This is an important point because, although it is true that sometimes you cannot know in advance what use you are going to make of it, it is important to have a certain idea in order to prioritise each step or put more or less effort into each aspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Just for the fun of it<\/strong>to rise to the challenge, see what works and learn along the way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- For see what result it gives<\/strong> and if it is good to move it to \"production\" and install it definitively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- With a view, from the outset, to put it to real and continued use<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The usual process for making an electronic circuit:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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- I test as quickly as possible with the sensors I want to install, one at a time, and see if everything works well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- I consider which sensors I am going to combine based on how well I can combine those particular sensors (suitability of location, available pins, case, etc).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- I'm thinking about what box I'm going to put it in so that it has a \"more or less\" professional finish and is not just a swarm of cables hanging around the house.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Believe it or not, of the previous points, the one that usually gives me the most headaches is the box. Besides, the box, in many assemblies, is usually an \"active\" part of the assembly, as I use it for the circuit wiring.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I like things that stay \"fixed in the house<\/em>\"have a good completion<\/strong>I am quite a perfectionist (although it often remains an intention), so I am never satisfied with the result obtained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reality is that I often say \"I'll leave it like this, for the moment, which is acceptable, and as soon as I have some time I'll improve it.<\/em>\"And, well... it usually stays that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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It goes without saying that when I just want to tinker around, and if the design isn\u2019t too complex, I\u2019ll just put it together \u00abon the fly\u00bb on a breadboard or a perfboard.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A practical example of a home-made electronic project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The best example I can give at the moment is the project I\u2019m currently finishing, about which I\u2019ve already posted a few blog entries covering its various parts: a node for the master bedroom, based on ESPEASY with an infrared emitter for air conditioning control and CO2 sensor<\/a> (you have a more recent CO2 meter project here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, before doing anything with hardware or firmware, a little bit of research and preliminary decision making needs to be done:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- What is the functionalities<\/strong> do I want to have the jalopy?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How am I going to feed<\/strong>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What is the components<\/strong> I am going to use to achieve these functionalities?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Am I going to design a box<\/strong> A standard box?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How much do I love me spend<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
With all these decisions already taken we can <\/span>getting our hands dirty<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Practical implementation of the electronic circuit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You know, \"divide and rule<\/strong>\". Personally, what works best for me is to divide the project into several smaller projects that I can do separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Infrared emitter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- CO2 sensor<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Putting it all together<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tests<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Box<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
First I set up the circuit only with infrared emitting diodes <\/strong>and tested and adjusted the firmware, so that it worked correctly independently. Later, once I was satisfied with the operation of the infrared emitter, I did the same with the CO2 sensor, assembling the hardware and adjusting the firmware so that it worked correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n
- How am I going to feed<\/strong>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What is the functionalities<\/strong> do I want to have the jalopy?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- For see what result it gives<\/strong> and if it is good to move it to \"production\" and install it definitively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emariete.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/CameraZOOM-20170112203504828-scaled-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emariete.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/CameraZOOM-20170117113310205-scaled-1.jpg\")
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