepper motor went back and forth at each value. When I used the "easydriver stepper controller" it when ok but never full turn. I tried to understand your code but with no success. Since I am not a engineer I am not good at coding. Would it be possible to : get the webUI running after it linked to the house WIFI (sort of like tasmota) change the number of stepsPerRevolution within the webUI change the speed within the webUI This would be useful for all project requiring steppers not only shades. Thank you for your help

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

Hi Rob, Do you remember the diameter of the roller shade? I brought another roller shade and trying to see the Hub STL file you provided will fit my roller shade. Thanks.

[@lsdave]

It would be cool if you did one with a dc motor and encoder so you can get absolute position regardless if the shade has been pulled manually. Then you just need to set your upper and lower limit value for each shade.

[@vineshpatel9060]

Rob. I came across your video while trying to automate my outdoor shades. I have the coolaroo crank shades. They use a hook to turn the gears. Looking at your video I am trying to see if I need to remove the the hook section and replace it with the motor and 3D printed gearbox or can I keep that? Appreciate if you can get back to me.

[@seaha3750]

really really cool video but i really wanna see the same but with the geared worm gear motor because that will fit better for me. Please please please do it or tell me how i have to hook it up and how to program it

[@TheHookUp]

It's on my projects list.

[@swd1758]

Any recommendations for a “pancake” stepper motor. I’m doing this on windows using a particle photon and I’m trying to get a powerful motor that is also very slim. Also, how are you able to have the motor to hold tension but also putting the motor to sleep? My issue was when I put the motor to sleep it released the tension and the roller shades will unroll on its own. Thanks for any help!!

[@bulldog3494]

I loved the video, purchase all of the parts, used the ESPEz Bib File, but can not get the stepper motor to turn. Is there anyone that can help?

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

Did I see a mag-switch on the wall to stop the shade when fully retracted? Seems like a good idea to stop the mechanism if it ever got confused and tried to retract too far.

[@TheHookUp]

Yeah, it was part of my original code, but I decided it wasn't necessary with stepper motors because they will just skip steps at the top if need be without damaging anything.

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

The torque won't mangle the 3-D printed adapter then I guess? Mine has 5x the reduction, but for telescope drive it makes sense.

[@TheHookUp]

The 5:1 isn't a crazy amount of torque, I haven't noticed any issues with the hub when it gets slightly misaligned and does a few click movements at the top.

[@AsafMatan]

Gr8 video!!. Btw. Do you think edge cases are safe enough? What happend if you were in position 13 and then you reset the mqtt server? I think edge switches are a must.

[@TheHookUp]

Well, any good MQTT server will have messages retained even after reboot. The only reason I didn't have the values stored locally on the ESP is that writing to EEPROM reduces the lifespan of the chip, but the MQTT server should be fine. In a worst case scenario though, I've tested a full roll up from a completely closed position and the motor doesn't have enough torque to hurt anything, it just clicks and slips instead of stepping. It shouldn't harm anything. You may see from pictures in the video that on my original implementation I had reed switches to detect the fully closed state. I have removed those from the code as they were causing more issues than they were solving.

[@darknessblades]

how does this work with a reprap shield {for regular curtains} {with endstop}

[@davidarango2207]

Do you think there would be a way to have a system that could be both motorized and manually operated?

[@homeautomation1646]

How do I add multiple input_numbers in your .yaml setup so that I can have 2 or more roller shades? No matter what I do I seem to get errors! Thanks so much for any guidance you can give on this!

[@jasonlodder8591]

Are your blinds still functional after all these years? Did you need to replace your motors over time?

[@georgewashington421]

GREAT idea. Clear, easy to follow instructions. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I am in the process of automating the 3 outdoor shades and would appreciate your input. Unfortunately, my shades (3) are 14'-3" wide each and VERY HEAVY construction (to withstand the high winds we get on the central Banana River, facing the ocean barrier island, along the central East Coast of Florida). They use stainless cables running down each side with a 20 pound steel rod sewn in horizontally (helps pull them down and keep the wind from whipping them in the air). They extend just over 8' down. My problem is the company wanted OVER $550 EACH to motorize them. OUCH!!! After testing and using torque measurements to determine what it would take to move these, I am unable to find a stepper motor with the necessary torque. Measured out at about 6Nm (a bit hard to start turning) desired 60 RPM.........QUESTIONS: 1-I found several DC gear motors with sufficient torque and some even have encoders attached (I could put one on if necessary). Would the 'Stepper Motor' driver work with a standard DC motor (using one pole and a relay)? 2-If not, could you suggest some place for me to search for an answer? ... Thanks again for your very helpful video.

