Analog Display of Variables? Quirky Nimbus?

Hi all:

There is a new product I noticed out there that might be a cool way to display Indigo status in an analog / digital display. They look like little odometers and apparently they can be customized to display any number of variables.

http://www.quirky.com/shop/596

Has anyone tried using one of these with Indigo? The trick would be to figure out how to pass variables to it. It is Wifi-connected and it is configurable via an app. It also has an API, I believe (beyond my skill set, unfortunately).

This also begs the question: what other ways are there to display indigo status without resorting to an app or computer? In my mind, I thought some sort of switch board with LEDs could be used to display on/off status of various devices. How would that work? I have in mind a system that would allow you to see, at a glance, the various statuses of different devices, cameras, etc. on an analog board (or even LED lights or perhaps LCD displays)... I guess, I hate having to open up the iPhone all the time to get that information and having a dashboard of sorts would be really cool too, a la star trek or star wars or something.

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

I still think that nothing beats a nicely designed control page in a tablet or console-style (all-in-one) display... they can be mounted, recessed in a wall or even on a stand on a table. Others have made a few things that I consider cool, but anything else I would come up with, I'm afraid, would come off as "gimmicky". I had thought of trying to run something through the Roku or Chromecast to display on the TV, but decided that was more trouble than it was worth.

I agree about having a nicely designed control page. I am slowly but surely working on getting that going. However, I feel it would be great to have some key variables represented in an "always available" fashion. The iPads / iPhones require sliding, unlocking, password and then locating of the appropriate app / control page. A lot of steps If you just want to know if let's say your alarm system is activated or if someone is tripping your driveway sensor. Some of these key variables could be represented by a red LED light embedded in your wall or some sort of minimalist display, that would be super helpful as it would be immediately visible without having to switch to apps and unlock devices etc.

That being said, the Nimbus device dashboard looks very appealing IF it can be programmed to display key Indigo variables. Could serve a similar purpose.

Well, I was thinking of those tablets/consoles such that the control page is always available (e.g. no lock screen, PIN entry, etc.), but fair enough... I believe a couple of people here have integrated colored lights, such as the Hue, into status indicators (turning different colors or shades of a color based on a value/state) and some have integrated their IP-based phones with Indigo screens/status (for those with LCD screens).

Hopefully others can chime in as I am drawing a blank as to what others have discussed having done towards your end.

Interesting. Hadn't thought of the Hue as a potential visible indicator of variable status. Also, that makes sense that the mounted tablet could be configured to be always on / or at least unlocked with no lock screen. One day, when I manage to get my control panel done (if ever) I can't wait to have that option available and I think it will be a cool way to interface with the system.

On a related note, what I REALLY wish existed is a control panel template that could be easily downloaded and customized to my needs. I suck at photoshop, creating cool knobs, sliders and switches and find it extremely time consuming to try to configure a well done, comprehensive control panel. Part of it is that I have high expectations of what it should look like and my valiant efforts do not seem to be approaching my expectation of a cool UI that works well and is slick and looks like it belongs on the walls of my house. If I had more time to dedicate to it, I know I would have a kick-ss control panel, but it seems that whenever I sit down to work on it, I blow several hours just trying to each element to look right. Gradually, I think I'll eventually have something, but it will probably take me the better part of a year (or more) given the little time (and marginal skills) I have. Would be happy to take someone else's template and customize it rather than starting from scratch which is what I'm doing.

But back to the idea of an analog way to display some key variables (like statuses, temperatures). I am going to order a Nimbus and see how it can be customized. I think it would be cool to have these analog odometer looking things in the kitchen that display certain key information at a glance. I fear that it will be limited in what can be incorporated, but there might be some workarounds and it DOES have an API. http://www.quirky.com/shop/596 if anyone wants to take a look and give me some thoughts.

[jay (support)]

If you're using INSTEON then KeypadLinc's can do a nice job of representing binary states - I use them for that purpose among other things. I wish there were something similar for Z-Wave - maybe someone will build something like that.

I was intrigued by this, and almost bought one at, of all places, Home Depot, where they had an entire endcap filled with them before Christmas.

It looked good and was a nice size, and I may still get one to play with when I have some more free time. It would look nice next to a Chumby and Ambient Orb or Nabaztag.

I use a couple of Hues as indicators of garage door status as well as a bedtime countdown timer for the kids (blue is 5 minutes left etc.) The Hue is expensive for a few bits of information, but it was already integrated into the system and was very quick to deploy.

Tad

The bedtime countdown timer… great idea. I should not be checking this forum too often. Might end up going bankrupt.

There is an API for the Quirky Nimbus, but I think it's only available via talking to their remote servers, so it's a bit convoluted. Though I could be wrong - it's really unclear how they make it available, and there is a comment about having to get a "key" so you can use the API. Frankly, if they haven't figured out that an API should be easy, locally accessible, and free - I don't want to bang my head against it.

I have one of the Nimbus devices - I got it for free, which is about what it's worth. But it's a doorstop as far as I'm concerned until I can talk to it and make the dials and readouts do what I want without jumping through hoops and asking permission and using "the cloud" to talk to something on my desk. Their website is terrible (there is no "Nimbus" website - everything that Quirky makes is jumbled together in user forums) and documentation is near-zero. Much like Ambient Devices failed several years ago with the same concept, they just haven't figured out that they have great hardware but it's useless without opening it up to alternate data sources.

Links for API (sort of):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_qp7qWVcE
https://github.com/jso/py-wink

My favorite review on it (best quote: "seriously fraud"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tYrrtPhjs

JT