Popular - Twine community http://minervakestner.com/ Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:36:39 +0000 Popular - Twine community en Lack of any response from Supermechanical http://minervakestner.com/discussion/520/lack-of-any-response-from-supermechanical Sat, 22 Feb 2014 15:58:13 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Alan Smith 520@/discussions LED too bright - easily fixed http://minervakestner.com/discussion/229/led-too-bright-easily-fixed Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:46:20 +0000 Hardware developers Paul Freeman 229@/discussions
R6 is the offending resistor, it's an "0603" size. It's 75ohm originally, I replaced mine with a 560ohm "0805" because I had one handy and it still fit over the pads. However you could easily go to 1Kohm and it'll be plenty bright for most situations (maybe not in direct sunlight though.

This mod will also reduce the current draw of the device, although only by a small amount, every bit helps!

A bit of red electrical tape over the LED and now I have a red(ish) LED instead of white, easier to see. Use any colour tape you wish though. ]]> Motion http://minervakestner.com/discussion/252/motion Sat, 22 Dec 2012 09:55:10 +0000 Feature requests Jeff Gaines 252@/discussions ]]> Rechargeable batteries http://minervakestner.com/discussion/161/rechargeable-batteries Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:49:00 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Peter Easton 161@/discussions
Thanks!]]> Get rid of the delay when saving rules http://minervakestner.com/discussion/128/get-rid-of-the-delay-when-saving-rules Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:31:01 +0000 Feature requests Ken Robinson 128@/discussions Customer Communications http://minervakestner.com/discussion/306/customer-communications Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:29:56 +0000 Miscellaneous Robert Pettengill 306@/discussions
I've shut mine off and come back occasionally to the forums to see if there has been some progress made that might make my Twine useful to me. However I have to dig through responses to lots of questions and it hasn't been worth the time. There isn't even any one place to find out if new firmware has been released and what it does. Frankly I've just about given up on Supermechanical and it just isn't worth the effort of going through the forums message by message.

Wouldn't it be great if Supermechanical could email or post a monthly update on their status in resolving these issues? It might at least give us a sense that someone is there who is working to resolve these issues and when we might expect them to be resolved or not. What do you all think?]]> Mounting options (or insulation) http://minervakestner.com/discussion/45/mounting-options-or-insulation Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:42:16 +0000 Feature requests Jon Plummer 45@/discussions
I get that this is a very DIY product, but as we find more more and better uses for it it'll get taken up by folks who will need a little more handholding. So a bracket that grips the sheath, or even just some protection for the back of the board, would be nice.]]> Static number to receive texts from? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/158/static-number-to-receive-texts-from Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:07:18 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Stan Griffis 158@/discussions Show resistance for moisture sensor http://minervakestner.com/discussion/217/show-resistance-for-moisture-sensor Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:34:31 +0000 Feature requests Martin Rix 217@/discussions Using the Twine to send me an SMS when the mailbox is opened http://minervakestner.com/discussion/124/using-the-twine-to-send-me-an-sms-when-the-mailbox-is-opened Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:02:07 +0000 At home Denis Laprise 124@/discussions API http://minervakestner.com/discussion/516/api Thu, 30 Jan 2014 04:44:35 +0000 Feature requests Chris Jefferies 516@/discussions
Thanks,
Chris.


]]> How to OR rules? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/148/how-to-or-rules Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:17:19 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting susan zellmann-rohrer 148@/discussions Where might a person find a longer cord for the sensors? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/82/where-might-a-person-find-a-longer-cord-for-the-sensors Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:42:01 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Stella Violano 82@/discussions
Many thanks for any responses. :D]]> Source IP address? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/517/source-ip-address Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:44:57 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Charlie Catlett 517@/discussions
Is there a way to query the twine server and find out what is the source IP address of my twine?  (since the mother ship is getting posts from twine, it has access to the source IP address and thus the address of my NAT router)
]]> Using Twine to send alerts if a water leak is detected in the laundy room http://minervakestner.com/discussion/103/using-twine-to-send-alerts-if-a-water-leak-is-detected-in-the-laundy-room Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:58:48 +0000 At home Robert Savage 103@/discussions
Read full article at: http://www.savagehomeautomation.com/projects/twine-floodstop-alert-me-when-a-water-leak-is-detected.html]]> Orientation Condition http://minervakestner.com/discussion/135/orientation-condition Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:07:10 +0000 Feature requests Ross Velazquez 135@/discussions
For example, while I'm at home I can have the top up (rules disabled), and then flip it over when I leave to enable the rules. This should avoid any extraneous alerts if I accidentally trigger it myself.]]> Categorization of Rules on website http://minervakestner.com/discussion/75/categorization-of-rules-on-website Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:54:07 +0000 Feature requests Chris Jacobsen 75@/discussions Static htm?lz http://minervakestner.com/discussion/140/static-htm-lz Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:41:45 +0000 Feature requests Joshua Schoolcraft 140@/discussions Self Modifying Rules http://minervakestner.com/discussion/200/self-modifying-rules Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:04:50 +0000 Feature requests Eric Bastholm 200@/discussions
You could even have an array of TWINEs and allow them to alter each other's rules (ala twineID:ruleID:trigger|action). This is obviously for advanced users but I'm sure there is someone out there who would be able to tease some interesting emergent behaviours out of such a network which would be cool to see. I can see a room full of TWINEs with all their LEDs forming some weird pattern like Conway's game of life animations.

