I experiment a lot with Home Automation and at my off grid place is no exception. Not sure why it has taken me so long to even add a tracker. I guess going out and moving the array by hand didn't seem like a chore. In any case the Suntura has made it into my setup and I need to automate it some more. I found a small Wi-Fi circuit board from itead which runs on voltage from 5 -24 volts The Sonoff SV Safe Voltage WiFi Wireless Switch seems like a cheap route to go for this. This is small enough to fit and be mounted inside the controller in a number of different spots. Besides the obvious function of powering up/down the Suntura one Can rig it to move the N/S linear actuator to the home position (park)
Moving an actuator either fully extended or fully retracted (Parked) is what I'm going to do and cover here. The powering up/down of the Suntura with this should be simple for one to figure out. However sadly one Wi-Fi module can't do both. For the power On/Off no relay is needed for moving an actuator one is . There a number of places on the circuit board you can get 5 or 12 volts from. Some require soldering a some don't. stealing power from the 5 volt side causes excessive clicking of the on Here is what you'll need for wiring to enable an actuator park: 1: Fine tip soldering gun. 2: electrical solder and flux ( not plumbers flux or solder) 3: small gauge wire ( a PC cd rom sound wire works great for this as you may be able to utilize the ends so you need to do less soldering) 4: Hot melt glue gun to help with mounting and or small scews (depending where you mount it one or the other may not be needed, I used both) 5: Philips screwdriver to open and close the electronic control box. 6: small wire cutter to cut /strip the wires 7: An Android or iPhone and the itead app. 8: The iTead wi-fi module (link in first post) 9: A 12 volt relay (can be found on ebay for under $1.00) if you plan to use the 24 volt supply make sure the relay is rated for that 10: A magnifying glass to help with seeing the fine solder points ( if your eyes are better then mine this may not be needed) 11: a multi meter to test the circuits 12: a 12volt power supply to help test and setup the wi-fi module. 13: If you plan to add a manual switch then a small toggle switch and drill with proper sized bit. 14: you may wish an actuator or 12 volt motor for testing. 15: 2 or 3 plastic wall anchors similar to what WindyNations supplies in the Suntura kit. I'm waiting on a few supplies I ordered from Ebay to finish this properly . However this does work fine with a 12 volt automotive relay but I wish to use a mini one to give more mounting options I'll do a step by step over the next few days with pictures. Warning: Your tracker will be out of service while you perform this mod
,Step 1: Mounting the Wi-Fi module Assuming you have all parts listed above You'll need to do a bit of location planning . Open the controller remember you'll need to be able to close the SunTura back up. I found the best location for the Wi-Fi module is on the back plate as there are already some mounting pins that will take a short screw. If you have a CD rom speaker cable cut it in half and solder both halves to the Wi-Fi module red to + in and out black to_ in and out. I cut the ends as well so I have a double and a single lead end using the wire cutters. Once the wires are on, mount the module. Cut the plastic wall anchors 5 mm long if you use the back plate of the suntura you'll need 3 pieces as you can utilize one maybe two of the mounting pins already there. With some short screws attach the cut wall anchors to the Wi-Fi unit on the other end apply some hot melt glue and press into place ( Note: do a dry run utilizing the fixed pin and insure the case will close without any obstructions) I had extra cables so I mounted pins to my wi-fi module so I could disconnect for this.
Step 2: Wiring the Circuit Board Locate Actuator button connections , there are 4 mounting solder joints( 2 positive an 2 negative) for each button. I'm using the N/S button connections. Solder a red wire to the positive and black to the negative this can be the same gauge as the wires on the wi-fi unit. Keep them at least as long as the ones mounted to the wi-fi unit. The other ends of these will be attached to the open pins on your relay. (I see I need to add a bit more solder) If your going to use a 12 volt automotive relay it will look similar to this. The red wire from the Wi-fi module out goes to pin 85 the black to pin 86 The red from circuit board to 87 the other black wires to pin 30 I'll show the mini one (which are much smaller) wiring once it arives . You can now connect the in wires from your Wi-Fi module to the Red & black power wires on the Suntura by the fuse. Alteratively you can solder the red wire to the out put side of the fuse terminal and the black wire to the same spot on the relay as the black wire from the circuit board.
