An IKEA Cutting Board Makes a Great Smart Home Controller Frame

OpenHAB is a popular home automation solution, and Benjamin Prescher used a cutting board from IKEA as frame for his control screen.

The easiest way to start living that sweet smart home life of luxury is to simply go buy some smart plugs, a Nest thermostat, and an Amazon Echo or Google Home to control them. But “easiest” isn’t synonymous with “best,” and that is especially true in this case. You should consider compatibility issues and potential privacy concerns that are common with those devices, and maybe opt for a DIY approach that gives you more control over your home automation system. OpenHAB is one popular solution, and Benjamin Prescher used a cutting board from IKEA as frame for his control screen.

OpenHAB is open source home automation software that works with a huge range of existing smart home and IoT products that are currently on the market. That includes both Amazon Alexa and Chromecast-enabled devices. With this software, you can control most network-connected devices from a central control screen or your smartphone. You can also automate a number of tasks. For example, you could have the system turn off your air conditioner as soon as you arm your security system when you leave for work in the morning. The OpenHAB software runs on a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Raspberry Pi (and other Linux systems).

For this setup, Prescher is using a Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ SBC (Single-Board Computer) to run the OpenHAB software. The control panel is shown on a Raspberry Pi Touchscreen Display, and an attached BMP280 environmental sensor from Adafruit is used to gather useful data. Because this is used to control the home, it needs to be in a central location that is accessible to the whole family. To keep it from being an eye sore, Prescher used an inexpensive cutting board from IKEA to house the Raspberry Pi and the touchscreen.

The IKEA APTITLIG bamboo chopping board costs just $10, which isn’t bad for a solid chunk of nicely-finished wood that measures 17.75 x 11 x 0.75 inches. Prescher used a jigsaw to cut out the hole for the touchscreen, and the Raspberry Pi is attached directly to the backside of the screen. He then designed and 3D-printed a clever two-piece mounting system that makes it easy to slide the cutting board into place on the wall. Prescher even used a couple short strips of WS2812b individually-addressable RGB LEDs to add a bit of accent lighting for a floating effect. The result is a very affordable and attractive way to add OpenHAB smart home control to a home.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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