[@TheHookUp]

You could use a DC motor with current monitoring to figure out when it is maxed, but it becomes rather complicated. The shelly2 has that functionality built in so you might be able to use one of those. But for 60rpm you're going to have a really tough time finding a high enough torque stepper, if you're willing to sacrifice RPM you can just go with a crazy gear ratio and achieve 6Nm relatively easily.

[@teddyruxpin3811]

You didn't mention how you powered all of this. Is it wired to an outlet? Or are you running it all off a battery?

[@SornDP]

Nice video. If you're taking wishes, I would like to learn to control the speed of a 12v pc fan from a pwm signal of a esp-01, via mqtt and all that

[@TheHookUp]

Very similar to my LED Ceiling light video with a MOSFET. The only difference is you'd use analogWrite() instead of ledcWrite() if you're using an ESP-01.

[@SornDP]

The Hook Up Thanks for the reply. I'll get on that

[@overtheedge23]

holy crap - i just watched some Engineering content.

[@johnjacobjinglehimerschmid3555]

Nice channel. Wish I was your neighbor. I'd be over weekly with a 12 pack .... and subtly pick your brain so I could begin automating my own home.

[@user-xz5xh2hc5c]

Hi there wondering if you could advise me, I need to put one of these on top of the sun roof I have, im a noob but im thinking maybe i can get something like a drawer railing or something on both sides to keep it steady, and in place while we control it to move up and down? any ideas for doing something like this because it wouldnt be moving from top to bottom in the sense of gravity ir would be goingside to side like on the top face of a cube instead of the front thats facing you

[@linekodak]

Do you have a ino code that works with ESP32?

[@KaylaSiemon]

@The Hook Up Have you tried to do this project with a battery and a solar panel? Is that possible?

[@TheHookUp]

Not this particular project, but I tried for almost a year to make my blinds project work with solar and battery and never got an acceptable solution. Lots of failure though.

[@adas4190]

Another question: is it possible to add to the code that when shade reaches max up or down it publish state open or close? (And how to do it if poss) I have bought stepper you had and it works flawless! You are genius!

[@TheHookUp]

Easily, yes. Just add a client.publish entry in the spots where you see shadeStepper.sleepOFF(), you'll need to add and if statement to determine if pos == 0 or pos == unrolled though for whether to send "open" or "closed".

[@adas4190]

@@TheHookUp That is great I will give it a shot! It will help in automating when shade is rolled or fully unrolled. Thank you, your videos are really inspiring!!

[@adas4190]

@@TheHookUp Will it post payload on the same topic as command?

[@TheHookUp]

The topic is defined in the client.publish command, so you can make it publish to whatever topic you want.

[@adas4190]

I made it and it works, the only problem is that it is sending payload every time it loops.. any help for that? state change trigger would be the best, I mean trigger only when state changes but I have no idea how to program it.

[@sashthewhistler]

Could you share the MQTT code to be used with OpenHAB? I'm unable to rotate the stepper motor; tried various types of codes but no luck. Also please note - I couldn't find the Wi-Fi network after flashing the NodeMCU. I configured Wifi and MQTT parameters in the code, and I do see a device named ESP_XXXXXD in my DHCP list but cannot open its configuration page using its IP. Could that be an issue?

[@s.varveris]

How could we modify this so to rollup whenever there is too much wind, or it's raining? Does it support arduino weather shields?

[@TheHookUp]

An automation in home assistant could accomplish this really easily if you already have a weather station connected.

