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First Log, what's been posted and what's left to do

A project log for Family Sync & Home Control Panel

Wall mounted touchscreen to keep family in sync, and home automation control panel.

mark-kuhlmannMark Kuhlmann 12/30/2015 at 17:180 Comments

I had been keeping track of my project with photo's and decided to post it here on hackaday. I've posted most of the work to date in the details section. As far was what's left:

1) Wall Mounting: Design the backing board for the display so I can securely flush mount onto my wall. I'm going to look for some 1/8" plastic sheeting today and some wall mounting hardware.

2) Power: Instead of running the cable to a plug located lower in the wall I might buy a recessed outlet kit such as this http://amzn.to/1ktxmoZ and run power to it from the lower outlet. Doing this would eliminate visibility on the cable and power adapter as it would sit directly behind the panel and minimize the chance that any little ones in the house will unplug and pull on the cable.

3) Home Automation: I need to experiment a little further with OpenHAB and see how it functions. I need to install the micro module in the garage and sync with the z-wave stick to see it up and running.

4) Sync: I need to add the family account to my wife's phone so she can start syncing and using the panel

Concerns:

1) Connectivity: I'm concerned about the BT and Wifi in the panel. As the modules are built into the Mini PC, and the Mini PC is enclosed behind the LCD screen there may be some issues. Since I have 2 USB ports on the side of the unit available I would buy some mini USB adapters for BT and Wifi to see if those work better

2) Appearance: I was hoping to have a cleaner appearance but the router diameter did not match the Mini PC and there's some slight gaps in that section. I do not have a drill press and as a result the LED/Buttons were not aligned perfectly straight. All in all I'm OK with the appearance but I had some higher hopes for the finished product. If I do another version I will focus more on aesthetics.

Possible future additions:

Sound: I currently use BT and pair the panel to a BT speaker in the kitchen. With various audio outputs available in this system (Mini PC and display control board both have audio out) I can add some speakers directly to the unit. I'm not sure how the sound will work by using small laptop size speakers in the system and currently the BT is working well.

Battery: The Mini PC has a built in battery but the display does not. I am thinking about installing a battery for the display. Power outages are minimal in my area so this would just be an exercise to learn some new things and being able to call it a diy "tablet".

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