rcSwitch-python

rcSwitch-python is a python based script to switch remote controlled sockets via 433 MHz.

This script is based on the following libraries:

• rpi-rf
• RPI.GPPIO

Necessary Hardware

• Raspberry Pi or any other board having digital GPIO
  

• 433 MHz transmitter (for sending -> send device)
  

• 433 MHz controlled power socket, e.g. Brennenstuhl RCS 1000 N
  

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Setting up the Hardware

• Connect the VCC-Pin of the 433 MHz transmitter to any 5 V output pin of your board.
  
• The GND-Pin to a ground pin.
  
• And the ATAD-Pin or Data-Pin to any GPIO pin.
  
  In this example, GPIO 17 is used.

It is recommened to connect a (long) cable to the ANT pin of the 433 Mhz transmitter - this extends the range of the sender.

Setup the Socket Device

To define the relevant Codes you have to set the dip switches in the socket. See picture below:

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Installation

1.) Installation of this Library

Lets assume you want to install the library in the following path on you Pi:
/usr/local/bin/python/rcSwitch-python

To install this library there you need to run the following commands:

Create the dir python:

cd /usr/local/bin
sudo mkdir python
cd python

Then install the library:

git clone https://github.com/hasenradball/rcSwitch-python.git
cd rcSwitch-python
git checkout develop

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2.) Installation of dependencies

Make sure that you have the latest packages on the Pi.

Do an update:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Also make sure that you have installed the rpi-rf library.

python3 -m pip install rpi-rf

Optional:

• to be sure that the library is also available for root user, do this:

sudo -i
python3 -m pip install rpi-rf
exit

Then you should make sure that the current user is in the group of the the gpio users.

sudo usermod -a -G gpio $USER

If you have dose this steps, then you should be able to switch the sockets now.

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Usage

To Switch the socket you can do this for example via cli like:

# make sure you are in the folder of the repo
cd /usr/local/bin/python/rcSwitch-python

python3 ./switchSocket.py <SystemCode> <ButtonCode> <status>

This could look like this, if we assume the following codes:
SystemCode = 10000, ButtonCode = 10000, status = 1

# using the Button Letter
python3 ./switchSocket.py 10000 A 1

or this way:

# usinf the integer ButtonCode
python3 ./switchSocket.py 10000 16 1

or just like this way:

# using the binary ButtonCode
python3 ./switchSocket.py 10000 10000 1

Where the following correlations for the ButtonCode can be described:

Letter	int	binary
A / a	16	10000
B / b	8	01000
C / c	4	00100
D / d	2	00010
E / e	1	00001

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Further informations

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Troubleshooting

If you get an Error like:

RuntimeError: No access to /dev/mem. Try running as root!

The user does not belong to the Group of gpio. Try to run with sudo.

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If you want to increase the range of the sender device, there are two possibilities to to that:

• instead of 5 V at VCC-Pin you can set up to 12 V to the VCC-Pin
  
• use a long cable instead of the antenna

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Rasperry Pi GPIO Pins

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Links

For discussions see:
https://knx-user-forum.de/forum/supportforen/smarthome-py/39094-logic-und-howto-für-433mhz-steckdosen

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Changelog

v0.1

• initial version