[sf-lug] controlling external electronics? for a little science project Digest, Vol 30, Issue 14

[Sam Geffner]

>
> From: Matt Price <matt.price at utoronto.ca>
> Subject: [sf-lug] controlling external electronics? for a little
>        science project
> To: sf-lug <sf-lug at linuxmafia.com>
> Message-ID: <1210734462.7367.22.camel at localhost>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> hi folks,
>
> my 9-year-old has an idea for an invention..
>
> maybe she's not the first one to have invented it exactly, but i'd like
> to encourage her.  she wants a reverse alarm clock, that does the
> following:
> -turn out her light at bed time
> - play from a selection of boring speeches after lights out, to lull her
> to sleep
> - wake her in the morning with a less boring speech.
>
> now, it strikes me that most of this could be done pretty easily with a
> simple python script on her xo-1.  but to turn the light out she needs
> to open a circuit external to the computer.  now i imagine even this is
> pretty easy to do; that there exist generic usb connected electronics
> kits, that let you perform arbitrary simple actions (like flipping a
> switch) with signals from the computer.  but if this is so i have no
> idea how to do it.  anyone know anything about this sort of thing?
>
> as usual i appreciate al the help...
>
> matt
> --
> Matt Price
> matt.price at utoronto.ca




Matt,

Smarthome.com has just what you need in an Insteon controller for the lights
and an Insteon PC-USB interface box.  Possibly not the cheapest, but
definitely off the shelf.  I haven't researched whether the USB interface
includes Linux drivers, but their tech support [800-762-7846] is relatively
knowledgable & exceptionally helpful and could be a source to answer your
further questions.

-- 
Sam Geffner
sgeffner at gmail.com
415-648-7744
415-793-3562 cel


"That which makes our task difficult is part of the task."
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