Practical uses would, of course, follow later.]]> FAIL! http://minervakestner.com/discussion/212/fail Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:27:55 +0000 Miscellaneous Barry Levine 212@/discussions This device is not reliable at all. I can not replicate this failure.
The unit is about 30 - 40 feet (10 meters) away from my router.
I just put in fresh duracell batteries (which only last about 2 weeks+/-)
I find myself constantly wasting my time by checking to see if it is still connected. (It was SUPPOSED to SAVE me time)
I do not get satisfactory answers from email customer support.

WHY CAN'T THIS WORK AS PROMISED???
I am VERY frustrated!!!]]> Sump Pump Monitoring - working! http://minervakestner.com/discussion/335/sump-pump-monitoring-working Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:28:02 +0000 At home Joel Finkle 335@/discussions My house is situated on a spring, it seems.  During wet season, my sump pump can cycle 60 seconds on, 150 seconds off.  It can get to a depth of four inches in my whole basement overnight if the pump fails (it has, once).  Battery backup is pretty useless if power is out for more than a couple hours, due to the heavy use.  Yes, a generator might be a good idea... but is a lot more money than a Twine.

And hot damn, got vibration working with a Google Docs spreadsheet as I reported previously
I've now got it set up the following rules:
1) Gets Wet for more than .1 sec > Email me that the basement might be flooding.  
Commentary:
I may need something more alerting than this -- my email doesn't make noise on my phone, and my phone often isn't by my bed.  I may have to do something like trigger Google Voice to call my home phone as well.  I'm also concerned about the occasional "splash" as the sump lid isn't a seal -- I don't want to wake myself up constantly.

2) Temperature falls below 40 > Email me that pipes might be heading toward freezing
Commentary:
I don't expect this to happen, but hey, the feature is there, I might as well

3) Vibration On for more than 2 seconds after being off for at least 3 > Issue an HTTP request to my Google Spreadsheet web app script
4) Vibration Off for more than 2 seconds after being on for at least 3 > Issue an HTTP request to my Google Spreadhseet web app script.
Commentary:
The script logs the time the HTTP request is sent, then checks for the parameter.  Unfortunately, the web app URL is rather long, leaving me just three characters for my own use.  The parameters are either ?ON or ?OF (rolls eyes).

The script puts the date/time, then compares with the previous date/time and lots either "1824 seconds since last run" or "Ran for 96 seconds"
I could probably use some spreadsheet-fu -- my script puts a horrendous formula in, e.g.
="Ran for " & Int((INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW(),COLUMN()-1,4))-INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN()-1,4)))*86400) & " seconds"

Next step is to amend the Google Spreadsheets script to send me alerts if the behavior of the sump pump changes significantly: Not running for an hour when it's been running every three minutes could be a sign of failure, even if the water sensor hasn't tripped (firm believer in software belt and suspenders). Running more frequently than previously could be a sign of another disaster: a leaking pipe, for instance.
]]> Use HTTP GET to log your TWINE triggers http://minervakestner.com/discussion/318/use-http-get-to-log-your-twine-triggers Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:30:33 +0000 At home YoYo Pete 318@/discussions TL/DR:  Log your twine triggers with my server: http://twinelog.yoyo-pete.com
I see people trying to get their device working and there are issue about 'Did Rules Trigger?' or 'Did it not trigger or did I just not get the SMS'.

I created a way for anyone (with a twine and internet access) to configure their twine with an HTTP POST rule and have it log their trigger actions.

Example:

Rule is "When TEMP is GREATER THAN 72 degrees"

Action is "Send me an SMS"

For some reason, I'm not getting SMS alerts.  Is my twine really triggering?  Well to find out I can add a HTTP POST call to my rule.  When the rule triggers, that HTTP POST will create a record on my server and then when you view my server, it will show all the requests that have come from your IP.

Note that you must supply a URL variable with the GET REQUEST.