Step 3: Powering up for testing Now connect an actuator to the North/south wires and power wires to the Suntura (make sure to tape up any bare wire tips as to not cause a short) Power up the Suntura the Wifi unit should light green. If you haven't downloaded the app do it now as it is needed to setup the wi-fi module before you close up the Suntura. Follow the setup instructions in the app. Once connected test the operation. Since this only moves the actuator in one direction you need to move the opposite direction with a power button at least 1/2 way before turning on the Wi-Fi module. When off the LED will light green When On the led will turn red and the actuator should move to the end position. You may need to reverse the actuator wires if the home position isn't the direction you wish. Note: You can use the power button on the Wi-Fi module to test the operation but this won't be accessible once the case is closed back up.
While looking over the itead forums I found a way to add a remote switch to the wi-fi unit. http://support.iteadstudio.com/support/discussions/topics/11000003087 This will come in handy once the Suntura is reassembled, so I'll look at adding that to this project. A small momentary switch will be required.
So my mini 12 relay arrived today (I'll have to order more) As you can see the mini verses the regular automotive relay will not take up much space in the Suntura control box. I can get 3 or 4 of these in the same place the full sized automotive one would sit. This will allow me to do several different upgrades to the Suntura so I can compare each side by side.
I found away to change the firmware in the Wi-Fi module so it won't depend on the cloud. This will be handy for anyone that wishes to link this with a PSW (personal weather station) or Wunderground using info from a close by PSW that displays wind speeds. I've created a PC program which will fire off commands based on any weather condition so setting this up to auto park once wind speed reaches a specific point and in park once the speed drops below a specific point will be an easy add. Currently this is used with another program which generates a CSV file based on conditions from Wunderground.com but any weather CSV file could be used provided it was for your location.
My new mini relays got lost in the mail I've reordered hopefully they get here faster then the estimate. In any case this gave me some time to look more closely at flashing the Wi-Fi module firmware. I didn't wish to have to create my own app to turn this on/off so I figured I could utilize someone else's published flash. I found one that allows one to control it with a SmartThings hub (don't own one) but also allowed local control which is more what I wanted anyways. for anyone following this mod and wishing to flash your modules firmware so your not relying on a cloud based app here's the link: https://community.smartthings.com/t...ce-handler-smartapp-5-10-smart-switches/45957 once flashed and setup you basically have to find the IP and this is what the wifi modules web control page looks like:
I got 5 pin mini 12 volt relays, here is how to wire them: the relay fits tightly between the spare fuse and the case. I used a dab of hot melt glue to help secure it to the case so it stays in place however it is a snug fit so that may not be needed. In any case don't use to much in case you need to remove for some reason.
In field install: With my wi-fi switch Firmware flashed and wired to the relay I decided to mount this to the suntura already in service. This takes a bit of prep work but total install of preassembled module and relay took less the 30 mins. Most of this time was waiting on solder gun to heat up, hot melt glue gun to heat and picture taking. So probably less then 10 mins work. 1: Remove power to suntura you don't want the tracker powered in case you touch something you shouldn't. that may only blow the fuse but why take the chance. 2: unmount and open tracker control module 3: Place your preassembled module and relay in place. I decided to mount the module differently here as mounting on the back in the field would have taken longer I slid it down the side opposite side of where the wire come in and added 2 dabs of hot melt to secure it while I was at it I added a dab to hold the relay. I also placed a strip of electrical tap along bottom edge of sonoff to be sure nothing would short out 4: For soldering you'll want the controller laying flat I used a small stepladder to sit it on. solder the red wire from your relay to the positive pin of the button you wish to control. solder red wire from sonoff to the end of the fuse holder. solder the black wire from the sonoff to the negative pin of the button you wish to control 5: Close up the suntura and remount. 6: Apply power to the suntura. I needed to reconfigure my sonoff module since I didn't give it a static IP. Once I did that I had to figure out what new IP my router assigned it. If you stick with the original firmware you may not have to do that.
I'm thinking of offering this drop in Wi-Fi solution to users here. Relay and module would come prewired with enough wire to place where ever you wish inside the suntura The only soldering one would need to do is two points on the suntura as positive wire to module could just be slipped under the inline fuse. I can also flash the modules firmware allowing local lan control, This would render Sonoff app non operational for it. However the new firmware would allow connection to the SmartThings hub I'm told, thus allowing control with the SmartThings App. If anyone is interested or wishes more info let me know.