[@LucidEnemy]

I am using your project/video as a basis for something a little different and I have looked everywhere online for a product that does this but I need a device that will twist a knob on an AC I have a super old AC in my apartment that takes 240Volts and since its an apartment I cant change the outlet to a smart 240 volt outlet (not to mention that would be bad on the compressor) it has no IR or anything so im literally stuck at automating mechanical things 😂 when you were looking for a stepper motor what did you use to figure out that rotation angle? I need it to rotate 90 degrees in however many steps so -90 and +90 with 0 being in the middle whats the best way to do this? I fully intend to write up on github or something about this, it would be my first DIY Smart home automation thing everything else has been a product I find online lol

[@sashthewhistler]

Can we use A4988 stepper motor driver instead of TB6600 when using non-planetary NEMA 17 stepper motor?

[@RRacer000]

I based my thing on Ikea shades (Fridans), Wemos D1 mini, A4988 and some 3D-printed parts. There were useful code snippets here.

[@shaival12]

Hi I am disabled, i need a DC motor with remote to on and stop . AC powered. I need it to open medium size box door. it can be around 3 pound weight. do u have such assembly i can buy please advise.

[@Tomvandorland]

how would i connect this to a d1 mini?

[@Tomvandorland]

Nevermind I got I working! Thanks

[@fernandoazevedo6931]

Hi! Do you have any idea why my covers are grey at a restart of the HASSOS? I must define the current state manually in the developer tools in order to be able to control the blinds each time I restart the server... Any ideas?

[@TheHookUp]

That's because the home assistant states engine doesn't have that data on reboot, it can be solved by sending the state message with a retain flag.

[@RonenLin]

If there's a power failure, does this setup remembers the last known position or can it be reset to zero position? What about manually being able to adjust the blinds?

[@TheHookUp]

Yes, it uses MQTT retain to remember last position and can also be manually reset to zero

[@TheHookUp]

No manual adjust in this project

[@filipesantos7086]

Hey all, Can someone explain to me why increasing the pulse/rev in the driver gives extra torque? The motor is set with 1.8º, which means 200 pulses/rev.... What's the gain in terms of torque? What effects will the motor take upon that change? Thank you.

[@FernandoTapia00]

Very good video, I used the input number in my setup, but it randomly stops working, the opening close and stop work only the slider is the one stops working, what could it be?hope you can help me, is there a place to send you a message?

[@TheHookUp]

I'd guess it's a problem with node red?

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

Hi Rob, i used the premade bin file to flash on a nodemcu. I was able to connect to it and enter my info. After it reboot and connect to my wifi, i am not able to web back into it, it said connection refused. Was this by design or something is wrong on my end?

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

I'm trying to compile the firmware from Arduino so i can modify the GPIO 0 to GPIO 5 but getting the following error in Arduino Arduino: 1.8.13 (Windows 10), Board: "Generic ESP8266 Module, 80 MHz, Flash, Legacy (new can return nullptr), All SSL ciphers (most compatible), dtr (aka nodemcu), 26 MHz, 40MHz, DOUT (compatible), 1MB (FS:64KB OTA:~470KB), 2, nonos-sdk 2.2.1+100 (190703), v2 Lower Memory, Disabled, None, Only Sketch, 115200" C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino: In function 'void setup()': ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE:175:40: error: no matching function for call to 'SimpleTimer::setInterval(int, void (&)())' timer.setInterval(800, processStepper); ^ C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino:175:40: note: candidate is: In file included from C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino:1:0: C:\Users guyl\OneDrive\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SimpleTimer/SimpleTimer.h:23:10: note: void SimpleTimer::setInterval(uint64_t) void setInterval(uint64_t interval); ^ C:\Users guyl\OneDrive\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SimpleTimer/SimpleTimer.h:23:10: note: candidate expects 1 argument, 2 provided ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE:176:35: error: no matching function for call to 'SimpleTimer::setInterval(int, void (&)())' timer.setInterval(90000, checkIn); ^ C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino:176:35: note: candidate is: In file included from C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino:1:0: C:\Users guyl\OneDrive\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SimpleTimer/SimpleTimer.h:23:10: note: void SimpleTimer::setInterval(uint64_t) void setInterval(uint64_t interval); ^ C:\Users guyl\OneDrive\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SimpleTimer/SimpleTimer.h:23:10: note: candidate expects 1 argument, 2 provided C:\Users guyl\Downloads\Home Automations\MQTT_Motorized_Shades-master\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE\ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE.ino: In function 'void loop()': ShadeMCU_CONFIGURE:187:9: error: 'class SimpleTimer' has no member named 'run' timer.run(); ^ Multiple libraries were found for "ArduinoOTA.h" Used: C:\Users guyl\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.7.4\libraries\ArduinoOTA Not used: C:\Users guyl\OneDrive\Documents\Arduino\libraries\ArduinoOTA exit status 1 no matching function for call to 'SimpleTimer::setInterval(int, void (&)())' Look like something with the line " timer.setInterval(90000, checkIn);" I have no idea how to fix it. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[@philbrown2660]

