ioBridge Wiki

Digital Input Messaging

ioBridge — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:11:42 -0500

Digital Input Messaging

Digital Input Messaging allows you to send an email when a digital state change happens on a module channel. For this type of action to work properly, the I/O channel messaging mode needs to be set to “Send Message on Digital State Change”. This will configure the module to send out an update when the digital input state changes.

A message can be customized for the On state and the Off State. Use this action to send email, Twitter updates, text messages, etc. when a digital input gets triggered.

Project Ideas

This action is perfect if you want to notify or alert yourself when a door or window.

Magnetic Switch - Detect door and window openings and closings with a magnetic switch

Twittering Toaster

Floating Inputs

A word of caution. Do not tie an Input Messaging rule to a digital input pin that is floating. This will cause messages to send at random times.

If you have a switch circuit hooked to the digital input, please connect a pull up resistor to cause the input pin to be a true connection when the switch is open. For more details visit the Circuits section of the wiki.

Substitutions

In your message, you can include expressions that will be substituted with data.

%%input%%

- This expression will be replaced with the scaled analog value that caused the message to be sent. The scaling is determined by whatever the module channel is set to.

%%condition%%

- This expression will be replaced with the logic condition that caused the message to be sent.

%%datetime%%

- This expression will be replaced with the date and time when the action is triggered. The time zone used is the same time zone that the module is set to.

Message Limitations

Your user account allows 60 email messages over a 24-hour period. When abuse is detected, account messaging will be temporarily disabled.

Text Messaging

You can also receive notifications to an event as a text message by entering your cell phone's email address. Your cell phone number can be converted to an email address based on your service provider.

AT&T: yournumber@txt.att.net
Verizon: yournumber@vtext.com
T-Mobile: yournumber@tmomail.net
Sprint PCS - yournumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Virgin Mobile – yournumber@vmobl.com
US Cellular – yournumber@email.uscc.net
Nextel - yournumber@messaging.nextel.com
Boost - yournumber@myboostmobile.com
Alltel – yournumber@message.alltel.com

Note: ioBridge Corporation is not responsible for charges incurred by text messaging. Your standard text messaging rates apply with your mobile carrier.

Twitter via Ping.fm

Ping.fm allows you to update multiple social networks via email. Ping.fm is recommended to update your Twitter, Facebook, and GTalk status. Once you sign up at Ping.fm, you will have an email address that is linked to your social networks. Add that email account to your ioBridge.com account and now your ioBridge actions can tweet, update Facebook, etc.

Ping.fm

UberNote

UberNote is free note taking service that is a replacement for Google Notes. UberNote allows email access to post new notes. Once you setup and account, an email that is linked to your account is created and listed under your settings page. If your action sends a message to the UberMail address, it will be automatically posted to your account. UberNote also supports tagging and public RSS feeds of notes.

UberNote

Analog Input Messaging

ioBridge — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:09:56 -0500

Analog Input Messaging

Analog Input Messaging allows you to send an email when an analog input reaches a specified trigger or reset point. The IO-204 module requires channel messaging enabled in order for this action to work as expected.

Project Ideas

Using analog input messaging allows to get email alerts from sensor input levels. When a temperature sensor hits a specified analog value, an email is sent. You can also stack another Action to send the email plus kick on a fan.

ioBridge Temperature Sensor - Measure temperature and send a message when temperature gets high

ioBridge Ambient Light Sensor - Measure light level and send a TXT when your light turns on in your room

IR Range Sensor - Measure distance with an Adafruit IR range sensor and send a message when an object gets close to the sensor

Humidity Sensor - HIH-4000-001 - Measure humidity and get an email when it's time to fill your cigar humidor with water

Creating an Analog Input Messaging Action

Figure out the raw value of the analog input trigger. You can do this by choosing the appropriate analog scale and entering your trigger value. Then change the scale to Raw. Write down this raw value, you'll need it later
Change the Analog Scale back to the option you want
Set a reasonable Analog Reset value
Set the channel's messaging mode to Send Message on Analog Trigger

At this point the module is configured to push out a message when the analog value is reached. Now we have to tell the server to watch for it and do something in response.

