Web Enabled Time/Temp/Humidity and I/O Controller
Robert Green
more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
consumption in real time.
I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair because
I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like temperature
remotely in both groups. I was first alerted to the product in a thread
about USB home control in CHA. In that thread:
_USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
Marc Hult recommended this device instead as a much more practical way to
"communicate" with your house remotely than USB devices connected to a PC.
It took me a while to find the secret URL and I don't give cainetworks an A+
for website design - this product doesn't even show up on their "Product
List." They seem to be a server load balancing company and I would guess
they built this thing for themselves as a service tool and then began to
realize it had other applications.
I have no interest in the company, other than as a customer and it's too
early to tell whether I am a happy customer or not!
WebControl interests me for a number of reasons: it can automagically send
emails to a PC or a cell phone when a looked-for condition occurs, assuming
you've got a constant internet connection. This condition could be a
furnace failure, an out-of-bounds temperature, water on the floor or any
number of other events that can sensed electronically.
It's got plenty of inputs - it can accommodate a Honeywell humidity sensor,
up to eight Maxim DS1822 /DS18B20 12bit 1 wire temperature sensors, eight
digital inputs, three analog inputs and 20 different timers. It seems from
my Google searches that these are popular with cigar lovers (to keep their
treasures at constant temps and humidity) and in-home horticulturists
growing various "herbs."
My first project will be a sensing project, too: I'm hoping to use it to
continually monitor how much power the whole house uses in real-time. I've
read about a number of test projects using "smart meters" and they all
pretty much say the same thing: People who know how much power they are
using at any one moment will end up reducing their average monthly
consumption.
I've got some tiny current sensors that I will attach to the main power
feeds to the circuit panel, hopefully so artfully that an inspector might
never notice they're there. (Yes, I know the evils of mixing high and low
voltage gear and I don't recommend anyone but an insane person with total
contempt for life and the law even contemplate copying my actions!)
These tiny (1/4" sq.) Hall-Effect (HE) sensors generate a small electric
current proportional (well, proportional enough for me) to the current
flowing into the house from the main feeders. This unit should enable me to
see the current current use from any PC on the home network. I should even
be able to rig up an LED bargraph display that shows the real-time power
consumption of the house with another $2 worth of parts.
The unit has three 3 1023 bit analog inputs (0-10v) that should be able to
accurately measure the HE sensor voltage level and take an action (light a
bargraph LED, ring a chime, etc) when the voltage becomes greater than a
pre-determined level. Perhaps the hardest part is going to be accurately
matching the output level of the sensor to the actual home electrical power
consumed. If I can't get a helper with a walkie talkie, I can temporarily
mount a wireless CCTV cam outside pointing at the electric meter so I can
tabulate meter readings and how they correspond to the sensor output as I
add more and more loads. I will start with all the breakers off, but with
lights, etc. left on so that as I flip each breaker on, the load increases.
That way I should have a scale that gives me a pretty good idea of the juice
flowing through the circuit panel.
I'm going to make notes as I go along, paying particular attention to the
level of technical skill required to implement it. I'm afraid it's going to
be high enough to make it a techie-only solution. But looking through the
manual
http://www.cainetworks.com/manuals/webcontrol/WebControlUserGuide2-03-00.pdf
gives me at least a little hope that this unit may be simple enough that
with a little advice, a fairly low-tech user could implement a simple system
that could, for example, send them an email if their freezer or refrigerator
temperature rises out of the food safety zone. Ironically, that's why I
ordered the board (my fridge tripped the GFCI) but once I read the manual
and the specs, I realized it would probably make a good and cheap whole
house power monitor.
Previously, devices like this cost close to $200, so to my mind it's a great
bargain.
The part that I haven't quite figured out about whole house power monitoring
is this: What's the best way to notify residents that the house is burning
kilowatts without being so intrusive that they'll just shut it off? There
has to be some sort of override, too, because there will be some days in the
dead of a very cold winter that the consumption will peak.
--
Bobby G.
Jim Hewitt
"Robert Green" <robert_g...@yah00.com> wrote in message
news:hcegpi$a9m$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Wow, it does look really good - for lots of things. You never did say the
price nor does their web siet. What is the single unit price?
Jim
Jim Hewitt
"Jim Hewitt" <jim.h...@spamless.hp.com> wrote in message
news:hcfe5s$k7p$1...@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
>
> Wow, it does look really good - for lots of things. You never did say the
> price nor does their web siet. What is the single unit price?
http://cgi.ebay.com/WebControl-timer-temperature-humidity-I-O-controller_W0QQitemZ270285035585QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3eee3e5841
They want $49.84 plus about $10 for UPS in US.
Interesting.
Now to convince the wife that we need one...
Jim
Christopher Glaeser
It's $35 on Amazon. See
http://www.amazon.com/Webcontrol-Universal-Temperature-Humidity-Controller/dp/B001H4JXLU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1256934741&sr=8-1
Best,
Christopher
Christopher Glaeser
shipped. Looking forward to playing with this device.
Best,
Christopher
Robert Green
news:1eSdnTskeLo87HbX...@giganews.com...
Me too! At $35 apiece, it's quite a deal. Especially considering the cost
and complexity of other web-smart home control devices out there that run in
the multi-hundred dollar range.
So far, I've got three different projects in mind for the two units I have:
1) Whole house power use tracking,
2) home monitoring and remote reporting (i.e. emailing my cellphone if the
the fridge blows a fuse or if the GFCI trips) and
3) a way to help my hard-of-hearing friend hear smoke alarms and doorbells
and phones ringing since my first attempt at a solution didn't work as well
as I had hoped.
As some in AHR might recall, after discovering my elderly friend couldn't
hear the typical high-pitched smoke alarm, I got him a one of the few low
frequency smoke alarms out on the market. What I didn't discover until
recently was that he spends most of his time wearing full cup, noise
cancelling headphones because he has such a hard time hearing the TV if
there's any background noise!!!!
With the web-control unit I am hoping to tie into the alarm sounder so that
if it goes off, the device will send me and others an email and will also
activate a "bass shaker" or some other sort of vibrational alert that I'll
put under his easy chair, where he spends most of his time recovering from
two TKRs (total knee replacements). I may also investigate creating a
little box to plug in between the headphones and his TV headphone jack that
will switch off the program sound track and switch in an alarm sound when
the device detects the smoke alarm, the doorbell or the phone has sounded.
I didn't order the chassis, partly because it costs almost half of what the
unit does! So I've been looking around for something to mount the board in.
I've found it fits perfectly in the clear plastic flip-top cases I've been
storing 3.5" floppies in, thus saving $15 for the case they sell (but
*don't* list on the Amazon site for some odd reason). As an added bonus,
I've cleaned out all the old floppies in my collection like Windows 3.1 and
Microsoft flight simulator. (-" Out with the old junk, in with the new!
I also discovered that the 16 pin IDC (insulation displacement connector)
the unit uses to access its analog and other ports is exactly the same size
as that long forgotten connector used to connect joystick ports to PC
motherboards (long before USB came along). It's so nice when my junk bin
yields up just what I need! It validates my packrat way of life. I
suggested to the vendor that they might want to make such additional parts
(and a suitable power supply) available for purchase directly from them,
rather then sending them off to Digikey or Mouser for the missing puzzle
piece.
I've unfortunately had to postpone my futzing around with the unit until the
leaves covering the front and back lawns disappear. (-: More to come! -
Eventually.
--
Bobby G.
Robert Green
Thanks, Chris. I edited and re-edited the message so many times that I
somehow lost the Amazon URL. D'oh!
--
Bobby G.
in2dadark
> There no doubt that houses are getting "smarter" all the time. More and
> more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
> controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
> consumption in real time.
>
> I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
> functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
> powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
>
> http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
>
> I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair because
> I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like temperature
> remotely in both groups. I was first alerted to the product in a thread
> about USB home control in CHA. In that thread:
>
> _USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
>
>
> gives me at least a little hope that this unit may be simple enough that
> with a little advice, a fairly low-tech user could implement a simple system
> that could, for example, send them an email if their freezer or refrigerator
> temperature rises out of the food safety zone. Ironically, that's why I
> ordered the board (my fridge tripped the GFCI) but once I read the manual
> and the specs, I realized it would probably make a good and cheap whole
> house power monitor.
>
> Previously, devices like this cost close to $200, so to my mind it's a great
> bargain.
>
> The part that I haven't quite figured out about whole house power monitoring
> is this: What's the best way to notify residents that the house is burning
> kilowatts without being so intrusive that they'll just shut it off? There
> has to be some sort of override, too, because there will be some days in the
> dead of a very cold winter that the consumption will peak.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
Anyway I can use it to monitor a vacation home 1200 miles away? I'm
not sure what this unit does.
Christopher Glaeser
> not sure what this unit does.
Yes, if the home is connected to the internet you could monitor it from a
browser virtually anywhere. However, you will need some hardware and
software experience. If you are not quite sure what this unit does based on
the posted description, then this may not be a good project for you.
Best,
Christopher
Robert Green
Agreed. Thanks for fielding that question for me, Christopher. It's not
for someone who's not comfortable with soldering or circuit diagrams. As
you point out, you'd need some way to get to the internet to use it to
monitor your house remotely. An alternative I'm exploring is using an old
laptop PC and a modem or a electronic phone dialer to have the machine
dial-out using a plain old telephone line, which many second or vacation
homes have. Probably more of those kinds of homes have "always on"
telephone lines than "always" on internet connections.
But I'm not keen on a monitoring system that's got to establish a link v.
one that's got an internet link always available. I think reliability would
be too low. Another consideration is backup power. The device draws very
little standby current, and could easily be solar powered, but to be
effective, all other devices in the access chain have to be battery-backed.
