Christmas isn't Christmas without Star Trek

 I'm an avid Star Trek fan.... just in case that has been missed in this blog. Star Wars is OK, and I do watch it, but Star Trek, for me, is streets ahead. 

I wa delighted when Hallmark released their 2020 Star Trek line, and they finally had a Star Trek tree topper, which is the Enterprise 1701, from TOS, doing the whole introduction.

The Tree topper comes with an RF remote control. Perfect for automation!

The problem is my Broadlink RM Plus, which does RF, is out in my garage managing my home movie theatre screen. I needed to either buy another one or re-use my RM mini which I had lying around. It only does IR and, as luck would have it, that is what operates my outdoor screen.

So, the RM Plus was replaced by the Mini, and the Mini was brought inside.

Integration with HomeKit.

I use the Homebridge Broadlink Rm Plugin. This has been working just fine for the RM plus, but for the first time I had to set up for 2 devices.

So, first of all, I had to add the 'new' device to the Broadlink app and then get the device details.

Adding the device wasn't quite straight forward, as I had to end up doing it manually. It seems that automatic configuration will only work with a. straight 2.4GHz network and mine is a mixed 5GHz/2.4GHz network due to the HomeKit Secure Router implementation on the Velop mesh.

When the device is set up, you can get the details. You nee the Mac address and the IP address for the Homebridge implementation. BTW, 8:37pm in December in California? Whilst it isn't raining.... it is NOT sunny!

You also need to reserve the new device in DHCP, otherwise teh IP address will change and the plugin will not work.

Anyway, back to Homebridge...

I had to set up the RM mini, and move the movie screen from the RM plus to the mini.

{

    "platform": "BroadlinkRM",

    "name": "Broadlink RM",

    "hideWelcomeMessage": true,

    "hosts": [

        {

            "address": "192.168.1.247",

            "mac": "34:ea:34:89:13:5a",

            "isRFSupported": true

        },

        {

            "address": "192.168.1.208",

            "mac": "34:ea:34:8e:e1:67",

            "isRFSupported": false

        }

    ],

    "accessories": [

        {

            "host": "192.168.1.208",

            "name": "Screen",

            "type": "window-covering",

            "totalDurationClose": 16,

            "totalDurationOpen": 15,

            "sendStopAt100": true,

            "data": {

                "open": "260084002a0f290f290f290f0f291027112711271027290f102811261127290f1028290f290f2a0e290f10272a0e290f290f10282a0e290f0f281028290f10270e2a290003ce2a0e290f290f290f10281027102810281027290f102811261127290f1028290f2a0e2a0e2a0e0e29290f2a0e2a0e0f29290f2a0e0e291127290f1028102729000d0500000000",

                "close": "2600c6002a0f2810281028100f290f290e290f290f280f2928100f290e2928100f292810281028100e292810281028100f29281028100f2928100e2928100f290e29280003cf28112711271028100f290f290e290f290f290e2928100f290e2928100f292810281028100e2a2711280f28100f29281028100f2928100e2928100f290f28280003d028102810281027110f280f290e290f290f290e2928100f290f2828100f292810281028100f292810281028100e29281028100f2928100e2928100f290f2829000d050000",

                "stop": "2600c6002a0f290f290f290f0e291028102710280f290f28102828100e2928100f292810281028100f290e29281028100f2a0e290e2928102810281028100e2a0e290f0003e828102810281028100e2a0e290f290e290f290f290e2928100f2928100e2928112810280f0f290f29281028100e290f290f292711280f290f28100f290f290e0003e82810290f281028100f290f280f290f290f280f290f2928100e2928100f292810281028100e290f29281028100e2a0e290f2928102810281028100e290f290f000d050000"

            }

        },

        {

            "host": "192.168.1.208",

            "name": "mini learn code",

            "type": "learn-code"

        },

        {

            "host": "192.168.1.247",

            "name": "learn code",

            "type": "learn-code"

        }

    ]

}

You do this by adding the device (RM term) as a host (Homebridge term).

You now also have to have 2 learn codes..... one for each RM. This is the accessory "learn code"

Lastly, you now assign a host to the accessory. In the documentation it says you can use either IP address or MAC address. However, I found only the IP address worked.

Then you add the new accessory:

        {

            "host": "192.168.1.247",

            "name": "Star Trek Tree Topper",

            "type": "switch",

            "enableAutoOff": true,

            "onDuration": 65,

            "data": {

                "on": "2600dc00c23111321312343111133312333214132f000238c23111321312343013133213323313133000023ec032112f1711323213123411343214113100023dc23112321311313313133312323314122f00023fc13112321212323213123312333313123200023cc13212321113313313133114333215122e00023ec13211321312313312133311343214123000023ec03311321212323312133213333314113000023ec23112311411333112143411323214133100023bc03213311311333114123313323214123100023cc132123211133230161134123035141131000d05000000000000000000000000",

                "off": "2600dc00c23111321312343111133312333214132f000238c23111321312343013133213323313133000023ec032112f1711323213123411343214113100023dc23112321311313313133312323314122f00023fc13112321212323213123312333313123200023cc13212321113313313133114333215122e00023ec13211321312313312133311343214123000023ec03311321212323312133213333314113000023ec23112311411333112143411323214133100023bc03213311311333114123313323214123100023cc132123211133230161134123035141131000d05000000000000000000000000"

            }

        },

I set it up as a type "switch"

If you press the switch, it starts the Tree Topper and if you press it again it will stop it. Great! The status is accurate. But what happens if you Start it and let it run?

            "enableAutoOff": true,

            "onDuration": 65,

These two parameters mean that it will switch off at 65 seconds. (Default is 60 seconds)

Therefore the switch goes back to off if you let it run for its complete run time.

Now all I have to say is "Hey Siri. Turn on the Star Trek Tree Topper",a nd this is what I get: