Wake On Lan for example Air Conditioner?

lukx

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
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352
Strange question...Is there any device that would allow me to start up for example Air Condictioner using wake on lan thingy?
 
i remember that my mate was going to do something like this... i'll email him...
 
Well hey thar.

The closest you're going to get is hooking it up to an INSTEON system (sadly quite expensive) with a controller plugged into a computer. you can then run several different apps that will allow you to remotely control it via webserver etc.

Unfortunately it does not come cheap. You will require these:

http://www.smarthome.com/2496.html ($139US)
http://www.smarthome.com/2490r.html ($120US)

On the plus side it does include software to use an iPhone/iPod Touch to control it over a network if you have one of them.

The kits together include the PC control unit, a remote, phase coupler units (sounds Scifi doesnt it, well most US houses have two electricity phases, and these translate signals between the two phases wirelessly) and two power outlet switch units.

This transmits signals across the house's power cables, and the two phase linkers also function as remote control recievers.

Explore the site, and the site of the device manufacturer (http://www.insteon.net/) - you might have an A/C unit that they have a control module for.

--Neg
 
This is grate. Thanks. Unfortunately I'm form Europe and we have 220 Supply Voltage. I don't think Insteon have anything to work with this voltage.
 
If you don't mind having your PC turn on first, then it isn't very difficult, just set a startup program to ping a COM port, then use that signal from the port to trigger a flip/flop into turning on your AC unit. Turning it off, you use another ping from the COM port to the flip/flop.
 
yeah I could use something like this... buuuuut maybe have my computer with an IR to turn on my AC just before I get home. anyone know of something like that?
 
There is a server running 24/7 so it's not a problem to startup the program to ping com. But what is flip flop ?:)
 
There is a server running 24/7 so it's not a problem to startup the program to ping com. But what is flip flop ?:)

It is a circuit (or an IC) that changes it's output state each time it receives a particular input (ie, give it a pulse, it goes high, give it another pulse, it goes low, et cetera).

A couple pages are here:
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/flipflop.html
http://www.doctronics.co.uk/4013.htm

You can probably find better pages out there as well. You'll also need an interface chip between the COM port and the flip/flop; usually a MAX232 (from Maxim, they will give you a sample if you ask nicely) is called for.

I actually breadboarded a circuit of this type a year or two ago for a project I never finished. It worked great.
 
<snip>
The kits together include the PC control unit, a remote, phase coupler units (sounds Scifi doesnt it, well most US houses have two electricity phases, and these translate signals between the two phases wirelessly) and two power outlet switch units.

<snip>

--Neg

Most houses in the US have only single phase electrical service, some have 3-phase, but I have never seen nor heard of two-phase being provided.
 
Dunno what you are trying to accomplish but it is probably easiest to just use a programmable register.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...nktype=product&storeId=10051&ddkey=THDSiteMap

Well, let me explain why I need to be in charge when to turn on and when to turn off AC remotely. I'm working as 3d artist. I have office with few render computers. Sometimes I live them working but because I live in Cyprus the temperatures are quite high plus computers are in quite small room. So when they are on they need AC to cool them. I'm able to remotely turn them on and off using main server but I would like to be able to start and turn off AC.
 
Well, let me explain why I need to be in charge when to turn on and when to turn off AC remotely. I'm working as 3d artist. I have office with few render computers. Sometimes I live them working but because I live in Cyprus the temperatures are quite high plus computers are in quite small room. So when they are on they need AC to cool them. I'm able to remotely turn them on and off using main server but I would like to be able to start and turn off AC.

Why not just leave them on at all times and just let the thermostat control it when a certain temp is reached?
 
As I said the temp is almost all the time high even when they are off (big windows with direct sun hitting computer area) so thermostat won't help.
 
I saw someone make a cool adapter the other day on either hackaday or makezine or instructables, it was a switched power outlet using the 5V signal from a computer such that when the computer was shut off, the outlet was switched off as well. couple this with anycompter that support WOL (Wake On Lan) and you have it, for pretty cheap too if you have an old comp around. IIRC the switched outlet was $35 for the optoisolated version which protected the USB ports and used an expensive but silent solid state relay but a commenter suggested an alternate build which didnt isolate the USB ports and used a cheaper, louder mechanical relay to do the same thing
 
I saw someone make a cool adapter the other day on either hackaday or makezine or instructables, it was a switched power outlet using the 5V signal from a computer such that when the computer was shut off, the outlet was switched off as well. couple this with anycompter that support WOL (Wake On Lan) and you have it, for pretty cheap too if you have an old comp around. IIRC the switched outlet was $35 for the optoisolated version which protected the USB ports and used an expensive but silent solid state relay but a commenter suggested an alternate build which didnt isolate the USB ports and used a cheaper, louder mechanical relay to do the same thing

good only for mechanical power switches on your switched outlet
 
I saw someone make a cool adapter the other day on either hackaday or makezine or instructables, it was a switched power outlet using the 5V signal from a computer such that when the computer was shut off, the outlet was switched off as well. couple this with anycompter that support WOL (Wake On Lan) and you have it, for pretty cheap too if you have an old comp around. IIRC the switched outlet was $35 for the optoisolated version which protected the USB ports and used an expensive but silent solid state relay but a commenter suggested an alternate build which didnt isolate the USB ports and used a cheaper, louder mechanical relay to do the same thing


That'd be the easiest/most foolproof way. 5VDC from the PSU turning on a little relay, which then turns on a contactor rated enough for the AC unit. Total cost is pretty cheap (get a contactor off of eBay). Of course it would turn on if someone dialed in with a wrong number, but the OP likely already figured that.
 
I would also use a buffer with a capacitor (and a diode to prevent the capacitor's power from feeding the rest of the computer) so that if someone power cycled the computer, the AC wouldn't cycle with it.
 
well, I'm not to good with electronic circuits so I was thinking about controlling AC using IR port on pc with some remote program?
 
IR would be the easiest route if your AC had it. My office AC has a remote control, just capture the on/off signal and trigger it when you need to. Even an older laptop, lots of them had IR ports on them. I've never tried anything like that, but Google it and I bet you can find all the parts and software you need ready to go.
 
Most houses in the US have only single phase electrical service, some have 3-phase, but I have never seen nor heard of two-phase being provided.

They have single-phase service, but most of the ones i've seen have two phases going in - half the plugs are hooked to one of the phases, the other half to the other phase. So it's still one-phase power, but the INSTEON signals can't transfer to the other single-phase line. The phase couplers rebroadcast the signals.

Some houses don't need them at all. Some houses will require 3 phase couplers.

--neg
 
They have single-phase service, but most of the ones i've seen have two phases going in - half the plugs are hooked to one of the phases, the other half to the other phase. So it's still one-phase power, but the INSTEON signals can't transfer to the other single-phase line. The phase couplers rebroadcast the signals.

No, not exactly. There is one phase that is hooked to a transformer. The output of the transformer is center tapped with the center tied to ground. It is correct to say that half of your outlets are out of phase with the other half, but it is not correct to say that it's 2-phase power.
 
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