The Retropanel
Installation - (2015 - Present)
Installation - (2015 - Present)
Retropanel Sr.
Retropanel Mini
With the modern ubiquity of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, et. al, and the relative inexpense of home automation products that integrate with them, it's not uncommon for an average home to have a voice-controlled lamp that 20 years prior would seem to be a fantasy ripped right out of Star Trek.
But multiple, disparate product ecosystems lead to a disjointed experience. Voice assistants can be flaky and unreliable. Digging through one's phone - which is already the master-control for so much of the average person's life - merely to turn on or off a lamp fails to improve on the humble wall switch.
The humble elegance of the wall switch is overlooked - it is modal, tactile, and indicative - because it is modal, we know without processing what the switch controls. Because it is tactile, we know simply by feel when it has been actuated. And because it is indicative, we know its current state at a glance. The sole disadvantage of the wall switch is that it must be permanently located.
Retropanel creates a modal, tactile, indicative control interface for a home which is also both mobile and central. The tactile buttons are satisfying to press, they illuminate to indicate the state of any device, all devices are controlled from any panel, and the wireless interface means it can be located anywhere.
On the backend, it communicates with Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, nearly any brand of home automation product, and custom, purpose built dimmer controllers. Control of audiovisual equipment is enabled with a link to a commercial IR control system. In addition to indicating states which are changed from another platform, it also links the disparate ecosystems together. However you turn the lights on, every platform every app knows they are on.
But the buttons are satisfying to press. You won't use the other platforms if you don't have to.
(yes, this actually controls lights in my home)
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Rain Clock
How to Read the Rain Clock:
Precipitation probability is indicated by a gradient from green (< 5% probability)
to red (>90% probability).
Current hour is highlighted (14:00 in example)
Previous hours in current row grayed out.
Rows above previous show next day.
Precipitation probability is indicated by a gradient from green (< 5% probability)
to red (>90% probability).
Current hour is highlighted (14:00 in example)
Previous hours in current row grayed out.
Rows above previous show next day.
Experimental display of the next 18-24 hours of precipitation probability.
WS2812 addressable LEDs driven by ESP8266. Node-Red backend with data from Dark Sky.
WS2812 addressable LEDs driven by ESP8266. Node-Red backend with data from Dark Sky.
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Bus Board
Analog Weather Station
Know the M60's arrivals without opening apps, refreshing pages, or interrupting your flow.
ESP8266 and 4xHT16K33, multiple vintage ROHM panel LEDS.
At a glance stats as you pick which coat suits the day.
Panel Ammeters Custom Retrofit with Backlighting and New Scales.
Driven by ESP8266 and custom MOSFET array.