5 Unusual Home Automation Requests
From a remote controlled toilet to a mailbox sensor, home systems installers share some of their strangest client requests.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with a custom electronics pro (CE Pro) about a project that involved automating a platform containing several disco lights and speakers to drop down from the ceiling. It was a first for his company, an outfit that has been around for more than 20 years, and he expects it to probably be their last. Not that devising the rigging was exceptionally difficult; it’s just unlikely that any future clients will ask for a drop-from-the-ceiling disco system ever again.
I decided to probe other CE Pros for stories about some of their more unusual automation requests. Most had plenty to share.
You’ve Got Mail (Eric Thies, DSI Entertainment Systems, West Hollywood, CA)
A client asked us to have a “You’ve Got Mail” message appear on all their touchpanels after the mail had been delivered. This was a little tricky to set up since a mail shipment could be as small as a single envelope or as big as a thick pile of catalogs. We had initially thought of using some sort of laser beam that would trigger a contact when broken. This worked fine with the pile of catalogs, but not so well with a single envelope. We also considered attaching some sort of sensor to the mailbox door. We figured this wouldn’t work either because sometimes the door can be accidentally left open by the mailman even the homeowner. The last idea, conceived by my genius partner Roy Glasner, was to put a floating plate on the bottom of the mailbox that would trip a contact any time something over 2 ounces was placed on it. For more, check out
[Link: electronichouse.com]
