[OpenTRV-interest] Frankenvalve brainstorming

[Tim Small]

Hello,

You may well have already considered and rejected this option, but...

Re the Frankenvalve post:
http://opentrv.org.uk/blog/target-date-january-2015/

I wondered about taking a slightly different course - using some
slightly more expensive maybe-more-hackable valves (where there is
opensource firmware and/or other reverse-engineered effort already
available).

The rev7 could be used to replace the original 3rd party board (as in
the original post), or it could be connected to the 3rd party board
(e.g. leaving the 3rd party one doing motor control), or perhaps even
running the OpenTRV code directly on those boards may (or may not) be
feasible (both of the ones I have in mind use the Atmega 169).

The Honeywell HR20 has been fully reverse engineered, and OpenHR20
developed for it - this is GPLv2 based, but you could use the code
and/or the associated reverse engineering docs as a reference, or
alternatively as suggested above just speak serial to a modified version
of OpenHR20 and use it to do valve control, with the Rev7 board doing
sensing, and RF etc.

The ~ €15 Sparmatic Comet has open code (not as mature - but at least
some versions will run OpenHR20 ) - but cheaper and the newer variants
also have a nice external connector port which makes programming easy,
and could be used to connect it to a complete rev7 board or just an RF
module, etc.

Both are Atmega169 based, so running a version of the OpenTRV code
directly on those boards may (or may not) be feasible.


https://piontecsmumble.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/openhr-20-tutorial-part-0-introduction/

http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Heizungsthermostat

http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Sparmatic_Heizungsthermostate

Thoughts?

+ Would get people up and hacking with it

- May be a distraction if a cheap-enough reference fully OpenTRV is
within grasp

Tim.