Desk

Abstract

1. Introduction

A while ago I bought a height-adjustable desk. It was supposed to make my often long hours sitting in front of my computer programming things a little bit healthier by allowing me to get up and stand from time to time. However, this really only lasted a couple of weeks until I almost forgot that I could change my desk's height.

Then, a couple of months ago I got the idea that the only way for me to stand up would be if my desk would force me to do it. I thought about ways to automate my desk's electronics and did some research. Luckily, someone has already been experimenting with this idea and a very similar desk, too. That person also managed to analyze the protocol between the manual hand switch and the motor controller with the help of some electrical engineers.

With this I went ahead and started building the devices and software necessary to make my desk controllable using Apple's HomeKit framework. That way I could set up scenes and automatically trigger them, for example changing my desk's position every two hours.

2. Objective

:arrow_up_down: A height-adjustable desk controlled by Siri using Homekit

This project demonstrates how C++, Arduino can be applied to a real-world Internet of Things (IoT) problem.

3. Key Features / Modules

• Get the Arduino IDE.
• Connect your Arduino Micro to your computer.
• Put the DeskControl.ino firmware onto your Arduino.

4. Technology Stack

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

• Arduino IDE / PlatformIO or a C++ compiler (g++)
• Target board (e.g. Arduino, ESP32) where applicable
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/davidknezic/desk.git
cd desk

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

• Add a mobile dashboard using Blynk or Firebase
• Store readings in a cloud database for history charts
• Add alerts via SMS / Telegram when thresholds are crossed

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

1. Which microcontroller / board and sensors are used and why?
2. How does the device send data (Wi-Fi, MQTT, HTTP, Bluetooth)?
3. Where is the sensor data stored and visualised?
4. How is power consumption managed?
5. How would you secure the device and its communication?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by davidknezic and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.