AB8SS Alternative

[rmasonjr]

I've been working on a proof-of-concept as a possible alternative to the AB8SS. I have a working prototype and would like to get some input on any fine-tuning. So far, here's what I have that would work in place of an AB8SS:

Arduino Uno ($22 USD)
4-relay Shield ($20 USD)

The Pyle Amps are switched on using the Arduino and simple COM port commands. I wrote a sketch and uploaded it to the Arduino and it has functionality such as:

1 on
2 off
3 on
etc.

I can independently switch the 'zones' on/off just by turning the amp on/off. These Pyle amps have soft-startup and 'thump' protection. I havent hooked up speakers yet to test this, but so far, switching the amps on/off from HS works very well and very quickly. I can also add up to 12 total relays/amps to this setup with a single Arduino.

My next steps are to get some speakers setup to test the soft-start and anti-thump. Once that is ironed out, running speaker wire and in-ceiling speakers is a monumentous task by itself. I'd also like to expand the HS control as a plugin and provide relay status so I can tell which are on/off before triggering.

I welcome any comments on how to improve this setup.

[LeoS]

Looks very interesting.

Q: Does it need multiple soundcards to work?

[mrhappy]

Nice work, I do something similar but my amps are china made 12v amps designed for cars/boats. I have them all fed off the same audio feed and I did used to get the occasional pop through the speakers when one turned on and the other amp was on. I'm in the process of swapping them over to be turned on by a darlington driver IC to see if that helps any, surprised really mine only consume around 180mA when I connected them to my DMM.

I have a plugin pretty much all written for the arduino that can control the outputs (and read the inputs) if you upload the Firmata library to it, if you want the code for it you are welcome to it...

Looks very interesting.

Q: Does it need multiple soundcards to work?

As above I do something similar with relays switched on/off for two different rooms, the relays are switched from a PICAXE board. I have both amplifiers from the same speaker output on the PC with a Y splitter, I guess really I should be using some sort of preamp or something but I don't seem to have any problems doing it.

[rmasonjr]

@LeoS - I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can use a splitter like mrhappy pointed out. The reason I went with separate sound cards is so that I can send different music to different zones.

@mrhappy - I do think that these amps are made for boats/cars and I hope I dont get the 'pop' on these when I get the speakers setup - I'll report back on my progress.

[Rupp]

Rob,
What app are you using to "feed" the sound cards?

[rmasonjr]

Nothing yet, but will have a separate speaker client for each one for TTS.
After I get that going, I want to use iTunes to pipe music.

[LeoS]

rmasonjr: ah ok. wouldn't you need multiple instances of iTunes (or different player app altogether) to pipe different music to different sound cards simultaneously?

[rmasonjr]

rmasonjr: ah ok. wouldn't you need multiple instances of iTunes (or different player app altogether) to pipe different music to different sound cards simultaneously?

Yeah, I think iTunes to one zone is all I can do - I dont think I could have multiple iTunes running on the HS Server. My main goal is to get good TTS to 1 or more zones.

I have it cycling through the relays, one at a time and it seems to be pretty quick. I do need to modify my arduino sketch to all an 'all on' or 'all off'.

[bernieb]

I am in the process of switching from iTunes to JR Media Center as the later recognizes multiple zones ... just in case you're looking for an alternative.

[Raptor]

Hi,

i am thinking of building one of these could you share more info as to the integration with homeseer and how it is working for you.

it looks like you are switching the inputs and each speaker has its own amp,is that correct?

Raptor

[rmasonjr]

Hi Raptor. Yes, I am just switching the individual amp to 'ON' before speaking to that particular location. On the Arduino side, I just coded it to respond to relay number and ON/OFF/STATUS. On the HomeSeer side, I started off with simple scripts to open the COM port, send 2n or 1ff, etc. I have since moved this to a plugin that I hope to release on HS3. With the plugin approach, I can do more with the STATUS of the relay and store them in virtual devices.

[Raptor]

Thanks,

i look forward to seeing more on this going forward

Raptor

[Raptor]

another question, what is that power strip on the right ?

it looks like it is providing 12v to the amps?

[rmasonjr]

No - the power strip on the right is a Maverick power supply that powers the Arduino with 9v (selectable). On the left is a power distribution bar that delivers 12v to the amps via the relays (orange/red wires). Off-screen to the left is a small 12v benchtop power supply that goes to that power distribution block.