The unit is best-suited for a tinkerer with some internet smarts, some
electronic smarts and a monitoring need. If you're not that kind of person,
I believe devices like the Sensaphone are a better fit:
http://www.sensaphone.com/sensaphone_400.php
Of course, when you find out what they sell for (or similar systems) you'll
realize why at least some of the gadgeteers among us are so thrilled to find
the "platform" for building your own version of the Sensaphone for $34.95.
Well, at least this gadgethead is.
The best way to think about the unit is as a tiny webserver that keeps track
of different conditions in the house and can take actions when those
conditions change or when a certain time has been reached or when a set
period of time has expired. The fact that it's network-enabled means that
you can buy incredibly cheap network hubs and connect the units to the
outside world or your home PCs without have to run busloads of sensor cables
all over the place.
I believe with the right (fairly cheap) gear, it will even run on a wireless
network and could be used to monitor an outbuilding's vitals without running
cable. One simple PC, netbook or smartphone could then use a browser and a
set of bookmarks to monitor each device on the net.
If my plans work out, I'll be able to access my network remotely and see the
current temps, humidity, alarm status, current power readings for the whole
house whenever I chose and have the unit send my phone an email when some
critical condition goes out of bounds.
For example, in the laundry room I want to monitor whether something's
fallen in the sink and had blocked the drain which would cause it to
overflow from running the clothes washer. I'd also want to measure the air
temperature in the dryer vent duct to make sure it wasn't too hot - an
indication of a blocked vent (we've got birds that are *determined* to nest
in there every spring. They've even pecked away wire screening to get in.
I'm even thinking of monitoring the washer so that clothes can presoak in
warm water for as long as the water is hotter than the ambient air. That
way, I wouldn't be tossing hot water down the drain until I'd squeezed some
of the BTUs it took to heat it back into the laundry room. I can also
monitor the floor drain to make sure it's not backing up, keep track of the
level in the sump pump and maybe even monitor the furnace and water heater
temperatures, too, to make sure they stay within bounds.
I think there's potential if a broad enough user community develops to reach
a broader audience as "pioneers" develop applications they are willing to
document well enough for less-capable readers to follow. As it stands,
there aren't many examples (one, I think) on their site to make it anything
but geek accessible. There's also the possibility of solderheads using this
board as the basis for project they could "kit out" and sell with all the
components pre-assembled and the steps carefully documented.
With that in mind, I am going to proceed slowly and write up and photograph
my projects as I create them since it's bound to make it easier for the next
person attempting to do something similar.
--
Bobby G.
Robert Green
> >
> > Wow, it does look really good - for lots of things. You never did say
the
> > price nor does their web siet. What is the single unit price?
>
>
http://cgi.ebay.com/WebControl-timer-temperature-humidity-I-O-controller_W0QQitemZ270285035585QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3eee3e5841
> They want $49.84 plus about $10 for UPS in US.
>
> Interesting.
>
> Now to convince the wife that we need one...
>
> Jim
Here's a reason, they're only $34.95 at Amazon and if you select supersaver
shipping, the shipping is FREE (although Amazon somehow got me by charging
$6 shipping on a $.99 cable - still not sure how that happened). I wouldn't
even mention it to the wife. Mine said: "The only device I will gladly
approve purchase of is a device that prevents you from buying any more
devices!"
There has to be *some* problem around your home, Jim, that you can be
automate using one of these. I noticed on their website some guy has
already figured out how to use his Iphone to communicate with his house.
While I have a number of other microcontrollers, this one's the only one
that's web-aware out of the box and that's a big plus in this day and age.
It's hard to believe how much the net has changed in 10 years. Twenty years
ago "net surfing" meant 2400/9600BPS modems, multi-line phone BBB's, DOS,
SysOps and FidoNet.
(I *still* can't believe I left the Amazon URL out of the first post.)
<http://www.amazon.com/Webcontrol-Universal-Temperature-Humidity-Controller/
dp/B001H4JXLU>
--
Bobby G.
RickH
> There no doubt that houses are getting "smarter" all the time. More and
> more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
> controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
> consumption in real time.
>
> I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
> functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
> powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
>
> http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
>
> I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair because
> I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like temperature
> remotely in both groups. I was first alerted to the product in a thread
> about USB home control in CHA. In that thread:
>
> _USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
>
>
> gives me at least a little hope that this unit may be simple enough that
> with a little advice, a fairly low-tech user could implement a simple system
> that could, for example, send them an email if their freezer or refrigerator
> temperature rises out of the food safety zone. Ironically, that's why I
> ordered the board (my fridge tripped the GFCI) but once I read the manual
> and the specs, I realized it would probably make a good and cheap whole
> house power monitor.
>
> Previously, devices like this cost close to $200, so to my mind it's a great
> bargain.
>
> The part that I haven't quite figured out about whole house power monitoring
> is this: What's the best way to notify residents that the house is burning
> kilowatts without being so intrusive that they'll just shut it off? There
> has to be some sort of override, too, because there will be some days in the
> dead of a very cold winter that the consumption will peak.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
I ordered one to do remote power-up / boot-up of other computers in
the home. Computers that I occasionally need to get to over the
Internet (to copy files from work etc) but dont want to leave running
all day (for network and power reasons).
Still unsure about how to do this, will probably have to wire a relay
to the actual on/off switch on the computer and have this little guy
trigger a remote boot by paralleling said relay across the existing
power button. Once the remoter computer is powered and booted, I can
use Windows remote desktop services to do a normal shutown when I'm
done.
I dont mind leaving this little guy "online" all the time but dont
want to leave my large home computers online all the time.
Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) switches with built in remote IP boot
capabilities run about $2000, so this might be a great solution if it
works.
Might also use it to remotely power up/down a NAS hard drive array I
have plugged into my net switch at home.
Jules
> I ordered one to do remote power-up / boot-up of other computers in
> the home. Computers that I occasionally need to get to over the
> Internet (to copy files from work etc) but dont want to leave running
> all day (for network and power reasons).
Hmm, I used to ssh to my router/firewall and from there send a
wake-on-LAN command to whatever it was I was powering up (I possibly could
have got the router/firewall to forward the necessary voodoo for me and
just issue the wake-up from whatever remote machine I was on, but I never
quite got around to seeing if that would work).
For shutdown I'd just ssh into whatever machine I had on and issue a
normal poweroff, same as normal (analogous to your mention of using
Windows' remote desktop to do this).
These days my main server's just left on all the time, so for other "home
monitoring" tasks I'm just looking for some form of digital I/O
board that I can hook sensors to...
cheers
Jules
Robert Green
news:8577550c-ac5e-
<stuff snipped>
<<I ordered one to do remote power-up / boot-up of other computers in
the home. Computers that I occasionally need to get to over the
Internet (to copy files from work etc) but dont want to leave running
all day (for network and power reasons).>>
Since the company that makes these is a server farm "balancer" I suspect
that you're doing just what they designed this to do for themselves:
monitoring and controlling computers. Given how much power today's superhot
CPU's can draw, I think the question of "leave them running" or "shut them
off" has finally been settled in favor of shutting them off, if only for
power saving reasons. It's kind of funny that 20 years ago the
conservation side of that ON/OFF debate was hardly a factor. Certainly not
the emissions part of things.
<<Still unsure about how to do this, will probably have to wire a relay
to the actual on/off switch on the computer and have this little guy
trigger a remote boot by paralleling said relay across the existing
power button. Once the remoter computer is powered and booted, I can
use Windows remote desktop services to do a normal shutown when I'm
done.>>
I'd try to figure out how to use wake on LAN or Modem Ring. Even the old
2001 PC's I've got have that capability. When I used to use a similar
wakeup method (anyone remember remote modem programs like "Reachout" and
"PCAnywhere"?) I used an X-10 phone responder and an appliance module to
start and stop the computer and set the BIOS to reboot on power blips. Cost
under $50 IIRC. I hooked up the PC to the module, plugged the responder in
and when I dialed my home phone, after 10 rings, it would pick up, beep
three times and then I entered a secure code and then I could touch tone 1*
to turn on the PC and 1# to turn it off and so on for up to 16 different
devices.
In your scenario you'd replace the X-10 module with a relay - I'd probably
wire up a 2 gang plastic box with a line cord, a relay on one side (with a
fuse on the relay line that would blow if 110VAC ever got cross-connected)
and an outlet on the other. I'll bet there are code-compliant components
for this, so I leave it to other to chastize me for running LV and line
voltage into the same box.
<<I dont mind leaving this little guy "online" all the time but dont want to
leave my large home computers online all the time.>>
I can't blame you, but in your case, I'd probably still use X-10 and a phone
responder if I still had a phone line simply because I'm still not sure how
secure this is all going to be over the internet. The house sending out
warnings and information to me or the entire world isn't so bad, it's the
whole world activating my PC's remotely that I would worry about. Maybe
I'll feel differently after seeing it an action.
So far, I've been busy ordering parts for it, like the Honeywell Humidistat,
the One-wire temp sensors and a solar panel + rechargeable battery to run it
on. I want my unit to run completely free-standing in a worst case
scenario. I figure in about two years, when they discover this recession
was a tremor preceding the "big one" the house may need to fend for itself
off the grid. It's probably time to start a covert ops defense program and
put a SCIF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_Compartmented_Information_Facility
in the basement where I can build my own version of the this:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/12/israeli-auto-ki/
The "pan, tilt, zoom and boom" ultimate security system. (-: Twenty years
ago it was a deleted scene in the movie "Aliens" and now it's a reality.
--
Bobby G.
