Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your lifetime?

Re:Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your... by mikestew on Sunday January 06, 2019 @05:07PM (#18841051)

My hobby says, “implement a solution to control HVAC in a recreational vehicle using a Raspberry Pi.” I work on it when I feel like it, and if I get bored with it I repurpose the Pi for something else.

My job says I have to implement a CSV parser for a customer’s unique idea of “CSV”, and by the end of the week whether I find it interesting or not.

(Well, not my job, thank $DEITY. But for many.)

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Re:Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your... by teekert on Monday January 07, 2019 @11:21AM (#18846472)

So.. Have you ever looked for jobs in home automation or contacted your hvac producer?

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Re:Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your... by mikestew on Monday January 07, 2019 @12:57PM (#18847836)

I currently work on embedded industrial control systems, I get enough of a fix there. :-)

The HVAC application is so niche that it could only be a hobby project. Basically, I don't want to dogs to fry in the RV in the summer. Some temp sensors, a few relays, and the GPIO pins on the Pi, and when it gets too hot it can kick on the generator and turn the A/C on for happy dogs. While I'm there, I might as well program in the algorithm I do in my head to tell the wife whether or not she needs the generator to make supper. "Lessee, if we've got two hours of daylight for solar that is currently putting out 221W, and the battery is at 74%, using a 1200W griddle...". Let the Pi do that math, and turn the generator on or not.

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