This article provides you with an overview and links of all articles published around the Bellfire fireplace (Mertik Maxitrol controller) project that was presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020.
Although this solution is presented around Home Assistant you can easily use the same solution in OpenHab, Domoticz or any other open home automation platform.
Slides
View Automate Everything! How to make your stupid device smart on Notist.
Introduction articles
- Ways to make dumb devices smart
- Introducing Relays
- Introducing ESPHome
- Introducing ESP boards
- How it all works together
The steps
- Step 1: Install ESPHome in Home Assistant and create first Node
- Step 2: Flash ESP chip with ESPHome node firmware
- Step 3: Wiring the ESP to the relay
- Step 4: Configure ESPHome to control the relays from Home Assistant
- Step 5: Wire the relays to the fireplace
- Step 6: Add support for controlling fire height and centerfire
Shopping list
- The ESPboard: ESP8266 board or ESP32 if you also want to use Bluetooth features on AliExpress.com, Banggood, Amazon
- The 4 channel relay board. Make sure you select the 5V version The relay: 5v relay board AliExpress.com or Banggood, Amazon
- If you don’t want to solder order:
– Mini breadboards AliExpress.com or Banggood
– Dupont cables male-female AliExpress.com or Banggood
Optional tools
Hi Pieter,
Can you share the info for the fireplace controller? Or link?
For the enthousiasts like me, we still need to integrate flame up/down using the controller inputs.
Hi Stijn,
The Fireplace controller is Mertik Maxitrol, it is part of the fireplace. The information about the options is very limited. I found the initial information with loads of Google.
I haven’t find the time to implement the flame up/down in ESPHome. I’ve had it working, including the second burner with ESPeasy before. We should be able to deduct it from the ESPeasy rules. I just published the copy of ESPeasy rules. Please share your questions or solutions so I can update the ESPhome configuration.
Hey Stijn, I just wrote the article that includes the configuration for support for flame up/down and center fire:
https://www.pieterbrinkman.com/2021/03/22/adding-centerfire-increase-and-decrease-to-your-smart-bellfire-fireplace-solution/
Well you can find some wiring schemes for the controller and the “dumb” remote control (which is what you are emulating here) but no clue on the buttons to be pressed.
Thank you for figuring this out and saving us a lot of time!
I’m looking forward to your Lovelace config 🙂
Not completely sure if I understand your question. Are you using Home Assistant and the ESPhome solution that I described in this solution? If so the switches defined in ESP home should show up; fireplace on/off , Fireplace_centerfire, increase and decrease fire.
Not sure if that is where you are referring to with the ‘buttons’. If you’re looking for a physicals button solutions, you should wire those a buttons to the ESP and extend the ESPhome confige to execute the correct sequence of the relays after pressing the button, using the mappings from this solution. You need to have a controller in the middle to handle the timing, otherwise you need to manual press one or two buttons together and release them in exact one or two seconds to activate the fireplace.
Here’s my lovelace for the fireplace, it uses a entity card and a conditional card to a only show the controls when the fireplace is on.
cards:
– entities:
– entity: switch.fireplace_ignition
name: aan/uit
show_header_toggle: false
title: Openhaard
type: entities
– card:
entities:
– entity: switch.fireplace_centerfire
– entity: switch.fireplace_increase
– entity: switch.fireplace_decrease
show_header_toggle: false
type: entities
conditions:
– entity: switch.fireplace_ignition
state: ‘on’
type: conditional
type: vertical-stack
If I have some more time I’ll explain it in a post.
Nice article! I have done the same with LC Relay X4 ESP-01 flashed with tasmota.
I was wondering if you found any way to get status, if possible I want to get status update if my kid turn on the fireplace using the RF remote.
I don’t think you can get the status of the controller. There are no output pins available. The only solution I can think of is replacing your remote and control all interaction of the fireplace remote using your home automation software, e.g. HomeAssistant