Anyone retrofitted automation to plantation shutters?

[fdarden]

same problem here

I have been trying to figure this same issue out for a while. I have the same type of shutter as well.

[gearyt]

Clean solution.. hope they support Z-Wave or interconnect with our RF systems

[mark_anderson_us]

Just saw a new kickstarter campaign to automate plantation shutters.

It's called "ShutterEaze"

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-plantation-sh

Only snag is you'll probably have to wait at least a year IF it ever ships

[Jingoro]

Just saw a new kickstarter campaign to automate plantation shutters.

It's called "ShutterEaze"

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-plantation-sh

[mark_anderson_us]

'fraid not

closest I got to a *plan* was attaching a servo to the edge of one and driving from arduino

[Jingoro]

Anybody have any luck with this? I'm looking for a solution as well.

[mark_anderson_us]

I have no idea if or how well this might work, but what about something like the attached drawing? At the very least it would be easy to remove if it didn't work.

That was kind of what I was thinking. Will have to order up a few parts and try it

[reidfo]

I have no idea if or how well this might work, but what about something like the attached drawing? At the very least it would be easy to remove if it didn't work.

[mark_anderson_us]

Why not do as the posted video?

The post by mfreese? because, as I mentioned, I don't want to hack up my shutters in order to experiment/test (or at all really)

[Rupp]

Why not do as the posted video?

[mark_anderson_us]

a servo is the obvious choice for this.

easy to control and fairly cheap.

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/sweep

Everything I found about using servos was for vanetian blinds that you twist a rod to tilt. This don't have that. you have to physically move a rod or a slat and the challenge is the rod is in the front, so you can't move it without having an ugly device on front (can't be done from back) and AFAIK to swivel the slat you need to use an eccentric movement as the shaft of any motor/server will be off axis from the rotational center

[Raptor]

a servo is the obvious choice for this.

easy to control and fairly cheap.

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/sweep

[mark_anderson_us]

the pic shows what both of us are talking about
imagine the center connected to a stepper motor that will step 1 - 180 degrees
connect the arm and depending on the length it will rotate 1/2" near the center, 4" near the edge

Sorry still not getting it. Should there by a pic attached to your post?

When you say the "center connected", are you talking about the vertical rod on the shutters? If so. not sure that's going to have adequate WAF as it will be on the interior of the shutter, so visible to all.

If not, do you mean the pivot point of the horizontal slat? I could see how that would work if it was on the rotational axis. If not I'd need to come up with some kind of eccentric movement wouldn't I? I've attached a very crude sketch (looking from side). The Green dot is the rotational axis of the slat. The blue square is a stepper and the X in the middle is the shaft. Os if I connected to the out edge of the slate to rotate as show by red arrow, (there would be a linkage from the disk to the top tip of the red arrow) would it be tricky to get the correct arc.

One other issue that just occurred to me, what would happen if the wife or cleaner moved the slats by hand? Would the stepper move OK? I don;t know do much about steppers--yet: do i tell it to move X degrees or move to point X? (I see the former being an issue if someone moves the slats manually)

[gearyt]

the pic shows what both of us are talking about
imagine the center connected to a stepper motor that will step 1 - 180 degrees
connect the arm and depending on the length it will rotate 1/2" near the center, 4" near the edge

[mark_anderson_us]

I just happened to come across this a few days ago.
http://www.mysmarthomeblog.com/page--23.html
You may not need to hack up your shutters and attach the servo on the inside surface instead.

I saw that too at weekend. Looks fantastic and would like something similar, but can't picture how it would work with something connected off center. The key to his success seemed to be that he cut one of the shafts.