Here's how to set it up:

1. Log into your twine's web console. https://twine.supermechanical.com/ 
2. Click on the 'Rules >' button to view your rules.
3. On an existing rule, click 'Add an Action' and select 'HTTP Request'. 
4. Enter the following into the field for URL to log the temperature. 
5. Click the 'Test URL' button. 
6. Visit the page in your browser to see the log from your twine:   http://twinelog.yoyo.pete.com

Note:
YOU MUST HAVE A URL VARIABLE FOR THIS TO WORK. 

TWINE WILL ONLY SEND THE FIRST VARIABLE
 http://twinelog.yoyo.pete.com?test=anything   will log 'test=anything' 
This is an issue with Twine's servers as only the first variable is sent in the request string.

Post questions and comments below and I'll do my best to help and address things.


]]> Battery Life http://minervakestner.com/discussion/235/battery-life Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:04:43 +0000 Miscellaneous Gerry Mueller 235@/discussions I will continue to let the Twine run, monitoring it every few hours (but not overnight), and see roughly at which point it shuts down.
Will keep you posted!]]> Twine and thingspeak.com http://minervakestner.com/discussion/264/twine-and-thingspeak-com Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:51:41 +0000 At home Thomas Murray 264@/discussions http://jpreardon.com/2012/12/22/temperature-logging-with-twine-and-thingspeak/

I followed post and and I implemented exactly what the author did. It's a very easy way for a novice like me to log data. I highly recommend reading the article.

My implementation here. It updates in real time. http://www.studioclues.com/twine/]]> Push notifications on iOS using Prowl http://minervakestner.com/discussion/199/push-notifications-on-ios-using-prowl Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:54:30 +0000 At home Peter Seid 199@/discussions
1. Buy 'Prowl' from the iOS App Store ($2.99, link)

2. Create a Prowl account on http://www.prowlapp.com/

3. Log into your Prowl account in the Prowl iOS app

4. Get your custom API key from https://www.prowlapp.com/api_settings.php

5. Take your custom API key and add "@api.prowlapp.com" to the end of it. (Here's more info about Prowlmail)

6. Create your desired rule in Twine's rule building interface, add an email action and take your Prowlmail address from step 5 and put that into the To: field, put whatever subject and title you want.

7. Save to Twine and try it out!]]> How often does Twine communicate when in Power Saving mode? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/83/how-often-does-twine-communicate-when-in-power-saving-mode Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:58:53 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Stella Violano 83@/discussions
However in my testing the Twine is taking several minutes between reports. This makes me wonder if Twine might miss the door opening and closing?

Please advise on how to adjust Twine appropriately for this and many thanks for an AWESOME product!]]> Google APIs using JSON? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/53/google-apis-using-json Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:32:13 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Joel Finkle 53@/discussions
Impost more here as I learn more.]]> How low should I let the voltage go on my twine before I change batteries? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/10/how-low-should-i-let-the-voltage-go-on-my-twine-before-i-change-batteries Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:33:18 +0000 Tips and Troubleshooting Robb Kunz 10@/discussions Remote Home Monitoring http://minervakestner.com/discussion/63/remote-home-monitoring Sun, 18 Nov 2012 11:32:24 +0000 At home Charlie Catlett 63@/discussions
When the temperature drops below 50F (we set the furnace at 55F) we know the furnace is out. Internet gear on a UPS with about 2-4h life so that things work even without power (the typical reason a furnace may go out). I'm sending email to an account associated with my home monitoring system (which uses Insteon and Indigo from perceptiveautomation.com) so I can take action about it there, but for backup I also have it text my mobile.

This 5 minute setup was fantastic compared to the previous 4 generations of remote monitoring I have evolved through in the past decade: (1) radio shack dialer connected to a thermostat, (2) regular tweets from a camera pointed at a thermometer (with a tea bag hanging from the ceiling vent to let me know if the blower was on), (3) webcontrol from CAI networks, (4) arduino. Most of the DIY solutions, including (3) and (4), have become cumbersome due to the fact that nearly all email services require SSL (this could be fixed with arduino, but not in 5 minutes!). Remote access also required lots of fiddling with dynamic DNS, again not a 5 minute solution and somewhat fragile.

Well done, SuperMechanical!]]> Breakout board spec? http://minervakestner.com/discussion/57/breakout-board-spec Sat, 17 Nov 2012 19:21:06 +0000 Hardware developers Dave Zucker 57@/discussions
Curious to see that the status for the breakout is either open or closed - is it a pure digital input, then? Or is there firmware coming that could make it an analog input?

In general, are there instructions or a spec of any kind? All I could find was this tumblr post, which doesn't give much info: http://supermechanical.tumblr.com/post/16433382815/an-enlightening-twine-update]]> en