homebridge-blinds-servo

homebridge-blinds-servo is a plugin for Homebridge that allows you to open or close your window blinds using a servo connected to a Raspberry Pi.

Installation

Install homebridge-blinds-servo:

sudo npm install -g homebridge-blinds-servo

Configuration

Add the accessory in config.json in your home directory inside .homebridge.

   {
      "accessory": "ServoBlinds",
      "name": "Dining Room Centre Blinds",
      "gpio_pin": 22,
      "servo_min": 4,
      "servo_max": 11,
      "servo_time": 1,
      "intial_position": 100
    }

There are also a number of optional configurations you can set.

      "exclusive": true,
      "relayPin": 27,
      "debug": true

Configuration

| Parameter | Type | Default | Note | |-----------|------|---------|------| | name | String | N/A | Name of the blind| | gpio_pin| Integer | N/A | Pin that controls the servo (BCM layout) | | servo_min | Float | N/A | The duty cycle to give the 0% position for the blind | | servo_max | Float | N/A | The duty cycle to give the 100% position for the blind | | servo_time | Float | 1 | The time to move the servo | | intial_position | Integer | 0 | The initial position when homebridge initialises Note: the blind will not be moved to this position, it is just what homebridge will see as the position when it initialises. | | exclusive | Boolean | False | Flag if the command script should run sequencial rather than in parallel; this is useful if you don't have enough power to control all of the servos at the same time | | relayPin | Integer | None | If set the script will trigger a relay before moving the servo; this is useful if you are powering the servo via batteries to stop idle draining. | | debug | Boolean | False | Enable the debugging mode which give more output in the homebridge log | | moveCmd | String | servoDriver.py | The command to call to move the servo; for more info see below |

moveCmd

The plugin calls a script when a request to move the blinds is recieved. By default this script is a built in python script, but this can be modified by the moveCmd configuration option to use a custom script. The plugin will call this command in the following format:

(moveCmd) servoPin pos minLimit maxLimit servoTime [-e] [-r relayPin]

For example the build in script is called as:

servoDriver.py servoPin pos minLimit maxLimit servoTime [-e] [-r relayPin]

Hardware Setup

I will add a guide to setting up the hardware soon.

Note

This plugin doesn't query nor have direct knowledge of the actual position of your blinds. Instead, it emulates the position based on your most recent request to raise / lower the blinds (i.e. it remembers what you last asked it to do and reports that back to HomeKit).

This script is based on Robin Temme's excellent homebridge-blinds plugin and hjdhjd's modifications, and I have added to it to allow controlling a servo attached to the blinds.