Rob, Fantastic… Thanks. Got it working with a scavenged printer nema17 motor and a A4988 motor driver. I am using it on test with my vertical blinds. There’s no real load on the motor with these blinds, as its only turning a lay-shaft to alter the angle of the blinds. I will order New components for the 5 blinds I need to convert when the testing is completed. One thing I cant seem to get my head around, is how to set up an Automation to close the blind at a set time and open them at another time. For example: Dusk and Dawn. Could you point me in the right direction please. I really appreciate the work you have done on this.

[@TheHookUp]

Are you using node-red for your automations?

[@philbrown2660]

Rob, No, not at the moment. I've seen your video's but haven't tried it yet. Is that what I need to use? Bearing in mind that its still a steep learning curve... for me.

[@thehookupshort]

@@philbrown2660 Just asking because it makes the process a lot simpler. You can do it with YAML automations too, are you more comfortable with those?

[@philbrown2660]

I have set up some simple automations in YAML and I started to create a new one but got lost when trying to set the Action, as I couldn't determine what to enter. I think its the MQTT payload maybe, but I am not sure.

[@isaklofgren1561]

Did you make any changes to the code to use an a4988 instead?

[@danielramon2649]

can you control a dc motor position with a drive without the motor encoder somehow?

[@TheHookUp]

Not really. You can use time, or some people use the surge in power as the motor stalls out at it's endpoints to determine when to stop the motor.

[@adambundy2639]

How could I set this up with alexa?

[@pjb6817520]

Good Tutorials. I am looking to adapt your idea to work with a small stepper motor, 28BYJ and IN2003 driver board, but I am new to arduino and cant seem to see where the nodemcu pins are defined in a way that would work with the IN2003 driver board. I am hoping that if I can get that sorted out, the rest of the code will drive the motor as yours does, with the nodemcu taking care of the interface with HASSIO. Any help gratefully received.

[@TheHookUp]

This is the line: //AH_EasyDriver(int RES, int DIR, int STEP, int MS1, int MS2, int SLP); AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,0,14,12,13); // init w/o "enable" and "reset" functions

[@philbrown2660]

Rob, thanks for the reply. I thought it might be those 2 lines. I presume the numbers in the brackets relate to each of the “int” names above. If so, what does the 300 mean? I think the others are IO pin numbers and one of them, IO14 is not used. I’ve decided not to use the 28byj-48 and the IN2003, at the moment and have set it up with a Nema 17 stepper from a printer and used a A4988 driver, which seems to have very similar I/O to the driver you have. To confirm the motor would work with the driver I configured it with a basic arduino sketch to define the input and output pins and run the motor CW with a delay and then CCW in a loop. I didnt write the code as as I said I am very new to any coding. I found some on the web and edited it to suit. The output was consistent with the number of turns and speed. I then used your sketch and changed the number of turns from 13 to 4.( I only want it to turn a few turns as its driving a vertical blind with not much torque, hence why I have used a stepper without a gearbox). I also matched the wiring to your diagram between stepper and driver and made MS2 high to select 4 times microstepping. Adjusted the configuation yaml as per your instructions? All lines added to bottom of the configuration.yaml, after changing number 13 to 4 for number of Max turns and also changed MQTT id. It All works…… Really happy that I have managed to get this working. But with a slightly confusing issue. It drives about 16 steps in one direct and then just under or just over by about a quarter of a revolution the other way. Its very consistent, but always the same. I have tried adjusting lots of the numbers for speed and steps, but it never seems to work properly, or resolve the issue.. Help..! ps what are the 4144 figures for, in the code? It looks like some check to home the stepper. pps Sorry if this is the wrong area to ask for help. Thanks again Phil.

