Well, the plugin referenced is written specifically for the Quad relay in the link. I’m not sure what support there is for other relay devices, or if you could modify the plugin (that’s beyond my skill set).
You can pair many blinds (up to 20 I believe) with a single remote, so you can use the quad relay to control more than 1 set of blinds. I have two currently but am awaiting a third any day now. They are all on the same channel (on the remote), so they all go up/down at the same time. That fits my needs.
This is an awesome write up! I actually have everything in front of me right now and am about to begin the install. Quick question, what amperage does the 12v power supply need to be? I had a 12v / 1.7A power adapter around the house already. Will that work or do I need to run out and get another one?
I asked the quad relay provider the specs on the power adapter and his reply was “It needs 12V, 300mA power supply, although 100mA should work as well.”
I’m using a 12v 1.5A power adapter I had laying around the house.
Just wanted to thank you knewmania. I followed your instructions and now have blinds working with my Vera. Thanks for taking the time to write this up and answer my questions! And thanks Shady for helping knewmania through it originally.
Hek, im very impressed , but not savvy enough to understand this fully, can you give a “for dummies” overview. Also the relay link says no longer available?
I have been reading more about this and it appears that the instructions suggest using a Arduino Pro Mini for the sensors. But the pictures of all finished products show it using a Arduino Uno.
Which one did you use? Any particular reasoning?
Also the instructions mention some Power regulators for connecting radio module to Arduino Pro Mini (which lacks 3.3v output). I could not understand that part. Do we need this? Where does that part go? Does it require soldering?
Took some time before I got the Arduino Pro Minis… And the Uno is good for testing… thats why you’ll see them in te pictures.
If you go for Arduino Nano both on gateway and sensor/actuator you won’t need any regulator (it got both 3V3 and 5V output). If you use the dupont cables, soldering is not necessary either.
They nanos are a bit more expensive and powerhungry ( ~$8 on aliexpress) … thats why I choose to use the pro mini for sensors ($4).
I am about to purchase these blinds as well as the relay/usb to serial adapter. I have a total of 5 blinds that I want to control on two separate channels (2 different rooms). Can this be accomplished with 1 quad relay from ebay? I am a complete novice when it comes to electricity/wiring.
just checked out the blinds and it looks like the sale price isn’t that great at the moment :'(. Anyone have the previous coupon for these blinds?
[quote=“azula, post:73, topic:172697”]Thanks for the awesome write up knewmania!
I am about to purchase these blinds as well as the relay/usb to serial adapter. I have a total of 5 blinds that I want to control on two separate channels (2 different rooms). Can this be accomplished with 1 quad relay from ebay? I am a complete novice when it comes to electricity/wiring.[/quote]
Yes. The Quad Relay will show up as Blind#1 and Blind#2 so you can control 2 different channels. You’ll use relays 1 and 2 for the up and down of channel 1 and relays 3 and 4 for the up and down of channel 2. Keep in mind, if you want these operating independently, you’ll need at least 2 remotes wired up to the relay board (unless you want to physically/manually switch between channels each time.
Only coupon I have was sent to me from Blinds.com. $10 off $150 - “REF2337098-12”
Also found $20 off $175 online (haven’t tried to see if it works) - “90114-2”
I ordered some arduino stuff to try this. Thanks for your guidance through this. Do I need to get power supplies for these as well or will they power off the USB ports. Im just using Nano’s on both ends. Also I ordered a 4 relay board. Do you see any issues with that?
[quote=“justauser, post:74, topic:172697”][quote=“azula, post:73, topic:172697”]Thanks for the awesome write up knewmania!
I am about to purchase these blinds as well as the relay/usb to serial adapter. I have a total of 5 blinds that I want to control on two separate channels (2 different rooms). Can this be accomplished with 1 quad relay from ebay? I am a complete novice when it comes to electricity/wiring.[/quote]
Yes. The Quad Relay will show up as Blind#1 and Blind#2 so you can control 2 different channels. You’ll use relays 1 and 2 for the up and down of channel 1 and relays 3 and 4 for the up and down of channel 2. Keep in mind, if you want these operating independently, you’ll need at least 2 remotes wired up to the relay board (unless you want to physically/manually switch between channels each time.
Only coupon I have was sent to me from Blinds.com. $10 off $150 - “REF2337098-12”
Also found $20 off $175 online (haven’t tried to see if it works) - “90114-2”[/quote]
Thanks a lot for the info and the coupons justauser. I will probably be purchasing these blinds over the weekend, 5 total.
I ordered some arduino stuff to try this. Thanks for your guidance through this. Do I need to get power supplies for these as well or will they power off the USB ports. Im just using Nano’s on both ends. Also I ordered a 4 relay board. Do you see any issues with that?
Thanks again[/quote]
hey anzz
Could you supply links to everything you purchased to get this working? The relay module suggested by Hek is no longer available unfortunately. Big thanks to Hek for alternative options as well! ;D
This is my first post in the forums, I’ve been a lurker for a long time.
I have had these blinds since about September of last year and they are incredible!
I’ve never had an issue, the batteries last for months (Still on the original set I installed them with)
and the RF remote works everywhere in my Condo.
I have a VeraLite system and have pretty much my whole house on Vera (with the exception of my blinds!!)
We have been looking for a solution that is Z-wave or Insteon that would take the RF signals from the remote and “Learn” or “Mimic” them and then function with Vera.
Has anyone found a way to do this yet? I’m pretty geeky but I’m not great with soldering stuff and I have never worked with a DIY relay before.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
