Alexa insane

[doigthom]

Gone off my rocker adding Alexa to my house. Now have smart home, dumb resident. So old I can't remember all the commands I have created. Have been working on garage door opening.

Have two Chamberlain and one Craftsman garage door openers. Craftsman is just a rebranded Chamberlain. From what I've read Chamberlain will not add Alexa because they don't think they can monetize it and have some other BS scheme. Found a YouTube short on a home built using a 1 channel 5 volt $15.95 board that does the trick. If you ask Alexa to "turn on the garage door" it sends a one shot jolt to the motor board that opens or closes the door. Pretty neat. Minor problem is that you can't directly say "open the garage door" or "close the garage door". Need to create an Alexa Routine that allows you to say that. Great! Second prong of the puzzle taken care of in that can use the words "open" and "close". Remaining problem is that without looking at the garage door I don't know if it is actually open or closed. If its already open and I say "Alexa open the door", the 1 channel board sends a small jolt which tells the Chameberlain to do just the opposite of what it last did. Thus, since it is actually open already, it closes the door even though I said "open". Or just the opposite if I say "close"' if it is already closed.

I guess my next step is to see if I can find some type of logic device that will give me status of the door and either skip the net effect of my command or execute it based on current status of the door. I know there are door sensors that will tell if a door is open or closed. But how do I get that result into Alexa and have it act to execute the command or skip it? Got my BS in ME back in '69 but electrical stuff (EE100 -101) still a mystery. Am working my way through a course on Python programming which seems to interface with Alexa. Probably some Boolean logic that will eventually solve my problem but just wondering if anyone else is screwing around with this and already solved the problems. Thanks for any thoughts or help.

Tom

[Frank Beck]

Tom,
While reading about your First World problem I couldn’t help but think “What good is Alexa after Tom has a stroke, wears adult diapers, and slurs all his words?”


My wife has permission to put me in a care facility if I EVER have that much time to waste.

[doigthom]

Frank

Worked my way through engineering school and then law school as a programmer. Was a lawyer, Judge and Deputy Attorney General. Any and all of these things made me a drooling, bed wetting fool, but luckily I made it to this point without the stroke. Three wives and three Porsches. Wives were consecutive and Porsches simultaneous. Dragged my 912 around for 39 years, and am having fun getting the 911S restored. Contrary to rumors all us scum sucking, bottom feeding, societal parasites know as lawyers did not get rich and so far I'm out $132,000.00 on the 911S and the engine on my 912 coupe is being rebuilt for the fourth time. None of these things has yet brought on the stroke. But I must say I am happy to be retired without the bullshit of the real world. It also gives me the free time to walk the dogs, finish the house, enjoy grandchildren, etc. The downside is that I still need some type of challenge and Alexa seems to be the soup du jour. The drooling does tend to slur my speech and Alexa has produced some wild results as a result. If I was in a home I'm sure I'd be putting wifi switches in their wall sockets. I think I'm glad I won't die turning a wrench. Can't do it much anyway. For your sake I hope you can reach a decision like Jim B to walk away and have free time to waste. It's a really good thing even as your body slowly betrays your intellect.

Saying all that I figure somebody else on this forum, who is smarter than me (easy) may be messing with stuff like I am. As an aside has anybody worked out "Alexa, get me a beer". At least I'm not yet desperate enough to ask Alexa if she's seeing anybody. Thanks for your concern. When I get it all worked out, all automate your shop doors.

Tom

[doigthom]

Frank

In truth, being the dirty old man that I am, I did ask Alexa to send me a picture of her private parts and she sent me a picture of an HP motherboard.

[Olivier]

https://developer.amazon.com/alexa/c...xa-connect-kit

Looks like Amazon plans to release some hardware to facilitate your life. The question is "when"

I have no skills in automatism nor computer things, but, if you put switches one for position opened, one for position closed, then you can recognize each door's position?
Then it's a logical matter like if door is closed, and order is "close", then do nothing?

Looks like you have to find a way to manage I/O return from your doors to the "brain"?

Sorry, if I opened already opened doors! =)

Olivier.

[Frank Beck]

... I think I'm glad I won't die turning a wrench.

Ahhh...
And that would be the difference between us.

However I hope I’m at least turning it clockwise.

I do love the battle; probably why I enjoy racing/fixing/repeat so much.

[doigthom]

Thank you Oliver. Had not seen that article. Seems like they are looking for people who want to produce Alexa oriented product. Not the little guys like me. But I'll keep following the progress. I do like your dual switch solution. Have to investigate whether an Alexa Routine has an if then command which would manage that input.

I used to enjoy wrenching it Frank until my back went. Now I have to let experts like you handle that end of the project. I'm relegated to parts finder, gofer and the proverbial coffee boy. But just think about it Frank. No need to supervise millennial help, deflect ungrateful customers and pay the bills. Time will be your own to race and wrench. Just be careful who you sell the business to. That's probably your retirement income.

Also please note that the electric Porsche is around the corner. Ford already incorporates Alexa in their Sync3(Sp?) radio/computer/dashboard atrocity. It's the wave of the future. Going to have to face it sooner or later unless Google predominates, "Alexa turn on my Webasto heater"

[blucille]

I’ve been toying with this too. I have a fair amount of automation in my house thru my career path as an audio visual engineer, systems designer, programmer and sales guy. My house was built in the 1770’s so, I used a fair amount of hardware to make things work in the way I wanted when I moved in 16 years ago. I have iOS and browser control over all the lighting, hvac, and security....and I have music in most rooms...alll old-school, hard-wired stuff since wireless is a real problem with the lathe and plaster and stone walls

Anyway, the chamberlain/lift master apps have the ability to show whether door is opening/closing/open or closed....their devices can issue a command that will “close is the door is open” but thankfully won’t open the door if it’s already closed.

So, I’ve dabbled with a logic tool called ITTT..if this, then that....as a plug in to some light switches and cameras I’ve used....it integrates with Alexa....but you need to know if you door opener is “lights on” or “lights off”. That should give you all the logic you need.

For me, I just use the liftmaster app