George
> "RickH" <pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> wrote in message
> news:8577550c-ac5e-
>
> <stuff snipped>
>
> <<I ordered one to do remote power-up / boot-up of other computers in
> the home. Computers that I occasionally need to get to over the
> Internet (to copy files from work etc) but dont want to leave running
> all day (for network and power reasons).>>
>
> Since the company that makes these is a server farm "balancer" I suspect
> that you're doing just what they designed this to do for themselves:
> monitoring and controlling computers. Given how much power today's superhot
> CPU's can draw, I think the question of "leave them running" or "shut them
> off" has finally been settled in favor of shutting them off, if only for
> power saving reasons. It's kind of funny that 20 years ago the
> conservation side of that ON/OFF debate was hardly a factor. Certainly not
> the emissions part of things.
>
> <<Still unsure about how to do this, will probably have to wire a relay
> to the actual on/off switch on the computer and have this little guy
> trigger a remote boot by paralleling said relay across the existing
> power button. Once the remoter computer is powered and booted, I can
> use Windows remote desktop services to do a normal shutown when I'm
> done.>>
>
I think that is the long way around the block.. WOL is perfect for this.
RickH
> Robert Green wrote:
> > "RickH" <passp...@windcrestsoftware.com> wrote in message
>
> > in the basement where I can build my own version of the this:
>
> >http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/12/israeli-auto-ki/
>
> > The "pan, tilt, zoom and boom" ultimate security system. (-: Twenty years
> > ago it was a deleted scene in the movie "Aliens" and now it's a reality.
>
> > --
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
The problem is WOL still requires you to have at least one computer
already powered up, then that computer can receive the WOL command to
power up the other computer(s) provided the motherboards have WOL
jacks. I wanted a single computer dead until I power it up.
George
But it doesn't have to be much of a computer (such as a router). I can
do it by remotely logging into my router and issuing WOL for any MAC on
the LAN from its web interface.
Robert L Bass
>
> The problem is WOL still requires you to have at least one computer already
O solved that with my web servers about 10 years ago using a power strip with
an IP connection. Using any browser I could power up, down or reset up to 8
different devices, one at time or all at once, depending on the command. The
IP address was not listed with the DNS and was not part of my main sequence
(to keep nasties away). Once online I a username & password brought up the
menu.
The device was more costly than the unit in consideration but it could
eliminate your problem of needing to leave one machine up and running all the
time. My new Dell servers have built-in IP-controlled power and reside behind
a hardware firewall so the unit is no longer needed.
I gave it to a helpful participant in AHA some years ago. I don't recall but
it *may* have been Marc H. I'm certain these thing are less expensive now
than a dozen years ago when I bought it since they're very simple devices. If
Marc has it, perhaps he can tell you the manufacturer, which I've long since
forgotten.
Meanwhile, there's an outfit called Dataprobe http://dataprobe.com in New
Jersey that makes several similar models. Another place, Bomara, makes a
2-unit IP strip for about $200. http://www.bomara.com/cps/n-ac2.htm.
Hope some of this is useful to you.
--
Regards,
Robert L Bass
==============================>
Bass Home Electronics
DIY Alarm and Home Automation Store
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
Sales & Service 941-870-2310
Fax 941-870-3252
==============================>
Bill Kearney
> The problem is WOL still requires you to have at least one computer
> already powered up, then that computer can receive the WOL
No, it doesn't. A router that can send the WOL packet can wake a PC
listening for it. No added PC necessary. Just that the PC you intend to
wake up needs to have WOL built into it.
Alternatively you could use a router that has a serial port and use that to
control a relay that will listen to RS232. Bit more of a jump-through-hoops
sort of solution though.
-Bill Kearney
The Daring Dufas
I always thought the US Government should recycle all the land mines
that are being dug up in the operational areas and put them on our
Southern border.
TDD
Robert L Bass
>
> I always thought the US Government should recycle all
> the land mines that are being dug up in the operational
> areas and put them on our Southern border.
You figure it's a good idea to murder women and children for the "crime" of
looking for work in the USA? I suppose your ancestors were not immigrants.
Perhaps you're actually the Daring Arapaho?
Robert
The Daring Dufas
Oh my God, another person who doesn't understand what an "illegal
invader" is. If you knew there were land mines across a piece of
land that was illegal for you to cross, would you set foot on
that land anyway? I think news of the mines would get out pretty
quickly especially with all the warning signs and little bits and
pieces of criminal invaders everywhere. If they want a better life,
why don't they fix Mexico? By the way, my ancestors came to the
United States LEGALLY!
TDD
propman
Dan Lanciani
| "RickH" wrote:
| >
| > The problem is WOL still requires you to have at least one computer already
| > powered up...
|
| O solved that with my web servers about 10 years ago using a power strip with
| an IP connection. Using any browser I could power up, down or reset up to 8
| different devices, one at time or all at once, depending on the command. The
| IP address was not listed with the DNS and was not part of my main sequence
| (to keep nasties away). Once online I a username & password brought up the
| menu.
|
| The device was more costly than the unit in consideration but it could
| eliminate your problem of needing to leave one machine up and running all the
| time. My new Dell servers have built-in IP-controlled power and reside behind
| a hardware firewall so the unit is no longer needed.
|
| I gave it to a helpful participant in AHA some years ago. I don't recall but
| it *may* have been Marc H. I'm certain these thing are less expensive now
| than a dozen years ago when I bought it since they're very simple devices. If
| Marc has it, perhaps he can tell you the manufacturer, which I've long since
| forgotten.
|
| Meanwhile, there's an outfit called Dataprobe http://dataprobe.com in New
| Jersey that makes several similar models. Another place, Bomara, makes a
| 2-unit IP strip for about $200. http://www.bomara.com/cps/n-ac2.htm.
See also:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=9258T-PING&cat=NET
(4 outlets; $79.99)
Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com
Robert Green
news:pan.2009.11.02....@remove.this.gmail.com...
<stuff snipped>
> These days my main server's just left on all the time, so for other "home
> monitoring" tasks I'm just looking for some form of digital I/O
> board that I can hook sensors to...
I've had a dual CPU, dual power supply RAID'ed server and decided it had to
go once I put a power meter on it and realized it was drawing nearly 200
watts. I found some used laptops on Ebay, some hi-capacity USB drives and
have dropped the overall consumption to less than 20 watts without
sacrificing too much performance. The laptops paid for themselves in short
order with the way electric rates have been climbing in the DC area.
It's no longer RAID'ed, although I could have gone that way, but that's not
too much of an issue with good backup procedures in place. It's not like
I'm supporting some huge SQL database that needs to serve hundreds of users.
As long as it can support full motion HD video, I'm a happy camper,
especially at one tenth the cost of the previous solution. Best part is
that I no longer need a UPS since the laptop will run for 2 hours on its own
battery if the power dies. The next jump in power savings will be switch to
a NAS device where I might be able to achieve a savings of the same
magnitude as switching from a tower PC to a laptop.
I've just ordered some Honeywell humidity sensors for the "WebCon" project.
The lowest price I found was a Canadian seller on Ebay for $14 each. Now I
am going to look for the One-wire temperature sensors, since that's one of
the unit's most appealing feature (to me, anyway): the support of eight temp
sensors. An Ebay vendor in Hong Kong has them for 10 for $20.59 with free
shipping. Also bought a packet of diodes and some 6 volt relays to
investigate the unit's ability to switch high-voltage devices. I may want
to opto-isolate those connections. I must admit, this feels like the
grown-up version of Tinkertoys! (-:
--
Bobby G.
Robert L Bass
>
> Oh my God, another person who doesn't understand what an "illegal
> invader" is.
Sure I do. That would be George W. Bush in Iraq.
> If you knew there were land mines across a piece of land that was
> illegal for you to cross, would you set foot on that land anyway?
If your ancestors didn't know that some xenophobic moron had planted land
mines when they tried to come here would you be alive today?
> I think news of the mines would get out pretty quickly...
After you murder a few hundred people that might happen but lots of people
would still take the chance and some would die. Most of these people's only
"crime" is looking for a better life. I think we need people who want to work
and build a life here. We could make more room for them by sending folks like
you to work for the dictators whose countries they are fleeing.
> If they want a better life, why don't they fix Mexico?
> By the way, my ancestors came to the United States
> LEGALLY!
Only because there were few, if any laws against immigration back then. Some
of my family came here from the Ukraine, fleeing the Czar in 1903. Those who
didn't were all murdered by the Nazis.
Many of the people who come across the Mexican border are fleeing tyrannical
regimes in some Latin American countries. Others are fleeing the tyranny of
the drug cartels which are making life in Mexico even more intolerable for
decent people. What we need is reasoned and workable immigration statutes --
not jackass ideas about how to kill unsuspecting migrant workers... or people
like you.
Jules
>> If they want a better life, why don't they fix Mexico?
>> By the way, my ancestors came to the United States
>> LEGALLY!
>
> Only because there were few, if any laws against immigration back then.
Yep. I came over in 2007 - process took about a 8 months, lots of
paperwork, lots of fees (it'll end up being about $4000 when I'm all done
I think, and I didn't have lawyer fees on top of that like most do).
The process costs a lot more than a lot of illegals can afford - even
assuming a legal route is open to them, which it won't be in most cases. I
can understand immigration issues on both sides of the fence - but killing
folk whos only crime is wanting a better life elsewhere is really not the
right answer...
The Daring Dufas
What part of warning signs don't you understand? The prison
systems has high voltage electric fences at some of the
prisons and there are people locked up in there because they
violated some law even if it's a silly law. The simple fact
is, those crossing the border without going through the legal
steps are violating the law and are criminals, simple. If
you rob a bank because you want to feed your children and
just want a better life, you are still a criminal. Oh yea, I
forgot, if I call someone who breaks the law a criminal and
their skin is darker than mine, that makes me a racist. GEEZ!
