Re: [OT] Smartphone IO interface: how to control motors and read sensors

[harangzsolt33]

Are you sure you don't want to do this project using a Raspberry PI instead? When I plug in my Raspberry PI, it automatically powers on. And it's basically a tiny computer with some sort of Debian Linux on it. I could configure it to run a Perl script when it powers on. Since the Raspberry PI has pins, they can be connected to switches which turn on power to some devices. For example, I could turn on a lamp, or I have taken a water valve out of a washing machine, so I could turn on a water hose. I could open or close a door and so on.

The problem is that even a simple chicken farm has a lot of complexities that require daily monitoring and personal presence. For example, I currently have about 60 chickens. They are free range, and when sunset comes, most of them like to sit outside in groups, which means that I have to move them into the chicken coop every night. Once I moved them in, then I have to count them, securely lock the doors of the coop. And then I even close the chicken cage which leads to the coop. In the morning around 7 o'clock, I go outside and let them out. This is easy, because all I have to do is open the doors. This part could be automatized. However, the temperature in Florida can rise quickly. And if the door-opener mechanism fails even once, all my chickens could die in the coop from the extreme heat. I cannot risk that. So, this is something that requires my personal attention. I wouldn't want to rely on a machine to do this work. This is the easiest but most critical part of the work. Then I have to feed them and water them. I usually clean their water bowl, so they drink out of a clean bowl everyday. That water would get extremely dirty if I didn't clean it. I am not sure how a machine could do this. But like I said, this is not the most important part. I think, my chickens could survive without grain or water for several weeks. There is plenty of food in the yard. I have a big yard. But opening their door in the morning is absolutely critical. If I forget it, then they all die. Another responsibility is collecting the eggs. If I don't, then the heat causes the eggs to go bad, so it's a constant work. Very hard to imagine how it could be automatized. And I don't even own a large farm. There are much bigger and more complex chicken farms...

This farm automatization reminded me of a funny old Charlie Chaplin video on YouTube. LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_1apYo6-Ow

[GrandFather]

A Pi uses 2 - 10 times the power a typical smartphone uses. A better solution may be something like an ESP32 which is designed for IOT applications and can easily average a handful of milliwatts of power. The trick with any of these devices is to be able to put them to sleep most of the time and only wake to get some work done. ESP32 type devices make that easy. Phone network connection isn't baked into ESP32 devices, but it's easy to add a suitable modem.

[bliako]

Hey that ESP32 sounds promising. And it's much more available than the IOIO-OTG and cheaper too, I found this for starters: https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-sim800l-publish-data-to-cloud/

[bliako]

thanks for all the information on how you do your chicken chores. Just to reassure you, it's a backup plan for when I am travelling. 10, 15 days. For these days they have to stay in. I am working on watering system which cleans itself every day, indeed it gets dirty. I thought about the Pi. I got the impression than if power runs out, it shuts down and the problem is how to restart it again on (solar) power returning? This is what stopped me. Plus that I was not satisfied that connecting a GSM modem (sim card etc.) to it would be troublefree.