How to make electric blinds using Particle Argon

Have you ever been late at work because the sun didn't wake you up in time in the morning? Do you roll up your blinds and ask yourself if you could have gotten more done if you had gotten up earlier? Have you ever forgotten to roll up your blinds, wasting a lot of time cultivating your plants, only to have them die?

Well, if so, have you also explored the product that suits you? With these electric blinds, all your worries will disappear. They can be completely controlled by a small button remote control, and they can also track the cycle of the sun and night, and will rise when needed to allow the most light in during the day, and will close when dusk falls. With the above functions, don't you want these blinds?

The development of this blind took 4 weeks and a few all-nighters. Initially, I planned to use corded blinds and then attach the motor to the rods that were already inside. This proved to be a problem because retailers don't sell corded blinds in stores. They had to be custom made, which delayed the project by about 3 weeks. So much so that I switched the design to a more sleek-looking cordless design. Cordless blinds rely on small, flat metal springs with a specific tension that allows you to lower and raise them with one hand almost effortlessly.

But there was a problem, it wasn't very conductive for the build, and it wasn't really "wireless" when connecting a motor to it. So we stripped the blinds down to their components and designed our mechanism to raise the blinds. It consists of a 5/16" by 20" rod that is held in place by 2 3D printed bearing mounts. The bearings are there to take the weight and let the rod rotate freely.

On the motor end, a 7mm to 3mm connector is used to fit the motor to the rod, using a rod that is ground flat to fit the 7mm hole. Originally the design used ¼ inch threaded rod, which is why the connector is 7mm on one side. Some things were scrapped, like the solar charging and scheduling capabilities.

On the other hand, the Internet of Things (IoT) makes the problem of non-motorized blinds easy to solve, as the IoT device is able to act as a computer for the blinds, and then just by connecting the sensors and motors, you can turn any blinds into smart motorized blinds. This solution is novel because it allows scheduled operation, smart operation through sunlight sensing, easy use through button remote controls, and future designs will also work with smart homes/smartphones, making it very easy to use.

Two-way communication flow

Disadvantages of the project (can be improved)

The original idea lacked solar charging and a smartphone app.

Solar charging is due to delayed delivery/cost

Smartphone apps get the axe due to limited time and knowledge

Most of the parts are glued in and not securely fastened, this is due to time constraints and issues with my 3d printer, I want to completely reprint the top housing to fit all inside, with a back mount for the battery and iot board to make a clean slim hidden product. However, my 3d printer bed leveling is currently broken and I can't level it manually. The product is made on a wall instead of a window, this is because it is an easier test bed.

Real-time graphical data

At the end of the project, we have to mention Particle Argon. One of its great advantages is the ability to transmit data from anywhere. Therefore, in our project test, the data from the photoresistor and rotary encoder are updated in real time to a website called think space through webhook integration. The following data view is the real-time streaming data from our project: