@Burningstone
With 12 sec delay it opens at 20% of the awning
3 meters is the full opening distanse. I usually need it at 25 to% in order if it is windy not to brake and if it’s raining to the table and the chairs to remain dry
Do you also open/close the awning manually sometimes or only through HA?
How do you control the awning with HA, you press a button or what?
@Burningstone
Sometimes a family member will change the position manually or me manually through HA interface (up down arrows)
Right now I have 2 automations.
1 At 0900 clock each morning move to the desired position.
2. If the wind speed is more than 35 km/h move to desired position
However most of the times it is in the desired position but I don’t have a way to inform HA that it is.
I also don’t know if there is a switch that can report its position but i can not imagine how it would.
My awning switch has a service “cover.set_cover_position” but it does not working ( I have made several tries)
I think it is also logical not to working because it doesn’t knows what for is its function. I don’t know if there is a way to declare somehow its totally opened/closed position so that it would but I don’t think this something it cone be done
The sonic distance sensors probably wouldn’t run on batteries and be useful. If you intended to put one on the end of the awning and have it tell the distance back to the wall. An RF sender would keep battery low, but it would have no way to know it moved without waking up and checking every while which would drain the batteries. I also don’t know their maximum range, but I think it’s short like 1 meter.
Is there anything that turns available on the outside of the awning gearbox?
I’m just thinking a rotary encoder glued to the end of a shaft would allow you to tell how many times it turns and gauge the distance. The awning has obviously got power, so you could tap power off it to run the device. This would give you a sensor that would tell you roughly how extended/retracted the awning is, even if someone moved it manually.
But it would require some electronics… and making them waterproof/outdoor safe.
Nice idea. I will check it when I return to home. However in every case I am sure I can not implement it by myself 
Suppose that I could although. I think you suggested something like this? Where I should attach it in order to communicate with HA?
Yea, I found this:
Which could maybe be adapted. You will no doubt be sensing how many full revolutions it makes in either direction. I’d probably also add a “Home switch” that the unit presses against when it’s fully retracted, allowing you to calibrate the rotary encoded position every time someone fully closes the awning. (Other wise it’s possible it will get out of phase/sync).
This sounds like a positional “cover”. I think you can probably implement this with espeasy + rotary encoder.
I am not sure the suitability for battery usage however - esp8266/wifi devices need special consideration for sleep etc. If you were able to add a solar panel there are some designs I saw for weatherstations using ESP8266 + lipo battery + solar.
it is very interesting but very advanced technic for me to implement.
I was looking for a ready to use device unfortunately
What about RF door sensors placed on the frame in such a way that they trigger when the awning passes them? You could put 3 of them and get closed, mid point and open signals.
I had the same idea, that’s why I asked about a wall next to the awning. Didn’t think about putting them in the framing, nice idea!
You could put the main unit on the frame and put rare earth magnets in the extending pole/glued to the fabric (providing they dont interfere with the workings)
Very nice idea!
I haven’t got any rf sensors, neither know how to implement this right now but I will try it
Can you suggest me please which rf sensors I should look for?
Look for window/door alarm sensors.
There are two types. Single code “Door Open” or “Door Closed” ONLY sensors. They will send one signal when the magnet comes close to them, or goes away from them depending on whether they are a door closed or door open sensor. The two code sensors send a code for when the magnet comes close and a different code when it goes away.
Thanks. Will take a look which one to buy and come back when they arrive
Remember that these sensors are momentary. So there will be quite a bit of logic to work out where the awning currently IS based on the last value received from the group of sensors. Although you should be able to use them in the control loop of moving them to a set location fairly easily. ie. Move awning until the right one triggers, then stop.
Another option could be a camera and some “simple” machine learning to send the distance from another location, be it a battery cam or one inside pointing to it. Just an option not a recommendation - don’t hate!
Since it is rolling back all within the casing, try to detect the thickness of the roll.
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how could I achieve that ?
Hi Paul
I’m looking for a similar solution for my covers on the outside, they are being driven by a Somfy motor, and they do have a electronical end-switch. But they don’t send any repons back to the KNX, right now i’m working with a timer to put them in some position, but that does’nt work very well.
I do have electrical power on them, but not all the time, only when the system runs.
I have a total of 14 covers to include
So any input that could help me on this would be great.
Ragards
Maurice
Anything is achievable and as I liked the problem I pitched in with solutions. There are several solutions already suggested. I don’t think this problem is difficult to solve “in theory”, but producing a reliable outdoor device that will work for years will be the hard part.
The RF door sensors are probably the easiest hardware installation. Weather proofed easily. Virtually no electronics required, save flashing the RF Bridge. They will however require more messing around with the logic side, and won’t really tell you the actual position per say. but that’s at least warm armchair work.
I like the idea of measuring how much material is on the drum suggested by @kouny mechanically a strip of metal resting against the material on the drum on a gentle spring connected to a potentiometer. As the material reels in the potentiometer moves. An ESP type device reading that potentiometer, filtering for noise and sending MQTT with the estimated actual position in realtime. It can self calibrate based on the MIN and MAX values it encounters. It has advantages, but is heavier on the electronics and weather proofing side.