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Description
Hi
As you all know, I'm not great at coding, I'm a wires and ideas man.
But I have a situation where installers are asking for a simple device they can plug into a Velbus USB module and give them an untethered connection to Velbus, while they are doing basic commissioning on site, BEFORE the LAN / WIFI / Broadband is up and running.
One option I thought of was to use an SBC (Like a Pi or Odroid) connected to a TP-Line WiFI access point EAP device with a DHCP server built in.
Something like this - https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/19211-tp-link-cpe210/
I'd have to put it into some kind of box and it would be quite big, BUT with a great range.
Then I remembered that I've had a little success with an M5StickC running as a very simple WiFi hotspot, DHCP server and web server as a 12V blind controller / cycle tester.
Not very clever, but it works well.
https://youtu.be/qb8ZzRYm8Ok
This got me wondering if something like an ESP32 with a USB-C port, a USB-C OTG adapter could connect to a Velbus USB module and act as a TCP Gateway with the Python code?
My thoughts are..
- It's cheap (easily replacable if lost)
- Short range WiFi
- Powerable from the 15V Velbus bus
Some people have talked about using a CAN interface and reverse engineering the Velbus protocol, but I really don't want to go down that route as this has to be incredibly simple and robust
The code could double up as a Velbus USB to LAN gateway, if the Arduino code could swap to WiFi client mode and connect using WiFI WPS
esp8266/Arduino#2628
The other option is...
Give them a 10M active USB extension lead for £30 😆
https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg91644/lead-usb3-0-active-extension-black/dp/CS32928?st=usb%20a%20to%20scart%20cable