The Level Pro 6 variant uses a 6 degrees of freedom IMU. Due to pin usage on the Grove connector, this variant must use the Atom Lite controller.
Hardware to Purchase
In keeping with our ideology of using off-the-shelf hardware. All ourBlackPaw Integrations are based on existing freely available hardware. You buy the hardware and we provide all the configuration files needed and an Installation Guide on how to add them to Home Assistant.
The following hardware must be purchased by yourself:
- Atom PoE Base (A091) ethernet interface
- Atom Unit Mini IMU (U095) 6 DOF inertial measurement unit
- Atom Lite (C008) ESP32 controller
If you are part of our Membership plan, then visit the 3D Enclosure collection to download the STL file if you wish to print your own enclosure. Alternatively you can visit Patreon and purchase the enclosure.
Installation Guide
Please follow these instructions to install and configure this integration.
Download Software
A Lite edition of our software is available for free to anyone on our Downloads page. Members do have access inside Patreon to a more advanced edition.
- ESPHome configuration file
Edit the file ESPHome configuration file and change the network substitutions accordingly at the top. Our integration uses a fixed IP address in the ethernet: section. Please ensure you enter an ip address which is not in your DHCP range of your router.
Flash the device
Undo the 4 screws on the enclosure if your unit is in an enclosure and connect the device via the USB C port on the controller to a laptop or desktop. Use ESPHome to generate a firmware file and then use https://web.esphome.io/ to flash the device with your new firmware.
Once flashed, disconnect the USB C port, screw the lid back on if you have an enclosure.
Mount Hardware
The enclosure has a Front, Left and Up direction printed on the lid. The configuration below assumes you follow this orientation, however if you are unable to, the configuration can be altered later to cater for an alternative orientation. The device includes a magnetic sensor and therefor must be be placed next to or close to any item with a magnet inside. We recommend the device should be mounted at least 1 metre away from anything magnetic.
Connect the device to your PoE switch using a suitable ethernet cable. Wait a minute for the device to power on and startup completely.
Add to Home Assistant
Add the ESPHome device into your Home Assistant ESPHome integration using the IP address entered in your ESPHome YAML file previously.
Check your device in Home Assistant, you should see the following new controls:
- Levelling Mode
Check your device in Home Assistant, you should see the following new sensors:
- Acceleration X
- Acceleration Y
- Acceleration Z
- Pitch
- Roll
Configure Vehicle Details
You will now need to set the values for your van dimensions, you should see 2 new helpers:
- Van Level Wheelbase CM
- Van Level Track CM
Update these to be the correct values for your van. If these are incorrect then it cannot correctly calculate the shim height required.
Configure Level Orientation
If you have installed the Level hardware in the exact orientation on the lid of the enclosure, then the default orientation is correct. If you reverse or have to mount the hardware on a vertical wall, then you will need to potentially change one or more of the following helper values:
- Van Level 6 Pro X Axis (forward)
- Van Level 6 Pro X Sign
- Van Level 6 Pro Y Axis (side)
- Van Level 6 Pro Y Sign
- Van Level 6 Pro Z Axis (up)
- Van Level 6 Pro Z Sign
If for any reason you do not have an exact perpendicular wall to the wheels or no flat surface parallel to the wheelbase, the following helpers can be used to add an offset for the installation. If your angle from upright or level is not known, then you could park on a flat level ground and then adjust these offsets until all 4 shims read 0 cm. Our dashboard will also include a automatic calibration button to do this automatically.
- Van Level 6 Pro Pitch Offset (deg)
- Van Level 6 Pro Roll Offset (deg)
Dashboard
We will be releasing a dashboard for this, it is currently being tested. We have already included the following helpers in the integration to be used by the dashboard to give greater control.
- Van Level 6 Pro Shim Tolerance (cm). This is the tolerance at which the dashboard accepts the level. The level is not required exactly. If you are only a couple of centimetres out, who cares.
We will release the dashboard soon !