Go to Actions, Create Action. Hopefully, you've already set up an email account
Choose the Analog Input Messaging, then the module and channel
Choose the message account and the type of trigger you want, < = or > =
Enter the raw value you wrote down in step 1 in the Analog Trigger Value box
Enter the message you want emailed and click Create Action

Substitutions

In your message, you can include expressions that will be substituted with data.

%%input%%

- This expression will be replaced with the scaled analog value that caused the message to be sent. The scaling is determined by whatever the module channel is set to.

%%condition%%

- This expression will be replaced with the logic condition that caused the message to be sent.

%%datetime%%

- This expression will be replaced with the date and time when the action is triggered. The time zone used is the same time zone that the module is set to.

Message Limitations

Your user account allows 60 email messages over a 24-hour period. When abuse is detected, account messaging will be temporarily disabled.

Text Messaging

AT&T: yournumber@txt.att.net
Verizon: yournumber@vtext.com
T-Mobile: yournumber@tmomail.net
Sprint PCS - yournumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Virgin Mobile – yournumber@vmobl.com
US Cellular – yournumber@email.uscc.net
Nextel - yournumber@messaging.nextel.com
Boost - yournumber@myboostmobile.com
Alltel – yournumber@message.alltel.com

Note: ioBridge Corporation is not responsible for charges incurred by text messaging. Your standard text messaging rates apply with your mobile carrier.

Twitter via Ping.fm

Ping.fm

UberNote

Tutorial 9: Measuring Tank, Snow or Water Levels over the Internet

Robert Mawrey — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:51:40 -0500

Tutorial 9: Measuring Tank, Snow or Water Levels over the Internet

This tutorial explains how to measure tank, snow or water levels over the internet using the combination of an ioBridge module and the Maxbotix XL-MaxSonar® -WR1™ (Part Number MB7060) range sensor.

Step 1 - Connect the Ultrasonic Sensor

Refer to theMaxbotix Datasheet and connect the sensor to Channel 1 as follows. Note that the Maxbotix sensors do not come with connectors and that wires need to be soldered to the Maxbotix terminals. Cat-5 Ethernet cable is a good choice.

According to the datasheet for this sensor AN outputs analog voltage with a scaling factor of (Vcc/1023) per cm. A supply of Vcc = 5V yields ~9.8mV/in. The output is buffered and corresponds to the most recent range data.

Note: 0-5 V analog inputs of the ioBridge modules can be read and displayed as RAW 10-bit numbers. i.e. 0-5V corresponds to a number 0-1023. Conveniently the 0-1023 RAW values correspond to range from 0-1023cm.

Step 2 - Configure your Module

Follow the steps shown in previous tutorials to register your module if you have not done so already.

Log on to your account, click on the Modules menu, select your module and adjust the Settings for the channel that your sensor is connected to (this tutorial assumes channel 1) as follows:

The settings above send the analog values from the sensor to the server every 10 seconds. The RAW Analog Input value is the sonar range in cm.

Step 3 - Place a Range Gauge on your Dashboard

Click on Widget and then Create Widgets. Follow the Wizard to create an I/O monitor - i.e. I/O Monitor|Analog Input|”Select Module”|Channel 1|. You should then get a page that looks like this:

Edit the Widget to look like the following. Note that you can leave the display as text if you prefer or use a different style.

Click on your dashboard to see your new Range Gauge.

Step 4 - Display Range Results in Other Ways - i.e. Level, Volume etc (Using the Optional Expression Builder)

The Expression Builder functionality for the ioBridge modules enables you to scale inputs by applying equations to input values. Here are a few examples that might be useful:

Example 1 - Display the results as Range in Feet

Knowing the distance to a reference level (or Offset) it is often useful to use range to determine level (i.e. snow, water, grain etc) using this simple expression:

Level = Offset - Range

This can be implemented using the Expression Builder. The Offset value can be set using a “Set Selectable Variable Value” widget as follows:

The following expression could be used to take the range offset provided in inches and display the result as level in feet. Of course any other combination of units could also be used.