TDD
Robert L Bass
>>
>> Only because there were few, if any laws against immigration back then.
>
> Yep. I came over in 2007 - process took about a 8 months, lots of
> paperwork, lots of fees (it'll end up being about $4000 when I'm all done
> I think, and I didn't have lawyer fees on top of that like most do).
$4,000? I hope that's for more than the green card (which was never green,
BTW). We did our own paperwork for my wife and IIRC, ut came to less than $2K.
That was in 2004-5.
> The process costs a lot more than a lot of illegals can afford - even
> assuming a legal route is open to them, which it won't be in most cases.
From what some folks in Congress had been speaking about, the recent idea is to
require illegal aliens to pay a fine, go home and then go through a pre-approved
process for legal re-entry. The problem for many illegals is all of that will
be beyond their financial means. We were fortunate in that my wife was here
legally on a 5-year, renewable visa when we met. She and her family had been
coming back and forth for many years as they always had visas. That comes with
the territory for Brazilians who are fortunate enough to have a good job and
their own homes in Brazil. The rest can't even come for a weekend visit. :^(
I have many hispanic and Brazilian friends here in the USA and in South America
(I've been down there 14 times since 2001) and nearly half of them can't gain
legal entry to the USA. I'd love to see a more open door policy but that's
probably a few years off. We'll see.
Tony Hwang
> Robert L Bass wrote:
wIT PASSPORT AND ENTRY VIS?
hmmmm,
With passport and entry visa? You sound like a red neck.
I earned a right to reside in USA working for your government
sticking my neck out in dangerous places. No thanks, I am happy up here.
Jules
> "Jules" wrote:
>>>
>>> Only because there were few, if any laws against immigration back then.
>>
>> Yep. I came over in 2007 - process took about a 8 months, lots of
>> paperwork, lots of fees (it'll end up being about $4000 when I'm all done
>> I think, and I didn't have lawyer fees on top of that like most do).
>
> $4,000? I hope that's for more than the green card (which was never green,
> BTW). We did our own paperwork for my wife and IIRC, ut came to less than $2K.
> That was in 2004-5.
I think fees all went up since then - that's also including long trips
back and forth for medicals, embassy appointments, biometrics etc. which
of course do depend on your location as to how expensive they are
(although I think the medical alone was $400).
I'm getting toward the end of my 2 year conditional residency, and I think
it's about $1000 for the paperwork to change that into a full green card.
Then citizenship comes later (I realise that's optional!) and is
doubtless similarly costly...
>> The process costs a lot more than a lot of illegals can afford - even
>> assuming a legal route is open to them, which it won't be in most
>> cases.
>
> From what some folks in Congress had been speaking about, the recent
> idea is to require illegal aliens to pay a fine, go home and then go
> through a pre-approved process for legal re-entry. The problem for many
> illegals is all of that will be beyond their financial means.
Yep. It's expensive and slow - but at the same time I can totally
understand a country wanting to lock down its borders. I've just got
issues with use of deadly force to patrol those borders, though...
> We were fortunate in that my wife was here legally on a 5-year,
> renewable visa when we met.
Aha, OK... my wife's a USC - met her in 2005 on a trip over here and then
went back and forth on the VWP for the next couple of years before kicking
off all the paperwork.
> I'd love to see a more open
> door policy but that's probably a few years off. We'll see.
Certainly would be nice just for visitors and maybe an increase of stay
from the 90 days of the VWP.
cheers
Jules
RickH
If my PC has no power applied to it how can it possibly "listen" to
anything. I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
Robert L Bass
>
> I think fees all went up since then - that's also including
> long trips back and forth for medicals, embassy
> appointments, biometrics etc. which of course do depend
> on your location as to how expensive they are (although
> I think the medical alone was $400).
I'm not surprised that the cost has risen.
> I'm getting toward the end of my 2 year conditional residency,
IIRFC, we didn't have that pahse. Because my wife was already here on a visa
when we married, we just applied for the green card. It took about 18 months
back then though I think it may differ depending on country of origin, current
circumstances, etc.
> and I think it's about $1000 for the paperwork to change that
> into a full green card. Then citizenship comes later (I realise
> that's optional!) and is doubtless similarly costly...
My cousin's wife (coincidentally, also from Brazil) recently became a citizen.
Her cost was mainly for the lawyer because she fouled up her paperwork at one
point. They got it straightened out and all went smoothly after a bit of
wrangling though. I think the paper work cost was a lot less than the gren card
app though.
> Yep. It's expensive and slow - but at the same time I can totally
> understand a country wanting to lock down its borders. I've just
> got issues with use of deadly force to patrol those borders,
> though...
I don't mind rules about who can and can't come, as long as they are fair and
not based on which foreign government is helping the fortunes of some political
party here. The prior poster is clearly an ill-informed red-neck with little to
nothing in common with real patriots.
Hatred is NOT a family value.
>> We were fortunate in that my wife was here legally on a 5-year,
>> renewable visa when we met.
>
> Aha, OK... my wife's a USC - met her in 2005 on a trip over here and then
> went back and forth on the VWP for the next couple of years before kicking
> off all the paperwork.
>
>> I'd love to see a more open
>> door policy but that's probably a few years off. We'll see.
>
> Certainly would be nice just for visitors and maybe an increase of stay
> from the 90 days of the VWP.
The 90-day thing depends on country of origin and the purpose of the visa.
Funny thing is that when Americans visit Brazil on a tourist visa there's also a
90-day limit. On a couple of occasions I've stayed longer (as much as 5 months
at a time) by applying for an extension. I now have a Brazilian Federal Police
card which I carry for ID while traveling there. That opens a few doors and
allows me to buy property. Their requirements for a work permit are even more
confusing than ours. Since my company is online though, I don't really need
that -- just the freedom to travel.
Have you been abroad since getting the "conditional"? There's an inconvenient
surprise for many folks upon returning. Instead of being routinely processed
through customs, you get side-tracked to a separate office where they question
you more about your trip. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to several
hours before you get out to whoever is waiting for you and there's no way to
make a call (cell phones are prohibited in customs). I'm not sure the reason
for this step but it's a royal PITA if you arrive at a busy time.
This has gone on way too long so I'll let it go for now. Good luck with your
app. Do go for full citizenship if you plan to stay in the US permanently.
It's a great country and you should avail yourself of all the rights we don't
give away to right-wing presidents from Texas. :^)
Robert L Bass
>
> If my PC has no power applied to it how can it possibly "listen" to anything.
> I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
Then use an IP controlled relay to switch power to the PC. Just make sure your
PC boot up when power is applied.
The Daring Dufas
You said the magic words: "I earned the right". I'm glad
you went through the legal process, that makes you an
honorable man. My maternal ancestors came through Ellis
Island legally and there is a possibility that a few of
them were turned away in accordance with the existing law
at the time. My paternal ancestors came to America with
the second or third wave of colonists who were escaping a
tyrannical English monarchy. I would be interested in how
you know what I sound like. I don't recall posting an audio
file. *snicker*
TDD
Jules
>> I'm getting toward the end of my 2 year conditional residency,
>
> IIRFC, we didn't have that pahse. Because my wife was already here on a visa
> when we married, we just applied for the green card. It took about 18 months
> back then though I think it may differ depending on country of origin, current
> circumstances, etc.
Aha, OK. I think it took me about half that time, but I get a green card
for 2 years then i have to do more paperwork to turn it into a full green
card (I've got all the rights of a full GC now, but I think they just
want to hear from people 2 years down the line to make sure they're still
married and aren't playing the system). I must be classed as something
like a "non-permanent permanent resident" right now ;)
> My cousin's wife (coincidentally, also from Brazil) recently became a
> citizen. Her cost was mainly for the lawyer because she fouled up her
> paperwork at one point.
I've hated the paperwork so far - there's a lot of stuff in there that's
a bit ambiguous. I can see why most folk hire lawyers to take care of
it...
[snip]
> Have you been abroad since getting the "conditional"? There's an
> inconvenient surprise for many folks upon returning. Instead of being
> routinely processed through customs, you get side-tracked to a separate
> office where they question you more about your trip. It can take
> anywhere from a few minutes to several hours before you get out to
> whoever is waiting for you and there's no way to make a call (cell
> phones are prohibited in customs). I'm not sure the reason for this
> step but it's a royal PITA if you arrive at a busy time.
Well, I got "grilled" in Chicago on my 4th trip over on the VWP, and it
delayed me for about 30 mins - I had to hoof it to make my next flight.
But it wasn't a bad experience (I'd heard some real horror stories) - the
staff were polite and courteous and were happy with the answers I gave
them.
Just frustrating not knowing in advance whether you're going to get
'caught' in that process though (maybe it's better now, but all the online
airline ticket companies at the time didn't give the option for saying how
long you wanted between landing in the US and getting a connecting flight
- if the first flight was running late it could be tight enough as it was)
I've not tried going out of the US and back since I was granted residency
- probably won't now either as I've only got until Feb before I have to
apply to get the 'full' green card.
cheers!!
Jules
petem
"RickH" <pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> a �crit dans le message de groupe
de discussion :
0b6bd17e-a9e2-4cbd...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
An ATX pc is never really off..
In fact part of the MB is still under power..
how do you think the pc turn on just by the press of a small momentary
switch...
you can even see that the MB is under power by looking at inside the box
while the system is supposed to be off. you will see at least one led on..
Josepi
"petem" <pete...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:hd1bkn$5hk$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> An ATX pc is never really off..
>
> In fact part of the MB is still under power..
>
> how do you think the pc turn on just by the press of a small momentary
> switch...
>
> you can even see that the MB is under power by looking at inside the box
> while the system is supposed to be off. you will see at least one led on..
