Used TSOP38238 IR receiver hooked up to Pi Pico to sniff the IR packets sent by the remote control (see table). Managed to jerryrig another TSAL6200 IR LED to control the AC unit as well, but I needed roughly a 50% duty cycle and a very low resistance to get the same "range" as the stock remote. I used the night vision mode on my phone to see IR flashing and debug the circuit. I will devise a circuit schematic, box, and additional software this week to make this a WiFi-enabled controller where you can send custom packets.
Got a working, but slow, prototype. It does completely pinch the valve shut. 
Designed a closed pinch valve prototype. 
Got driver board and code working to drive the actuator 1 screw revolution forward and back (1.4 mm total). Need to install the longer screw to get up to the necessary 8-10mm. For reference it's around 4096 steps per revolution in half step mode, and the M4 thread is 0.7mm pitch, so roughly 40000 steps to drive 7mm of motion. 
Designed and printed 2 iterations of this short stroke linear actuator that uses an M4 screw, a T slot nut and a stepper motor, but the stroke on this is currently only 2mm, which is not enough to pinch the silicone tubing, and it needs some chassis that contains the tubing as well. 
Printed molds and casted silicone gaskets for the water reservoir nipples. 
Wrote test code to sweep servo motion. See video.
Designed and printed 2 joints for furring strips. These have several planned uses. 
Designed a dock for an Apple Watch charging dongle. It mounts to the 1-inch thick headboard of a bedframe. 
Designed and printed a window crank. It took 2 iterations of the adapter to get it correct. This sets the stage for an automated window control unit. 
