I am trying something new out with this post; some mix of hardware teardown and a brief product review.

Why

I was looking for a way to actuate some heavy blackout curtains.

There have been several DIY projects out there that manipulate curtains but they all appear to be relatively involved as they are often designed for a very specific type of curtain; servos that fit on the ’tilt rod’ or motors that can manipulate the pull chain… etc.

Surfacing the right information at the right time in the right place is a difficult but essential task for any credible automation system.

I have been experimenting with the concept of a Home Assistant powered KDS for a few years now and have found that the refrigerator happens to be an especially good place to surface some information and device controls.