In this article, we will talk about How to Turn any AC to Smart AC. An air conditioner cools your home with a cold indoor coil, the evaporator. The condenser, a hot outer coil, releases the collected heat to the outside. The evaporator and condenser consist of serpentine tubes surrounded by aluminum fins. These tubes are usually made of copper. Smart air conditioners are air conditioners that can be connected to other home smart devices to better control the comfort in your home.
These units look similar to regular room air conditioners. Typically, smart air conditioners are mounted on windows or walls rather than placed centrally in the home. Similar to other smart home technologies, a smart air conditioner can be programmed to cool according to your preferences. You can turn it on and off remotely. The air conditioner moves heat out of your office or workspace. It then blows cool air back into the building. The machine cools the air by blowing it over a series of cooling tubes called an evaporator coil. It works on the same basis as a refrigerator or when water evaporates on the skin.
The evaporator coil is filled with a coolant that changes from a liquid to a gas as it absorbs heat from the air. This is then pumped through another coil to the outside of the building, where it cools and returns to its liquid form. This external heat exchanger is therefore aptly called a condenser. A pump, called the compressor, moves the refrigerant between the two coils, changing the pressure of the refrigerant to ensure that everything in the appropriate coil evaporates and condenses. Below, we have complied the best ways to Make Your Regular Air Conditioner Smart.
Few Steps to Turn any Air Conditioner to Smart AC
Step 1: Compile and Build the Firmware
To compile and build the firmware, you need to install the ESPHome add-on in Home Assistant. Then follow these steps:
- After installing the ESPHome add-on, go to Configuration > Add-ons, Backup & Supervisor, and click ESPHome. Makes sure to enable Start on Boot, Watchdog, Auto-Update, and Show on the sidebar.
- Click Open Web UI or ESPHome on the sidebar to launch it.
- Click +New Device > Continue.
- Type the firmware name, such as smartac, and click Next.
- Select ESP8266 from the options and click Next > Skip.
- Find and click on the EDIT button below smartac to open the smartac.yaml file in the editor and paste the following YAML code below captive_portal:
Now make the following changes in the code:
- Enter your Wi-Fi SSID and password. For instance:
- Change the platform: coolix name in the code as per the AC model you have.
For instance, change to platform: lg for LG AC. You can refer to the IR Remote Climate documentation for more details. After making the required changes, click Save and then click Install. Plug the NodeMCU or D1 Mini into your PC using a micro USB cable and select the Plug into this computer option. This will start compiling the firmware.
Step 2: Flash the smartac-factory.bin Firmware
Once the firmware is downloaded, you may click Open ESPHome web and do the following:
- Click Connect and select the com port.
- Click Choose File and select smartac- factory.bin firmware file,
- Click Install to flash the firmware.
Step 3: Add IR Remote Climate Controls to Home Assistant
In the Home Assistant (HA), you can now add and control the wireless IR remote. The steps are as follows:
- Go to Configuration > Devices & Integration. You will see smartac auto-discovered by HA.
- Click Configure, select the Area, and click Submit.
- Under ESP Home, click smartac and then click 1 device.
- Click add to Dashboard.
- Select the dashboard, click Next and then click add to Dashboard.
This will add the smart AC controls on the dashboard. Next, you can connect the NodeMCU or D1 mini with the IR transmitter and receiver to start controlling your AC through your smartphone.
Step 4: Connect MCU With IR Transmitter and Receiver Sensor
Refer to the diagram below to solder the IR LED, receiver sensor and transistor on one board. If you’ve never soldered before, learn how to solder.
- Connect or solder the negative (GND) IR transmitter LED terminal to the emitter of the 2N2222 transistor.
- Connect the positive IR transmitter LED terminal to 3.3V on NodeMCU or D1 Mini.
- Connect the base to GND on NodeMCU or D1 mini.
- Connect the collector pin of 2N2222 to the D5 pin on NodeMCU or D1Mini.
- Connect the IR receiver sensor’s positive (Vcc) terminal to the 3.3V on NodeMCU or D1Mini.
- Connect the GND pin of the TSOP IR receiver to GND on NodeMCU or D1Mini.
- Connect the Data Out of the IR receiver sensor to the D1 pin on NodeMCU or D1 Mini.
You can use a Berg Strip and jumper wires to connect the Vcc, GND, and Data In/Out pins of the IR emitter and receiver to the NodeMCU or D1 Mini. The result may not look good on the first try. However, you can improvise later. You can 3D print a case with a 3D printer to enclose all the hardware. Alternatively, you can also buy a cheap IR blaster and flash the smartac-factory.bin firmware on it. Check out our full guide to converting a cheap IR blaster and integrating it with Home Assistant.
Final Words
We hope you like this article best ways to make you air conditioner smarter. Smart air conditioners have marked a huge shift in the air conditioning industry. Over the years, air conditioner manufacturers have upgraded their features to meet the growing demands of consumers. Smart ACs are the result of such innovations and they have become the Teslas of the cooling world. With smart AC controllers on the market, you can make any air conditioner smart like a mini split, window or portable air conditioner.
I hope you understand this article, Turn any AC to Smart AC.
