Android Controlled Home Appliances

By: Vivek S. Gupta on 09:59

ABSTRACT

 The project ‘Android Controlled Home Appliances’ is designed to operate electrical loads using an Android application device. Here in this project the Android smart phone is used as remote control for operating the electrical appliances. The system operates electrical loads depending on the data transmitted from the Android application device. Operating conventional wall switches is difficult for elderly or physically handicapped people. This proposed system solves the problem by integrating house hold appliances to a control unit that can be operated by an Android smart-phone/Tablet etc

Remote operation is achieved by any smart-phone/Tablet etc., with Android OS, upon a GUI (Graphical User Interface) based touch screen operation, interfaced to the microcontroller of 8051 family. The program on the microcontroller serially communicates with Bluetooth device to generate respective output based on the input data (sent from Android application device) to operate a set of relays through a relay driver IC. The loads are interfaced to the control unit through the relays. The system can be used in existing domestic area for either operating the loads through conventional switches.

                                INTRODUCTION

           

              Modern hand held devices such as smart phones ,tablets and PDAs have become increasingly powerful in recent years. Dramatic breakthroughs in processing power along with number of extra features included  in these devices have opened the doors to a wide range of commercial possibilities. As mobile devices become more like PCs they will come to replace objects we tend to carry around such as checkbooks, credit cards, remote control etc. In short we will be using them to accomplish our daily tasks. One application that falls  into this category is REMOTE OPERATED DOMESTIC APPLIANCES CONTROL BY ANDROID APPLICATION.

                 As the world gets more and more technologically advanced, we find new technology coming in deeper and deeper into our personal lives even at home. Home automation is becoming more popular around the world and is becoming a common practice. The process of home automation works by making everything in the house automatically controlled using technology to control and do the jobs that we would normally do manually. Our project illustrates Appliance Control System accessed by a remote device such as mobile phone to allow owner to control, monitor and coordinate the appliances.

             This project is a fine combination of Android mobile technology and embedded system. User can control Home appliances using Android mobile. An application should be installed on his/her Android mobile handset to control various home appliances. User can send commands using that application. Wireless controlling technique used in this project is Bluetooth technology. This project consists of a Bluetooth receiver. This Bluetooth device is connected to the circuit which has a decoder. This decoder sends code for respective command sent by user. Then the respective device connected to the circuit will be turned on or off depending on the command given.

Objective of the project:

       

           The  project  aims  in  designing  a  system  which  makes  operating  of  electrical appliances in home through Android mobile phone possible. The controlling of electrical appliances is done wirelessly through  an  application  in android phone.

 The main objectives of the project are: 

1.     To develop a home automation system with Android application controlled remote

2.     Controlling of AC devices wirelessly through mobile phone.

3.      Shifting from conventional switches to centralized control system, involving wireless controlled switches.

4.     To assist handicapped/old aged people.

5.    To make more sophisticated and advance system for computing.

System Requirements

 

   HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:

1.     8051 series Microcontroller

2.     Bluetooth device

3.     Relays

4.     Relay Driver IC

5.     Crystal Resistors

6.     Capacitors LED,

7.     Diodes,

8.     Transformer,

9.     Voltage Regulator,

10.                        Lamps.

    SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

1.     Keil compiler,

2.     Languages:  Embedded C or Assembly

3.     Android Application

 Modules :

    The system contains two units, one is process unit & other is monitoring unit. Process unit consists of microcontroller, Bluetooth for communication, LCD for display. Monitor unit consists of Smart phone. Using smart phone, we can switch devices ON/OFF, also control fan speed.

Block diagram:

                        Fig.1

Monitor   Unit

1) Android mobile:

          

                       Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. Android is a customizable platform that can look and feel very different on every different handsets. Android gives us tools for creating apps that looks great and take more advantage of the hardware capabilities available on each device. Android is mainly based on Linux operating system which uses java- like languages for running applications. The purpose of use of android in our project is to send the control signals from smart phone through Bluetooth.

Software Design (Android App Design):

            The software or the android application for this project  is designed using a very innovative product initially provided by Google but now under the maintenance of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) known as MIT app Inventor (App Inventor 2012). The application building process in App Inventor involves three aspects:

(i) App inventor designer,

(ii) App Inventor Blocks editor, and

(iii) An emulator or Android Phone.

The set-up process for the software is very easy. The system requirements are very basic and it is compatible with Mac OSX, Windows and Linux Operating systems.

App Inventor Designer:

        The first phase of application design goes through App Inventor Designer. Designer  is  accessible through the web page and all the ingredients for the app are available on  the left side of the window. The ingredients include elements like a screen for the app, buttons for tapping, text boxes, images, labels, animations and many more. Adding the components to the screen is a simple drag-and-drop process.