Example 2 - Display Cylindrical Tank Volume in Gallons

Take the following cylindrical tank as an example:

The volume of the substance in the cylindrical tank above is:

Volume = 3.142 * Radius * Radius * Level

If the units are in feet then the volume in gallons is:

Volume (in Gallons) = 7.48051948 * Volume (in cubic feet)

This can be implemented using the following expression where the radius is defined by the user.

This can be displayed on your dashboard as follows:

Step 5 - Logging your Results

The best way to log range measurements (or measurements based on range) is to use Medians rather than Averages or raw values as follows:

This is important since Range sensors tend to occasionally produce very short or very far false readings (outliers) that are effectively filtered using Median readings.

Temperature Probe (FB-2)

Robert Mawrey — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:37:56 -0500

Temperature Probe (FB-2)

This function board is used to measure temperature as an analog input. The actual sensor is a 10k thermistor on the end of a 7 ft cord. The latest generation of this sensor is encased in a stainless steel tube with an epoxy filling. The sensor should be able to withstand water and rain.

The pass-through connector on the back of the temperature probe does not have a connection for analog input. Connecting another circuit to the analog input would negatively affect the sensor readings. Therefore, an ambient light sensor and temperature probe cannot exist on the same I/O channel.

A maximum of four temperature probes can be used be a single IO-204 module at one time. This is because the IO-204 has four analog inputs.

The circuit diagram for this function board is as follows:

Resources

IO-204 - Monitor and Control Module

Jason Winters — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:18:04 -0500

IO-204 - Monitor and Control Module

Introduction

The IO-204 Monitor & Control Module helps bridge the gap between the physical world and the World Wide Web. The IO-204 module and online tools at www.ioBridge.com allow you to easily get your projects on the web (note that for the PRO module the url is www.ioBridgePRO.com). There is no need to run a home web server or track ever changing dynamic IP addresses. The IO-204 module takes care of the internet connectivity and the user customizable widgets on the ioBridge website remove the need for complex programming. Just plug in your IO-204 module, register on the ioBridge website and within minutes, you’ll be interacting with lights, switches, servos and sensors. Keep your widgets private on your secure ioBridge dashboard or publish them on your website for the entire world to enjoy!

Features

4 I/O channels, with separate digital input, analog input and digital output
Pulse Counting, Pulse Output and Serial Data Output functions available on all 4 digital outputs
Attach up to 4 Smart Boards for more complex functions
Time interval based or event based data delivery
On-board logic rules for control even when it's offline.
Works on any 10/100/1000Base-T auto-negotiated network
Works on Static or Dynamic IP based networks, through firewall
Highly secure encryption based communication
Configurable MAC address and DHCP host name
Network status indicator
Non-volatile memory keeps your settings during power down
Configurable network disconnect failsafe settings
Upgradeable firmware over Internet
RoHS Compliant

Module Breakdown

I/O Channels

Analog Input

The analog input on each channel uses 10bit analog-to-digital conversion (ADC). As an input voltage varies from 0V to 5V DC the raw analog values ranges from 0 - 1023.

Digital Input

The digital input accepts voltages of 0v and +5v DC to indicate digital logic of 0 and 1. The digital input can also count the negative and positive edges of input signals.

Digital Output

The digital output pin on each channel can generate digital logic of 0 and 1 by outputting 0v and +5v DC. The output current is limited to 20ma. The digital output also transmits pulses at microsecond pulse widths and asynchronous serial data at bauds rates of 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 at variable pacing.

Pin-outs

Requirements

Network

The IO-204 module requires a 10/100/1000Base-T auto-negotiated Ethernet connection. Because of the way the IO-204 module communicates with the server, no additional ports need to be opened on the firewall or router.

MAC Filtering

If the network uses MAC address filtering, the module’s MAC address will need to be added to the router’s “allow” table. The MAC address of the module is configurable via the ioBridge.com Interface.

IP Addressing

If the network uses DHCP, the module will request an IP address and obtain an IP automatically by default. If DHCP fails, the module sets itself to an IP address of “169.254.19.77”. By using the telnet menu, the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS Addresses are configurable.

Getting the IO-204's IP Address

It is possible to check the IO-204's IP address by rapidly pressing the LINK button 3 times row. The IP address will shown on the LED display one digit at a time. An underline character represents a dot.

