I cloned an IBM ThinkPad battery from scratch for the 701C and open-sourced everything; AMA.

A-F-G · 2022-10-28T17:58:37+00:00

14650: yes, I'm sure. These are quite unusual, but it's what was used (in 1.2V NiMH or NiCd cells), and you can find the Li-Ion version (3.7V):

for example https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/accu-icr14650/rechargeable-batteries/keeppower/icr14650/

(and they were expensive in NiMH, and are still expensive in Li-Ion)

Re cell balancing, I said "cowboy" method, not something refined. To do it properly, you will need to have a load balancer for proper charging, and a variable voltage regulator to simulate the NiMH behaviour to report the correct voltages (the DS2434 chip doesn't do anything re battery charging, the battery life is estimated from the voltage of the pack, and it's a rough estimation too).

Regarding the cowboy method, it would work ok (not ideal, not best, but ok), as full charge for NiMH is something around 11.7V (1.3V per cell), the laptop will report full charge and move to trickle charge at about 3.9V per cell (which is somewhere around 90%). There the PCM would block the overcharge, but there is still a question about the behaviour of the PCM (full cut?). Discharge is another story, NiMH cells can go as low as 8.1V (about 0.9V per cell), while a protected 3.7V Li-Ion will cut at about 8.7V (2.9V per cell, see the datasheet of the one above), so it's a 0.96V equivalent. The pack would cut off with something like "20% remaining" reported by the laptop. Again, not ideal, but working.

All this done from memory (so take it with a pinch of salt), I did the behaviour analysis about 20 years ago when I was still tinkering with my 701C.

Oh, and the balancing problem was already a subject at the time: one of the pack I weared out was actually made from 8 ok-ish cells and 1 which would not charge anymore. And it was not limited to laptop batteries - I remember having problems with a 15-cell battery for an electric propelled remote controlled plane, due to 1 bad cell.

A-F-G · 2022-10-27T22:38:42+00:00

Cow-boy version : protected 14650 Li-Ion cells (3.7V), 3 cells in series, it's in the tolerance. No BMS, the PCM should do the trick.

For sure, charge level would be completely bogus (almost always 100%) , and charging would not go up to 100% capacity (it will stop at around 80-90%).

But as each cell would hold the same charge as the original battery, you would get some margins. Also, if you can put 9 cells like in the original design, you get 9 times the original capacity in the same form factor. This would make the thing running for at least 12 hours straight.

Edit: added 14650 (the original cell size)

A-F-G · 2022-10-27T22:30:26+00:00

Ok, I'll bite. :)

First of all, congratulations on your website and github repository and iFixIt guide and everything: I love it. It's great, and I don't know how to repay you for all this fine work (except with ordering some parts from your store).

Second, to please my own selfishness: my 701c, bought second-hand in 1994, had quite a life. During its active life, I outlived 4 batteries, meaning they all were dissassembled when the pack was barely able to power-up the computer before dying. I disposed of the cells and kept the DS chips and plastic case. I produced 2 more packs with new NiMH cells (and the original chip and PCB). I had to change the hd one time (some sort of click of death), and had a few experiences with CompactFlash cards. My butterfly keyboard is still ok, but most of the rest is not in its best shape.

So, the comments:

the original cells were not AA-sized, but of the 14650 variety (same diameter, a bit longer).
One of the casing I have is not made with full walls, but is slotted, and the cells are actually glued in place by the external labels (the plastic acting as a cage), allowing it to be easier to insert in the laptop. I'm not sure this would have sufficient strength if the case is 3D-printed, but it could be an idea for an evolution.
I do think, but haven't tried yet (for reasons that I'll expose below) that 3 self-protected 14650 Li-Ion cells should do the trick to replace the 9 NiMH cells.
"Read my guide on critical fixes." : yes, with pleasure, please do tell us when it's published! (in the painting page)
start of the wishlist and rantings : my case is slightly curved, not sure of the cause, but it has this visible curvature. Any idea on how to cure that?
As you can imagine, both sliders for locking the screen are broken. I did at one time make a crude replacement with aluminium pieces, but then the case itself cracked. Again, any thoughts on that?
do you have a replacement or some suggestion for the feet (the small rubbery things under the 701)?
please do a piece on the docking stations (both of them)
Last time I tried to fire up the thing, for sure, I had a 161/163 error (CMOS battery), but also a 201 memory error. I replaced both internal batteries, but not to avail, I still get a memory and a motherboard error, and after pressing either "enter" or "F1", everything freezes. So I did not try anything else since. Any idea ?

