EnOcean has introduced its first energy harvesting wireless switch module for consumer applications such as the control of LED lighting systems.
The device which operates in the 2.4GHz ISM band, has a form factor which allows it to fit in a standard light switch.
The device’s electromechanical energy generator converts kinetic energy into electrical energy which is used to power to a wireless module.
EnOcean also has a range of self-powered 1GHz wireless switch modules used in the building automation and smart home sectors. With the 2.4GHz (IEEE 802.15.4) switch module, the supplier is addressing for the first time consumer LED lighting control applications.
“This will increase consumer awareness and demand for self-powered wireless solutions as an alternative to batteries,“ said Laurent Giai-Miniet, CEO, EnOcean.
Laurent Giai-Miniet, CEO, EnOcean describes how energy harvesting meets Raspberry Pi
To transform the Raspberry Pi into a smart home server integrating energy harvesting wireless solutions, the following accessories are needed: power supply (~1A) with micro USB plug, HDMI cable, SD card (e.g. 4GB), Ethernet cable or USB WLAN stick and an EnOcean Pi board.
As a first step, Raspian wheezy image (Debian Linux for Raspberry Pi) needs to be installed on the SD card. This is available for download at the raspberrypi.org website. After plugging the SD card to the Pi board and its configuration, EnOcean Pi needs to be connected on the Raspberry Pi’s top. As default, the serial port of the GPIO interface is used for console debug outputs. In order to use this port for EnOcean Pi, this feature has to be disabled first. In a next step, the connection can be tested with raw data from EnOcean Pi by using hexdump.
For more detail: Self-powered switch to control LED lighting