Accessing the Configuration Menu

By default, the IO-204 is configured to dynamic IP assignment. The unit's IP address, gateway, subnet mask and DNS can to changed through a configuration menu. The menu is only accessible via telnet when the IO-204 is in “LINK” mode.

1. Attach the IO-204 to your network.

2. Check the IO-204's IP address by rapidly clicking the LINK button 3 times.

3. After you have the IP address, hold down the LINK button for a few seconds until the LED display begins to flash.

4. Open a telnet client and access the menu…

On Windows XP: click Start, Run, then type “telnet XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX” (replacing XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX with the IO-204's IP address and without the quotes) into the box and click OK.

On Windows Vista/7: By default, the telnet client is disabled. To enable it, go to Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features → Turn Windows Features On or Off. Then check the box beside “Telnet Client”. Now open the start menu and type “telnet XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX” (replacing XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX with the IO-204's IP address and without the quotes) into the box.

5. From the telnet configuration menu, change to static IP by typing 1 then enter. The other addresses are configurable by choosing the menu number and hitting enter.

Note: The backspace and delete keys to not work with the telnet menu. If a mistake is made while entering an IP address, it is best to exit the option by hitting enter and trying again.

6. Some options require the IO-204 to be rebooted before the setting takes affect. For example, switching from static IP to dynamic IP. If a reboot is needed the IO-204 will show a message to let you know. Typing r at the command prompt will cause a reboot.

7. If no reboot is required, use q to quit the configuration menu.

Electrical

The IO-204 module requires a regulated electrical supply of 5V at 200mA on a 2.5mm coaxial connector (center is +5V). The standard wall adapter supplied with the module is rated for approximately 1 Amp. This extra current allows external circuits and devices to be powered directly from I/O channel connectors.

Firmware

Upgrade

The IO-204 module's firmware can be upgraded. This is initiated from the module settings page of the ioBridge web interface (Look for the upgrade link on the left side under “Module Details”).

Upgrading a module will require the following steps:

Make sure all the channel are set to I/O mode
Unplug any boards or circuits from the I/O channels
Make sure the module is online
Click the “Start Upgrade” button
The LED display will begin to make a circular pattern as the new firmware is downloading. The LED display will show an F when download is finished (usually within 1 or 2 minutes).
Hold down the module's LINK button until the LED display begins to flash and immediately let go of the button.
Within a few seconds the module will begin to reprogram itself. During the time, both the red and green indicator LEDs will be lit. It is important not disturb the module's power supply at this time. This should only take a few seconds.
The module will reset and come back online with the new firmware.
Plug your interface boards back in and reconfigure your channel modes for the proper settings
If any on-board rules were running on the module, they will need to be “re-synced” as they get deleted during the upgrade process

Tip: When holding down the LINK button to get the LED display flashing in step 6, make sure you release the button as soon as it starts flashing. If you hold it down too long the module will think something is wrong and it will abort the upgrade.

Firmware Versions

C4.9

- Fixed a bug that prevented some on-board variables from being saved in non-volatile RAM

C4.8

- Added support for a future feature involving on-board rules.

C4.7

- Increased TCP buffer size to enable operation on a Hughes Satellite connection.

C4.6

- Extended DNS timeout.
- Fixed a bug that stopped static IP mode from being selectable via telnet menu.
- Added a “last Chance” watchdog timer to catch modules hanging on DNS requests.

C4.5

- Adjusted TCP buffer to help IP fragmentation issues on networks with tiny MTUs.
- Fixed a bug that stopped static IP mode from being selectable via telnet menu.
- Fixed a bug that led to incorrect pulse counts if onboard rules were used to push digital input state changes.

C4.4

- Added a system-wide watchdog timer. Although it's very rare that an IO-204 will hang, this should reset the module in that situation.
- Reallocated TCP and MAC buffers. This should improve performance with IO-204s connected over ATM links.
- Added a additional check for when a DNS query fails.
- Added additional 32 bit variables to on-board rules.
- Modified on-board rules variables so they don't automatically reset upon syncing rules.

C4.3

- Fixed a bug that stopped DNS resolution on certain networks.
- Modified the UDP checksum routine to increase compatible with other wireless bridges.
- Modified the DHCP routine to time-out and reset when the transaction fails.
- Changed the on-board rules routine to ensure that the rules are executed in proper order to support pulse count data logging.

