Introducing the HGI80 alternative - the latest DIY kid on the block

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  • bruce_miranda
    Automated Home Legend
    • Jul 2014
    • 2307

    Introducing the HGI80 alternative - the latest DIY kid on the block

    A few of us in the background have produced and tested a new DIY hardware platform that acts exactly like an HGI80. Think of it as an advanced version of the NanoCUL.
    The idea was to create a platform that was cheaper and easily available. One that could be put together using off the shelf parts. There is just one custom PCB that basically "glues" all the other parts together. Ofcourse there is no real need to purchase the custom PCB, you can even put this together on a breadboard or vero board.
    I've attached a few pictures to show you what it looks like in parts as well as a fully assembled unit.
    If you are interested in a board, put your name down in a list below and one of us will get in touch with purchase details. At this point, you need to be able to / be comfortable soldering 2mm pitch components.
    If and when a fully assembled unit is available to purchase, I will update this thread accordingly. For now, I am just looking for interest. So mark, if you want just a PCB or if you are interested in a fully assembled unit.
    I will list out all the parts needed to put a complete unit together.
    When plugged it, it will work just like the HGI80 and so is directly interfaced with Domoticz, Home Assistant, OpenHAB etc. You can also use the brilliant evohome_rf transport that basically decodes most of the Evohome radio messages.
    In addition to the custom PCB, you will need the following parts.
    1. SS Micro (a small USB Arduino board)
    2. CC1101 868MHz module (Red or Green)
    3. SMA socket, if you want to use a proper antenna
    4. 868Mhz antenna
    The Green CC1101 modules come with a pig tail antenna that is acceptable.
    Attached Files
  • neugen
    Automated Home Jr Member
    • Jan 2021
    • 11

    #2
    Great news !
    +1 for the fully assembled unit
    Thanks.

    Comment

    • chrisgare
      Automated Home Guru
      • Dec 2013
      • 182

      #3
      Great news !
      +1 for the fully assembled unit
      Thanks.
      Chris

      Comment

      • bruce_miranda
        Automated Home Legend
        • Jul 2014
        • 2307

        #4
        That's how it looks plugged into a laptop, just to give you an idea of size. Here I am testing a long full wave length antenna, but you can use a 1/2th or ever 1/4th wave length antenna. The Green CC1101 modules tend to come bundled with a 1/4th wavelength pigtail antenna. They work too.
        Pictures show the various antennas being tested.
        Attached Files

        Comment

        • garymtitley
          Automated Home Sr Member
          • Feb 2019
          • 59

          #5
          +1 for the fully assembled unit please.Kind regards Gary.

          Comment

          • gordonb3
            Automated Home Ninja
            • Dec 2016
            • 273

            #6
            Is that plug and play - no programming?

            Comment

            • bruce_miranda
              Automated Home Legend
              • Jul 2014
              • 2307

              #7
              The assembled ones will be plug and play. The folks who opt for the DIY version will simply need to upload the firmware on to the SS Micro using the Arduino IDE.

              Comment

              • bruce_miranda
                Automated Home Legend
                • Jul 2014
                • 2307

                #8
                If we get atleast 10 people interested in the fully assembled kit, then I estimate the price to be about the £35-40 mark each. But it's going to be a little wait. To offer this low price for this device, we will need to buy parts from China and that takes about 4-6 weeks to arrive to the UK. So I will see what demand is like before I order the parts needed.
                This is still considerably cheaper than buying an HGI80 and provides basically the same functionality.
                If anyone just wants the boards, then those are £10 each and includes UK shipping. You then need to buy the SS Micro, a CC1101 module and antennas as required. Solder the parts together and upload the firmware.

                Comment

                • evoboff
                  Automated Home Lurker
                  • Nov 2016
                  • 8

                  #9
                  +1 for the fully assembled unit please. Thanks

                  Comment

                  • bruce_miranda
                    Automated Home Legend
                    • Jul 2014
                    • 2307

                    #10
                    I'll try and see if I can negotiate better prices for 20 sets. It would be great if I can get the price per unit to get below the £30 mark.

                    Comment

                    • CT1
                      Automated Home Guru
                      • Apr 2016
                      • 189

                      #11
                      Not for a Luddite like me, but I am sure there will be several interested, may be worth a few PMs to any of the more techie members if they have not posted for a while to alert them to the possibility. Just watch the Intellectual property situation. Don’t want Honeywell on your back, could get expensive.

                      Comment

                      • bruce_miranda
                        Automated Home Legend
                        • Jul 2014
                        • 2307

                        #12
                        This isn't doing anything more than the NanoCUL or RFBee was doing. It's just does it better, a lot better infact. All previous DIY platforms were running into issues because of using a slower microcontroller, clock or badly written firmware. This new platform attempts to fix those inadequacies and has firmware written specially for it. And to be honest, if the HGI80 was available in the UK, the need to create something from scratch would never have existed.

                        Comment

                        • Somebody
                          Automated Home Sr Member
                          • Feb 2019
                          • 78

                          #13
                          Hi, count me in for an assembled unit please.

                          Comment

                          • Ghostrider
                            Automated Home Jr Member
                            • Jan 2018
                            • 31

                            #14
                            +1 For the fully assembled unit. Thanks

                            Comment

                            • gordonb3
                              Automated Home Ninja
                              • Dec 2016
                              • 273

                              #15
                              Originally posted by bruce_miranda View Post
                              This isn't doing anything more than the NanoCUL or RFBee was doing. It's just does it better, a lot better infact. All previous DIY platforms were running into issues because of using a slower microcontroller, clock or badly written firmware. This new platform attempts to fix those inadequacies and has firmware written specially for it. And to be honest, if the HGI80 was available in the UK, the need to create something from scratch would never have existed.
                              Still something to take into account. When it comes to licensed protocols there is a difference between DIY and selling off completed items.

                              I'll definitely give this a go, but as the finished project appears to bulky for my appliance I think I'll skip the PCB and try to print a case for it. Ordering this from UK, Brussels is probably going to rip me off anyway if I'd want the assembled unit

                              Comment

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