[@jamiecurtis1991]

​@@TheHookUp I would also like to get this going with the Stepper Motor 28BYJ-48 With Drive Test Module Board ULN2003 but im unsure if your code will work or how to wire it as you only have 3 wires going into the driver and the ULN2003 has 4 inputs labeled int1,2,3,4 - Would you be able to advise? Again I don't need such big motor as im only wanting to adjust the tilt of vertical blinds at the moment

[@TheHookUp]

@@jamiecurtis1991you'll need a different library for that. I recommend AccelDriver.h, have you seen this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4DCYpqLe9qgh68

[@RaniKorkise]

Hey Rob, I went ahead with an RF tubular motor for my blinds as the cost was considerably lower. These RF motors only have up, down and stop commands and the limits are set on the motor. Is there any way I can program them in HA to have specific stop location like in your video, IE 40% or even an input slider would be fantastic! Thanks budd

[@Psi-Storm]

I am planning on using a ac tubular wired motor too. Nodemcu and a 2 channel relay. Then just measure the time it needs to roll down completely. It's easy to calculate a percent value transmitted by my home automation into a open relay for x seconds.

[@summitlonkar]

Thank you for sharing work with you. Just followed your instruction step by step and got this working. However, I am seeing weird issue. As soon as I disconnect NodeMCU from ardunio IDE and plug it in micro usb supply mqtt client just drops the connection. I have three more nodemcu running and they are all working fine. Below is the error I am seeing in Mqtt logs. Any idea what might be happening? 1538714951: New client connected from 192.168.1.19 as curtain (c1, k15, u'MQTTBroker'). 1538715155: Client curtain has exceeded timeout, disconnecting. 1538715155: Socket error on client curtain, disconnecting.

[@TheHookUp]

That usually happens if you have the wrong MQTT login/password, double check yours.

[@TSalem52]

Thanks Rob for this amazing project i followed everything but when i connect the gnd to nodemcu v3 does not connect to wifi I've to power up nodemcu first then connect gnd to work, it means every time the power cut off I've to repeat the same procedure what i did wrong ?

[@chipgoon]

Having same issue. Actually seems to be pin D3 (GPIO0) on nodeMCU that does not like to be connected to the stepper motor driver during boot. GPIO0 is one of those pins that can affect boot sequence. I suspect using a different pin in the code will solve it.

[@mikepace5860]

Yes, I'm having the same issue. Can't explain it. Let you know what I find

[@TSalem52]

@@mikepace5860 please if you solve it tell me

[@TSalem52]

@@chipgoon can you send the code ?

[@chipgoon]

@@TSalem52 it's been ages, but as far as I can tell just changed one line in ShadeMCU_Configure file: AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,5,14,12,13). This changes the third parameter to GPIO5, which I used instead of GPIO0

[@danbabcock7198]

Issue alert: Not sure if its a new issue or you found this effect as well? I thought I had blown up several nodemcus.... But, I found that I cannot have the stepper driver plugged into the nodemcu at boot, otherwise the nodemcu will not fully boot up and connect to the network - possibly an issue with one of the pins being grounded in the stepper driver? I must unplug the stepper driver, boot up the nodemcu (by PC or buck converter, wait 10 seconds, and then plug in the stepper driver... then everything works. Any ideas?

[@danbabcock7198]

Adding a diode on the connection of the nodemcu ground to the stepper driver fixed this issue. If anyone else is having this issue, give that a try.

[@ZaneRiley]

I had the same problem. Did you by chance use multiple GNDs wires instead of the single GND show cased in the video?

[@danbabcock7198]

@@ZaneRiley Single ground wire.

[@RonenLin]

Can this be done with a zigbee instead of wifi? Something like the CC2530 Zigbee Module control a motor shield?

[@TheHookUp]

Probably, but I'm not at all familiar with that protocol in arduino.

[@RonenLin]

@@TheHookUp I'm going to try your setup and then try to convert the wifi part to a zigbee, I like zigbee cuz unlike wifi it uses one main gateway that talks to all of your zigbee devices. Less traffic for your main router...

[@intruderEvil]

Does the Unit have a Webinterface? i configured but cant find a interface. Want to use it via Webinterface if possible.

[@TheHookUp]

You could use a more polished program like Tasmota if you wanted, my program doesn't have a web interface.