>
>
>>
>
> "RickH" <pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> a �crit dans le message de groupe
> de discussion :
Joe Pfeiffer
> "RickH" <pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> a écrit dans le message de
> groupe de discussion :
> 0b6bd17e-a9e2-4cbd...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
>> On Nov 3, 3:02 pm, "Bill Kearney" <wkearne...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> > The problem is WOL still requires you to have at least one computer
>>> > already powered up, then that computer can receive the WOL
>>>
>>> No, it doesn't. A router that can send the WOL packet can wake a PC
>>> listening for it. No added PC necessary. Just that the PC you intend to
>>> wake up needs to have WOL built into it.
>>>
>>> Alternatively you could use a router that has a serial port and use
>>> that to
>>> control a relay that will listen to RS232. Bit more of a
>>> jump-through-hoops
>>> sort of solution though.
>>>
>>> -Bill Kearney
>>
>> If my PC has no power applied to it how can it possibly "listen" to
>> anything. I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
>>
>
> An ATX pc is never really off..
>
> In fact part of the MB is still under power..
>
> how do you think the pc turn on just by the press of a small momentary
> switch...
Well, you're right that an ATX PC is never truly off. But a circuit
that would go truly off, but could power up with a switch like ATX,
wouldn't be hard.
> you can even see that the MB is under power by looking at inside the
> box while the system is supposed to be off. you will see at least one
> led on..
And, as I understand it, an ATX computer that is "off" can wake-on-lan.
I've got no idea how much power an ATX machine draws when "off".
But they also have a switch on the back which is "truly off". What the
OP is looking for would end up being the equivalent of hitting that
switch.
--
As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should
be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours;
and this we should do freely and generously. (Benjamin Franklin)
Josepi
that switch" to turn it back on again. The point become moot.
A computer in sleep mode requires very little power with the modern
efficient switching power supplies and no mechanical parts turning. I would
have to measure one to get actual figures.
"Joe Pfeiffer" <pfei...@cs.nmsu.edu> wrote in message
news:1bskcrd...@snowball.wb.pfeifferfamily.net...
Dave Houston
Under power it uses 33-36W.
Anyone concerned about the standby power has succumbed to the mumbo-jumbo
disinformation from nitwits like Bass & Hult. According to the DOE, 9% of
residential electricity went for lighting (a couple of years back).
Residential use is about 1/3 of total use so that means residential lighting
uses about 3% of the total. In the USA, coal accounts for about 50% of that.
So the reduction in mercury in the atmosphere is minimal from switching to
CFLs while the danger of mercury in your kid's bedroom has increased
enormously. The reduction in carbon dioxide from switching to CFLs is little
more than a rounding error - it's not likely to keep the Maldives afloat.
Recent figures show TVs now use 8-9% of residential electricity as a result
of the proliferation of big, flat-screen TVs. So all those folks who
installed CFLs have been on a fool's errand - subsidizing the carbon budget
those who have bought new TVs. Of course, Wall Mart made money on both the
CFLs and the TVs.
Jules
> But they also have a switch on the back which is "truly off". What the
> OP is looking for would end up being the equivalent of hitting that
> switch.
One gotcha I found with one of my home systems is that WOL doesn't work if
the power's been off (power cut, breaker, 'hard' switch on the back of the
PSU etc.) - the first time after a total power-off I need to hit the
switch on the front of the machine; it won't respond to WOL events. Once
it's been on via the front switch once, shutdown-WOL cycles work normally.
I'm not sure if that's a widespread problem (or even a goofy intentional
'feature'), or if I've just got crap firmware :-)
cheers
Jules
Josepi
CFLs may not be the perfect answer but perhaps you can subsidize the
electrical power generators for us and keep with the incandescents? My
energy comnsumption was about 27kWh per day until I started using CFLs.
LEDs are too expensive, too dim, from what I have seen so far and not much
more efficient than incandescents. On top of all that they are current
sensitive devices and require a ballast that consumes power and makes heat.
This shortens the life of an LED andf makes maintainence more costly.
The new phosphour types may be a btter answer, if you don't mind glowing in
the dark.
"Dave Houston" <nob...@whocares.com> wrote in message
news:4af44ad7...@nntp.fuse.net...
Christopher Glaeser
> anything. I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
Why do you want your PC completely off?
Best,
Christopher
RickH
>
> - Show quoted text -
Also the supply chain to make a CFL is huge and deep, involving much
mining, manufacturing, chemical refining, and shipping.
An incandescent consisting of 5 low-tech parts is way cheaper to make
in terms of total carbon footprint just to get it on a store shelf.
Nobody ever seems to consider that the CFL is already playing catch up
with the incandescent next to it on the store shelf in terms of carbon
usage, even before anyone has applied current to said bulbs yet. But
CFL's do provide more jobs to make all the various parts.
RickH
I guess its not an issue considering it seems everything else you plug
in these days is also "in standby".
If the greenies were serious then they'd regulate back that little
thing called an on/off switch that actually was wired in series with
said device line cord.
John Simpson
"Robert Green" <robert_g...@yah00.com> wrote in message
news:hcegpi$a9m$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> There no doubt that houses are getting "smarter" all the time. More and
> more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
> controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
> consumption in real time.
>
> I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
> functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
> powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
>
> http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
>
> I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair because
> I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like
> temperature
> remotely in both groups. I was first alerted to the product in a thread
> about USB home control in CHA. In that thread:
>
> _USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.home.automation/browse_thread/thread/c2b9c0f65d305acf/1544156821a9bff?q=USB+module+for+monitoring+multiple+on/off+switches
>
> Marc Hult recommended this device instead as a much more practical way to
> "communicate" with your house remotely than USB devices connected to a PC.
>
> It took me a while to find the secret URL and I don't give cainetworks an
> A+
> for website design - this product doesn't even show up on their "Product
> List." They seem to be a server load balancing company and I would guess
> they built this thing for themselves as a service tool and then began to
> realize it had other applications.
>
> I have no interest in the company, other than as a customer and it's too
> early to tell whether I am a happy customer or not!
>
> WebControl interests me for a number of reasons: it can automagically
> send
> emails to a PC or a cell phone when a looked-for condition occurs,
> assuming
> you've got a constant internet connection. This condition could be a
> furnace failure, an out-of-bounds temperature, water on the floor or any
> number of other events that can sensed electronically.
>
> It's got plenty of inputs - it can accommodate a Honeywell humidity
> sensor,
> up to eight Maxim DS1822 /DS18B20 12bit 1 wire temperature sensors, eight
> digital inputs, three analog inputs and 20 different timers. It seems
> from
> my Google searches that these are popular with cigar lovers (to keep their
> treasures at constant temps and humidity) and in-home horticulturists
> growing various "herbs."
>
> My first project will be a sensing project, too: I'm hoping to use it to
> continually monitor how much power the whole house uses in real-time.
> I've
> read about a number of test projects using "smart meters" and they all
> pretty much say the same thing: People who know how much power they are
> using at any one moment will end up reducing their average monthly
> consumption.
>
> I've got some tiny current sensors that I will attach to the main power
> feeds to the circuit panel, hopefully so artfully that an inspector might
> never notice they're there. (Yes, I know the evils of mixing high and low
> voltage gear and I don't recommend anyone but an insane person with total
> contempt for life and the law even contemplate copying my actions!)
>
> These tiny (1/4" sq.) Hall-Effect (HE) sensors generate a small electric
> current proportional (well, proportional enough for me) to the current
> flowing into the house from the main feeders. This unit should enable me
> to
> see the current current use from any PC on the home network. I should
> even
> be able to rig up an LED bargraph display that shows the real-time power
> consumption of the house with another $2 worth of parts.
>
> The unit has three 3 1023 bit analog inputs (0-10v) that should be able to
> accurately measure the HE sensor voltage level and take an action (light a
> bargraph LED, ring a chime, etc) when the voltage becomes greater than a
> pre-determined level. Perhaps the hardest part is going to be accurately
> matching the output level of the sensor to the actual home electrical
> power
> consumed. If I can't get a helper with a walkie talkie, I can
> temporarily
> mount a wireless CCTV cam outside pointing at the electric meter so I can
> tabulate meter readings and how they correspond to the sensor output as I
> add more and more loads. I will start with all the breakers off, but with
> lights, etc. left on so that as I flip each breaker on, the load
> increases.
> That way I should have a scale that gives me a pretty good idea of the
> juice
> flowing through the circuit panel.
>
> I'm going to make notes as I go along, paying particular attention to the
> level of technical skill required to implement it. I'm afraid it's going
> to
> be high enough to make it a techie-only solution. But looking through the
> manual
>
> http://www.cainetworks.com/manuals/webcontrol/WebControlUserGuide2-03-00.pdf
>
> gives me at least a little hope that this unit may be simple enough that
> with a little advice, a fairly low-tech user could implement a simple
> system
> that could, for example, send them an email if their freezer or
> refrigerator
> temperature rises out of the food safety zone. Ironically, that's why I
> ordered the board (my fridge tripped the GFCI) but once I read the manual
> and the specs, I realized it would probably make a good and cheap whole
> house power monitor.
>
> Previously, devices like this cost close to $200, so to my mind it's a
> great
> bargain.
>
> The part that I haven't quite figured out about whole house power
> monitoring
> is this: What's the best way to notify residents that the house is
> burning
> kilowatts without being so intrusive that they'll just shut it off?
> There
> has to be some sort of override, too, because there will be some days in
> the
> dead of a very cold winter that the consumption will peak.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
I've got a vacation home with an ancient and expensive temperature sensing
setup that I installed 20 years ago. This looks like a nice way to upgrade
so
I just bought one. I'm a VB programmer, but have never done any cgi stuff,
and the
manufacturers 'void warantee' blurb scares me. Does anyone know of the
existance
or whereabouts of some sample temperature sensor cgi code? Google didn't
help.
