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MAKE ORDINARY BLINDS SMART FOR UNDER 15 POUNDS

Motorise the blinds you already have for under £15 per blind with a Wemos D1 Mini, a 28BYJ-48 stepper and a 3D-printed spooler that pulls the tilt cord.

by Lewis Barclay

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

HomeAutomation

Built withESP82663D printing

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
GPL-3.0
repo
repo ACTIVE8 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a clean ESPHome project for someone who already runs Home Assistant and wants a first hardware build that delivers immediate value. A Wemos D1 Mini drives a 28BYJ-48 stepper through an A4988 driver, an LM2596 buck converter turns the 12 V supply into 5 V for the D1 Mini, and everything fits inside the blind. The stepper turns a 3D-printed spooler that winds the blind's tilt cord, so it tilts the slats; it does not raise or lower the blind. The author tried turning the main shaft directly first, but it was too stiff for the motor. The 28BYJ-48 is driven as a bipolar motor for more torque, and the guide links a separate write-up on how. The thing most likely to need patience is fitting the spooler with the right cord length and calibrating the open and close step targets. The ESPHome config is short, so you can adapt the targets and speed without guessing. If you have never used ESPHome, start with a simpler sensor project first; if you have, this is a weekend build that works.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —The 3D-printed spooler STL is on Thingiverse (linked from the guide), not in the GitHub repository.
  • —The ESPHome YAML config is in the repository (GPL-3.0).
  • —The written guide with full parts list is on everythingsmarthome.co.uk (published 7 July 2020).
  • —The wiring schematic is in the written guide, not in the repository.
  • —The repository's GPL-3.0 licence covers the YAML and permits commercial use, as long as shared changes stay under the same licence.
  • —The repository has not been updated since 3 July 2020.

Parts to buy

8 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Wemos D1 Mini (or any ESP8266)Find
  • 28BYJ-48 stepper motorFind
  • A4988 stepper driverFind
  • LM2596 buck converterFind
  • 12 V DC power supply (1.2 A or more)Find
  • Female barrel jack with terminalsFind
  • 2 × M4 × 25 mm bolts and nutsFind
  • Wire (the author used spare CAT5e)Find

Can I build this?

PrintOne spooler per blind (STL on Thingiverse, linked from the guide), printed with supports.
BuyWemos D1 Mini (or any ESP8266), 28BYJ-48 stepper motor, A4988 stepper driver, LM2596 buck converter, 12 V DC power supply (1.2 A or more), female barrel jack with terminals, 2 × M4 × 25 mm bolts and nuts, wire (the author used spare CAT5e).
ToolsSoldering iron, 3D printer (or a print service), drill with a 4 mm bit for the motor bolts, small screwdriver, wire strippers, multimeter recommended, Home Assistant instance on the same network.
SkillsIntermediate — you need working ESPHome and Home Assistant knowledge, basic soldering, and the patience to modify the stepper motor and align the cord spooler. First-time ESPHome users will struggle.
TimeA weekend. The guide calls the stepper modification a two-minute job; most of the time goes into removing the blind, fitting the spooler with the right cord length and calibrating the step targets.
Cost$$ — under £15 / $18 per blind, according to the guide.
SafetyLow voltage inside the blind (12 V from a plug-in power supply). Take care when drilling the blind and, if you do the optional motor trace cut, with the craft knife. If the blind is metal, box the electronics so nothing shorts.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

DIY Motorized Smart Blinds | Home Assistant & ESPHome | Everything Smart Home9:03

Build video by Everything Smart Home, embedded in the written guide; the description lists the parts and links the spooler and the stepper modification guide.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the written guide on everythingsmarthome.co.uk for the full parts list and wiring schematic. (The guide was published 7 July 2020 — parts availability may have shifted.)
  2. 2.Download the spooler STL from Thingiverse and print it with supports. (The spooler winds the blind's tilt cord; the motor has nothing to turn without it.)
  3. 3.Convert the 28BYJ-48 to bipolar drive for the A4988, following the linked modification guide. (The guide drives the motor from an A4988 for more torque and speed; set the current limit to around 250 mA.)
  4. 4.Clone the repository and copy blind.yaml into your ESPHome configuration directory. (Edit the YAML to match your network credentials and pin assignments.)
  5. 5.Refit the blind, add the device in Home Assistant and calibrate the open and close targets. (The default open target is 6000 steps and the close target is 0; adjust them until the slats stop where you want.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The author first tried turning the blind's main shaft directly, but it was too stiff for the 28BYJ-48; the working method winds the tilt cord on a spooler instead, so check your blind has a tilt cord you can route inside.
  • Set the A4988 current limit before running the motor; the guide says to limit it to around 250 mA.
  • The stock 28BYJ-48 struggled with sticking points in the author's blind, so the guide drives it as a bipolar motor from an A4988. He found it also worked without cutting the motor's PCB trace, and shows the cut in case yours does not.
  • The spooler STL is on Thingiverse (thing 4527459), not in the GitHub repository, and it needs to be printed with supports.
  • ESPHome and Home Assistant should already be running; the guide installs ESPHome through the Home Assistant add-on and does not cover setting up Home Assistant itself.
  • The GitHub repository holds only the YAML. The wiring schematic is in the written guide: bridge SLEEP and RESET on the A4988, check the A1/A2 and B1/B2 coil orientation, and box the electronics if your blind is metal so nothing shorts.

Can this lift the blind up and down, or just tilt the slats?

Tilt only. The 3D-printed spooler winds the blind's tilt cord in either direction, so it opens and closes the slats; it does not raise or lower the blind.

Will it work with roller blinds or vertical blinds?

The guide covers a blind whose slats are tilted by a pull cord, which the spooler winds. It does not cover roller or vertical blinds, so check that your blind has a tilt cord you can route inside its top channel before buying parts.

Do I need Home Assistant, or can I use it standalone?

The guide is written for Home Assistant, but the config also enables ESPHome's built-in web server on port 80, and the author notes you could use MQTT or Tasmota instead to make it platform-free.

The repository has not been updated since 2020 — does it still work?

The hardware approach still applies, but the 2020 YAML uses older ESPHome syntax (for example `platform: ESP8266` under `esphome:` and `services:` under `api:`), which newer ESPHome releases write differently, so plan to update the config.

How do I set how far it tilts?

Calibrate the step targets in the YAML: the open action moves to 6000 steps and the close action to 0. Raise or lower the open target until the blind opens to the position you want; the device assumes the blind is closed when it boots.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The guide suggests automations like opening the blind gradually over 15 minutes to wake you up or following the sun. Which one would you set up first?

CompareeTEAM4d ago

Practical notes from our verification: the repository is minimal (a README, the ESPHome YAML and the licence), so the real documentation is the written guide on everythingsmarthome.co.uk, which has the parts list, wiring schematic and calibration steps, plus the video. The spooler STL is on Thingiverse, linked from the guide. The repository has not been updated since July 2020, so expect to modernise the YAML for a current ESPHome release. The single biggest question is whether your blind has a tilt cord you can route to the spooler.

Lewis Barclay

Lewis Barclay runs Everything Smart Home, a blog and YouTube channel about Home Assistant and ESPHome projects. He published this motorised blinds guide on 7 July 2020; according to the guide, it was also his first video.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

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  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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