[@VladimirPlavac]

Hey Rob, do you know how to control this with Domoticz? I already have a fairly simple domoticz setup and I did set this up too, it works really well. But all my DIY home automation relies on Domoticz and I don't feel like changing everything and home assistant, while powerful, is extremely complex when you don't know anything about coding. Thank you :)

[@TheHookUp]

Does Domoticz use MQTT?

[@VladimirPlavac]

@@TheHookUp , I saw it can work with MQTT.

[@3adelz90]

I thought you won't be able to move the shades with your hands. How is it possible ? I thought the gearbox will make it difficult.

[@zaamirrazi8705]

waiting for the video using the dc motor with a motor encoder

[@TheHookUp]

That video will probably happen in January, I just don't have enough free time to take on a project of that scale at the moment.

[@andrewshepherd1285]

how many blinds can be controlled this way

[@TheHookUp]

I guess it's theoretically limited by the number of GPIO pins on the nodemcu, but no limit other than that. How many are you trying to control?

[@brettwilson8743]

Nice video, explained everything really well. Do you know how the shade cloth is attached to the roller? I was wondering if the actual cloth can be swapped out with a different percentage of shade.

[@TheHookUp]

It's sorta crimped into the main roller.

[@adas4190]

hi, I'm trying to use 17HS4401 stepper motor without planetary gearing, do you know how should I modify code because my motor spins more time than 1 then I select 1?

[@TheHookUp]

I'm guessing it rotates around 5 times? You should be able to do a search for 4144 in the code and replace that number with 800, which is the number of half steps you'll need to take to do a full rotation with that motor.

[@adas4190]

@@TheHookUp yes that is right! Thsnk you!

[@shanebeasley8191]

So if I was to use normal un-geared NEMA 17s but instead of running them directly on the blind I ran them slightly under it with a small pulley on it then shortened the original pull chain instead to run between the small motor gear and the bigger blind gear would be enough to gear it down you think?

[@TheHookUp]

It's certainly possible, give it a shot. Let us know how it goes :)

[@shanebeasley8191]

The Hook Up sorry 1 more question. When the blinds are not moving are the motors powered on? Meaning locked in the position they were last left? Or can they be spun by hand? Thinking for the wife's approval I would have to retain the ability for her to still use the chain to go up and down. So I would need to use some endstops at the top and bottom to stop it from over spinning if she was to move it into a position that is not where HA thinks it is...

[@TheHookUp]

They spin freely (motor sleep) if they are set to zero position or max position. The middle positions wouldn't be able to hold their position if the motor was on sleep mode.

[@shanebeasley8191]

The Hook Up oh 1 more thing I thought of. As we know, spinning a stepper motor by hand will generate power. Will this be dangerous on the electronics? I really want to set it up to be usable by hand and by HA.. it's the only way I will be able to get away with this mod

[@TheHookUp]

That's an interesting question, I'm pretty sure the sleep function results in open circuit, so it wouldn't actually generate electricity.

[@stephenmancuso5227]

(Using all the recommended parts) Encountering a weird issue where the Arduino won't post if it's connected to the stepper motor driver (just a bunch of weird voltages on the outputs) however when I connect it after (enable, direction and pull) posting it works normally. Tested this on a few Arduino boards but only 1 stepper motor driver (which is top on my list of things to blaim). Any thoughts?

[@TheHookUp]

Yep, looks like something has changed with the driver recently that causes it to ground the pins on bootup. You can fix that error by changing this line: AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,0,14,12,13); To this: AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,5,14,12,13); And then instead of connecting the PUL+ to D3 connect it to D1 instead. That should fix your issue.

[@stephenmancuso5227]

@@TheHookUp worked perfectly, much appreciated!

[@StavrosSophocleous]

Hi Rob , Thank you for the great tutorial. I have build the shades but i have a problem you may help me with. Just after flashing the nodemcu ( still connected to my pc via usb) everything works fine and I can control the servo via lovelace slider. When I disconnect the usb and plug it on any usb power supply I loose communication with NODEMCU and I can no more control it. Any suggestions? Thank you

[@TheHookUp]

That is very strange, is it possible you have one of the nodeMCU pins grounded that prevents booting? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZmVk3hoq7Oil7s

[@StavrosSophocleous]

@@TheHookUp Hi, I followed your schematic exactly , doubled checked and all the pins are correct.