Thanks in advance for any information.
John S.
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 4580 (20091106) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
Jules
> On Nov 6, 1:17 pm, "Christopher Glaeser" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote:
>> > If my PC has no power applied to it how can it possibly "listen" to
>> > anything. I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
>>
>> Why do you want your PC completely off?
>>
>> Best,
>> Christopher
>
> I guess its not an issue considering it seems everything else you plug
> in these days is also "in standby".
The only thing I've thought of before is it might be useful to be able to
remotely unplug a device to protect against lightning - but I'm not sure
that any relay-based setup is going to really give adequate protection
there, anyway... (and there are still other paths, such as the network, to
worry about)
Bill Kearney
> anything. I want it completely powered off, not on standby.
Wake On Lan uses a small amount of power, considerably less than standby and
sleep modes, to listen to the network for a wake up signal. That's the
point of WOL.
Dan Lanciani
| One gotcha I found with one of my home systems is that WOL doesn't work if
| the power's been off (power cut, breaker, 'hard' switch on the back of the
| PSU etc.) - the first time after a total power-off I need to hit the
| switch on the front of the machine; it won't respond to WOL events. Once
| it's been on via the front switch once, shutdown-WOL cycles work normally.
|
| I'm not sure if that's a widespread problem (or even a goofy intentional
| 'feature'), or if I've just got crap firmware :-)
I've noticed that the BIOS options available to control behavior after
a full power loss vary widely. On some systems there are no choices at
all. Others allow you to select on, off, or even previous state. Some
systems that don't appear to have useful options in this area _do_ have
clock-based power-on so you can sort of get a similar effect if you want
the machine back up eventually. I wonder where the options and state are
stored. If the are in the CMOS is that accessible from sleep mode or do
they have to power up to determine whether or not to power up?
Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com
Joe Pfeiffer
They're actually taking the much more reasonable approach of regulating
maximum standby power usage.
Robert L Bass
>
> Anyone concerned about the standby power has
> succumbed to the mumbo-jumbo disinformation
> from nitwits like Bass & Hult.
I never said anything about PC standby power. I have disagreed with you on
several issues and that has caused you to attack me personally on various
occasions like this one. Once when you complained on your website about
health-related financial issues I even tried to offer you help. Your response
was to attack me publicly and accuse me of trying to steal whatever it was you
were working on. You're a real case, Houston.
Mr. Hult has repeatedly shown you to be wrong on numerous issues. Your response
is the same -- attack personally because you haven't the ability to win a debate
on the merits.
> According to the DOE, 9% of residential electricity went
> for lighting (a couple of years back). Residential use is
> about 1/3 of total use so that means residential lighting...
All of that has no bearing on the discussion at hand. The issue being
considered was web enabled temperature and humidity monitoring. This has since
morphed into a discussion on booting a PC via the Internet or a LAN.
> ... So all those folks who installed CFLs have been on a
> fool's errand...
According to Mr. Houston, any attempt at reducing electrical usage is a "fool's
errand" unless it's controlled by X10 (private joke).
Robert L Bass
>
> Well, since we are totally changing the topic of this thread. LOL
>
> CFLs may not be the perfect answer but perhaps you can subsidize the
> electrical power generators for us and keep with the incandescents? My energy
> comnsumption was about 27kWh per day until I started using CFLs.
Be careful, friend. Disagreeing with Mr. Houston, even playfully, can cause him
to think bad things about you. He's been known to get very angry and... and...
and say mean things. :^)
Robert L Bass
>
> Also the supply chain to make a CFL is huge and deep, involving much mining,
I agree that CFL's are more complex than incandescant bulbs. The bit about
mining, chemical refining, etc., might be a bit of a stretch. Two things are
certain though. CFL's use significantly less power for their output than
incandescant lamps. In doing so they reduce demand for energy and that means we
burn a little less coal every time we turn one on. That, in turn, means less
pollution.
I agree that CFL's are not a perfect answer, but until someone comes up with a
suitable, reliable alternative, I'll continue using them.
> Nobody ever seems to consider that the CFL is already
> playing catch up with the incandescent next to it on the
> store shelf in terms of carbon usage...
That's an interesting theory but unless you can provide statistics to back it
up, I'll have to consider it just that -- one man's theory. I'm not saying
you're wrong yet.
Josepi
I know. I've been around since ftp Usenet
"Robert L Bass" <Sa...@BassBurglarAlarms.com> wrote in message
news:dpGdnXFexLWTgWjX...@giganews.com...
> Be careful, friend. Disagreeing with Mr. Houston, even playfully, can
> cause him to think bad things about you. He's been known to get very
> angry and... and... and say mean things. :^)
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> Robert L Bastard
>
> ==============================>
> Bastard Home Electronics
> DIY Alarm and Home Automation Store
> http://www.bastardarms.com
> ==============================>
RickH
wrote:
Well, I count over 35 parts average in the 14 CFL schematics here with
some ballasts having 50 parts:
http://www.pavouk.org/hw/lamp/en_index.html
http://www.kellerstudio.de/repairfaq/sam/cflamp2.pdf
http://www.irf.com/technical-info/designtp/irplcfl1.pdf
http://www.kellerstudio.de/repairfaq/sam/cflamp1.pdf
Along with a fair amount of copper wire coils (mining), mercury
(mining) etc.
Factories to make the diodes, capacitors, resistors, semiconductors,
inductors, phosphors, non-inert gasses, glass, fuses, etc. and the
various sub-components and chemicals inside those parts too. And
drastically larger amount of energy consumed for the various parts.
As opposed to 5 or 6 very non-complex elemental-like parts in an
incandescent, tungsten, aluminum, brass, glass, inert gasses, and
machinery to put it together thats been around for over a hundred
years.
The question is can the CFL recover the obviously larger amount of
waste it caused just to get it to the shelf, than the path the simple
incandescent followed to get there next to it?
If it could then, then I agree its a good thing, but based on the fact
that many of my CFL's have not lasted as long as my incandescents I
have to wonder. Also does one even bother to add in the cost of a
resistor factory (which would be making resistors anyway)? All things
manufactured have a deeper cost, I just see the incandescent having a
very low manufacturing cost (in terms of environmental impact) than a
CFL. If the CFL can recoup that over its life is what I question.
Dave Houston
reduce carbon as much as many other, easier approaches like efficiency
mandates for TVs and other electric appliances, improving generation
efficiency and upgrading the power grid.
And they won't save any planets - not even Pluto.
Josepi
ask one thing.
Do you ride a horse or drive a car?
"RickH" <pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> wrote in message
news:9249a1b1-fb36-4fbc...@a31g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
B Fuhrmann
B Fuhrmann
> cause him to think bad things about you. He's been known to get very
> angry and... and... and say mean things. :^)
You mean like that one?
Robert L Bass
>
>>> Nobody ever seems to consider that the CFL is
>>> already playing catch up with the incandescent
>>> next to it on the store shelf in terms of carbon
>>> usage...
>
>> That's an interesting theory but unless you can
>> provide statistics to back it up, I'll have to consider
>> it just that -- one man's theory. I'm not saying
>> you're wrong yet.
>
By statistics I was not referring to parts count. Do you have actual statistics
pertaining to the environmental impact of CFL's vs. incandescant bulbs?
> As opposed to 5 or 6 very non-complex elemental-like
> parts in an incandescent...
The problem isn't how many parts there are. It's how much energy it consumes.
In that regard CFL's are way ahead. Again, they're not perfect and they may not
be the long-term choice. But for the time being, CFL's give much more light
using much less energy, thus ergo much less coal and therefor, do less harm to
the planet.
For me personally it wouldn't be that much of an issue as I don't expect to be
around long enough to see the worst consequences of what humans are doing.
However, I think we all have a responsibility to do whatever we can to reduce
our "footprint".
> The question is can the CFL recover the obviously larger amount of waste it
> caused just to get it to the shelf, than the path the simple incandescent
> followed to get there next to it?
Even considering what you've mentioned so far, it's not a given that CFL's
create that much waste. Further, it's certain that using conventional bulbs
causes much harm.
> If it could then, then I agree its a good thing, but based on the fact that
> many of my CFL's have not lasted as long as my incandescents I
have to wonder.
That is a valid point. I have not tested a lot of makes but the ones I have in
place have not given me any problems to date. Only time will tell.
> Also does one even bother to add in the cost of a resistor factory (which
> would be making resistors anyway)?
Probably not. Companies that make resistors make othert things as well and
would still be present even if CFL's were never introduced.
> All things manufactured have a deeper cost, I just see the incandescent having
> a very low manufacturing cost...
Ford's Model A cost a lot less to build than a Prius. Care to guess which one
is more destructive to the environment (when actually operating)? :^)
Robert L Bass
>
> You mean like that one?
No, more like the one he posted prior to my tongue-in-cheek "warning".
Robert L Bass
>
> Can you guys take this to an appriate forum?
Point taken. The discussion is over anyway.
Robert L Bass
>
"Thus ergo?" One of these days I'll actually proof read before hitting send.
:^)
RickH
wrote:
At first people said ethanol was a net energy saver too. But after a
similar analysis (like including the manufacturing chain above in
total cost) it is now well-agreed that E85 uses more energy to get
that gallon to the pump than the gasoline in the next pump. I say a
CFL takes significantly more energy to become a CFL than a light bulb
takes to become a light bulb, if you add in the cost of making all the
parts required. But political forces keep the E85 refineries going
regardless of E85 net carbon unfavorability. But politics trumps a
deeper analysis of any so-called energy saving device once the device
has been sold as a savior. The laws of thermodynamics still apply,
those resistors, capacitors, transistors and diodes still take enrgy
to make. But denial is a big part of both sides in the green
movement. All those parts didn't simply get there by magic, it could
easily take more energy to make just one electrolytic capacitor than
an incan. bulb considering the chemical electrolyte production, foil
production, plastic production, etc.
