IoT

SmartGarage

Desktop monitoring and control for a Raspberry Pi garage.

Completed PrototypeEmbedded IoT Garage AutomationDesktop & Embedded Systems Developer

Smart Garage on GitHub

Close-up of the Smart Garage servo and Raspberry Pi assembly

The friction

Windows Forms UIUART ProtocolRaspberry Pi ControllerSensors and Outputs

Judgement, made visible.

Problem

Why this needed to exist.

The project required one desktop interface to monitor garage sensors and control physical outputs such as a servo door, fan, heater and lighting through a Raspberry Pi.

Context: School Project
Platform: Windows · Raspberry Pi

System

Complexity, given a direction.

Windows Forms UI
UART Protocol
Raspberry Pi Controller
Sensors and Outputs

Decisions

The work behind the interface.

Text-based serial protocol

Readable commands such as `BRANDA OPEN FAST` and `GET STATUS` were used between the PC and Raspberry Pi.

Communication could be inspected through the built-in debug console.

Hardware abstraction in Python

Servo, fan, lighting, heater and sensor behaviour were separated into hardware-specific control modules.

The main control loop remains easier to understand and modify.

Evidence, not theatre.

Completed as a working physical garage prototype with live sensor monitoring and actuator control.

Physically built garage prototype

Servo-controlled garage mechanism

Live temperature, rain and light sensing

Fan, heater and lighting control