Bluetooth Displays

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I am looking for a Bluetooth app for an iPhone.  I want a display that I can format such that I can send smart electricity meter information to my I-phone.

I have an interface between meter and Arduino, and BlueTooth from Arduino to iPhone using DSD-TEC application of the iPhone BUT I can’t find a way to format the iPhone screen.

Do others use different iPhone apps or is there some secret DSD-TEC formatting codes one could use.  I only know of

\r – Line Feed

\n – Carriage return

A typical screen currently on an LCD

Any ideas ?

Bob

 

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Doesn’t your supplier have an iPhone app? We’re on Octopus and they have a good one?

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

John,  this is FRANCE !  EDF can tell you what you did yesterday, last month, last year,  what your neighbours consume on average – but not what you are using NOW.  Yes,  you can get individual consumption meters and even circuit meters (Expensive), however LINKY smart meters allow you to see what you are consuming every 2 seconds.

Its not rocket science to legally use this information and use things like ARDUINOs to convert the information into a readable format, but I would like to take it a step further and see the information on my iPhone instead of lugging an Arduino and LCD screen around with me.

The DSD-TEC app will receive the Blue Tooth data,  but its a bit like a Teletype, and all the data rolls up the screen, line by line.

Bob

[Charles LamontParticipant @charleslamont71117]

Could it be done with Pythonista ?

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Hi Charles,  looks like it could, but it looks like a hard slog for a one-off application.  In effect, all I need is a “Clear screen” command that I could send from the Arduino to the iPhone and get something like this where I would see Top,Mid,Bot KwHC,KwHP without them repeating down the page:

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Though I can’t readily find one I know that there are a number of DIY energy monitor sites where you may be able to find what you want. Google is your friend.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

The problem is John that I don’t want to lug an Arduino around or have one sitting on the sideboard.  I want to see the energy state on my iPhone and as I said, its EDF France – not UK.

Bob

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Charles, perhaps ChatGPT could write some Pythonista for me ??

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Some interesting technical background here, Bob:

https://hal.science/hal-04456859v1/file/ISGT_Smart_Meter_5pages.pdf

MichaelG.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Only one solution then, move back to UK.

[Speedy Builder5]

On Speedy Builder5 Said:

John,  this is FRANCE !  EDF can tell you what you did yesterday, last month, last year,  what your neighbours consume on average – but not what you are using NOW.  Yes,  you can get individual consumption meters and even circuit meters (Expensive), however LINKY smart meters allow you to see what you are consuming every 2 seconds.

Its not rocket science to legally use this information and use things like ARDUINOs to convert the information into a readable format, but I would like to take it a step further and see the information on my iPhone instead of lugging an Arduino and LCD screen around with me.

The DSD-TEC app will receive the Blue Tooth data,  but its a bit like a Teletype, and all the data rolls up the screen, line by line.

Bob

EDF allows you to track your consumption reading at 30 minute intervals.

https://particulier.edf.fr/fr/accueil/aide-contact/faq/suivi-conso/consommation-electricite-gaz.html

 

If you want real time readings these are good, accurate and cheap, I bought and fitted one, and refer to it from time to time to check that Linky isn’t telling porkies.

Installed next to the tableau, via plug and socket and switch and the sensor fitted around the incoming mains feed.

Aideepen LCD Digital Ammeter Voltmeter AC 80-260V 100A, Power Meter 6-in-1 Home Electricity Meter on Amazon.fr  €22.43

I hesitate to post a direct link as it comes up with something to do with Kindle.

 

 

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Michael, Happy Christmas.  Thanks for that article.  Interesting how such a low power source could operate a relay but who am I to question the authors.  I made a small power supply with super capacitor etc, and powered an Arduino Pro board and LoRa board, but it would keep falling over due to lack of power, once supplied with external power it worked OK, but never discovered why it could not provide enough power.

As it happened, the house changed from copper telephone lines to Fiber. the copper wires passed very close to the electricity box and Linky meter at the roadside, so I have the linky connections in the house, onto an Arduino connected to BlueTooth board. All working OK – BUT now want to read the BlueTooth info on my iPhone.

Ps, in that paper it shows how to connect to the water heater.  This is not needed as a separate pair of contacts exists on the Linky meter for this.

Bob

[Speedy Builder5]

On Speedy Builder5 Said:

Charles, perhaps ChatGPT could write some Pythonista for me ??

Try it Bob, try it!

Proceed to ChatGPT and enter “Bluetooth Low Energy serial terminal program for iphone written in Pythonista“.  The answer starts:

Below is a complete, working BLE serial terminal for iPhone written in Pythonista, using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE UART). This is the standard way to do “serial” on iOS.  

And the code looks good to me.

The text from the Arduino arrives in the log() function:

This appends the input to a text buffer and then displays the end of the buffer on screen, which is exactly what DSD-TECH does.  However, unlike DSD-TECH, you can change the code inside the log() function, for example by having it parse a line sent by the Arduino that contains TAB, ClearScreen, or whatever other commands you desire.   Or, instead, tell ChatGPT you want a Graphical Display that displays the data you want, with the iphone calling the Arduino when it wants data rather than polling the BLE link.

Quite a few on the forum have difficulty accepting AI works.  Bad news for them, it does!  Not perfect, but far, far better than the naysayers believe.   Like it or not, it’s a game-changer.

Dave

 

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Thanks Dave, just about to sit-down to Christmas lunch, so will be off-air for a couple of days.

Bob

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

One way a battery powered circuit can switch reasonable power is to use a latching relay. Unfortunately these seem to be little known in the UK, but can be found. A typical device has two coils, one for each state of the contacts, and needs a few milliseconds of applied current to change state, then stays in that state without further power to the coil. A necessary disadvantage is that the opposite coil must be similarly powered to reverse the state.

A capacitor can be chosen to contain the correct charge so that the battery does not “see” the full coil current.

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