ESPHome Stepper Motor

[@nAtic86]

everybody and their dog seem to be on the lookout for a device that can turn analog knobs with home assistant or something. to turn oldschool volume dials on vintage hifi setups with your phone for example. basically a finger bot - but for knobs. maybe you should look into that ;)

[@iambuschi]

Interesting.. wasn’t thinking about that.. but first thought is that a traditional rc servo might be better suited for these kind of knobs (especially due to absolute positioning). But cannot deny that it would make for a very overcomplicated, very cool project 😆

[@nAtic86]

@@iambuschi if you're renting - you cannot exchange the wall-mounted thermostat for example. all you'd need is a finger bot sized "hat" that sits on top of and around the dial. there is currently no solution for the whole home automation community. this would be funded on kickstarter within minutes. do it! :D

[@jeppetheone]

Great video, just what i needed to get startet on my chicken door 🐔💪

[@iambuschi]

Great to hear that! Enjoy your project.. Sounds fun.. :)

[@parthingsdotcom]

I personally love the stepper whirr

[@mariome3178]

Wonder where the code for this is?

[@oithetresen609]

How would you go about homing a stepper motor? If you use it to open or close some blinds for example you'd need to be able to accurately determin the position of the motor.

[@iambuschi]

I was briefly looking into that, but couldn't figure out how to set or reset the absolute position right away and then later needed to just finish off. I am currently working on another project using thes TMC2209 stepper drivers outside the esphome context and would love to have homing there as well.. Especially the built in one which doesn't need additional switches or end stops..

[@iambuschi]

But this must be relatively simple with esphome. I am sure it is possible.. Still have the test rig laying around maybe I film an addition when I can figure it out quickly..

[@KrazyKaiser]

Does this project need 12v for the motor and 5v for the esp, or just 5v for both? Oh, is power coming from the motor driver to the esp?

[@iambuschi]

Power is usually the most annoying part. I wanted to drive everything from one source initially.. The driver was unhappy with 5V although that should be enough for the TMC2208.. Then I altered to 12v and wanted to derive the 3.3 from that too.. Using a linear voltage reg is was too much power dissipation as the ESP draw considerable current.. However, it is all possible with the correct step down supply chips.. In the end I supplied 12v to the driver and kept USB connected to the ESP board I believe..

[@amargupta.8847]

I wanted this video...

[@akiwi2562]

I wonder, should I subscribe?

[@iambuschi]

The question is, is there anything in the video that hints that you should? If yes, then definitely.. If not, then not.. But for sure yes, if the googly eyes are cute..