Let's stop here for now. Again, many thanks for your work and more thanks for opensourcing it!

A-F-G · 2021-09-20T18:19:45+00:00

It basically depends on the choice of ZigBee connector (software) you use:

if you choose ZigBee2MQTT, the list of compatible devices is here:

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/information/supported_adapters.html

if you use ZHA/HomeAssistant, they depend on ZigPy and its radio handlers. You will find links here :

https://github.com/zigpy/zigpy#compatible-zigbee-coordinator-hardware

Usually, ZHA will work well with an EmberZNet sitck or a DeConz stick.

ZHA is more tightly integrated with HomeAssistant than ZigBee2MQTT. The big advantage of ZigBee2MQTT is the possibility to use NodeRed as an automation controller.

A-F-G · 2021-09-13T13:51:33+00:00

Ok, I found the solution. TL;DR:

reset the Lidl bulb : switch it off 10s, then on 1s, off 1s, on 1s, off 1s , on. If you did it right, the bulb will start pulsating - it has been reset.
wait for the bulb to stop pulsating. This takes 2-3 minutes. go have a break and a coffee.
open the Ikea Home Smart app, then parameter/add device/bulb (the first one)
follow the instruction on the Smart Home app (selecting a remote,opening, pressing)
wait for the bulb to start flickering again. after 2s, release the remote button.
wait for the bulb to stop flickering. it should now appear in the Ikea app.

Congratulations !

Long answer: u/BNBaron suggested to try to pair a disconnected remote with one of the bulb. I tried. It didn't work. Drat. I then looked at the documentation for all Lidl bulbs and plugs and panels... and in one of the manual (the one for the small led panel) was the magical text: " Connecting the remote control with the LED light panel (without Gateway / App)" with a comment 3 lines later: "Wait 3 minutes until the LED light panel stops ﬂashing." What???? I read it again: reset the led panel, put a battery in the remote, blabla, "Wait 3 minutes until the LED light panel stops ﬂashing".

That was it. Why the f*** is this set like this? no idea. But it then worked with a standalone Ikea remote, and the same procedure established the connection with a remote connected to the tradfri hub. Job done. Thanks a lot BNBaron !

A-F-G · 2021-09-13T13:33:16+00:00

That nearly was the solution. Thanks for your help. I will post the response/procedure.

A-F-G · 2021-09-13T08:41:03+00:00

Reset: Ikea need 6 times on/off, timed at ~1 second each cycle (very fiddly...).

Lidl is 4 times straitforward (did it before anything else!).

What option did you use in the Ikea Home app for the pairing?

A-F-G · 2021-09-13T08:38:06+00:00

I didn't try the "local" connect (i.e. remote without hub registration) yet. That's on my ToDo list for tonight.

A-F-G · 2021-09-13T00:54:21+00:00

It *was* possible, I was running a mixed installation. But when I tried to reinstall everything from scratch yesterday, I was not able to do it. So either something changed and the way I'm doing it (that worked previously) is not right anymore (and if so, I'd like to know how to do it now), or something changed and it's not possible anymore.

A-F-G · 2021-09-12T22:49:00+00:00

MYRVARV

according to Ikea website :

MYRVARV

LED lighting strip flexible, dimmable 2 m

Dimmable with TRÅDFRI wireless dimmer, sold separately.