App Inventor Blocks Editor:

            After the completion of design process, for the app to function as desired, users should go through the blocks editor. App Inventor Blocks Editor uses open blocks java library. Those open blocks integrate to create visual blocks of programming language. Hence, the blocks are the programming codes which can be dragged and cemented with other blocks to create a desired functional program. The Editor can be opened from the options available in the App Inventor Designer which launches a Java applet for Blocks Editor. With a little logic in programming any user can combine the blocks and make the components added in Designer to function as required.

An emulator or Android phone:

        The final part of the application design is testing the application. Thus, for the users without the android handsets  App Inventor gives the option of testing the application in an emulator which is very similar to the real device but with some limitations. From the Blocks Editor, the user can connect the application to the emulator available via the connect option and test how the application functions in real world. Apart from the emulator, the user can also directly connect the android phone to the computer via USB connecter and test the application.

  Process   Unit

2) Bluetooth receiver unit:

            Bluetooth was selected as our way of communicating mobile with a central system. Bluetooth module receives the data serially in RS232 format from controller and sends it to wireless network. For interfacing it with microcontroller we need to build the circuit because Bluetooth module understands data in RS232 standard and controller understands data in TTL format. So we need to design circuit to make these two compatible with each other. The Bluetooth modem used in this project is  Bluetooth Serial Miniature RF. It has a range of 18 meters and is capable of transferring data at the rate of 2400 bps to 115200 bps. The operating voltage range is 3.3 V to 6 V and the temperature range is -40 ~ +70C.

            
3) Microcontroller:

         Microcontroller can be used as the ‘brain’ to control a large variety of products, in order to control large devices. It is necessary to interface them to the microcontroller. In our project we have used 8051 microcontroller which is 8 bit, RISC type, 40 pin IC. Relays board  are interfaced to the Microcontroller. The data received   from  Android  smart  phone   is fed as input to the controller. The controller acts accordingly on the Relays  to  switch  connected  electrical  appliances.  Also in achieving the task the controller is loaded with a program written using Embedded ‘C’ language.

4) LCD Display:

             The status  of the electrical appliances can be seen on LCD display.

5) Relays:

             A relay is used to isolate one  circuit from another.  Relays are used between loads and the control unit. It allows a low current control circuit to make or break an electrically isolated high current circuit path.

Power supply

              The power supply consists of a step down transformer 230/12V, which steps down the voltage to 12V AC. This is converted to DC using a Bridge rectifier. The ripples are removed using a capacitive filter and it is then regulated to +5V using a voltage regulator 7805 which is required for the operation of the microcontroller and other components.

 

 

Applications and Advantages:

1.     Home automation – This project can be used to control various Home Appliances

2.     We can control device from a long distance, thus it gives ease of access.

3.     Faster operation and efficient.

4.     No need to carry separate remote or any other controlling unit.

5.     This project is based on Android which is FOSS(Free Open Source Software). So the overall implementation cost is very cheap and it is affordable by a common person.

6.     Precise and safe blind control.

 

Conclusion

          This document presents a mobile controlled and user friendly approach to the available home automation system. This system can easily be implemented because of its wireless communication standards. Our prime objective is to assist handicapped/old aged people. This paper gives basic idea of how to control various home appliances This project is based on Android which is FOSS(Free Open Source Software). So the overall implementation cost is very cheap and it is affordable by a common person. Looking at the current scenario we have chosen Android platform so that most of the people can get benefit. The design consists of Android phone with home automation application. User can interact with the  android phone and send control signal to the which in turn will control other embedded devices/sensors.  We have discussed a simple prototype in this paper but in future it can be expanded to many other areas

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Wireless Noticeboard using 16x2 LCD and Matlab GUI

By: Vivek S. Gupta on 09:38

Abstract:

The project “Wireless Notice board Display” is based upon wireless transmitting of data on a simple LCD. Basically in colleges there are notice boards which are still operated manually. Each time they have to display a new notice, they will go and stick the piece of paper on which the notice is written. In our project, there will be an LCD in place of notice board and operating software in place from where it has to be operated. The user simply has to type the message in the textbox given in the GUI and simply click on the send button. The GUI is programmed in such a way that it sends one by one character at a time to the notice board through Transreceiver. The whole system of notice board is such that it will eventually receive the character and start displaying it on the LCD screen. The kind of Transreceiver this project uses is of high range. So it can directly work on the departmental level. More modifications can be done in future, such as increasing size of LCD, increasing the range of Transreceivers etc. But for now it can be easily fixed into class rooms and students can check this instant notice board for any updates from authorities.

 Introduction:

One of the main reason behind making this project was, When we saw the procedure of displaying the normal notice on our departmental notice board, we thought of digitalizing the whole process. The basic necessity of this project is that, during normal procedure of notice, it may get delayed due to substantial methods. But when we digitalize the process, the respected higher authorities could directly send the message from their computer without even moving from chair. Which will surely overcome this delay, and also there is no wastage of paper for each notice, which eventually is environment friendly.

This system is efficient and can be used in many places including government offices, schools, Colleges, factories and many more industrial, commercial and medical places.

