Arduino Attic Fan Control with Nextion Touch Screen GUI // Tutorial Part 1 - Hardware and Wiring

In this two-part tutorial I will show you how to build and install an Arduino controlled attic fan with a Nextion 2.8” touch screen display (GUI) for relatively low cost. I will explain why installing an Arduino controlled A/C fan could actually save you money on your air conditioning bill. I will also explain why an Arduino controlled fan using multiple DS18B20 temperature sensors makes much more sense than simply using a thermostat. To summarize, there will be times when you want your attic fan to be off and the thermostat will keep it running. There will be times when you want your attic fan on and the thermostat will shut it off. By scrapping the thermostat and using an Arduino, you can use your attic fan more efficiently. Also, by installing a Nextion touch screen control in your house, you can easily change settings on the Arduino and shut your fan off during the winter.
Part 1 of this tutorial covers the selection and installation of an A/C fan, how to use a UL listed (safe for home use) home automation relay with the Arduino, the theory behind attic fans and all the wiring for both the A/C and D/C systems. Part 2 of this tutorial will dive into the programming of both the Arduino fan control software and the Nextion touch screen GUI software.
This is my first project using a Nextion touch screen. I have to say that I am already a big fan. The Nextion software is very intuitive. After just a few tutorials I had made a nice looking and very functional GUI. Then Nextion communicates directly with the Arduino via serial communication. I noticed that many people rely on the Nextion libraries. To be honest, the libraries look more complicated. I simply used my own serial commands and things worked out great.
The following are affiliate links for products that I use in this video. Purchases through these links will result in no increase in price for you, but may result in a small commission for me. These commissions will help me continue to make informative and entertaining videos such as this one. Thank you for your support and thanks for watching!
Broan 353 Attic Fan: ebay.to/33a16j8
Functional Devices Relay RIBTE01B: ebay.to/3jTwfOK
Nextion 2.8” Touch Screen Display: ebay.to/2R5sF7S
Arduino Nano Breakout Board: ebay.to/2F9k6pP
Arduino Nano: ebay.to/2Fb51nU
Other links you may find helpful for this project:
3 Great Arduino Temperature Sensors // LM34, DS18B20, and DS3231 Real Time Clock • 3 Great Arduino Temper...
Arduino Fan Control // 2-Wire, 3-Wire, and 4-Wire CPU Fans • Arduino Fan Control //...
Join Science Fun on Facebook @ / sciencefun4u

[@DS-jq6ci]

Great video man! I'm doing a green house fan and your videos are a great resource!

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!

[@livnenir]

Well done:) getting close to 1,000 subscribers and you still have 3 months to go! Good luck:)

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

Fingers crossed!

[@jagosjovanovic5725]

Great video! I love the way you show your steps. I am curious what program you use to draw up your electrical schematics? It looks perfectly simple yet capable

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

It is a really old program called SmartSketch. I'm sure there are better ones out there.

[@Drxxx]

Good video, i like it!

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

I'm glad you like it!

[@RD-ni7qe]

@4:30 what is the purpose of the Nextion library in Arduino? What can the library do that you can't 'already' do without the library?

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

You definitely don't need the library if you can understand the Nextion commands and how to format them. The library does some of the text formatting for you and has its own set of commands. So either you have to learn the library commands, or in my case just learn the Nextion commands. The library could be useful if sending tons of data to the Nextion, but you could also write your own subroutines for that. I find that I learn more when not using other's libraries. Also, not using libraries can save you memory.

[@sid6066]

Nice video, seems like it would be simple to add code to control a multi-speed fan that I have noticed that most fans are have that ability ?

[@ScienceFunInnovations]

Correct. A/C fans only have variable speed when used with a frequency drive (expensive). You could use a fan that had two or three speeds, but then you would need 2 or 3 relays.