An easy cure for range anxiety.

Our next car is going to be electric and the biggest decision is how much battery is enough. My daily commute is only 20 km in each direction so i technically only need a range of 50km for about 95% of my driving, but occasionally would like to take a day trip without having to stop and charge. Carrying all that battery for 5% of my trips seems like a big waste of energy. Something like a trailer battery pack seems like the perfect solution to electric car range issues doesnt it? It is a pity the Tesla X is the only el car that can tow from the factory at the moment. Come on car makers - standardize connections for power packs and lets move on from range anxiety. The only disadvantages i see are the need for bigger car parks, difficulty reversing and extra set of tires to maintain but i think not carrying all that unused capacity around 95% of the time would be enough compensation.

2017-002 remote for kitchen fan

The most disappointing part with our new Kitchen is the fan. you have to lean under the top to reach the buttons and the supplied remote is ok but never where you want it to be.

This brief is to create a mobile friendly interface for the fan and light.

Pulled apart the original rc

http://www.seav.it/en/transmitters/besmart-rsx-new

 to find out some details on the internal circuits, I was able to find out the brand of PLC innside () and found the datasheet for it

 but I don't have the skillz yet to do much with it.

remote transmitter 433.82 frequency.

http://www.dx.com/p/rf-transmitter-receiver-module-433mhz-wireless-link-kit-w-spring-antennas-for-arduino-399919#.WOKwq_nyiUk

I reached out to the Italian manufacture who referred me to the Norwegian supplier.

P2017-003 garage door sensor

This weekend i have got the pieces working for an ultrasonic ethernet project

The project is set up to warn when the garage door is open.

Using a sensor the solution will determine if the garage door is open and if it is open too long warn the owners.

components

arduino nano - 

http://www.banggood.com/5Pcs-ATmega328P-Arduino-Compatible-Nano-V3-Improved-Version-No-Cable-p-971293.html?rmmds=myorder

breadboard and cables.
http://www.banggood.com/5Pcs-MB102-Solderless-Breadboard-Power-Supply-Jumper-Cable-Kits-For-Arduino-p-1033694.html?rmmds=myorder

ultrasonic sensor - 04 

ethernet shield - http://www.banggood.com/ENC28J60-Ethernet-Shield-Network-Module-V1_0-For-Arduino-Nano-p-1013491.html?rmmds=myorder

philips hue lights - 

ifttt - maker connection

power supply for nano - 

.

The ultrasonic sensor was surprisingly easy to get working, thanks to a clever blog post by...

The ethernet was also easy - but I had to include different libraries to the standard arduino ones but this was api compatible so the tutorial code was still enough to connect up to the web.

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Robot arm

I ordered a robot arm from ebay before we moved out and promised alex it would be one of the first things we built in the new workshop.

Through a few weekends Alex and I have completed the kit.

The first half was done with a #0 screwdriver and it was a bit hard to screw the screws in to the plastic frame. Half way through I took a trip to the local hardware store and got some new drivers.

With a #1 the screws glide in to the plastic - so much so that Alex was able to complete the last stages with bery little help.

Anyway - -here's the finished product.

Next ideas -

connect up to wireless remote control

Unfortunately the current wired control is not just a signal voltage - the actual power to run the electric motors goes through the control unit - this will make remote control a bit harder as we need to duplicate the power with relays or some giant transistors.

Connect to Kinect so it knows where it is.

Put it on wheels. Not so practical unless I can solve the first actions. needs lots of power.