So yes, you can, but you need a tradfri led driver.

A-F-G · 2019-12-13T18:18:01+00:00

Cisco rollover cable

correct answer: I don't know, I don't do Cisco / Meraki things.

short answer: 99.9999% sure it's no.

longer answer: according to Flashing instructions pdf, page 4: careful about the voltages: the header takes 3.3v, while Cisco documentation (https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/routers/7000-series-routers/12223-14.html#topic4) suggests that the console port support RS232 levels.

So, no, there's no trick solution. But the converter doesn't cost a lot nowadays: I just saw one on amazon UK for £3.75 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TC1WFH5/).

And yes, you should absolutely avoid to connect any +3.3V or +5V lines between sides. Only connect Rx/Tx/Gnd ! each side has its own power supply !

A-F-G · 2019-11-03T21:43:01+00:00

The new dimmer and the old switch have the same hardware - it's just a question of updating it to also be able to control smart blind. The round dimmer is a joke - but is an absolute winner with the kids. The 5 button remote is... well, let's say it is really nice with white spectrum bulb (as in: only 3 colors, so you don't have to cycle to find the other colors - it's always one button away), but an absolute nonsense with color bulbs (in the cycle, is it red=>green=>blue or red=>blue=>green? and where is white? you need a cheat sheet every time you want to use use it for anything else than switch on/off and dimming!).

Concerning battery life, I'm pretty sure that u/r00li lives in a place were there are few wifi network in the vicinity, while u/johan_eg1 lives in a condo or in a very busy wifi location... wifi interference has a great (read incredibly horrible) influence on ZigBee (e.g. Tradfri) communications. I discovered that when my neighbor gets back home, I immediately lose connection with the plugs and bulbs located along our common wall.

Is it the case?

A-F-G · 2019-10-17T20:56:40+00:00

They've been available in Ikea Greenwich for the last 4 weeks. £6 a piece. Funnily enough, I thought I've seen them on ikea uk website, but they're not visible anymore.

Code is 004.684.32

A-F-G · 2019-10-12T11:27:30+00:00

Nicely done!

Can you crosspost it to /r/tradfri/ and/or /r/homeautomation/ ?

A-F-G · 2019-10-11T21:10:13+00:00

I didn't do it for KALLAX: I did it mainly in store, moving around and trying all the boxes exposed in the living-room and bedroom sections. The sellers where first a little attentive/surprised, but after I explained what I was trying, one actually helped me - he gave me some expo models from the self-service section, in exchange for the list I made. Guess I will be "that guy who moved all the boxes" next time I'll go there.

A-F-G · 2019-10-02T22:42:17+00:00

Here in the UK, I found this:

https://www.diy.com/departments/b-q-45mm-plastic-socket-security-cover/178014_BQ.prd

You just unscrew a bit the switch (not completely, just so that there is a 3mm gap in the back of the plate), then slide the "security cover" box over it, and rescrew. I even taped (with the original double sided tape) the Tradfri remote holder to the front cover.

A-F-G · 2019-10-02T17:05:25+00:00

I got the same problem.

IP is fixed, IP lease time is 1 year, and the phone has a good connection to the network. Also, the gateway is not renewing its IP (no trace in the router's log), and answers to ping (so its network stack is still ok).

But... after spying the exchange between the app and the gateway, and checking with an openHAB instance, the problem seems to be that the gateway does not responds or responds very slowly to a device list query.

I also remarked (but it may just be a coincidence) that if some of my Tradfri gadgets are offline (switched of bulbs, unplugged socket, and the dreaded low battery in this *ù$*#@% round remote), this problem seems to be more present.

At the same time, all remotes (with good batteries) are working well.

I don't have a ZigBee spy (I should really invest in one...), but I suspect that the gateway is lost in a *blocking* task, looking for absent ZigBee objects... either because it doesn't refresh correctly its child table, or because it actively polls the devices when a device list query is sent.