C4.2

- Fixed a bug that kept the on-board rules from reading the state of a digital output correctly when an output pulse was being used on the same pin.
- Tweaked network initialization routine. This should help with the twitching servo problem during local network outages.
- Fixed a bug that delayed the start of pushed updates after power up.

C4.1

- Fixed a bug that stopped the Serial Smart Board from receiving bursts of data. This fix should also make smart channel communication more robust.

C4.0

- Added user configurable on-board logic rules. This will allow the module to perform functions regardless of whether it is online or offline.
- Added Telnet configuration menu for DHCP/Static IP option, Gateway, Subnet Mask and DNS. The menu is only accessible when the module is in LINK mode.
- Changed the module to assign itself an IP address if DHCP isn't available.
- Added the ability for the module to display its IP address. This feature is initialized by quickly pressing the LINK button 3 times in row.
- Added pulse counting to all four digital inputs. The pulse edge count types are positive, negative and both.
- Completely rewrote parsing routines. Processes commands considerably faster now.
- Fixed DHCP issue when using the IO-204 with Mac OS X as a wireless bridge
- Changed the hard-reset feature. The IO-204 now requires the button to be pressed for a few seconds as power is applied. Previously, it was possible to accidentally hard-reset the module when plugging in the power cable.
- Removed the need to put the module in LINK mode when upgrading the firmware. This makes it easier to upgrade the firmware when physical access to the unit it difficult. (actually this hasn't fully been implemented yet.)
- The IO-204 no longer resets itself when the network goes down or the LAN cable is unplugged.
- Changed the display to show no number when there is no network preset. It used to show a zero which was very bright and basically unnecessary.
- Changed the start-up network negotiation sequence to end in 8 instead of 9.
- Changed IO-204 to know immediately when LAN cable is unplugged. It used to take up to 25 seconds.

C3.9x

This is a beta firmware. If you have it, upgrade.

C3

- Module now pushes data on analog input trigger and reset
- Pulse function added for digital output
- Shortened the length of time a number is displayed during a channel command
- Added a UDP checksum routine
- Added support for networks using the DHCP broadcast flag
- Module would sometimes reset if a channel was set for a smart board, but none was plugged in. This fix will decreased the likelihood of this happening.
- Module now averages 16 analog input samples instead of using a single data point. This should help in noisy environments
- Added a work-around for legacy DHCP/BOOTP relays on large enterprise networks. (Thanks Lennon)
- Added serial out function on the digital output pin

C2.9

This is a beta firmware. If you have it, upgrade.

C2

Original firmware version.

Factory Defaults

The module contains non-volatile memory, meaning settings are stored even when the device is not powered. In the event that the module’s memory needs to be returned to the factory default settings, a hard reset is required.

To perform a hard reset:

Unplug the power cord
While holding down the LINK button, plug the power cord in - keep the LINK button pressed until the LED display shows a rotating pattern for a second or two indicating the module is re-writing its memory
Release the LINK button

Indicators

When performing various operations on the module, the module will indicate the status through two visual indicators: surface-mount Red/Green Connectivity Status LEDs and a 7-segment LED display.

Connectivity Status LED

When the Connectivity Status LED is green, the module is authenticated and connected to a server. When the status LED is red, the module is not fully associated to a server. During a hard-reset or firmware upgrade, both the red and green LED will flash rapidly for about a second.

LED Display

The LED display is used to convey information for a variety of reasons. In general if the the Connectivity Status LED is red the LED Display is an error message and if the Connectivity Status LED is green, the LED Display is which channel is currently active when commands are being processed.

LED Display during startup (Connectivity Status LED is red)

The module goes through a series of steps to get Internet connectivity. Normally the entire process takes just a few seconds. The current step is shown on the LED display during startup. If the module fails to get online, knowing the step that fails may be helpful for troubleshooting network problems.