Marc_F_Hult
<pass...@windcrestsoftware.com> wrote in message
<86f63c78-cc34-4ce4...@a21g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>:
>... But political forces keep the E85 refineries going
>regardless of E85 net carbon unfavorability. But politics trumps a
>deeper analysis of any so-called energy saving device once the device
>has been sold as a savior. The laws of thermodynamics still apply,
>those resistors, capacitors, transistors and diodes still take enrgy
>to make. But denial is a big part of both sides in the green
>movement.
And war trumps politics (von Clausewitz's dictum notwithstanding).
The reason is that E85 is an attractive energy source in the US is that it
incrementally reduces dependence on imported oil and can supply energy for
transportation -- look at example of Brazil which became 'energy independent'
ca 2006. Have we already forgotten the > 10K lives and ~ $Trillion
expenditures for the war in Iraq?
Pop quiz:
1) How many resistors and capacitors is a human life worth?
2) Who's doing the denying here?
( I dunno what all the right answers are, but do know that many of us can
recognize some of the wrong answers right quick.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There's another approach (other than E85) to carbon-efficient private
transportation. See www.evalbum.com/1610
Our all-electric 1967 VW beetle is part and parcel of our home automation and
distributed DC power system -
The car provides ~ 1.6 kWh storage to the home when fully charged and plugged
in. And, of course, could be recharged using renewable and(or) non-renewable
energy resources.
And yes, it will have one of the CAi Networks WebControl devices that is the
subject of this thread.
HTH ... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org
Marc_F_Hult
<robert_g...@yah00.com> wrote in message
<hchj0k$6km$1...@news.eternal-september.org>:
>I didn't order the chassis, partly because it costs almost half of what the
>unit does! So I've been looking around for something to mount the board in.
>I've found it fits perfectly in the clear plastic flip-top cases I've been
>storing 3.5" floppies in, thus saving $15 for the case they sell (but
>*don't* list on the Amazon site for some odd reason).
Time permitting, I'll post a picture of the WebControl (80mm x 85mm x18mm)
in its native steel case (100mm x 100mm x 35mm) stacked on a comparably sized
Netgear GS-105 hub (95 x 100mm x 25mm) and Comtrol Device-Master AIR (92mm x
87mm x 48mm) which provides WI-FI and RS-xxx in a 100mm x 100mm footprint.
This combo allows you to communicate with to a computer, two WebControls and
a serial device such as Peter Anderson's data acquisition modules
www.PHAnderson.com) via WI-FI.
(This matches almost exactly the footprint of a Pico-ITX (100mm x 72mm) with
the inevitable I/O connectors. These PC's are still too pricey,
http://www.logicsupply.com/products/px5000eg but they'll get 'there'
eventually. )
... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org
Marc_F_Hult
<robert_g...@yah00.com> wrote in message
<hcegpi$a9m$1...@news.eternal-september.org>:
>There no doubt that houses are getting "smarter" all the time. More and
>more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
>controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
>consumption in real time.
>
>I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
>functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
>powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
>
>http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
>
>I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair because
>I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like temperature
>remotely in both groups. I was first alerted to the product in a thread
>about USB home control in CHA. In that thread:
>
>_USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
>
>http://groups.google.com/group/comp.home.automation/browse_thread/thread/c2b9c0f65d305acf/1544156821a9bff?q=USB+module+for+monitoring+multiple+on/off+switches
>
>Marc Hult recommended this device instead as a much more practical way to
>"communicate" with your house remotely than USB devices connected to a PC.
I can confirm that the WebControl devices being shipped by the Amazon
supplier have the same v02.03.03 firmware as what www.cainetworks.com (the
manufacturer) upgrades exist units to. I recently had two boards that I
purchased about a year ago upgraded. CAi Networks did them for free for me
in appreciation of my testing of various 1-wire devices and Honeywell
humidity devices to them, but usually charge $20 + shipping which is more
than 1/2 the price of the board without case through the Amazon supplier.
FWIW, I found that the board works OK with the HIH-3600 humidity sensor as
well as the HIH-4000 series specified. The bug with the 1-wire appears fixed.
Previously, the board would only accommodate Maxim's low-accuracy ( +/- 2C)
DS1822 "Econo" device. It now also works with the "High-Precision" ( LOL ! )
DS18B20 ( +/- 0.5C)
... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org
Robert L Bass
>
> At first people said ethanol was a net energy
> saver too. But after a similar analysis (like
> including the manufacturing chain above in
> total cost) it is now well-agreed that E85 uses
> more energy to get that gallon to the pump
> than the gasoline in the next pump.
Ethanol may not be a net energy saver but it does reduce dependance on middle
eastern oil. That, IMO, is a good thing.
I spend a lot of time in Brazil, where my car and my motorcycle run on a mix of
gasoline and alcohol (made from cheap sugar cane; not overpriced corn sugar).
The cost is less than straight gasoline and milage is not significantly
different. The Brazilian government-owned oil comany, Petrobras, claims that
production costs -- both financial and environmental -- of ethanol are very
close to those for gasoline.
Brazil does not spend one real (pronounced "hey, Al") on Iranian oil. This is
also, IMO, a good thing.
> it could easily take more energy to make just
> one electrolytic capacitor than an incan. bulb...
That's a bit of a stretch, friend.
Joe Pfeiffer
> "RickH" wrote:
>>
>> At first people said ethanol was a net energy
>> saver too. But after a similar analysis (like
>> including the manufacturing chain above in
>> total cost) it is now well-agreed that E85 uses
>> more energy to get that gallon to the pump
>> than the gasoline in the next pump.
>
> Ethanol may not be a net energy saver but it does reduce dependance on
> middle eastern oil. That, IMO, is a good thing.
>
> I spend a lot of time in Brazil, where my car and my motorcycle run on
> a mix of gasoline and alcohol (made from cheap sugar cane; not
> overpriced corn sugar). The cost is less than straight gasoline and
> milage is not significantly different. The Brazilian government-owned
> oil comany, Petrobras, claims that production costs -- both financial
> and environmental -- of ethanol are very close to those for gasoline.
Ethanol may be a good idea, but not as the US has pursued it. Sugar
cane is a good choice; corn is a lousy choice. Remember the fertilizer
comes from middle eastern oil... it takes a lot of effort to show a net
benefit on that one.
Algae is looking *very* promising, as a better US approach.
RickH
> On Sun, 8 Nov 2009 11:32:05 -0800 (PST), RickH<passp...@windcrestsoftware.com> wrote in message
>
> <86f63c78-cc34-4ce4-ba02-34ec59927...@a21g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>:
I'm in the middle of corn country (IL) and there is only one
independent gas station (Gas City) that actually has E85 pumps
available. Additionally the price of the E85 there varies widely and
is not much better than regular, (unless regular goes back over $4),
the E85 will be $3.50, right now its only a dime cheaper than regular
and ouputs less power when burned. If E85 is inconvenient to get in
IL corn country then I can only imagine how hard it would be to find
an E85 pump in another state with no political skin in the game.
Brazil is on the equator and can utilize sugar cane, both those
aspects tip the energy-to-produce scale in favor of E85, but we are
not allowed to import Brazillian E85 (as much as the Brazillians would
like to sell it to us). If E85 was really attractive in US then it
wouldn't need govt subsidies, it wouldn't raise the price of food and
feed corn, and every company would be jumping on it to make a profit.
The fact is it's not an attractive fuel.
Robert L Bass
>
> Ethanol may be a good idea, but not as the US has pursued
> it. Sugar cane is a good choice; corn is a lousy choice.
> Remember the fertilizer comes from middle eastern oil...
We got a lot of fertilizer out of the previous administration as well. :^)
The problem with ethanol is the US sugar industry. More specifically, the
complex relationship between agribusiness and the US government makes progress
almost impossible.
There is a false premise that many in Congress claim we are supporting "free
market" enterprise. In a truly free market we would be importing Brazilian
sugar by the boatload. That would bring the cost down at the pump *and* reduce
our dependence on middle-eastern oil.
Josepi
avoid the high prices the middle east charges?
Me thinks the price is set by many Americans in the quest for richness. Why
blame somebody else?
"Robert L Bass" <Sa...@BassBurglarAlarms.com> wrote in message
news:2-CdnaZofKkI6GXX...@giganews.com...
Josepi
the thread. One click and the whining can stop.
"B Fuhrmann" <b-fuhrma...@mplsfridayDELETEskate.com> wrote in message
news:BbadnfLyLoduTGvX...@posted.cpinternet...
Robert Green
news:hd1bkn$5hk$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
<stuff snipped>
> An ATX pc is never really off..
>
> In fact part of the MB is still under power..
Yes, so true, and so responsible for so many blown motherboards and add in
cards. I used to participate in a PC user group helpline and I recall a lot
of calls from people who thought the machine was off when they hit the
switch, yanked the cover, popped in a card or fiddle with a drive and then
it woke up and burned up.
When I bought a 10K RPM WD Raptor drive and a dual head video card, the case
stayed terribly hot after shutdown, with the sensors showing that the chip
temps spiked once the main fans stopped. Fortunately, the low voltage
that's always available on an ATX system allowed me to use 5VDC timed fans
to keep extracting hot air from the system after it was powered down.
I only ever *popped* a PCI video card that wasn't much good, but developed
the rule that when the cover's off, the cord is pulled out of the back.
