From 3eb4d1582527b1eca0a9abaf21f36d05940bd5e0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Neil Hanlon Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:08:59 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] WIP - outline for pinecil homeassistant / ble article --- ...me-soldering-iron-homeassistant-esphome.md | 212 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 212 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/posts/smarthome-soldering-iron-homeassistant-esphome.md diff --git a/content/posts/smarthome-soldering-iron-homeassistant-esphome.md b/content/posts/smarthome-soldering-iron-homeassistant-esphome.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1be1cd9 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/smarthome-soldering-iron-homeassistant-esphome.md @@ -0,0 +1,212 @@ +--- +title: 'Smarthome Soldering Iron with Home Assistant and ESPHome' +description: 'Learn how to create a smart soldering iron using Pinecil with Home Assistant and ESPHome.' +date: 2023-03-28T19:01:25-04:00 +draft: false +categories: [Home Automation, DIY] +tags: [Pinecil, Home Assistant, DIY, RISC-V, Blisp] +--- + +About a year ago, [wesdottoday](https://hachyderm.io/@wesdottoday) told me to +buy a Pinecil and, once they came back in stock before the holidays.. I did just +that... Fast forward a couple months and I've got a +[copr](https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/neil/blisp/) for flashing the +Pinecil's firmware (IronOS), and am spending my weekends playing around with +Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Home Assistant to automatically turn on my fan +when I start tinkering at my desk, lest my lungs die from the fumes. + +By popular demand, I'm writing a blog post about the Pinecil, how to flash the +latest firmware, and then what you can (currently) do with bidirectional +communication to your soldering iron. + +We'll also go over two Pinecil community projects offering in-browser +experiences (PineSam and Joric's 'Pinecil'), and lastly some instructions on +using an [ESP32](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32) and +[ESPHome](https://esphome.io/) to send Pinecil data to +[HomeAssistant](https://home-assistant.io/) so you can do everything from +visualize your soldering statistics, to automatically turn on an exhaust fan +when you start working. + +## The Pinecil + +The [Pinecil](https://www.pine64.org/pinecil/) is an open-source soldering iron +based on the RISC-V architecture produced by Pine64. There are two versions of +Pinecil - v1 and v2. Pinecil v1 does not have a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chip, +whereas Pinecil v2 does. In this blog post, we will focus on Pinecil v2. Pine64 +does not distinguish between v1 and v2 except for on the PCB as a revision. If +you're buying a Pinecil in 2023 or beyond, and it's from an official source, it +is a v2. + +You can find more information about the Pinecil in the links below, including +where to buy. Check the Pinecil Wiki for up-to-date information on where to buy +a genuine Pinecil, and how to avoid fakes. + +### Links + +- [Pine64.com](https://pine64.com/) - Offical store for Pine64 devices. Ships + from China and takes 3-4 weeks for delivery +- [Pine64.org](https://pine64.org) - The community associated with Pine64 + devices. Check out the Discord/Telegram chat for a great group of tinkerers, + and if you have any trouble with your Pinecil or associated tools +- [Pinecil Wiki](https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Pinecil) - Lots of tips and + tricks, as well as up to date purchasing and troubleshooting information. + - Shout out to River-Mochi for their _awesome_ work on keeping this up to date + and useful + +## Blisp + +Blisp is a flashing tool used to flash ironOS on Pinecil v2 that stands for +'Bouffalo Labs In-System Programming'. It's used to flash the Bouffalo BL706 MCU +that was integrated on the v2 Pinecil. You can find the source code for Blisp on +[GitHub](https://github.com/pine64/blisp). + +I also maintain a Fedora COPR respository for it +[here](https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/neil/blisp/), where you can find +packages with precompiled binaries for Fedora and Enterprise Linux (8/9). I am +working with Pine64 to make it easier to get it packaged for Fedora and other +Linux distributions down the road. + +### Flashing the beta firmware with blisp + +Until version v2.21 of IronOS ships, a beta firmware is required to use the BLE +functionality of the Pinecil v2. There has been a significant amount of testing +and development on the BLE stack on the main tree in the last few months and the +developers have been making sure the BLE features are ready before they are +released to a much larger audience. + +Once v2.21 is released, binaries can be retrieved from the +[IronOS Releases](https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS/releases) page. + +#### Steps to download and flash + +These steps assume you have a compiled version of `blisp` in your system path, +either by installing from my COPR, or compiling on your own using the +instructions in the repository. + +1. Find the latest sucessful actions run on the blisp repo + [here](https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS/actions/workflows/push.yml?query=branch%3Adev+event%3Apush). +2. Download the `Pinecilv2_multi-lang` binary for that run, and unzip it +3. Plug your Pinecil into your computer while holding down the 'Minus' (-) + button. The screen should **not** turn on. If on Linux, `dmesg` should report + seeing the BL706 as a serial device. +4. Run the following command to flash the firmware to your Pinecil: + ``` + blisp write -c bl70x --reset /path/to/Pinecilv2_multi-lang/Pinecilv2_EN.bin + ``` +5. Un-plug and plug the Pinecil back in to boot the new firmware + +### Pineflash + +[Spagett1](https://github.com/Spagett1) is working on a new tool which allows +for a non-command-line experience for flashing new versions of IronOS on the +Pinecil, similar to the Pine64 updater utility for the v1 Pinecil. You can find +more information on the PineFlash +[GitHub repo](https://github.com/Spagett1/PineFlash). Feel free to check it out +and give them feedback! + +## Bluetooth Low Energy + +Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a wireless communication protocol that is designed +to consume less energy than classic Bluetooth. There is upcoming support in +browser APIs to allow access to BLE devices, and so there are a handful of +options for how to get your Pinecil talking to your computer. + +## PineSAM and Joric's UI + +PineSAM (Pinecil Settings and Menus) started out as an in-browser way to see and +change settings. It's served a multitude of uses from helping people with +cracked or non-functional screens, all the way to adding really helpful +accessibility features to those who struggle to read the small screen on the +Pinecil. It's is a Python and Vue-based application that has to have a server +component running locally--along with a machine that has bluetooth. You can find +the source code for PineSAM on [GitHub](https://github.com/builder555/PineSAM/). + +< insert pic of PineSAM ui > + +Another project is a more simple web UI that uses in-browser Bluetooth support +(currently only really well supported in Chromium/Firefox, and even then it's +not universal or without bugs. This UI shows a nice graph of your Pinecil's +temperature and power supply information, but is limited to devices supporting +WebBLE, and also is unable to change settings on the device. You can also find +the source code for Joric UI on [GitHub](https://github.com/joric/pinecil). + +< insert pic of Joric UI> + +PineSAM allows the user to not only see the live temperature, wattage, and +voltage of their device but change the settings and temperatures at a click. +Uniquely, it allows users to set temperature presets for one-click changes +between temperatures--for example to switch between leaded and unleaded solder. + +< insert pic of PineSAM on Mobile > + +The PineSAM project is working to integrate a "Work" screen which takes +inspiration from Joric's UI. Due to this, it's likely these two projects will +end up combining into one, in my opinion, despite their distinct mechanisms for +retrieving BLE data from the Pinecil. + +### Setting up PineSAM + +See the +[project readme](https://github.com/builder555/PineSAM#i-using-pre-made-binaries) +for the most up-to-date instructions. If you run into any trouble, come find us +in the #pinecil channel on Pine64's Discord or Telegram chat. + +### Setting up Joric's UI + +No setup needed! Just browse to +[https://joric.github.io/pinecil/](https://joric.github.io/pinecil/) in a +compatible browser. I've personally tested Firefox and Chromium on Fedora 37, +but I know others have got it working on Windows and MacOS, too. + +## Home Assistant Setup with ESPHome + +If Home Assistant (HASS) is more your speed, read on below. Be warned to get +this setup, you will need some sort of ESP32 device to read data from your +Pinecil and report it to Home Assistant. I used one of the +[WROOM ESP32 dev boards](https://www.amazon.com/ESP-WROOM-32-Development-Microcontroller-Integrated-Compatible/dp/B08D5ZD528) +I've had in my closet for a few months (not an affiliate link). + +If you're not familiar, Home Assistant is an open-source home automation +platform which can inte grate with ESPHome, another open source system to +control your ESP8266/ESP32 using just YAML configurations. In this section, I'll +walk though how to setup an ESP32 with will show you how to create a smart +soldering iron using Pinecil with Home Assistant and ESPHome. + +To make this work, we'll use an +[ESPHome configuration file]((https://github.com/TomW1605/esphome_pinecilv2_ble/blob/main/esphome_pinecilv2_ble.yaml)) +put together by Pine64 community member TomW1605. Thank you again, Tom! + +## Requirements + +- ESP32 device (Non affiliate link: + [ESP-WROOM-32 Development MCU on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/ESP-WROOM-32-Development-Microcontroller-Integrated-Compatible/dp/B08D5ZD528) +- Home Assistant already setup +- ESPHome already setup + +## Steps + +1. Login to ESPHome +2. Import + [this ESPHome configuration file](https://github.com/TomW1605/esphome_pinecilv2_ble/blob/main/esphome_pinecilv2_ble.yaml). +3. Modify and set up the configuration file as follows: + 1. Change board in esp32 section to your board. + - If using the WROOM 32 I linked above, use `nodemcu-32s` + 2. Setup an encryption key. This must be a base64-encoded, 32 bit string. + - You can create one on the CLI using `openssl rand -base64 32` + 3. Change OTA password to desired + 4. Change wifi SSID and password for your network + 5. Change wifi access point fallback settings to desired + 6. **Important** - Change ble_client mac address to your Pinecil's MAC. This + can be found in the settings as well as in logs from the above tools + (Joric/PineSAM) +4. Flash the firmware to the ESP32 device +5. Add the device to Home Assistant +6. Create a Home Assistant dashboard to control and monitor your smart soldering + iron. + - An example dashboard can be found at + https://gist.github.com/NeilHanlon/83d6e2cdc6eb83cb205b617f80c2a7c3 + +< insert pic of dashboard > + +Now that you've got that setup, you should start to see data coming in about +your Pinecil's settings! Go on and automate thy solder.