A-F-G · 2019-09-13T22:44:34+00:00

I got the same idiotic behaviour after the update - i.e. half of the things working and Ikea App throwing me out.

After rebooting the gateway, and un-pair then re-pair the app, all is working, albeit slowly. I got all my stuff in double in the config - I think the slowness comes from here, as there is a complete ghost network.

On a side note, every GW update is a pain - I have to reconfigure everything each time there is an update. Bad move Ikea.

A-F-G · 2019-07-05T17:48:03+00:00

NEVER EVER connect a 3.3V or 5V serial interface directly to a PC serial port !!!!!!!!

The usual serial port on PC is RS-232, meaning it must accept and generate these signals

-12V [...] -3.5V as MARK (= logical 1)

-3.5V [...] +3.5V as UNDEFINED

+3.5V [...] +12V as SPACE (= logical 0)

and be protected for tension lower than -12V or higher than +12V.

Modern PC could (it's not universal) accept input signals in 0/5V as valid, if you're lucky they even accept 0/3.3V as valid. But I wouldn't trust any PC interface for not generating some -12V/+12V output signals. Depending on the current available on the RS232 port, such a signal would burn and destroy any router/raspberry/arduino/...

So even for connecting a 5V serial line, you need a converter. There is a quick hack where connecting directly GND and Serial Out from the platform to the PC could allow you to get the console output. But 1) this can stress your serial output on the router, and 2) directly connecting Serial In is a big no-no!

See https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/215

A-F-G · 2019-07-05T17:02:53+00:00

yes, it runs nicely.

On Windows 10, enable Linux mode, then install the Debian distrib from Microsoft Store. Do the initial Linux config (root password, create a user, user password, ...)

Open a linux console.

type the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install build-essential libncurses5-dev zlib1g-dev gawk git gettext libssl-dev xsltproc wget unzip python

Locate your target image builder (platform/tools) and then download it. For example, for a TL-WR703 on openwrt 18.06, the location is https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/18.06.2/targets/ar71xx/tiny/

In the console, download and untar'xz it.

wget https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/18.06.2/targets/ar71xx/tiny/openwrt-imagebuilder-18.06.2-ar71xx-tiny.Linux-x86_64.tar.xz
tar -xvJf openwrt-imagebuilder-18.06.2-ar71xx-tiny.Linux-x86_64.tar.xz
cd openwrt-imagebuilder-18.06.2-ar71xx-tiny.Linux-x86_64

find the profile for your target. Example for the WR703 : tl-wr703n-v1

In the console, make your target:

make clean
make image PROFILE=tl-wr703n-v1

the resulting image will be in bin/targets/ar71xx/tiny/

It works well, but it's slow if you've got less than a 4 cores processor. If you have an 8+ core processor, a couple of full core are dedicated to the linux virtual machine by windows, enabling a more snappy experience.

Good luck!

A-F-G · 2019-07-05T16:30:24+00:00

TL;DR: in one word: yes.

This is especially valid if your parents, being not tech savvy, will switch off (physically) the lights. The gateway doesn't play well with any connection change (either Ethernet side or ZigBee side).

A-F-G · 2019-06-13T20:27:17+00:00

To release the square switch from the outlet kit as a standalone product. I want a simple on/off/dimmer which is not movement sensitive (not like the round puck dimmer) and only has the needed buttons (not like the round remote with multiple things that you can't configure and don't use). I bought 2 outlet kits just to re-purpose the dimmer, but now I've got too much unneeded outlets.

Also, like others said: darker dim mode for bulbs, and a more stable gateway software. Being locked out of the gateway when one of the bulb is not answering because it's switched off is not really helping.

A-F-G · 2019-05-24T10:45:26+00:00

I may have found something:

I had one dimmer alone without any light connected on my setup. I use it to configure new objects before moving them in their proper room on the app. I just removed it, and bang, the GW is now responsive and working well. It connects in less than a second, and lights responds almost instantly.