[@VladimirPlavac]

@@StavrosSophocleous same problem here. in the arduino IDE code change the following line AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,0,14,12,13); // init w/o “enable” and “reset” functions to AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,5,14,12,13); // init w/o “enable” and “reset” functions just change the 0 to 5 and move the pin from D3 to D1

[@StavrosSophocleous]

@@VladimirPlavac Hi Vladimir , I already did that and works fine now. Thanks

[@StavrosSophocleous]

@@TheHookUp Good morning Rob. i finally solved the problem by changing the pin from D3 to D1 and the config from AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,0,14,12,13) to AH_EasyDriver shadeStepper(300,4,5,14,12,13). Does the 13 in this config has to do anything mximum value of the shade ? If I changed mine to 8 , should I change the 13 to 8? Thanks

[@stephenmancuso5227]

I have tried to increase the step count from the ~4000 to 4000*(newpos-oldpos) to get smoother motion out of the step motor. Even with nothing but power connected the board goes for about 3 seconds before it crashes and flashes blue. Small steps work fine. Any clue whats going on? Thanks in advance!

[@stephenmancuso5227]

I also tried this with the default stepper library (same). I tried with a tiny delay between steps ~10 ms with a while loop, works fine (still stutter-y). Tried extending the timer so it would never come up between steps, (no effect but creating a larger delay between attempts to step).

[@TheHookUp]

@@stephenmancuso5227 The reboots are from the watchdog timer making sure that the ESP has enough free loops to handle WiFi, when pulsing a stepper motor it blocks the core from doing anything else, the step count that I used was to make sure that there were frequent enough breaks to process wifi.

[@stephenmancuso5227]

@@TheHookUp excellent, thank you, not much luck jamming the watchdog reset code in the library but this made for much smoother operation with 16 X microstepping: if (newPosition > currentPosition) { shadeStepper.sleepON(); while(newPosition > currentPosition){ shadeStepper.move(8288, BACKWARD); currentPosition++; ESP.wdtFeed(); } shadeStepper.sleepOFF(); client.loop(); } if (newPosition < currentPosition) { shadeStepper.sleepON(); while(currentPosition > newPosition){ shadeStepper.move(8288, FORWARD); currentPosition--; ESP.wdtFeed(); } shadeStepper.sleepOFF(); client.loop(); }

[@isaklofgren1561]

Have anyone used these motors with ikea blinds. I have 140 cm wide blinds and would like to build something like this. I have already tried 28byj-48 motors and they were to weak. (both 12v and 5v versions)

[@TheHookUp]

These motors would be PLENTY powerful for those, only issue is having the clearance at the side to mount it.

[@TheSgriffith2]

Updated node red and my blinds are down. Any idea why before I go tearing stuff apart? They worked flawlessly for 2 years.

[@TheHookUp]

Nothing that I can think of immediately. Are you using node-red to map positions?

[@TheSgriffith2]

@@TheHookUp if by mapping positions you mean how far open and closed I would say yes. But I always have them at max open or closed. Anywhere in between and the motor gets warm. Looking at the node red log I don't see them show up like I use too. I have not messed with nose red in a while so I'm not sure of that's the way it is being done anymore. If I had to guess, I would say it's the way the curtains are connecting to node red and something has changed there. I have lights that activate with a motion sensor and are dimmed at certain hours that I used your method for. They are still functioning. FyI: I used your blinds instructions on my curtains. I didn't realize at the time you made a separate video for curtains. Do your blinds still work after the latest update?

[@TheHookUp]

@@TheSgriffith2 Yeah, my node-red is up to date and everything is still working fine for me.

[@TheSgriffith2]

@@TheHookUp I'll dive into more after work. The curtains are still connected to the router so I know that's good. HA still moves the sliders for the curtains when i ask Alexa.

[@TheHookUp]

@@TheSgriffith2 I don't know exactly how your system is set up, but next step would be to make sure the MQTT message is being sent to the curtains and make sure it's the correct format (an integer and not 11.0 or something like that).

[@jasonwier6407]

Check the rules for Patreon, they consider giveaways as a form of gambling. Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@TheHookUp]

Hmmm, that's a bummer. I'll check it out. Still gonna do this one though. I see elecroboom do it almost every video, wonder how he handles it.

