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Use This Instructable to 3D Print & Build Your Own Home Monitoring System

Bridget O'Neal

sensorsWhile it used to be that home security systems took some serious dollars, effort, and planning to attain, today they have become much more common due to the wireless society we live in. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities to think that you could make your own either–especially if you follow the lead of Tyler Spadgenske, who decided to make the ED-E Home Automation and Monitoring System via 3D printing and DIY electronics.

The ED-E (EDison-Esp8266, pronounced Eddie) is composed of the WiFi unit and the base unit–which is the brains of the operation, built with an:

All of this is encompassed within a 3D printed console. Not only does the ED-E detect suspicious activity in your home, it also alerts you if there is a high level of gas or bad air. When that happens, a buzzer sounds from the base unit, as well as sending you an email. Six sensors alert you to:

The WiFi units are made up of small transmitters that communicate with you regarding your home. The ED-E supports WiFi sensors and WiFi actuators.

The sensors have a detention circuit that, when triggered, sends a transmission to the analytics cloud. As with a traditional system, these WiFi sensors can be placed on doors, windows, and even mailboxes.

The actuators are used to trigger events rather than respond to them. They can be used to turn your lights on, start the coffee, or even open the garage–from anywhere in the world. With nearly all WiFi units supported, Tyler states that ‘the possibilities are endless.’

Tyler uses his Instructable specifically to show you how to build the wifi sensor button and the wifi actuator relay. The first thing you need to do, however, is 3D print the base unit, consisting of the left and right side, and the buttons. All of the files are found on Thingiverse.

For the base unit, you will need:

For the WiFi Sensors you will need:

For the WiFi Actuators you will need:

First, you’ll want to start with the base unit, connecting the sensors to the Intel board.  All of the sensors use the same 4 wire connector, and as you’ll see from the Instructable, there is a wire for ground, power, and signal line. Read the instructions further for specific notes on what to cut and solder.

Once you have finished that and have all the power lines and signal lines connected, you will want to begin connecting the OLED display. To add this to the base unit, all you need to do to get the OLED ready is:

  1. Connect the red power wire to 3.3v.
  2. Connect the black ground wire to ground.
  3. Connect the yellow signal wire (SCL) to A5.
  4. Connect the white signal wire to (SDA) A4.

Next, it’s time to add the buttons and the power jack to the base unit by reading the list of soldering and connecting instructions. After that you want to connect the DC barrel jack, carefully.

“Be extra careful nothing is shorted out, as you wouldn’t want 12 volts wandering into the Edison where it doesn’t belong,” warns Tyler.

Next, you need to install and also test the software. See here for the full instructions on installing dependencies, analytics, and running it ‘on boot.’

The last time is final assembly of the system, which includes gluing the button protoboard into place with the 3D printed button rig wedged between the model and board. After that, screw in the sensors, display, and Intel Edison + Arduino Breakout to the big standoffs. Follow the more detailed instructions to make sure you have everything correct and attached safely. Once you’ve finished with final assembly, you are ready to monitor and automate your home like a pro.

Will you be taking on this project?  Let us know how it turns out in the 3D Printed Home Monitor forum thread on 3DPB.com.

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