Daylight Control: Automatic Window Curtains

The Window Curtain Automation project brings luxury smart home features to your standard window treatments. Imagine waking up as your curtains slowly, silently glide open to let in the morning sun, and automatically closing at night for privacy.

Stepper Motors for Precision

While DC motors are fast, they are hard to control accurately. This project uses a Stepper Motor (like the 28BYJ-48 or NEMA 17).

• Steps: Stepper motors rotate in exact increments (e.g., 1.8 degrees per step).
• The Logic: The Arduino counts exactly how many steps are needed to travel from "Fully Closed" to "Fully Open." This ensures the curtains never crash into the wall or bunch up forcefully.

Modes of Operation

1. Light Sensing: An LDR (Photoresistor) placed against the window glass tells the Arduino when the sun has risen (Trigger Open) or set (Trigger Close).
2. Time Based: Using an RTC (Real-Time Clock), you can schedule the curtains to open exactly at 7:00 AM.
3. Manual Override: Physical push buttons (or an IR remote) let you adjust them manually.

Hardware Components

• Arduino Uno: The brain.
• Stepper Motor & Driver Board (ULN2003 or A4988): For precise pulling power.
• Timing Belt and Pulleys: The mechanical linkage to drag the curtain rings.
• LDR / Photoresistor: For light sensing.

The Mechanical Challenge

The true challenge of this project isn't the code; it's the mechanical mounting. You will learn about tensioners, 3D printed brackets, and converting rotational motion into linear motion.