8.8 Next Steps

The motor shield can handle up to two stepper motors at a time. This might be useful in a large room with more than one window. The curtains’ pulley systems can also be linked together so that a single stepper motor could open and close multiple curtains/shades. Going even further, the stepper motor/motor shield combination can be employed in a number of other home automation scenarios.

• Elaborate on the curtain pulley with more sophisticated curtain rod systems that have an interior up/down window blind and exterior left/right curtain draw. Time one motor to raise/lower the blind followed by opening/closing the decorative exterior curtain. Modify these two configurations based on heat and light (i.e., if hot daylight, open curtain but close blind).

• Add a PIR sensor to the Arduino+motor shield assembly so you can open and close the curtains when motion is detected in the room.

• Network-enable the curtain automation assembly with an onboard LED or an Arduino Ethernet so you can open and close your curtains from your smartphone or write a script that will operate the curtains during certain times of the day.

• Keep the Arduino with motor shield assembly connected to the USB port of your computer and drive the curtains remotely via USB-to-serial communication. Set up a web application server to expose the open/close methods as web services to be called from a native smartphone application. Write a script that runs on the host computer to open and close the curtains at a specified date and time.

• Repurpose the pulley system for Halloween fun by swapping out the light and temperature sensors with a motion sensor. Attach the pulley string to big paper spiders that go up and down when motion is detected.

• Create a stepper motor-driven carousel for clothing with unique RFID tags affixed to each hanger. Queue up a random outfit or base the selection on criteria such as day, month/season, and current outdoor temperature. Make a phone or tablet app that allows you to gesture to a photo of your desired outfit onscreen and then have that clothing selection waiting for you front and center in your closet.