Red Status Light Only - Module has booted successfully, looking for network connection
1 - Network connection has been established
2 - Successful DHCP transaction, the module now has an IP address
3 - Starting DNS resolution
4 - DNS resolved
5 - Looking for an Internet gateway
6 - Internet gateway found, initialing connection with server
7 - Connected to server
8 - Authentication
Green Status Light Only - Everything is OK, begin normal operation

LINK Mode

Programming Mode

Hard-reset Mode

Onboard Rules Acknowledgment

Channel Activity

IP Address Display

Getting Started

Power up

The module doesn’t have a power switch. It’s a piece of networking equipment that is meant to be on all of the time. To power it up, just plug in a network cable and the power cord. Assuming the basic network requirements are met, the module will get online by itself. Digits, increasing from 1 to 8, will be shown on the LED display and the Connectivity Status LED will turn green. The module may restart itself and start the process over again if a connection attempt fails.

Link Module

If you have a new module, the first step is to link the module to your account. You will have to have physical access to the module and know the serial number.

Under the Module tab, click “Link Module”
Enter Serial Number (found on top label of module) and click “Next”
Press and hold the “Link” button on module and click “Next”
Enter the numbers that appear on the module

Additional Resources

IO-204 User Manual

ioBridge Support

ioBridge Store

Humidity Sensor (FB-8)

Robert Mawrey — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:55:12 -0500

Humidity Sensor (FB-8)

This function board is used to measure humidity as an analog input.

The pass-through connector on the back of the humidity sensor does not have a connection for analog input. Connecting another circuit to the analog input would negatively affect the sensor readings. Therefore an ambient light sensor, temperature probe, and humidity sensor cannot exist on the same I/O channel.

Specifications
Operating Temperature	-40 °C to 85 °C [-40 °F to 185 °F]
Operating Humidity Range	0 % RH to 100 % RH
Hysteresis	2 % RH
Response Time	5 s 1/e in slow moving air
Repeatability	±0.5 % RH
Settling Time	70 ms max.
Supply Current	500 µA
Stability at 50% RH	±1.2 % RH
Output Signal	Analog voltage
Covered Device	Yes
Moisture/Dust Filter	Yes

See the Sensors section for more information on the operation of the Honeywell sensor.

The circuit diagram is as follows:

Resources

Buzzer Board (FB-6)

Robert Mawrey — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:49:25 -0500

Buzzer Board (FB-6)

Controlled by a digital output, this buzzer board emits a 2kHz tone at 85dB. A pass-though connector allows additional devices to access I/O channel lines.

The circuit diagram for the buzzer is as follows:

Resources

ioBridge Store

Ambient Light Sensor (FB-4)

Robert Mawrey — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:41:11 -0500

Ambient Light Sensor (FB-4)

This function board uses a CdS photocell to measure light. An on board potentiometer can be used to adjust the sensitivity.

The ambient light sensor has a pass-through connector to allow access to the digital input and digital output signal lines. However, the analog input is used by the light sensor itself and not on the pass-through connector.

CdS photocell datasheet

The circuit diagram is as follows:

Channel Tester (FB-1)

Robert Mawrey — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:29:30 -0500

Channel Tester (FB-1)

Using the channel tester, the different signal lines of an I/O channel can be tested.

Digital Output

The red and green LEDs show the status of the digital output line.

Red: low (0v)
Green: high (5v)

Digital Input

The slide switch and push button will set the digital input state.

Slide switch position
Left: low (0v)
Right: high (5v)

Push Button position
Down: low (0v)
Up: high (5v)

Note: For the push button to function properly, the slide switch need to be set to the left (high).

Analog Input

A thumb-wheel potentiometer is used to set a voltage on the analog input line.

The circuit diagram for the tester is as follows:

PowerSwitchTail II

Robert Mawrey — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:23:22 -0500

PowerSwitchTail II

Overview

The PowerSwitchTail II (PST II) is used to safely turn on/off AC powered devices using the digital output pin on a microcontroller. The PST II has an internal normally open (NO) relay with a resistive switching capacity of 15A at 125VAC.

Operation

The PST has a status LED that indicates if the relay is closed or not. If the LED is red, then the relay is closed.

Connect the plug end into a power outlet and connect the device that you want to control in the receptacle end. Connect a microcontroller digital output pin via the adapter circuit to the +/- screw terminals on the PST. Using the example circuit below, the PST will turn on when the digital output pin is HIGH/ON/1 and off when the pin is LOW/OFF/0.

