The horse has bolted

Microsoft promises to be carbon negative by 2030. In an around the extinction of wild rhinos and elephants. Just short of the last glaciers disappearing. Not to mention the raft of predicted extinctions because of plastics in the ocean.

Qantas dog killers

Go figure. The Qantas response to its killing a dog by leaving the dog for an hour on the tarmac in 40 degree Celsius heat was to ban the breed. If the owner had killed the dog that way, the owner would be charges by the police The ground staff involved need to be named. The staff who did not act need to be publically named. Sackngs are in order. Qantas personnel are amoral and unethical. Snub nosed breed owners should shame Qantas. Unite. Post “Shame Qantas shame”

Oh the pain

Trying to get Clicksend integrated with Home Assistant appeared to be easier, once you find all the goss, but its finding the goss.

The clicksend config is at Home Assistant site. Straight forward enough.

To set up an action the trick turned out to be use a “Call Service” with:

alias: ''
data:
message: Zone 1 turned on
service: notify.clicksend

Now the hint was at the Clicksend integration page for Home Assistant. That it, it was a service call.

That pieced together something for me that didn’t stand out from the mess of help at Home Assistant. That is:

notify:
   - platform: clicksend
     name: ClickSend
     username: CLICKSEND_USERNAME
     api_key: CLICKSEND_API_KEY
     recipient: PHONE_NO 

Leads to a service call, in the actions and likely scripts, of:

notify.clicksend

Makes eminent sense.

Google smoogle

Google “warns” us that having your hands smacked for breaching IP and copyright laws will somehow “upend” software development!

Bullshit.

The premise is that, given opensource evolved out of the criminality of software piracy, succeeding simple due to the weight of infringement overwhelming the legal system’s capacity to respond, then somehow Google can use the “software is art” mantra to steal licenced IP. Oh, masquerading as loss of “openness”?

Bullshit.

If openness was so precious, why steal IP in the first place, simply to jeopardise the outcome?

OF note also, the turn around in so-called opensource community, where people are advocating “monetization” of their efforts, failing to remember that they are likely the same people that engaged in software piracy and therefore raping the software developer’s of that era of their “monetization” efforts of their work.

Bullshit.

So, since licences are still pertinent. Since “monetization” is back in. Pay up Google you wankers. Grow some ethical standards you prats. Give up on your “monetization” efforts if you are so philanthropic.

Google, you are transparent.

Look inward at the treatment of your employees. That would require “openness”.

Hint

If you are using a module such as the one pictured below, to drive a single sprinkler solenoid, then you will note it will accept 7-30VDC in. So you will need a AC-DC conversion. A bridge and a 1000uF cap will do. If you are wanting something neater then aliexpress comes to the rescue with a kit option.

Final Opensprinklette designs (for now)

Presenting the quad board. Added additional terminal blocks to help manage the wiring. Added prototyping area to allow for additional hardware hacking, including four terminals for additional I/O. Notice GND, +5V and +3.3V power rails.

Top side of Opensprinklette quad board

Bottom side of Opensprinklette quad board

Presenting the single board. Added additional terminal blocks to help manage the wiring. Brought as many pins out as I dared to a pair of headers (J1 an J2). J2 also has associated solder jumper (on bottom of board) to help with option of V1 or V2 of Wemos mini relay board. The solder jumper on the Opensprinklette V2.1 sets the mode of J2 pin 2.

If you are using a version V1 of the Wemos mini relay board you don’t have options, as D1 drives the relay and you don’t get then to use I2C. Jumper defaults J2 to Pin 1=D2, Pin 2= D3 and Pin 3= D4. You lose D0 in any event since its set aside for V2 of the Wemos D1 mini relay board.

If you are using a version V2 of the Wemos mini relay board you change the jumper on Opensprinklette single to set J2 to Pin 1=D2, Pin 2= D1 and Pin 3= D4 . Effectively you lose D3. You need also to change the relay driver pin on the Wemos D1 mini relay board to D0 (from D1), using the solder jumpers on the Wemos D1 mini relay board.

Top side of Opensprinklette single board

Bottom side of Opensprinklette single board

J1 pinouts

Pin	Use
1	+5V
2	GND
3	+3.3V
4	A0
5	D5
6	D6
7	D7
8	D8

D0 and D3 are not that exciting to lose in either event. D5..D8 gives you access to SPI so you either have SPI if using V1 Wemos mini relay or SPI and I2C if using V2 Wemos mini relay. Not a bad trade off. Not to mention UART is also brought out.

RxTx pinouts

Pin	Use
1	GND
2	Tx out
3	Rx in