[mythtv-users] How turn on / off external box

[Yan Seiner]

On Mon, August 2, 2010 10:12 pm, Joseph Fry wrote:

> I have considered creating a USB device that you'd plug your device into
> like a kill-a-watt; but instead you would set an "on" threshold and you
> could poll the status of the device via the USB port.  If the device is
> drawing more than the threshold you could assume it was on.  Handy for
> things like this, and other home automation tasks.  Couldn't be too
> expensive to develop?

You can buy low-cost hall effect chips for a $1 or so.  Add a PIC or
something like that, and you could monitor the current draw.  Have your
device report the current draw and then the app could make the decision.

I'd say the hardware is about $5 but the skull sweat is priceless (and
beyond me).

-- 
If you have eight hours to chop down a tree
spend six sharpening your axe.
--Abraham Lincoln