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Post by garbulky on Nov 26, 2017 21:22:37 GMT -5
I have the sensi mart thermostat. Which is fantastic because it doesn't require the C wire to function. I tried the work arounds (g wire to C wire, unused wire to C wire) but quickly ran in to issues being that my electric AC/heater unit was not wired as described in the vids. None of the standard terminal wire namings like RH, RC, G, Y, C in sight. They are all M2, m3 etc. A rather antiquated system of which I cnan't find the maual. So long story short, I have to use the two AA batteries as the source of power for the sensi smart's wifi 24/7. Which means I'm going to have to bother with frequent battery changes. Not good! So my question: Is there a way or a device that can simulate two 2 AA batteries connected together end to end (3V?) but have it hooked in to the wall or a much larger hopefully rechargeable battery pack. I guess I'm hoping for a fake battery device that hooks in to some sort of wall wart that I can slot in to my thermostats battery receptacle. Anybody has any suggestions? BoomzillaKeithLLCSeminoleCasey Leedom |
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Post by Gary Cook on Nov 26, 2017 21:48:51 GMT -5
Simple, 2 x AA rechargeable batteries and a 3 volt wall wart, 1 amp should be plenty. Remove the plug from the wall wart, separate the wires back far enough to span the batteries, strip them back to expose the wire, determine the polarity and then sandwich the wires between the relative battery ends (negative to negative and positive to positive) and the terminals. When the wifi is transmitting/receiving it shouldn't draw more than 3 watts, but if it does the batteries will run it an then the wall wart will recharge the batteries. If you have soldering iron you could solder the wall wart wiring to the respective battery ends or to the terminals, but with such low power drain it shouldn't be necessary.
Cheers
Gary
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Post by Casey Leedom on Nov 27, 2017 1:21:40 GMT -5
I had to give up entirely on using one of the fancy thermostats because I don't have any ability to wire in power and I wasn't going to have it dribbling up the wall. In the end of the day, the simpler ones are fine and do the job.
Casey
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 27, 2017 6:20:43 GMT -5
garbulky - The simplest answer is to use better batteries. I'd recommend the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries (pack of 4 available anywhere for about $10). These last for YEARS (really) and work without any kludges. The other alternative would be to buy rechargeable batteries and to keep two in the thermostat with the other two on standby. But the lithium is really the better choice. Boom
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Post by Soup on Dec 3, 2017 15:07:17 GMT -5
garbulky - The simplest answer is to use better batteries. I'd recommend the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries (pack of 4 available anywhere for about $10). These last for YEARS (really) and work without any kludges. The other alternative would be to buy rechargeable batteries and to keep two in the thermostat with the other two on standby. But the lithium is really the better choice. Boom Just picked up some based on your recommendation. Thanks. Much appreciated! Didn't have the time to research since i am in the middle of changing Cable/Internet providers......Arrrrgh.......... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Dec 3, 2017 19:08:46 GMT -5
So chime back in later & let me know how they worked out for you.
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Post by wilburthegoose on Dec 3, 2017 19:28:08 GMT -5
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Post by garbulky on Dec 3, 2017 22:03:47 GMT -5
I had to give up entirely on using one of the fancy thermostats because I don't have any ability to wire in power and I wasn't going to have it dribbling up the wall. In the end of the day, the simpler ones are fine and do the job. Casey Just following up with you guys and Boomzilla. I ended up passing on finding a solution. Everything seemed jut a bit more trouble than it was worth with the mounting and running wires. So the good news I bought this thermostat. The battery in the thermostat appears to be working quite well - likely will last me at least a month which is acceptable. This is the thermostat I got. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HHE6CW2/And what's important that no reviews appear to mention is that ..... IT DOES NOT NEED A C WIRE or the "power wire" for wi-fi. It does all this off AA batteries. Now a C wire will make it so that you never need to change it. But this one works with wifi and full alexa compatibility on the aa battery option. This is the only one I've found that does it. It's been running for about two weeks now and the battery still says "full". So I'm assuming at LEAST a month of charge on a battery. I do have rechargeable batteries - which I haven't tried on these - but I plan to use them when the batteries run out. It's fantastic imo. I got it for a steep discount ($80 or 90) at black friday. The ability for integration with alexa and the echo dot makes changing the temperature seamless and effective. Alexa on my echo dot will tell you what is the temperature in the house, temperature the ac is set at, and allow you to switch from cool, heat, auto, and off as well as change the temperature by stating the temperature or simply saying turn it down or turn it up (it changes it by two degrees). It also has a very important feature that the cheaper units don't have - a temperature swing range control. Which allows you to program how strictly it controls the temperature. I.e. a tolerance range that prevents the ac from constantly turning on and off to hover around a set temperature point. Some cheaper units did not have this and ends up putting more wear on the unit. So Casey, if you are still interested, this thing is basic and works with pretty much most units by using AA batteries with wi-fi. |
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Post by Casey Leedom on Dec 4, 2017 0:24:49 GMT -5
Thanks garbulky ! Let me know how long it lasts. Replacing batteries once a month would be too much trouble for me. Even once every six months would be annoying. So I'm interested to hear how long they really last for you. Casey |
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