Looking for RGB reader or decoder to use non smart controller as source

robertsimard · April 17, 2023, 3:56pm

Hi guys,
A bubble went through my head while in my spa yesterday:

I am trying to find an RGB reader or decoder to read the values on my spa lights ( from a light connector, 4 pins ), could be wifi or zigbee, i have 240v, 120v and 12v available in the spa to power this "reader", I also bave access to a few unused RGB light connectors to connect to under the spa.

Hubitat would then push the RGB values to other RGB controlers, like pool lights and backyard lights.

Maybe the idea is too much or too crazy, but it would be really cool...

Does anyone know of anything that exist to read or decode RGB?

All i find on Amazon, Ebay etc... are DMX decoders for RGB which is obviously not what i am looking for. The coolest thing would be to reverse use a controller as reader.

Please don't throw me rocks, i know it's a crazy idea...
Thanks !

jameslslate · April 17, 2023, 10:43pm

This may not be the direction you want to go, but what if you replace the current lighting from being controlled by the spa, and instead controlled by Hubitat. Then it would be trivial to keep other similar lights synced with the spa lights.

rlithgow1 · April 17, 2023, 11:10pm

@robertsimard

I agree with @jameslslate . Once you have one controller set up you could simply use mirror to mirror that to the other lights

robertsimard · April 19, 2023, 2:42pm

Yes... I do agree with you guys, and I did think about that route, and it would be feasible... but the problem is that I want to allow lights control from the SPA.

I don't want to explain to everyone how it works, not from the spa controls as expected... my wife would not like me, it needs to be super easy.

unless... maybe... i could find a water resistant button or control... that would work if I leave it on the SPA... it would need to be watertight.

i'll search for that, maybe it exists

jameslslate · April 19, 2023, 4:48pm

Maybe you can use the existing controls?

ogiewon · April 19, 2023, 5:03pm

One idea would be to attempt to measure the color of the light from the spa, using a sensor designed specifically for this purpose. There was a user a few years back, who added support to my HubDuino/ST_Anything project to do exactly this, as they were attempting to have their interior lights match the Color Temperature of the outdoor natural lighting.

Here is the ST_Anything source code for the "TCS34725 RGB Illuminance Device". If you're handy with microelectronics, this would be a pretty straightforward project, I think...

github.com

DanielOgorchock/ST_Anything/blob/master/Arduino/libraries/ST_Anything_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color/PS_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color.cpp

//******************************************************************************************
//  File: PS_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color.cpp
//  Authors: Dan G Ogorchock & Daniel J Ogorchock (Father and Son)
//
//  Summary:  PS_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color is a class which implements the SmartThings "Illuminance Measurement" device capability.
//			  It inherits from the st::PollingSensor class.  It uses I2C communication to measure the RGB Illuminace from a TCS34725 sensor.
//			  
//			  Create an instance of this class in your sketch's global variable section
//			  For Example:  st::PS_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color sensor1(F("illuminancergb1"), 60, 0);
//
//			  st::PS_AdafruitTCS34725_Illum_Color() constructor requires the following arguments
//				- String &name - REQUIRED - the name of the object - must match the Groovy ST_Anything DeviceType tile name
//				- long interval - REQUIRED - the polling interval in seconds
//				- long offset - REQUIRED - the polling interval offset in seconds - used to prevent all polling sensors from executing at the same time
//				- tcs34725IntegrationTime_t integrationTime - OPTIONAL - defaults to TCS34725_INTEGRATIONTIME_154MS
//				- tcs34725Gain_t gain - OPTIONAL - defaults to TCS34725_GAIN_4X
//
//              Valid Integration Time Values:
//				  TCS34725_INTEGRATIONTIME_2_4MS = 0xFF,   /**<  2.4ms - 1 cycle    - Max Count: 1024  */
//				  TCS34725_INTEGRATIONTIME_24MS = 0xF6,    /**<  24ms  - 10 cycles  - Max Count: 10240 */

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You could utilize one of the unused RGB connectors to have a RGB light connected under the spa, and then have the TCS34725 sensor nearby to measure the color and send the data to the Hubitat hub. This is where things get a little less clear to me, as you might need to convert the data from the HubDuino sensor into something that could be used to control other RGB lights.

robertsimard · April 21, 2023, 6:09pm

wow, thanks a lot foll that info, it seems overwhelming though.
this could work, but makes all of this a huge project...

I think I will explore a new zigbee controler for the spa with a remote to select colors, seems more straightforward...

i'll look for a remote that would be somewhat waterproof or splashproof...

to be continued...

robertsimard · April 21, 2023, 6:15pm

I have a bunch of pico remotes... that would work quite well for basic operations ( the spa has one button for lights control so 5 would be a huge improvement )