I am in the process of finding a low power consuming laptop that will be left on 24×7 to run my home automation system
IMHO the laptop needs to be a low power consuming one as it will otherwise eat up my savings from the automation I plan on doing.
I played around with my work computer (Thinkpad T420) and, depending on how busy it is, I can crank it down to about 8 watts of running power, so I’m hopeful.
I found when running an anti-virus scann, it used about 40 watts, and when Idol it dropped to 15. However, if I set the monitor to turn off, it drops to about 8 watts.
By My math, 8 watts full time costs about 2.5 cents per day.. 0.75 per month.. A good deal if you ask me.
My phase .5 version is:
Mcontrol software
X-10 modules to shot down some power hogging devices over night like my entertainment center, water cooler and other similar things.
A sensor to detect if my garage doors are left oper (tell me at bedtime if they are open). Also, maybe tell me when they are activated.
after doing nothing for the last year, I am gfoing to press over the summer to bet the rudiments up and working.
also, on my vaction this year, I want to do a deep dive into both PIC programming and into the modules I selected for temperature and movement sensing. If possible, I’d love to get at leat a few indoor temperature sensors, and an outdoor or two running.
I plan to build a solar recharger for the outdoor units and have a recharging circuit that I need to get working.