I just finished hacking some "smart" behaviour into my old doorbell chime.
The sound of the chime ringing is picked up by a microphone connected to an arduino-like device. A small script is executed which results in my Alexa devices announcing that someone is at the door.
All the modifications / additional hardware fit inside the existing chime housing. It's been quite fun learning about electronics (For example, the chime is powered by 16v AC, but the microprocessor requires 5V DC) and writing the software for it (while admittedly is very simple) was challenging as I'm not familiar with C++.
My next project will be a "Cat poo detector" - this will live in the cat's litter tray and detect whatever gasses are released when it is used. This will be used so I can know if I can have a lazy weekend morning in bed or if I need to go downstairs and clean up.
The sound of the chime ringing is picked up by a microphone connected to an arduino-like device. A small script is executed which results in my Alexa devices announcing that someone is at the door.
All the modifications / additional hardware fit inside the existing chime housing. It's been quite fun learning about electronics (For example, the chime is powered by 16v AC, but the microprocessor requires 5V DC) and writing the software for it (while admittedly is very simple) was challenging as I'm not familiar with C++.