Control Your TV with Alexa: Arduino & ESP8266 Setup

Necessary tools and machines

Soldering iron (generic)

Apps and online services

Arduino IDE

About this project

Using Alexa to Control Your TV!

Intro: So this project goes over how to use your Alexa to send commands and control your TV by talking to it. Anything your TV Remote can do, your Alexa can do. What we are going to do is record the remote IR Signals and use Alexa to resend those same signals when voice commanded. Here are the steps you need to make this happen or watch this YouTube video:

Step 1: Download Prerequisite Libraries

Download the following libraries and put them into your Arduino IDE libraries:

• ESPAsyncTCP - https://github.com/me-no-dev/ESPAsyncTCP

• ESPAsyncUDP - https://github.com/me-no-dev/ESPAsyncUDP

• FauxMoESP - https://bitbucket.org/xoseperez/fauxmoesp > Downloads > Download Repository

Step 2: Programming NodeMCU (Wi-Fi Module)

Open up the ESP8266-Alexa.ino sketch and upload it to your NodeMCU (download the board info from Board Manager in Arduino IDE). All you should need to change is the Wi-Fi Credentials and the Device Names.

You can customize the Device Names in the ESP8266-Alexa.ino sketch and the Signals that go out in the IR-Alexa-Send.ino sketch:

Step 3: Reading IR Signals from TV Remote 

Upload the IR_REMOTE_read.ino sketch to your Arduino to read the remote signal hits and record your IR signals received for reference later on as seen in this tutorial:

Step 4: Programming Arduino to Send TV IR Signals via Alexa

Next, open up IR-Alexa-Send.ino in the Arduino IDE and upload it to your Arduino Uno (make sure you change the uploading board info to UNO).

Wire up power to both modules and connecting wires between. Make sure IR transmitter is wired up to Terminal 3 of UNO. See attached schematic for more information:

Step 5: Testing the Project with Alexa

Now go into your Amazon Alexa app on your mobile device or PC, go to your Smart Home and press "Add Devices" to find each of the commands you set in the ESP8266-Alexa.ino sketch.

Once they are found you can test it using one of the following command structure:

• "Alexa, turn on DEVICE NAME"

• "Alexa, turn DEVICE NAME on"

• "Alexa, turn the DEVICE NAME on"

• "Alexa, turn on the DEVICE NAME"

Code

• ESP8266-Alexa.ino
• IR-Alexa-Send.ino
• IR_REMOTE_read.ino

ESP8266-Alexa.inoC/C++

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include "fauxmoESP.h"

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Wifi Credentials
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

#define WIFI_SSID "linksys"
#define WIFI_PASS ""

#define SERIAL_BAUDRATE                 115200

fauxmoESP fauxmo;

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Wifi
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------


void wifiSetup() {
  // Set WIFI module to STA mode
  WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);

  // Connect
  Serial.printf("[WIFI] Connecting to %s ", WIFI_SSID);
  WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASS);

  // Wait
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
      Serial.print(".");
      delay(100);
  }
  Serial.println();

  // Connected!
  Serial.printf("[WIFI] STATION Mode, SSID: %s, IP address: %s\n", WiFi.SSID().c_str(), WiFi.localIP().toString().c_str());
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Initilize Pins
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

#define RELAY_PIN1 13
#define RELAY_PIN2 2
#define RELAY_PIN3 14
#define RELAY_PIN4 15

void setup() {
  //initialize relay pins
  pinMode(RELAY_PIN1, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN1, LOW);
  pinMode(RELAY_PIN2, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN2, LOW);
  pinMode(RELAY_PIN3, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN3, LOW);
  pinMode(RELAY_PIN4, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN4, LOW);
  
    // Init serial port and clean garbage
    Serial.begin(SERIAL_BAUDRATE);
    Serial.println();
    Serial.println();
    Serial.println("FauxMo demo sketch");
    Serial.println("After connection, ask Alexa/Echo to 'turn pixels on' or 'off' or 'turn relay on' or 'off'");

  // Wifi
  wifiSetup();