Control Options

With the ioBridge IO-204 you can control the Power Switch Tail II many different ways.

Digital Output Control Widget
Onboard Rule
Time-based Rule
Digital Output Pulsing
Widget Control API

Resources

Expression Builder

Robert Mawrey — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:19:45 -0500

Expression Builder

An expression allows you to scale and operate on an input value or variable using Expression Monitor widgets and also in Data Logs.

Expression Monitor Widget

Expression in a Data Log

Variables

Use variables to assign values or to assign the results of an expression. You can add multiple variables separated by a semicolon. Variable names may be a single letter, contain multiple letters and numbers, and use the underscore special character “_”.

x = y;

Example

Set variable “x” to 32 and add 10 to “x”

x = 32; answer_to_life = x + 10

Result: 42

Constants

π (pi)

pi()

Math Operations

Add

x + y

Subtract

x - y

Multiply

x * y

Divide

x / y

Modulo

x % y

Exponent

x ^ y

Square Root

sqrt(x)

Trigonometric Functions

Inputs and results use Radians

Sine

sin(x)

Cosine

cos(x)

Tangent

tan(x)

Inverse Trigonometric Functions

Inputs and results use Radians

Arcsine

asin(x)

Arccosine

acos(x)

Arctangent

atan(x)

Exponentials

Exponential Function (e^x)

exp(x)

Hyperbolic Sine

sinh(x)

Hyperbolic Cosine

cosh(x)

Logarithms

Natural (Log Base e)

ln(x)

Binary (Log Base 2)

log2(x)

Common (Log Base 10)

log(x)

Rounding

Ceiling

ceil(x)

Floor

floor(x)

Other

theta

theta(x)

theta(x)= 1 for x > 0, theta(x) = 0 for x < 0

Example

This expression limits x between variable low and variable high.

theta(high-x)*theta(x-low)*x+theta(x-high)*high+theta(low-x)*low

For example if

low=-11; high=150; x=200
theta(high-x)*theta(x-low)*x+theta(x-high)*high+theta(low-x)*low

Result: 150

low=-11; high=150; x=88;
theta(high-x)*theta(x-low)*x+theta(x-high)*high+theta(low-x)*low

Result: 88

Formatting

This operation formats the end result before display by rounding the result to a specified number of digits.

%%format:[decimal places]%%

Example

Display 4 decimal places for the square root of 2

sqrt(2) %%format:4%%

Result: 1.4142

Prefixes and Units

Either prefixes or units can be displayed with a result of an expression.

%%prefix:[prefix]%%

%%unit:[unit]%%

Example

Set variable “tempF” to 34 and convert it to Celsius and display the result with 2 decimal places with the unit “C”

tempF = 34; (tempF - 32) * 5/9 %%format:2%% %%unit:C%%

Result: 1.11 C

Display currency in Dollars

value = 5.04; %%format:2%% %%prefix:$%%

Result: $5.04

Module Input

This operation retrieves live values from a module that can be used in the expression as a variable.

%%input:[Module Serial],[Input Type],[Channel / Location]%%

[Module Serial]

Module Serial Number, 8 digits

[Input Type]

2 digit input type code

AI - Analog Input - 16 bit
DI - Digital Input - 1 bit
DO - Digital Output - 1 bit
PC - Pulse Count - 32 bit
V1 - Variable 1 - 8 bit
V2 - Variable 2 - 32 bit

[Channel / Location]

1 - 4

A - D

Pulse Count Example

Set variable “pulseCount” to the live pulse count on channel one of module 25000001

pulseCount = %%input:25000001,PC,1%%;

Result: 14

Variable Value Example

Set variable “value” to the live value of Variable 2-B of module 25000001

value = %%input:25000001,V2,B%%;

Result: 23567

Module Mapping

This operation maps the result of an expression to a module register. More than one map can be in an expression.

