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DIY: Arduino + Xbee + OLED + LiPoly + Qi = wireless_fun

Having good fun with this prototype ;) Here, its charging via a new Qi charger I got on amazon, yesterday. Charging stand was $40, which I think is overpriced even for the 'sale' price, but its a 3-coil unit and I like how it holds its user-set tilt angle. Give it micro-usb 5v for powering the base.

 

The Qi card I'm using (from adafruit) happens to align fairly well with this charging base. I'll see how well it does, over time. Battery is a 3.7v lipoly also from adafruit. it fits into an opening in the back of the laser-cut chassis.

 

The remote control is my own design, using my own C++ code written for the Arduino controller (atmel atmega328) platform. I'm using an xbee as a packet radio interface to the systems I'm remote-controlling. I designed a user protocol similar to the NMEA/GPS ascii checksummed stream. More on that, later.

 

The OLED display is a white display, using i2c and 5v (just 4 wires). The u8glib on arduino works great with this.

 

The systems I'm controlling are also my own design and build: a digitally controlled analog preamp (for my stereo system) and a digital audio (spdif) switch, also for my stereo. I can control other devices, as well, such as the linux MPD music playback system (its built to be client/server, so my remote acts as a proper client to mpd). To do this, you connect a matching (same PAN-ID) xbee to your linux mpd host, run a python serial control daemon (that I will submit to github once its fully working) and that will bridge this remote into your linux system. Actually, from there, it can access other things. More on that, later, as well ;)

 

Chassis is laser-cut at Tech Shop. Its built from layers of 1/8" acrylic. Its a prototype and I hope to have a more ergonomic less 'brick-like' remote control chassis at some point. For now, this works, it lets me develop software for it and its actually quite usable.

 

The arrows, in volume control mode, allow a 2-speed method where the up/down moves in large volume control jumps and the left/right move in smaller steps. This lets you zero-in on the right volume setting with more control and speed. I've been using this concept for over 5 years and am pretty convinced that its the most usable volume control idea that anyone has, commercial or DIY.

 

In non-volume control mode, the arrows do other things; based on the 'page' that you are on (a page may map to a device you are controlling or even a virtual device, which is some conceptual grouping of things, like a mash-up, all appearing on the same page or screen). The blue button cycles between pages and the green button will likely (not decided yet) cycle in sub-modes within the page.

 

 

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Uploaded on June 23, 2015
Taken on June 23, 2015