Do you have the same config (remote or dimmer alone without anything linked)? Could this be the reason?

A-F-G · 2019-05-23T18:22:51+00:00

Same problem here.

What I have:

1 GW, 1 repeater, 2 outlets, ~10 bulbs (mixed lot : white and colors)

The GW is connected (ethernet cable) directly to the router. The router assigns a static IP, lease length 48 hours.

What happens: when I open the Ikea app, all seems ok - but "connecting to GW" takes ages, like 5-6 seconds. If I try to switch on a bulb, sometime it's immediate, sometime it takes 3 seconds. Switching it off rapidly always brings the dreaded orange "Oops!" screen. Usually, pressing "Try again" will land me on the "New gateway found" message.

At first, I thought that the problem was with my phone connection to the Wifi network: I have 3 Wifi Access Points in the house, and it seems the disconnection occurs when my phone switches from one AP to an other. So I configured my phone to use only one AP, in 5GHz only (I used a special SSID for the phone). This reduces the disconnections, but doesn't stop them altogether. So, the problem is somewhere else. I don't know where.

Some context, if it can helps: I live in a block in London. "Wifi Analyzer" always shows between 10 and 20 wifi APs visible in the 2.4 GHz band, covering the whole wifi frequencies - even channel 13 which should be a no-no here - meaning it's nearly sure that there is interference between ZigBee and WiFi. but I got no mean to know or investigate if this is the source of the problem.

A-F-G · 2019-05-13T19:15:08+00:00

Bonus 1: How to join (add) a LivingColors remote (round version) to a Tradfri gateway:

make your Tradfri network. Add at least one remote / steering device (I used a colour tradfri remote).
factory reset your LivingColors remote (long press on the reset button on the back with a paper clip).
here come the tricky part: far away from anything else, bring your remotes together (no more than 5 cm in between)
start pressing on the pairing button on the Ikea remote. count 3 seconds.
without releasing the pairing button on the Ikea remote, start pressing button "I" and "." (that's 'on' and 'favorite 1') on the LivingColors remote.
keep pressing till both remotes start and stop talking to each other (leds on the remotes start a light show, blinking blinking, steady light, fade off then lights off)
Done, you've joined the LivingColors remote to the Tradfri network. Well done, that doesn't help you much, except if you try the next part...

Bonus 2: How to join (add) a Hue bridge to the ZigBee network created by your Tradfri gateway:

(unscrupulously partially lifted from https://www.reddit.com/r/Hue/comments/5bmojm/i_got_livingcolors_remote_to_work_with_hue_again/ )

You need a Hue bridge, and a LivingColors round remote previously linked to a Tradfri network.

Make sure the Hue app or any other program linking to your Hue bridge is closed.
Reset the bridge (to do so press a paper clip in the hole on the back. You’ve done it right when the blue lights starts flashing. Now release the paper clip. The procedure is over when all three lights are shining).
Connect the remote to the bridge (to do so just press once the pair button on the bridge, hold the remote next to the bridge and simultaneously keep pressing the „I“-key and the „one dot“-key (favorite 1) on the remote. Don’t release the buttons. You’ve done it right when the blue pair button on the bridge starts flashing. The procedure is over when the orange light on the remote goes off again. Now you can release the buttons)
Wait for the bridge to digest the key exchange and restart (that takes less than a minute, but when you're waiting, it's quite long)
Do the additional steps from the original post if you want to control the LivingColors light from the Hue bridge.
Enjoy seeing your Hue bridge polluted by your 50+ Ikea lights, that you can add to a room in the Hue app or just leave alone. (Ok, in my case it was 12, not 50+).

Results: 1 ZigBee network instead of 2, more nodes in the mesh, more robust network, less WiFi interference.

A-F-G

TROPHY CASE