Loriowar / festool_ct-f_im_handler

Description and handling of Festool CT-F I/M-Set receiver commands

Festool CT-F I/M handler

Description of Festool CT-F I/M Set (button + receiver, item number 202097) commands. Plus Arduino firmware to convert receiver commands into more friendly digital output.

Use cases

• Use an original Festool Button and receiver to manipulate any kind of devices, not only other Festool equipment.
• Improve a Festool devices like vacuum CTL SYS (220V version) to get the same remove control as exists in the battery variation.

Similar projects

• Here is a good project with applying CT-F I/M to any vacuum.
• And here is remote control for Festool CTL SYS vacuum.

Hard logic implementation

More about such approach you can find in a separate doc within the repo. Also there are references to other variants of the device.

How to assemble and get it works?

• Upload firmware to Arduino.
• Attach Festool receive to Arduino D4 (mid wire on the receiver). You can use 5V from Arduino to power the receiver (lowest receiver wire is ground, uppest +5V).
• Optional, add pull-down resistor (10kOm) to D4.
• Attach any action/control device to D8. For example, Arduino relay or logical MOSFET with you custom load.
• Attach 8-12V to Arduino Vin.
• Pair button and receiver.
• Push green Festool button and enjoy!

How it works?

It reads data from Festool receiver (D4 port), convert it into command code (see the codes description below) and set D8 accordion to the command.

After power-on D8 has low level. In case of receiving 0x177F it sets high level on D8. And in case of 0x17CA command it set low on D8. All other commands are ignored.

Hardware

Just an Arduino Nano.

Software

Arduino firmware can be found in the repo.

Pins description

• D4 - input data from the receiver.
• D8 - output data.
• D13 (led) - duplicates a D8 status.

Receiver data protocol

Here is a good explanation of the data protocol together with a serial trace. Below you can find more details about the protocol. It was collected using the mentioned Arduino firmware (see commented debug code in the firmware).

Receiver messages

NOTE: there might be wrong parsing and/or wrong bits order. All below data taken from only one Festool buttion+receiver pair. Please, verify the commands on your device before usage.

~600ms after power on

Received value hex (bin) = 47 (1000111)

Then, after each button click

Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B7FFF (1110110111111111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)

Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B7FFF (1110110111111111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)

Zero messages are artifacts of the parsing. You can ignor it.

Different set of messages has different delay between messages within the set (from ~50ms to hundreds ms).

Fast double click might generate one additional message 0x2FF:

// double click
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)

// click
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

// double click
Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B7FFF (1110110111111111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

// double click
Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B7FFF (1110110111111111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)

// click
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

// double click
Received value hex (bin) = 17CA (1011111001010)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B7FFF (1110110111111111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 0 (0)
Received value hex (bin) = 2FF (1011111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3BFF (11101111111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)
Received value hex (bin) = 3B00 (11101100000000)
Received value hex (bin) = 177F (1011101111111)

Found commands

• 0x47 - on receiver power on
• 0x177F - start
• 0x17CA - stop
• 0x3B00 - to full speed?
• 0x3B7FFF - reduce speed with rate?
• 0x3BFF - reduce speed to zero?
• 0x2FF - unknown (between reduce speed with rate and reduce speed to zero)
• 0x17CA - unknown