CascadeQUAIL
Songster
So I'm already sick of waking up and lighting my quail manually. I'm not running power out there because I have enough yard tearing up projects on my plate. I was an electronics technician in a former life so I'm building myself a solar powered light with a timer. It's so simple but it's probably going to end up being too complex. This might get messy but I figured that a lot of people would have interest in this. Hopefully at the end I will produce a polished tutorial.
So let's begin:
Lights / Solar Panels / Batteries:
I'm going to try and use a cheap light system like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Flyhoom-Portable-Outdoor-Remote-Control/dp/B07TCC1GMP/
It has a remote, and looks like an all in one package. It's possible to just get the code the remote is sending and mimic it using my own IR transmitter.
If capturing the remote signals proves to be too difficult, I can always just hard-wire my own relays and IR receivers into the system to turn power on and off.
Controller:
For the "brains of the operation I'll be using an Arduino UNO R3. I will load this up with all of the sunrise and sunset data I can obtain and hope I won't have to touch it for awhile. It will send a turn on signal using some simple code.
Accessories:
It's worth purchasing the Arduino starter kits if you do not already have one. I'm thinking that the 100 piece one that I purchased will have all or most of the pieces I need.
Power:
I will be using a shed with power to run the Arduino; a tiny IR transmitter will come out on the eves and point at the receiver on the coop. This "beam" will send the turn on signal about 20 feet to my quail coop, using the battery that the solar panel charged during the previous day.
Misc. Supplies:
Besides the light system, off the top of my head we will also need:
Arduino ( I have the Elegoo UNO R3 https://smile.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Board-ATmega328P-ATMEGA16U2-Compliant/dp/B01EWOE0UU)
Case or mount for Arduino
Power Supply for Arduino
Breakout board for testing / prototyping
IR Receiver / transmitter modules (Something like this should work: https://www.amazon.com/Gikfun-Digital-Receiver-Transmitter-Arduino/dp/B0816P2545/)
I'm sure we'll need some 14 and or 16 ga wire
Soldering setup
Butt connectors
Electrical Tape
Multimeter
I have ordered the solar setup with the 2 bulbs, and am now searching for my Arduino 3.
I will be updating this project as I go, so sorry if there's not much info to start.
I'm very excited to think about snoozing away while my $35 little computer makes sure that my quail are all lit up.
So let's begin:
Lights / Solar Panels / Batteries:
I'm going to try and use a cheap light system like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Flyhoom-Portable-Outdoor-Remote-Control/dp/B07TCC1GMP/
It has a remote, and looks like an all in one package. It's possible to just get the code the remote is sending and mimic it using my own IR transmitter.
If capturing the remote signals proves to be too difficult, I can always just hard-wire my own relays and IR receivers into the system to turn power on and off.
Controller:
For the "brains of the operation I'll be using an Arduino UNO R3. I will load this up with all of the sunrise and sunset data I can obtain and hope I won't have to touch it for awhile. It will send a turn on signal using some simple code.
Accessories:
It's worth purchasing the Arduino starter kits if you do not already have one. I'm thinking that the 100 piece one that I purchased will have all or most of the pieces I need.
Power:
I will be using a shed with power to run the Arduino; a tiny IR transmitter will come out on the eves and point at the receiver on the coop. This "beam" will send the turn on signal about 20 feet to my quail coop, using the battery that the solar panel charged during the previous day.
Misc. Supplies:
Besides the light system, off the top of my head we will also need:
Arduino ( I have the Elegoo UNO R3 https://smile.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Board-ATmega328P-ATMEGA16U2-Compliant/dp/B01EWOE0UU)
Case or mount for Arduino
Power Supply for Arduino
Breakout board for testing / prototyping
IR Receiver / transmitter modules (Something like this should work: https://www.amazon.com/Gikfun-Digital-Receiver-Transmitter-Arduino/dp/B0816P2545/)
I'm sure we'll need some 14 and or 16 ga wire
Soldering setup
Butt connectors
Electrical Tape
Multimeter
I have ordered the solar setup with the 2 bulbs, and am now searching for my Arduino 3.
I will be updating this project as I go, so sorry if there's not much info to start.
I'm very excited to think about snoozing away while my $35 little computer makes sure that my quail are all lit up.
