Meet the Raspberry Pi Computer (the size of a credit card)

If you have ever wondered how you can easily automate your home theater system with #Alexa™ (without taking out a second mortgage) then this information may help. This is a system that does not depend on the cloud, although you can access it remotely if needed.

We are often asked about automating our blackout #blinds and #shades that we make at our Custom Shade Division, and we're also hoping this may help explain how we do it for the DIY crowd.

We will also be evaluating other AI voice control systems such as #Aigo (https://steemit.com/tech/@daxillix/new-aigo-agi-really-is-the-alexa-killer) and Google Assistant.

A single voice command turns our great room into a comfortable theater, with a 12 ft screen and a 500 watt Dolby 7.1 audio system:

"Alexa, TURN ON theater mode"

The blackout blinds close, the projector #screen deploys, and all the equipment powers on. At the end of the theater session (could be a movie or laptop output for staff training), the reverse happens, and we get the room back:

"Alexa, TURN OFF theater mode"

We have been using the affordable #Raspberry #Pi™ (#RPi) in combination with the #BroadLink™ hub for several years, and we continue to be impressed with the Pi's considerable computing capability, and the ability of the BroadLink hub to "learn" the IR and RF digital codes of all your remotes.

You can then put away the six #remotes on your coffee table and use the phone apps (Android and IOS) to control everything. But you can also use the Alexa™ (or Google Assistant™) voice control system with Node-RED to take things even further.

We have developed an article series to demonstrate the amazing #Node-RED Drag 'n Drop visual designer that is built right into the standard Raspbian™ operating system that powers the Pi. Here is the link (below Picture):

http://RollerTrol.com/blind-and-shade-control-with-alexa-part1

We will also be continuing this series to cover more about our smart #blinds, electric window #openers and home theater demo system, as well as articles about home automation in general. All our equipment runs on 12v DC, so off-grid #solar power is also a very viable option.

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Senior Partner
#RollerTrol Automation Systems

PS We are supporters of David Hay's excellent crypto program in Columbia, take a look:

David Hay crypto project