• Registered: 2010-02-21
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

Hy folks,
I received my chumby One one month ago and I'm now familier with the concept of this amazing linux toy.

I want to use the chumby for interacting with my home automation.

The main thing I use till now is the image view widget.
The measurements from my heating and my weather station are stored in an rrdb database. My router generates  new jpg-images via 'rrdb graph' every hour . This graphs are shown on my chumby.

Here my two suggestions:

1. Send messages to the chumby
To use it interactivly, I'm looking for the possibility to send messages via http to the chumby, that are directly displayed on the screen.
My router is also controlling the telephone line and is able to call an URL with the incoming number (AVM Fritz Box). I want to show this number for, say 20s, if a call is received.
It could be done in the way:

http://chumby.local/control/message?msg=This+is+the+message&time=20

Since the message must be formatted in some graphical format, I don't know how to build it.


2. Build menus to call socket operations
My home automation is done via X10 and the Gambit USB-controllable plug. Both are connected on my router and can be controlled via sockets. The X10 uses the x10d C-program and the Gambit plug uses the sispmctl program.
I'm looking for a widget that is capable to call a socket or shell command by touching the screen.
So it would be able to define some home automation functions (perhaps via an XML control file):
Button1 -> Light on -> <some URL>
Button 2 -> Light off -> <another URL>
Button 3 -> Shuttder down -><some shell script like 'echo J1JOFF |nc router.local 1028'>

With this two functionalities the chumby can be easily used to interact with the home automation.

  • From: Deutschland
  • Registered: 2010-02-13
  • Posts: 11

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

Hello burgunder.

Messages to Chumby:
I have a fritzbox too, i make a workaround over my server, which generates a jpg. A widget called "imageurl" grabs the picture and shows on the chumby screen. i am currently developing my own widget for this. Then you can flip to another page, like a google Calender.

But there is more:

You can see, weather, RSS, Time, eMail (imap & pop), Fuel prices, tempature in your home, Google Calender,  if you want.

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/215/ … screen.jpg

You can change the design, position etc. very cool.

The source / installing guide and the idea you find on this site:  http://www.ip-phone-forum.de/showthread.php?t=206194

have fun

Justtesting

  • From: Deutschland
  • Registered: 2010-01-16
  • Posts: 220

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

justtesting wrote:

I have a fritzbox too, i make a workaround over my server, which generates a jpg. A widget called "imageurl" grabs the picture and shows on the chumby screen.

nur als kleine Frage zu dem "Infoframe"-Projekt (habe mich nicht eingelesen, da ich ja bisher keinen Bilderanzeiger habe)
ist die fritz!Box-Änderung einfach oder muss man dazu die Box freezen?
welche Anpassungen hast du gemacht um alles auf den kleineren Schirm am chumby zu kriegen?
liegt das Bild extern oder kann das auch lokal geschehen?

##
just little question to "infofram"-project -  i did not read because i didn´t have an image-viewer yet.
are the changes easy or do you have to freez the box?
which changes did you make to bring all on the smaller screen of the chumby?
is the image on external server or could it be locally?

  • From: Deutschland
  • Registered: 2010-02-13
  • Posts: 11

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

Hello spunk_

* just edit the php source und change the size to 320x240 und edit the font size
* you have to install freeze
* the php-script creates a picture on the server

tip: drauf achten, daß Dein Provider die notwendigen Plugins installiert hat.

have fun

justtesting

  • From: Deutschland
  • Registered: 2010-01-16
  • Posts: 220

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

justtesting wrote:

* just edit the php source und change the size to 320x240 und edit the font size
* you have to install freeze
* the php-script creates a picture on the server

ahhhh - i just did not freeze the box -   am not familar in linux and scripting.
if you create some things with this (with Fritz!Box and chumby) please think about a script for updating any or some special fritz!Boxes without freezing them.

  • Registered: 2010-02-21
  • Posts: 2

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

justtesting wrote:

Messages to Chumby:
I have a fritzbox too, i make a workaround over my server, which generates a jpg. A widget called "imageurl" grabs the picture and shows on the chumby screen. i am currently developing my own widget for this. Then you can flip to another page, like a google Calender.

This is a very nice idea. I see two problems for my usage:

1. You need a second computer/webspace running the PHP stuff.
It would be very nice, if chumby could to that by itself. Do you think it is possible?

2. If a new call received, I would like to see the incoming number directly on the screen. If the message is generated an shown as an jpeg, the incoming call finished before you recognized the number on the chumby.

Thanks

Burgunder

  • From: Deutschland
  • Registered: 2010-01-16
  • Posts: 220

Re: Home automation / socket communication / messages sent to chumby

burgunder wrote:

It would be very nice, if chumby could to that by itself. Do you think it is possible?

with new firmwares the Fritz!Bosex use session-id. so it it just with UPNP possible to get (or if necessary to change data to make changes possible with upnp.

is the way to create a picture or a text with these data form these boxes possible with widgets"?

burgunder wrote:

2. If a new call received, I would like to see the incoming number directly on the screen. If the message is generated an shown as an jpeg, the incoming call finished before you recognized the number on the chumby.

if this way is wanted i think the only way is to force the Fritz!Box to send the data  - like in the "Infoframe"-project.