In this article, we will explore a very interesting and useful home automation system that allows you to control appliances and fan speed through voice commands—all without the need for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any smartphone app. The best part of this project is that it works completely offline, ensuring privacy and ease of use.
Introduction
This home automation project is particularly useful for those who do not have smart speakers like Alexa or Google Home, or for those without a Wi-Fi connection at home. Since it works offline, there is no concern about data being leaked through the internet. Everything remains local.
In this article, we’ll take a step-by-step approach, covering the hardware requirements, configuration, and the process of building the firmware and hardware for this project. Let’s get started!
Hardware Components
For building this offline home automation system, you’ll need several components, with the key component being the VC-02 Module. This module handles voice recognition, audio feedback, and controls the relay connected to the GPIO pins. All the components are connected according to the schematic given below.
To make the project more compact and professional, I designed a custom PCB for it. Once the PCB design was completed, I placed an order with JLCPCB for the PCB manufacturing.
Ordering PCBs from JLCPCB
JLCPCB is a leading PCB manufacturer in China, offering high-quality and reliable PCBs at very affordable prices.
Ordering a PCB from JLCPCB is straightforward—you simply upload the Gerber file, select the quantity, and choose your color masking options.
After saving your order to the cart and selecting the fastest shipping method, you’ll receive your PCBs within a week.
Upon receiving the PCBs, I found them packaged securely, and the quality was top-notch as always.
The green color made the PCB look professional and visually appealing. Apart from PCB manufacturing, JLCPCB also provides PCB assembly services, 3D printing services, and now offers multicolor silkscreen PCB manufacturing services. If you’re working on a PCB project, I highly recommend trying out JLCPCB for your next project.
VC-02 Module Configuration.
To begin the configuration process, open this website. First, translate the website to English and register. Registration is free and simple, requiring only a few basic details. Once registered, log in to your account and begin by creating a new product.
Here’s a breakdown of the configuration:
1.Select the Category: Choose from the available product categories, such as lamp, switch, or socket. For this project, I selected “Ceiling Lamp” under the lamp category.
2. Scene Selection: Since we are building an offline project, choose the “Offline” scene.
3. Module Selection: Select the VC-02 Module for voice control.
4. Product Naming: Give your product a name. I named it “Technolab Automation,” but feel free to choose any name you like.
5. Language Selection: Choose between Chinese and English; I selected English.
Pin Configuration and Wake-up Word.
Next, configure the GPIO pins of the VC-02 module. Some pins are dedicated GPIOs, while others support multiple functionalities like UART communication and PWM. For this project, we will use the pins as GPIOs.
Now, we need to set a wake-up word, which is the word that activates the module, similar to how Alexa or Google Home uses “Alexa” or “Hey Google.” The VC-02 module only supports Chinese words between 3 to 6 characters in length. I selected the word “Li Na,” which sounds similar to the Indian name “Leena.”
For a more personalized experience, you can add multiple wake-up commands like “Hello Li Na” or “Hey Li Na.” I also set the module’s wake-up sensitivity to high for better performance.
Customizing Command and Response Words.
To control the appliances, we need to define voice commands and their corresponding responses. For example, for turning on the first light, I created a behavior called “FirstLightOn.” The voice commands associated with this behavior include “Turn on the first light,” “First light on,” and similar phrases. The response from the VC-02 module is “First Light Turned On.”
Similarly, I created behaviors for turning the light off, controlling other lights, and adjusting the fan speed. For the fan, commands like “Fan on,” “Fan speed 1,” and “Fan speed 4” were added.
Relay Control and GPIO Configuration.
For each behavior, the corresponding GPIO pins were configured to control the relays. For instance, turning on a light triggers the GPIO pin to send a high-level signal, while turning it off sends a low-level signal. The same logic applies to all other appliances and fan controls.
For the fan speed control, multiple relays were used in combination to adjust the speed. This way, we can control fan speed levels using specific commands.
Speaker Configuration and Final Steps.
The VC-02 module allows you to customize the voice that provides feedback. Although a preview of the voices is unavailable, I selected a female voice (Tangtang) for this project. I also set the speaker volume to 100% and adjusted the speech speed to 59%.
You can further customize the boot-up message, so whenever the VC-02 module starts, it will greet you with a message. I set it to “Welcome to Technolab Studio.”
Flashing the Firmware.
Once all the configurations are complete, click on the “Build SDK” button to create the firmware. This process takes around 10-30 minutes.
Afterward, download the firmware and the necessary flashing tools. Use the UART burning tool to upload the firmware to the VC-02 module.
Finally, press the reset button on the VC-02 module, and the firmware will start uploading. Once uploaded successfully, you’re ready to test the system!
Final Connections.
Make the final connections to all the bulbs and the fan according to the circuit diagram given below.
Conclusion.
This offline home automation project is a great solution for users without internet access or smart devices. If you’re interested in purchasing the custom PCB or the VC-02 module used in this project, both are available at techiesms.com.
Video Tutorial.
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