%%map:[Module Serial],[Input Type],[Channel / Location],[Value]%%

[Module Serial]

Module Serial Number, 8 digits

[Input Type]

2 digit input type code

V1 - Variable 1 - 8 bit
V2 - Variable 2 - 16 bit
PC - Pulse Count - 32 bit
SP - Serial Port

[Channel / Location]

1 - 4

A - D

0 is used for the on-board serial port used with input type of “SP”

[Value]

Optional

Override the expression result with a specified value

Pulse Count Example

Map the result of the expression “6 + 7” to the pulse count on channel 4 of module 25000001

6 + 7 %%map:25000001,PC,4%%

Result: 13

Tutorial 11: Open and close your garage door over the Internet

Robert Mawrey — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:18:47 -0500

Tutorial 11: Open and close your garage door over the Internet

ioBridge's I/O modules including the IO-204 or IO-204-PRO may be used with a third-party universal garage door remote and a third-party Internet camera to open and close garage doors over the Internet.

This tutorial shows you one way to do this following a step-by-step guide and without writing any code. This project assumes that you are familiar with the basic functionality of your ioBridge module and that you have already set up your account and linked your module.

Project Components

ioBridge gateway module such as the IO-204 or IO-204-PRO
One or more (one per door) ioBridge Relay Boards
Third-party Universal Garage Door Remote such as the Chamberlain KLIK1U Clicker
Third-party Internet camera such as the FOSCAM FI8905W Wireless IP Camera

Step 1 - Connect your ioBridge gateway module to the Universal Remote

The first step is to program your Universal Remote to open and close your garage doors using the manufacturers instructions. This typically involves pushing buttons on your garage door and on your remote to associate the two devices. Once this is done and working open up the Universal Remote and connect your ioBridge gateway module. This is done by removing the Remote PCB from its case and by using ioBridge relay outputs as switches that perform the same function as the push-button switches on the printed circuit board.

Note that this is the trickiest part of this project as it requires some soldering skill.

Color-coded wire from a stripped Ethernet cable was used but any similar wire will do. The relay boards were connected to channels 3 and 4 but any two unused channels could have been used.

Step 2 - Create Open/Close Widgets for your Dashboard

Now that the wiring is all done we can focus on the web dashboard. The next step is to simulate pushing buttons on the Remote clicker. This can be done by pulsing the digital outputs connected to the relays. Follow the steps to create a 2 second “Digital Output Pulse” widget for each of the channels (3 and 4 in this case). Your resulting widget should look like this:

Step 3 - Configure your IP camera and create a camera widget

Like many IP cameras the FOSCAM requires a fair bit of configuration including adjusting you firewall settings for port forwarding and using dynamic dns. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to connect your IP camera to your network.

Once your camera is configured and mounted and you can view it over the Internet you can then embed it in your dashboard using an html widget.

HTML App Head Code:

CSS and JavaScript to be included in the HTML Head

<style type="text/css">
</style>

<script type="text/javascript">
var videoFrameCount = 2;
var refreshRate = 250;
	        
	    function load_video()
            {
             setTimeout("reload_image()",refreshRate);
            }
            function reload_image()
            {
                var xx = new Image();
                xx.src = "http://YOURURL:YOURPORT/snapshot.cgi?user=YOURUSER&pwd=YOURPASSWORD&next_url="+videoFrameCount;
                document.getElementById("imgDisplay").src = xx.src;
                videoFrameCount++;
             
            }
            function video_error()
            {
                
                setTimeout("reload_image()",refreshRate);   
                
            }
            function video_error_clear()
            {
                setTimeout("reload_image()",refreshRate);
            }

</script>

HTML App Body Code: HTML to be displayed in the HTML Body

<img name="imgDisplay" width="320" height="240" id="imgDisplay" onerror="video_error()" onload="load_video()" src="http://YOURURL:YOURPORT/snapshot.cgi?user=YOURUSER&pwd=YOURPASSWORD&next_url=1">

Where YOURURL is the url of your dynamic dns service, YOURPORT is the port number that you chose to use in setting up your camera, and YOURUSER and YOURPASSWORD is the guest access user name and password for your IP camera.

Step 4 - Place the widgets on your dashboard and control your garage doors

Place your widgets on your dashboard if you have not done so already. Your dashboard should look something like this:

You can also view your dashboard on your mobile device:

Click the buttons on your dashboard and watch your doors open and close in real-time.