Author Topic: Anyone using $6 SONOFF for wifi control?  (Read 1373 times)

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OperaHouse

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Anyone using $6 SONOFF for wifi control?
« on: December 29, 2017, 10:32:27 AM »
I was on youtube the other day and a recommended video popped up for this. I'm not much
into home automation and my cell phone barely can make calls. But, for those attached to
their smart phones this seems interesting.  It uses the esp286 chip that I have been
following for a while looking for an application. It is a microcontroller like the Arduino
with wifi attached. The attached youtube video shows how to easily reprogram it if that is
your inclination with built in connector.  There are numerous others.For the price, this is a deal
getting an esp286, a case, connectors and board shipped for $6.  The listing has an explanation
of how to use it with your phone. Just thought this was interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyVjtYb0EA

https://www.ebay.com/itm/112433332794?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTrack=true


Mary B

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Re: Anyone using $6 SONOFF for wifi control?
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2017, 07:01:50 PM »
Bought 2 of the DC ones ot play with... I need to remote control an antenna matching network that will be battery/solar powered so I don't need to run power to it.

george65

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Re: Anyone using $6 SONOFF for wifi control?
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2017, 02:59:13 AM »

The variety and low cost of these little boards is amazing.
I bought a good amount of arduino related things but have used very little. There are so many boards that do the things that I want pre built and so much cheaper than putting the required Arduino bits and pieces together.

I built a simple timer for watering my aeroponics system. For arduino required power supply, arduino and a relay.  To change timing I have to plug it into a laptop. Worked fine but then there was putting it in a case, wiring it all up etc.
Contrast that to a prebuilt board where it is all onboard and to change timing I just press some buttons to change the built in display.
Power in, power out and for .60C extra I got a purpose built case. I got sick of small pums blocking and burning out so I got a 900W dirty water pump, smallest and cheapest I could find. Unfortunatel the thing literally blew the plants out of the drum they were in.
Add one little PWM motor speed controller for perfect control of water amount and all is great.
Where I can see an arduino would be better would be to add in temp control.... more frequent watering in hot weather and less when it's cooler so the plants are closer to being neither under or over watered.

Next step, ultrasonic detection so if a bird gets neat the tomatoes or corn a horn or electric scare crow is activated.  :o)

Not saying more could not be done with the arduino but for several simple applications I have, can't beat these little boards.
I have hooked some different ones together as well.  Recent one was Christmas light Controller.  Mrs wanted something to turn them on and off. Could have used a plug in time but cheaper to buy a Light sensitive switch and couple that to a timer.  When it gets dark the switch turns on the lights which sets the timer going for 4.5 hours. Around Midnight the lights switch off.
Yes I wired it up and put it in an electrical conduit box as a case but that was for fun mainly.  Have other uses for this thing as well....

Another one is a fan controller for my solar inverters.
Don't like how hot they get so got a thermostat board that turns a fan on when they get to 40oC.

Love these little controllers, only thing is figuring out what the heck some of them do from their Chinglish descriptions.