Commodore 64 Home Automation

We may think of home automation as a new technology, but that is not entirely true. Modern home automation dates back to at least 1975, when Pico Electronics introduced a system called X10. By leveraging the existing power lines in a home, X10 could send signals from a control device to any number of modules that controlled lighting, appliances, security systems, and more. And much like modern systems, X10 could interface with a computer to provide fine-grained control of each device — lighting could be turned on and off at set times, for example.

YouTuber Retro Recipes came into possession of an X10 Home Control Interface system from 1986 and wanted to see how it could be incorporated into a modern home automation setup. Already having a highly-connected smart home with about 145 devices like lights, switches, and water shut-off valves, Retro Recipes decided that rather than installing over a hundred X10 control modules, it would make more sense to leverage the software from the original system to control the existing home automation hub.

The X10 Home Control software runs on a Commodore 64 and has a lot of retro charm. It features blocky graphics of a home and allows the user to navigate each room and position virtual devices where they are located in reality. When the setup is complete, the user can then turn devices on and off, or set them to be powered up on a fixed schedule.

Of course this Home Control software was designed to interface with an X10 control module, not the Samsung SmartThings hub that controls all of the other devices in Retro Recipes' home. Accordingly, some creativity was needed. A modern Chat64 cartridge was utilized. These cartridges contain Wi-Fi transceivers that allow users to chat in real-time with other Chat64 owners. And importantly, these cartridges also have a flashable kernel, which allowed Retro Recipes to update the software to repurpose the cartridge.

In this way, the Home Control software was able to communicate, via Wi-Fi, with the Samsung SmartThings hub. The SmartThings web application has a page that lists the device ID of each smart device in its network. And that was the crucial piece of information that allowed the Home Control software to send commands to the SmartThings hub.

To test out the idea, Retro Recipes decided to use the Commodore 64 to control a valve that shuts off the home’s main water supply. After setting it up, it was demonstrated that the flow of water to a nearby faucet was shut off after pressing a button in the Home Control software.

What advantage would one gain from using a Commodore 64 to control a modern home automation system? Well, none, to be sure. In fact, a huge amount of functionality is most certainly lost. But how could we resist those beautiful retro graphics generated by the VIC-II chip? For the retro computer aficionado, it is a hack that is well worth the time.

Be sure to watch the project video to the end — there might be a little something that is appropriate for the first day of April, if you catch my drift.