Problem Formulation:

The basic general Idea of the project was to send a simple message or notice from the computer. The person or the user will have software installed on his/her Computer made especially for operating notice board. The user has to simply type the notice in the GUI and click on the send button. And the GUI will then send the data on the notice board for displaying. The notice then will be finally displayed on the LCD screen attached. The problem with the earlier system was that it used hard copies of notice which proved worth after its use. And also displaying and changing the notices on the regular basis. The whole Development of the project will be distributed in three parts:

1. Transmitting section: In this phase a GUI for operating the software has to be made attached with the transmitting hardware.

2. Receiving section: In this phase, An LCD will be attached to a small system which will receive data from transmitting section and display one by one on the screen at a time.

3. Integrating section: In this phase, we will synchronize the transmitting section and receiving section respectively.

 Ojective and Scope of the project:

1. To digitalize the present system of notice boards.

2. To make a convenient and easy to use system with increased efficiency.

3. To make a eco friendly system.

4. To prevent the disadvantages present in the current system such as delay in notices etc.

5. To make a centralized operator for all the notice boards.

6. Enhancement of the department in the technical means.

 Methodology:

1. Transmitting section:

In our project, there will be an LCD in place of notice board and operating software in place from where it has to be operated. The user simply has to type the message in the textbox given in the GUI and simply click on the send button. The GUI is programmed in such a way that it sends one by one character at a time to the notice board through Tran receiver

2. Receiving Section:

 The whole system of notice board is such that it will eventually receive the character and start displaying it on the LCD screen.

Hardware and Software Used:

Hardware Used:

1. Microcontroller(8051 family based P89V51RD2):

A microcontroller (sometimes abbreviated µC, uC or MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications.

2. CC2500 Tran receiver:

The CC2500 radios are transceivers designed for very low-power wireless applications. The CC1100/CC1101 radios can operate at frequency bands 315, 433, 868, and 915 MHz. The CC2500 radio operates at 2.4 GHz.

3. 16x2 LCD:

A 16x2 liquid crystal display (LCD) is a thin, flat electronic visual display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals (LCs) Which can display up to 32 Characters at a time.

Software Used:

1. Matlab: Matlab or Matrix Labortory is a software which is widely used for image processing and GUI development. We are using Matlab for the GUI purpose and also because it provides a very convenient method for serial communication.

2. Keil Cross Compiler: Keil Cross Compiler is a compiler that is mainly used for converting Embedded C language into Assembly language program.

3. Flash Magic: Flash Magic is a software that will be used to program the microcontroller.

Conclusion:

Now a days it is really important for digitizing all possible means. Since we are living in 21^st century an era where there is technological boom all over the world. Its has widely grown in many sectors including education sectors also. So Education sector must not be untouched through this. Through our project we are taking a small step towards digitalization of the class rooms and preventing the old and hectic methods of education. It will be fast, effective and user friendly. This project is also playing a role in saving environment by saving the papers used for notice board along with its modernization.

 Refrences:

1. www.engineersgarage.com

2. www.robosoftsystems.co.in

3.  Using Assembly and C(Second Edition) by Muhammad Ali Mazidi. Janice Gillispie Mazidi. Rolin D. McKinlay.

4. Matlab for Engineers(third Edition) by H. Moore (2011  Pearson)

5. www.codeproject.com

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Controlling 7x5 LED MATRIX DISPLAY Using MATLAB GUI

By: Vivek S. Gupta on 10:47

7x5 LED MATRIX DISPLAY

Video:

Material required :

Sr no	COMPONENT NAME	QTY
1.	3 mm Led bulbs	35
2.	P89V51RD2 microcontroller	1
3.	10 micro farad capacitors	3
4.	1000 microfarad capacitors	1
5.	IC 7805 (regulator IC)	1
6.	270 ohms resistor	5
7.	10 k resistor	1
8.	33 Pico farad capacitor	2
9.	11.0592 MHz crystal oscillator	1
10.	One to one connector	15
11.	9v battery	1
12.	Battery snapper	1
13.	BC 557 transistor	5
14.	BC 547 transistor	7
15.	IC CD 4017 (shift register)(OPTIONAL)	1
16.	Berg strip	2
17.	PCB	1
18.	Single core wire	-

WORKING:

7x5 led matrix display is a basic display which contains a circuitry of total 35 led bulbs connected in a matrix form. The general operation is based upon Persistence of Vision (POV) display. In this display rather than switching on every led in the matrix at once, we switch on the first row of the display and display the occurrence of the letter of the last row pixel. And gradually switching on the last second row and glowing the led according to the occurrence of the given character. And in similar way, we switch on and off concurrently based on the character to be displayed.

Following is the example when we want to display character “V” on the led matrix.The basic task of the project is to control a single 5x7 LED display from computer. I have developed a simple program in matlab which will serially send the data via wireless network on 2.4 GHz. On the other side, the transreceiver will receive the data and give it to the microntroller. The microcontroller will then operate the led matrix display.

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