Our idea of an easier-to-install smart light switch started since 2018. Compared to what is already on the market, our biggest design charge was to create something that is slimmer and better looking. It is a long journey till our Patent Pending design and technology becoming what it is today.
The first implication is that we cannot use AA or AAA batteries. We went with using Lithium Ion recharge batteries. Using rechargeable battery makes our product more environmental friendly.
The first prototype uses wifi-only micro-controller ESP8266. We quickly realized that using this chip, our rechargeable battery can last for less than a day. This is when we decided to switch to use an ultra-low power BLE Nordic nRF52 series micro-controller, for the smart switch. And we use the Wifi-Ble-enabled ESP32 to implement our wifi gateway, which connects our smart switch to the network.
Another early idea we had was to have a solar panel as our smart device’s face plate. The idea is that solar power can keep the device running perpetually forever. Many experiments were carried out to find the best way to harness the most energy using such solar panel. It turned out that unless the solar panel is directly facing the window, when the device is indoors, the energy the solar panel provides is far from able to sustain the current required by the BLE chip. Also, the solar panel and the required charging chip sets are expensive. Including them will significantly increase the cost thus the final price of our product. We therefore had to give up on the solar panel idea.
Another early idea we had was to have a solar panel as our smart device’s face plate. The idea is that solar power can keep the device running perpetually forever. Many experiments were carried out to find the best way to harness the most energy using such solar panel. It turned out that unless the solar panel is directly facing the window, when the device is indoors, the energy the solar panel provides is far from able to sustain the current required by the BLE chip. Also, the solar panel and the required charging chip sets are expensive. Including them will significantly increase the cost thus the final price of our product. We therefore had to give up on the solar panel idea.
The first prototype works only with Rocker type light switch. We made another design change to leverage the similar design such that most of the parts can be shared between the two versions.
Our original design was to use a Capacitive touch sensor for manual activation of the switch. With the COVID-19 pandemic clouded over the globe, we decided that our product can play a role in helping to stop the spreading of viruses and diseases. This is when we made the switch to use an IR proximity sensor instead of a capacitive one. This allows user to activate the switch without touching our device.
Once we launch and finish shipping the first batch of products, we will start working the following:
We are constantly scouting for new ideas for our product roadmap. Though nothing concrete has been decided yet, here are some of our ideas:
We encourage and welcome your suggestions. If you have any idea, please feel free to send them info@novavolta.com.
