Tellstick works on TuxRail, tiny Linux SBC (<100euro)
Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:45 am
I just want to report for all Linux & home automation enthusiasts that I have managed to get TuxRail to work with both Tellstick and Tellstick Duo.
With "working" I mean that telldusd is running ok, tdtool commandline tool works as well as the source code API-interface. Telldus software that I used is v2.1.0
'TuxRail' is a small about matchbox-sized Linux SBC (single board computer) from http://www.busware.de consuming just 1W(!) of energy and running Freescale I.MX233 processor @450MHz (ARM 926EJ-S core) and full Debian Squeeze Linux from a bootable uSD card (4GB-8GB). You can compile programs in the target and download precompiled Linux packages with normal apt-get, so I think it is a great platform for green "always on 24/7" home automation - no need to build Kernel or filesystem from sources, unless you specifically want to. For example, I have a ntp daemon (for timekeeping since the board has no RTC), apache2 + php5 and a gcc-toolchain installed in this board and they are working well. I just followed the Telldus instructions given for Linux installation - nothing special was needed. To my mind probably the only not so good side of TuxRail is that you need some soldering skills to connect the +5VDC min. 2A (regulated!) power to the board as it does not have a power connector so you need to understand the schematics and wirings a little too. There is option to power it via a special USB A-A cable, but then you would loose the USB-port - so the power is best connected in some other way.
I use this system currently for simple C-coding-based home automation like some turning lights in the morning just before waking up, logging front-yard movement sent by PIR-detection etc and my RF-gadgets are from NEXA. I have also a simple web-page for on-demand manual controlling of some gadgets. It is powered by Apache2 + PHP5 and bash cgi-scripts, which again use Telldus's tdtool -commandline tool -> very simple, and works.
With "working" I mean that telldusd is running ok, tdtool commandline tool works as well as the source code API-interface. Telldus software that I used is v2.1.0
'TuxRail' is a small about matchbox-sized Linux SBC (single board computer) from http://www.busware.de consuming just 1W(!) of energy and running Freescale I.MX233 processor @450MHz (ARM 926EJ-S core) and full Debian Squeeze Linux from a bootable uSD card (4GB-8GB). You can compile programs in the target and download precompiled Linux packages with normal apt-get, so I think it is a great platform for green "always on 24/7" home automation - no need to build Kernel or filesystem from sources, unless you specifically want to. For example, I have a ntp daemon (for timekeeping since the board has no RTC), apache2 + php5 and a gcc-toolchain installed in this board and they are working well. I just followed the Telldus instructions given for Linux installation - nothing special was needed. To my mind probably the only not so good side of TuxRail is that you need some soldering skills to connect the +5VDC min. 2A (regulated!) power to the board as it does not have a power connector so you need to understand the schematics and wirings a little too. There is option to power it via a special USB A-A cable, but then you would loose the USB-port - so the power is best connected in some other way.
I use this system currently for simple C-coding-based home automation like some turning lights in the morning just before waking up, logging front-yard movement sent by PIR-detection etc and my RF-gadgets are from NEXA. I have also a simple web-page for on-demand manual controlling of some gadgets. It is powered by Apache2 + PHP5 and bash cgi-scripts, which again use Telldus's tdtool -commandline tool -> very simple, and works.