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Alexa Device Names
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  // Fauxmo
  fauxmo.addDevice("TV");
  fauxmo.addDevice("GregsNetflix");
  fauxmo.addDevice("Sleep");
  fauxmo.addDevice("Office");
  fauxmo.onMessage(callback);
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Alexa Operation Calls
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void callback(uint8_t device_id, const char * device_name, bool state) {
  Serial.printf("[MAIN] %s state: %s\n", device_name, state ? "ON" : "OFF");
  
  if ( (strcmp(device_name, "TV") == 0) ) {
    // adjust the relay immediately!
    if (state) {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN1, HIGH);
    } else {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN1, HIGH);
    }
  }
  
  if ( (strcmp(device_name, "GregsNetflix") == 0) ) {
    // adjust the relay immediately!
    if (state) {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN2, HIGH);
    } else {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN2, LOW);
    }
  }
  
  if ( (strcmp(device_name, "Sleep") == 0) ) {
    // adjust the relay immediately!
    if (state) {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN3, HIGH);
    } else {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN3, LOW);
    }
  }

  if ( (strcmp(device_name, "Office") == 0) ) {
    // adjust the relay immediately!
    if (state) {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN4, HIGH);
    } else {
      digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN4, LOW);
    }
  }
}

void loop() {
  fauxmo.handle();
  delay(500);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(RELAY_PIN4, LOW);
}

IR-Alexa-Send.inoC/C++

#include <IRremote.h>

IRsend irsend;

#define a 4
#define b 5
#define c 6
#define d 7

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(a, INPUT);
  pinMode(b, INPUT);
  pinMode(c, INPUT);
  pinMode(d, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
  if (digitalRead(a) == HIGH) {
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3E817, 32); //Power Code
    Serial.println("TV");
    delay(500);
  }
  if (digitalRead(b) == HIGH) {
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E354AB, 32); //Enter Key
    delay(2000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E39867, 32); //Up Key
    delay(1000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E39867, 32); //Up Key
    delay(1000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E39867, 32); //Up Key
    delay(1000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3B44B, 32); //Right Key
    delay(1000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E354AB, 32); //Enter
    delay(2000);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E354AB, 32); //Enter 
    Serial.println("The Office");
    delay(500);
  }
  if (digitalRead(c) == HIGH) {
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E38679, 32); //Options Button
    delay(1500);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3CC33, 32); //Down key
    delay(700);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3CC33, 32); //Down key
    delay(700);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3CC33, 32); //Down key
    delay(700);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3CC33, 32); //Down key
    delay(700);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3B44B, 32); //Right Key
    delay(700);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E3B44B, 32); //Right Key
    delay(900);
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E38679, 32); //Options Button    
    Serial.println("Sleep Timer");
    delay(500);
  }
  if (digitalRead(d) == HIGH) {
    irsend.sendNEC(0x57E34AB5, 32); //Netflix Code
    Serial.println("Greg's Netflix");
    delay(500);
  }
}

IR_REMOTE_read.inoC/C++

//2017.06.22

#include <IRremote.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>

/* HOW TO WIRE UP LCD SCREEN LEFT TO RIGHT PIN WITH PINS ON TOP SIDE
 *  
 *  GND - VCC - POT MIDDLE - 12 - GND - 11 - NONE - NONE - NONE - NONE - 5 - 4 - 9 - 2 - VCC - GND
 *  
 *  POT MUST HAVE 5V AND GND ON IT AND CAN ROTATE THE KNOB TO CHANGE LCD CONTRAST
 */
 
LiquidCrystal lcd(12, 11, 5, 4, 9, 2); //9 instead of 3 (NEED FOR TRANSMITTER)

int receiverpin = 10;

IRrecv irrecv(receiverpin);
decode_results results;


void setup() {
  lcd.begin(16, 2);
  pinMode(receiverpin, INPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  irrecv.enableIRIn();
}

void loop() {
  if (irrecv.decode(&results))
  {
    Serial.println(results.value, HEX);
    irrecv.resume();
    lcd.clear();
    lcd.print(results.value, HEX);
    delay(150);
  }
}

Schematics