Recent Posts

91

Pairing remotes to motors and assigning channels / Re: Pairing 2 channel remote to MCD motor

« Last post by tecbuilt on June 07, 2016, 09:44:30 AM »

So are you saying it would be possible to control the MCD shades with a Raspberry Pi and a transmitter like the JeeLink Classic? Do you know of anyone else that has done that?

92

Pairing remotes to motors and assigning channels / Re: Pairing 2 channel remote to MCD motor

« Last post by admin on June 07, 2016, 05:26:48 AM »

Good Morning @tecbuilt, thanks for your interest.

Our protocol won't work with MCD, you would need to change the motor too.

If you want to mess with analyzing protocols, please take a look at Stefan's method via our Raspberry Pi article about his OpenNetHome System, there's a link to it on his website:

http://RollerTrol.com/raspberry-pi-shade-blind-motor-control-part1

Regards, Adrian

93

Pairing remotes to motors and assigning channels / Pairing 2 channel remote to MCD motor

« Last post by tecbuilt on June 06, 2016, 08:44:11 PM »

I have MCD shades and nobody sells the parts online like Rollertrol (you have to go through a dealer). I bought a 2 channel remote from Rollertrol hoping it would work with my MCD motor since all the parts look exactly the same but I can't get it to pair. Is there a difference in the protocol? I would be willing to send one of my MCD 2 channel remotes and the 2 channel remote I bought from Rollertrol to somebody that has the equipment to analyze the RF. I would really like the parts to be compatible because I get tired of calling dealers and leaving a message and nobody calls me back or I get passed to several people because they don't know what exactly I need.

94

Voltage, polarity, wire size, etc. / Re: controlling universal motor interface with raspberry pi GPIO

« Last post by jayekub on May 14, 2016, 01:34:12 PM »

great, thanks for the info!

95

Voltage, polarity, wire size, etc. / Re: controlling universal motor interface with raspberry pi GPIO

« Last post by admin on May 13, 2016, 02:56:33 PM »

Hi @jayekub, thanks  for your message.

You hit the nail on the head, you should not try to activate the controller directly with a GPIO port, it will require an intermediate transistor.

The controller works by pulling the appropriate pin to ground, you can test this simply by attaching a piece of wire to the controller header and touching the ground pin.

If you are operating it in 'momentary' mode, if you short the OPEN pin to ground, it will cause the motor to operate in one direction until you release the ground contact (unless it has already reached your pre-programmed travel limit).

Your unit has already been shipped, and I will be sending you further instructions shortly.

If I can be of further assistance, please contact me any time.

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Customer Service
RollerTrol Automation Systems
http://RollerTrol.com

96

Voltage, polarity, wire size, etc. / controlling universal motor interface with raspberry pi GPIO

« Last post by jayekub on May 13, 2016, 02:04:43 PM »

i just ordered the universal control interface kit (http://rollertrol.com/store/en/motor-control-kits-for-home-automation-systems/58-home-automation-systems-motor-control-starter-kit.html), and i'm looking into controlling it via a raspberry pi.

my knowledge of electronics is a bit limited, so i'm not totally clear on how to reliably and safely control things. the universal interface info page (http://rollertrol.com/universal-DC-motor-interface-for-motorized-blinds-shades) says that it needs "switch closures" for control, which i'm interpretting to mean connecting one of the control pins to GND. i'm pretty sure i can do this with the pi's GPIO pins by outputting a low signal, but then i'm not sure what sort of voltage/current the pi will have to sink from the universal interface board? i feel like i saw something about 5v somewhere, although i can't find it now...i'm pretty sure asking the 3.3V GPIO pins to sink 5V isn't a good idea, right? if so i'll probably need to control a transistor with the GPIO pins, and use the transistor to connect the interface's header pins to GND?

thanks for any info!

97

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Installing as a tv cover

« Last post by admin on April 30, 2016, 11:57:50 AM »

Hi jimmy, BuyAPi.ca is a good place, they have Pi 3 now.

If you use our Mini, the width of the diameter of the tube + fabric + hem bar will be perhaps not more than 1.5", which would be close to the depth of the recess. You'll want to set it up to roll off the top towards the room.

You can adjust the programmable travel limits to stop wherever you like, so an exposed portion is no problem. You can use the wired Mini or the unit with the built-in battery:

http://rollertrol.com/store/en/88-diy-blind-shade-motor-kits

Regards, Adrian

98

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Installing as a tv cover

« Last post by jimmy454888 on April 30, 2016, 09:25:24 AM »

Good timely response. 
So yeah...looks like I should buy Raspberry pi....In Canada. ...will try to figure that out.
But still trying to determine exactly what sort of wall cavity is required for the setup...assuming I want to cover 66 inches long by 36 inches high....With a printed fabric...yours available look solely for window use and not really a focal point above a fireplace....covering the tv.

But...at that size required....do you know the space required by the rolled up shade ensemble? And...I see examples of motorized shades rolling out both ways - from the front and top down....and from the top and back down. Which is best ? This will make a difference as to how the cavity is framed I'm sure.

Finally...what if the blind is only 36 inches high...descending down cavity that is 48 inches high so that the bottom 12 inches will always be exposed? Finishing correctly with side rails? Any ideas?
 And recommendations for the exact motor I will need and everything else I need from you?

99

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Installing as a tv cover

« Last post by admin on April 30, 2016, 05:55:26 AM »

Good Morning Jimmy, that was indeed a very nice project that fellow created. He's actually using a simple roller shade, just the same as you might use on a window, using a blackout decorator fabric of some kind.

It looks to me like he has recessed the roller into the wall a few inches, so that just the leading edge that rolls off the top of the roller tube is actually exposed. I think he has also installed some side guides using L channel or U channel (readily available at your local hardware store).

This isn't a difficult thing to do, if you have some general fabrication skills and a small workshop with adequate tools. I think if you got one of our basic starter kits you will see how a standard roller shade mechanism works, and you could use any kind of fabric you like (even with your own custom graphics added to the material).

There is a series of general 'how to' articles I have written that should help guide the way (see the 'How To' main menu area on our website), but we don't have anything specific to that project. Most of my time these days is tied up working on the new Raspberry Pi 3 configured as an automation controller:

http://rollertrol.com/raspberry-pi-shade-blind-motor-control-part1

Regards, Adrian

100

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Installing as a tv cover

« Last post by jimmy454888 on April 30, 2016, 05:31:13 AM »

Thanks for your reply.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkgV56SwYg[url]] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkgV56SwYghttp://
This is the videos that shows what I would like to do. I need detailed help on how to frame the wood around the tv to allow for the blind....as well as where or what best type of " printed" blind to use for this application.