Info
So I've decided to hop on the ESP8266 WiFi module bandwagon and build a light switch with a couple of differences.
1) the light switch needs to go in the wall and be the same size as the existing panel light switches (deeper will be OK)
2) the circuit needs to pull power from the existing 250v power that runs through the switch
3) the light switch needs to contain a microphone so I can walk around the house issuing voice commands and each light switch will be able to hear the command and relay it to a central hub for processing.
4) the light switches will use the esp 8226's ability to be a wifi client and AP to create a mesh network so commands can be relayed around the house.
5) I need a design that an support up to 4 switches in one light switch panel.
Questions
1) What should I use to pull 5v from the 250v power supplier. I've seen switching power supplys but these are all fairly bulky and contain transformers. I was hoping that there was a smaller solution. I only need 250mA to power the device.
2) Can the esp 8226 be used to forward raw audio from a digital microphone. I would estimate the device will need to handle about 100Kbps given I probably won't have sufficient room on the device to compress before I send the data. So there are two parts to this question
a) is it possible to wire a microphone to the esp 8226 and capture the audio
b) can it handle 100Kbps
3) If I 3d print the panel and a mount box in PLA is that considered electrically safe ?
4) How much of a challenge is reception going to be if the antenna is in the wall? Should I expose the antenna on the switch face plate? As i'm designing the light switches as a mesh network there should be another light switch just a few meters away in most cases.
Sorry if the questions are dumb but I'm a programmer not an electrical engineer.
Best Answer
I'm about to do the same here, and my advice to you is that you should probably trade some of this off: I'm personally going to use "OK google" on my phone, and send the commands to the correct ESP8266 in the house. After all, who wanders around without their phone nowadays?