Motorized Blind recomendations

Hardware Home Automation
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Hello everyone! This is my first post in the Community Forums.
I’ve been learning and experimenting with OH2 for some time now and am starting to become comfortable and would like to begin expanding my basic setup beyond lighting and AV control. I’d still consider myself “Beginner/Intermedite” with OH at this time.

Project Scope:
As my first project, installing motorized blinds for automation is primarily because of… my dog! I have a Boxer (Taz) that likes to sit at my windows and look outside. To do this, she sticks her head between the slats on blinds i have now and forces them open so she can see outside. By doing this, she is constantly destorying the slats at the bottom of the blinds. I’ve tried to get her to stop doing this, but she is insitant on watching the birds and squirrels outside and only stops for a few days then is back at it again. As a plus, this gives me an excuse to do some HA setup.

My idea is to integrate motorized blinds that can be Rule controlled by a sensor (motion or proximity, ESP8266 based?) that when she is within a certain area the blinds will lift an appropriate amount so she can look outside without having to stick her head into the slats to force them open.

So, I am reaching out to the OH2 community for suggestions on hardware solutions as i would like to control four blinds. Two of them to be dog sensored, and the other two for a complete system in my living room. Looking around, from what i am seeing motorized blinds in Canada can be quite expensive. Normally i would just buy something that after researching, “should” work and play around with it, but with the cost involved any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

The most common products i have found available in Canada so far are Hunter-Douglas, Soomfy and Bali. Hunter-Douglas I can order locally, and are custom made. Soomfy/Dooya have tube motors available and I would have to order online. Bali are also custom made and i haven’t researched yet, so unsure of OH2 compatability. With any suggestions I am fine with buying custom made blinds or doing DIY motor installs, I would just like to be certain it will fit my needs due to the cost involved.

Thanks everyone, looking forward to ideas and suggestions so I can begin this challenge!

BTW, i’m currently running on an RPi3 with a recent nightly Openhabian - Phillips HUE, Logitech Harmony, Yamaha A/V Receiver, and Kodi bindings. I also have a Vera Edge Z-wave controller, but have not done anything OH with it, as was my fist Homeautomation test purchase several years ago and only paired a door sensor and power outlet to it. At that time i was’t sure of the Homeautomation route i wanted to take…

Thanks,
Craig

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I don’t own any motorized blinds so can’t give you any tips on that… However, once it is working I definitely want to see the video of the blinds opening when the dog approaches :grin:. Great project!!

1 Like
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Thanks Maurits. I’ve placed an order for a few ESP8266 and some various sensors to start learning and planning. I’ll definitaley post a video of it once completed! It’ll be the end of the week before my order arrives, so lots of time for more blinds research…

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Hello craigers, I was wondering how your project is going? I’m currently looking for motorized blind that can be control with openhab. I’m wondering what can be used. I was also looking for solar blinds (unsure if that’s the right word) meaning blinds that coil harness the power of the sun either for its working or to put back in the grid.

Thanks!

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It’s been slow going due to I took a new position at work last fall that consumes most of my time…

But little by little I have been working on it. I have my blinds tilting with servos, connected to Esp8266-12E. I have installed two blinds per window, an upper and a lower so i can still have privacy and have the top blind open (the side walk is only a few feet away from the front of my house). The bottom blind has a PIR motion sensor attached so when my dog walks up it will tilt open. I coded the sensor into the Esp8266 instead of using OpenHAB rules but still needs more code work, it needs a delay after motion put in. It isn’t the best choice for a sensor as when my furnace turns on, the heated air from the register will trigger the sensor so i have it disabled for now. Eventually i’ll replace it with an ultrasonic distance sensor but will have to change the code and the circut board i made.

I have some continuous rotation servos and rotary encoders as well that will be for lifting the blinds but haven’t had the time to mess around with them in my blind mock up.

My electrical knowledge is very basic, but advice i have for you if you go solar powered is to ensure to have enough amperage to run the servo you use. Breadboarded all seemed to be working good, but when i ran the wiring in long runs to the outlet, there was not enough power to move the servos, they just “chattered”.

I am controlling the blinds with OpenHAB using a BasicUI sitemap, and the OpenHAB Google Assistant Action (Taz my dog stares at me when I talk to my Google Home lol!)

I choose to use Kuman 270 degree servos as 180 degree servos didn’t quite close my blinds totally and i want them to be able to go all the way forward or backward. The Kuman servo is high torque, 6 to 7.5 volts and needs at least 3 amps to work properly. It is way over powered for tilting blinds but had a hard time finding other 270 degree servos. I picked up 7.5 volt, 3.5 amp power supplies to drive them, and 3.3 volt power converters for the Esp board.

Craig