[@jasonwier6407]

Personally I do not know how they could track it. Just do it. How do they know you gave something away as a "reward"? Here is the copy on the rules. "Everybody loves the thrill of winning something, that is just part of our nature. In the past, we used to allow raffles but we have recently decided to take a stronger stance against reward tiers and goals that involve any kinds of giveaway. We decided that this approach was the best moving forward if we want to comply with gambling regulations. We understand that your own state or country might have different legislation, but as a global company we want to make sure that creators can safely offer similar rewards to all of their patrons without being at risk of breaking the law. That said, we understand that raffle type of rewards are a strong incentive for patrons to pledge and there are many ways to do similar things. As a creator, you can always create a higher reward tier for a limited amount of patrons for rewards that are too difficult to create for all of your patrons. You can also offer certain surprises to your patrons to celebrate special moments such as a year supporting your work, therefore encouraging your patrons to follow you in the long term. You can also consider conducting a giveaway for all of your fans, without restricting it to just patrons, but make sure you check what laws you have to comply with as giveaways are still regulated. As always there is room for you to be creative and if you have any doubts, please send us a note - we are always happy to help."

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks

[@mistervoo]

So I followed everything to a T, got the ESPY to get the value from home assistant slider via the MQTT broker i have setup, but the motor is just not moving. I checked if the motor is good using a small led and it is. Any idea what could be the issue with the motor not moving?

[@mistervoo]

Reading a similiar problem below, do you think it could be the TB6600 stepper driver?

[@TheHookUp]

My guess is the enable pin is reversed or not working properly. When you look in the serial monitor it should spam its "current position", do you see that changing when you send values to it?

[@mistervoo]

@@TheHookUp yes, i opened up the serial and when moved the slider in home assistant, i see in the serial window the number changes. When i change it, is shows the current and newly set value until i get to the newly set value, as i think it should when i looked at your code. What's the enable pin?

[@mistervoo]

Do you mean the connection to GPIO13? is that the enable pin?

[@mistervoo]

@@TheHookUp Ok after your tip, i found the problem. The breadboard connection just didn't sit properly and didn't send signal through enable pin. Thank you sir for the support. Will be hitting you up on patreon.

[@davidlister8130]

David Lister (uk) Bought all the parts from us and flashed the board. No problem. Can see the board on my router but no movement from the motor. Setup home assistant as you have indicated. Is their any test I can do to track down my problem. I have in the past setup a blind by using sonoff with tasmota and relays. Your video inspired me to build this project. At the moment I am watching you videos on nod red. When working I was a methods engineer , flow charts are my thing. Hope you can help. Excellent video keep up the good work

[@TheHookUp]

Do you have a way to see the serial monitor for your Node-MCU? You should see a fair amount of messages talking about what step is failing (wifi, mqtt, etc). Let me know what it says.

[@davidlister8130]

The following appears in the logbook in HA. Send MQTT Shade Value has been triggered ‎8‎:‎45‎ ‎PM MQTT Shade changed to 13.0 ‎8‎:‎44‎ ‎PM Send MQTT Shade Value has been triggered ‎8‎:‎44‎ ‎PM MQTT Shade changed to 0.0 Blue light on motor controller.

[@TheHookUp]

So it seems like the mqtt message is being sent. What we need to see is the serial log of the nodeMCU. You can use the Arduino IDE or a program like Termite to connect to it.

[@davidlister8130]

The Hook Up Termite shows when the slider is moved from 0 to 13. Message arrived [shadePosition/blinds]13 1 13 2 13 Continue until 13 then 13 none stop. blinds being my unique name.

[@TheHookUp]

That's good news, means your problem is hardware related, not software. What power supply are you using for the motor and driver?

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

Will the linked motor be sufficient for a 8' x 8' roller shade?

[@TheHookUp]

Yes

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

@@TheHookUp Are you able to dictate to google assistant to open/close the roller shade? how about "Ok google, close shade 30%"? Thanks.

[@TheHookUp]

Only if you are using some other method to link it to google home, like home assistant

[@LinhNguyen-ev8wq]

@@TheHookUp I will be using home assistant. Thanks