Hi all
Seeking electronics expertise (when it comes to making I'm better at wood!).
A few years ago we pushed the boat out while completing an "extension extension" and re-roof project by adding electrically operated between-glass blinds with solar-charged blind controllers to the windows. The controllers are starting to fail, mostly battery or charging circuit issues and without them the blinds don't work. I'd be not too bothered, except the manufacturer and their distributors are charging an eye-watering £135 for a replacement unit and the units are kind of flaky in use (need resetting often, which is done by plugging them to a (any) USB charger). The units consist of a USB charging port (for when the solar isn't enough to keep them charged), a 5 point connector and 2 touch sensitive areas with LED back lights, and a simple RF remote control, powered by a small battery (3.7V, 2700mAh). The most complex element is the ability to program (via reset and counting light flashes etc.) the units to respond to 99 different channels on the remote - I can imagine a commercial setup where that might be useful, or if you have the functionality in every room (though 99 is a lot of rooms...) but in practice we use the controller to raise/lower all the blinds at once, so only use one channel
So the questions... how practical would it be to reproduce this functionality, with a similar physical form factor so they can attach to the window mounts (which are wired to the motors inside the window and the tiny solar panels on the outside), in part (no RF or simple RF controls all units) or in whole (99 channels does seem excessive...)? Given the price being charged for replacements, it might be feasible to replace the window mount and solar panel if that makes it more practical (requires popping the window from the frame but that's not a lot of work for someone who knows double glazing).
At a simpler level, how easy is it likely to be to source suitably shaped batteries to replace battery units?
All input welcome and if you need more info to provide better input please don't hesitate to request it.
Cheers
Chris