Like Cpl. Dwayne Hicks said in "Aliens" about dropping a nuke from orbit,
"It's the only way to be sure!" Before that, I had put some case screws on
the shelf that hung over the open PC, listened to some loud rock and roll
and the damn screw danced into the machine and killed a tape backup card
As for WOL and other methods of waking the motherboard up, some machines,
cards, OS's and BIOS's are definitely better than others. The newer the
machine, I've found, the more likely it is to actual work.
Still waiting for my temp and humidity sensors to arrive before I start
playing around with my WebControl board. Assembling as much info on CGI and
micro-web servers as I can while I wait.
--
Bobby G.
Marc_F_Hult
<135...@news1.IPSWITCHS.CMM>:
>See also:
>
>http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=9258T-PING&cat=NET
>
>(4 outlets; $79.99)
>
> Dan Lanciani
> ddl@danlan.*com
Yes, we seem to be circling around and round ... ;-)
Some of my previous posts from January on the IP POWER 9258T and the
WebControl are appended below.
(Google seems to have stripped off the message ID's or I'd jist cite them
rather than the entire text. Or just googlegroupgoogle on 9258T
... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org
Newsgroups: comp.home.automation
From: Marc_F_Hult <MFH...@nothydrologistnot.com>
Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:07:56 -0500
Local: Fri, Jan 2 2009 9:07 am
Subject: Re: Programmable Sequencing Switch?
Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original |
Report this message | Find messages by this author
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:43:07 GMT, "Bob Day" <xxx...@yyyyyy.com> wrote in
message <fqM6l.2237$BC4....@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>:
>I have six 120V wall plug devices that I'd like to turn
>on automatically in sequence at five minute intervals
>at a preset, but programmable, time each morning.
>I'm wondering whether some sort of programmable
>power-strip-like device exists that would do this.
>Does anyone know?
I have an Aviosys IP POWER 9258T and it can do what you want for four
outputs. Aviosys also has eight output model(s). The 9258's are available
Buy-It-Now for $95, shipping to US included, on eBay. Search for IP POWER
9258*
or INTERNET POWER CONTROLLER
http://www.aviosys.com/ippower.htm
http://www.aviosys.com/images/9258_manual_20081104.pdf
The IP POWER 9258 uses mechanical relays rather than SCRs to control power to
the AC receptacles, and so can be modified to provide SPST switching of a
signal or DC rather than 120VAC. Also, I prefer not to add devices to my
system that depend on AC power, so I was pleased to see that it runs
internally entirely on 5vdc from a small, easily-bypassed, internal
AC-to-5VDC converter.
It is readily programmed though web-based GUI, by sending simple http command
strings, or a VB/.net etc programming
HTH ... Marc
Visit my Home Automation and Electronics Internet Porch Sale at
www.ECOntrol.org/porch_sale.htm
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECONtrol.org
Newsgroups: comp.home.automation
From: "Bob Day" <xxx...@yyyyyy.com>
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:23:02 GMT
Local: Fri, Jan 2 2009 7:23 pm
Subject: Re: Programmable Sequencing Switch?
Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original |
Report this message | Find messages by this author
Marc, thanks! I'll check it out.
-- Bob Day
"Marc_F_Hult" <MFH...@nothydrologistnot.com> wrote in message
news:k57sl4d6ndaq9tvun...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:43:07 GMT, "Bob Day" <xxx...@yyyyyy.com> wrote in
> message <fqM6l.2237$BC4....@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>:
>>I have six 120V wall plug devices that I'd like to turn
>>on automatically in sequence at five minute intervals
>>at a preset, but programmable, time each morning.
>>I'm wondering whether some sort of programmable
>>power-strip-like device exists that would do this.
>>Does anyone know?
> I have an Aviosys IP POWER 9258T and it can do what you want for four
> outputs. Aviosys also has eight output model(s). The 9258's are available
> Buy-It-Now for $95, shipping to US included, on eBay. Search for IP
> POWER
> 9258*
> or INTERNET POWER CONTROLLER
> http://www.aviosys.com/ippower.htm
> http://www.aviosys.com/images/9258_manual_20081104.pdf
> The IP POWER 9258 uses mechanical relays rather than SCRs to control power
> to
> the AC receptacles, and so can be modified to provide SPST switching of a
> signal or DC rather than 120VAC. Also, I prefer not to add devices to my
> system that depend on AC power, so I was pleased to see that it runs
> internally entirely on 5vdc from a small, easily-bypassed, internal
> AC-to-5VDC converter.
> It is readily programmed though web-based GUI, by sending simple http
> command
> strings, or a VB/.net etc programming
> HTH ... Marc
> Visit my Home Automation and Electronics Internet Porch Sale at
> www.ECOntrol.org/porch_sale.htm
> Marc_F_Hult
> www.ECONtrol.org
Newsgroups: comp.home.automation
From: Marc_F_Hult <MFH...@nothydrologistnot.com>
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:02:01 -0500
Local: Fri, Jan 9 2009 7:02 pm
Subject: Re: Programmable Sequencing Switch?
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Bob:
Also:
If you are willing to add your own solid state relays and(or) relay drivers +
mechanical relays, the " WebControl timer temperature humidity I/O controller
" is a TCP/IP device that might suit your needs.
http://store.compute-aid.com/spec/WebControlUserGuide.pdf
It provides timers and scheduling, NTP time synchronization, email
notification, eight TTL outputs, up to eight 1-wire temperature sensors, one
Honeywell humidity sensor, three analog in, and 8 TTL inputs.
Sells for $25- $49 (compute-aid.com, eBay, Amazon; sensors not included).
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260314413799
A metal case is also available for $15
NB: As yet, I have no hands-on experience with this device, but have ordered
one.
HTH ... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECONtrol.org
Christopher Glaeser
Best,
Christopher
Robert Green
news:BKadne1l1eKYN2TX...@giganews.com...
> What is the part number for the digital I/O connector?
>
> Best,
> Christopher
Sophie, of their sales team, gave me this part number:
TYCO ELECTRONICS - 1658622-3 and said it was available from Newark
Electronics. Actually, she just said "Newark" and I assumed the
"Electronics" part but I never followed up because I found that an XT era
game port/joystick adapter cable also fits and I had a few in my junkbox.
--
Bobby G.
Christopher Glaeser
> Electronics. Actually, she just said "Newark" and I assumed the
> "Electronics" part but I never followed up because I found that an XT era
> game port/joystick adapter cable also fits and I had a few in my junkbox.
Thanks. I found the connector at Newark. Now to locate a short piece of
ribbon cable. Would be nice if this connector were similar to the other
screw connectors on the board. Also, would be nice if this device could be
powered via POE. Still, can't beat the price with a stick. :)
Best,
Christopher
Robert Green
Send me your snail mail address via email and I will shoot you a length or
two. I've used up my game port connectors but I've got plenty of 20
conductor ribbon I can spare that you can peel off four conductors from.
Email address is munged - change 00's to OO's to get through.
Vendors do mysterious things. If I didn't already have some old PC game
port cables I probably would have paid three times the going rate just to
have the cable and connector available at time and place of purchase. That
was one of the things I really liked about fellow newsgrouper Jeff Volp's
XTB-II series. He sold the required cabling and likely accessories all at
the time of purchase, cutting the hassle factor immensely. And cheaper than
I could have gotten the stuff nearly anywhere else.
WebControl would probably serve themselves well by making the temp sensors
and the humidity sensors available through their Amazon storel. Their tech
support person Sophie did allude to some pretty serious restrictions placed
on them by Amazon like not being able to even point to their own site's URL
for the documentation. I know Ebay used to have similar restrictions, but
almost any big Ebay store nowadays seems to expect people to bypass Ebay
after the first sale and they post their own store URL's freely on their
Ebay listings.
My Honeywell humidity sensors arrived today, so I'm going to get to hooking
them up RSN, providing everything else cooperates. So far, that's not the
case. The car's developed a water leak somewhere, and is beginning to grow
mold I can't see but sure can smell. My security DVR decides to stop
recording randomly, which is quite annoying since some vandals stole all the
local street signs last night - while my new DVR was locked up!!! I've
alreadly returned it once because the drive cable was melted. This means
running all sorts of tests. )-: Electronics requires too much care and
feeding!
Well, I'll let you know a) the Honeywell sensors even work (they came from a
guy in Canada, not a big electronics house. They were half price, which
means only one of them probably works, b) if the two unit's readings agree
with each other and c) if they agree with any of the other humidity sensors
in the house (none of which agree exactly with each other, but are mostly
within 10% of each other. Mostly).
--
Bobby G.
Jim Hewitt
Well, I got one for Christmas - from my wife! So now I don't have to think
up projects to convince her - but I'm still thinkig up things to do.
Any progress reports possbily available elsehwere?
Jim
Robert Green
news:hhtvir$cj3$1...@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
<stuff snipped>
> > Well, I'll let you know a) the Honeywell sensors even work (they came
from
> > a
> > guy in Canada, not a big electronics house. They were half price, which
> > means only one of them probably works, b) if the two unit's readings
agree
> > with each other and c) if they agree with any of the other humidity
> > sensors
> > in the house (none of which agree exactly with each other, but are
mostly
> > within 10% of each other. Mostly).
>
> Well, I got one for Christmas - from my wife! So now I don't have to
think
> up projects to convince her - but I'm still thinkig up things to do.
>
> Any progress reports possbily available elsehwere?
>
> Jim
I wish I did. I've run into one of those stretches where things seem to be
breaking down faster than I can fix them. The incredibly, continuous, way
below zero weather we've been have has caused some pretty interesting
failures. Haven't even tested the dang humidistat or temp sensors to ensure
they work correctly.
I should probably look up the old threads concerning back-stabbed outlets
and hard-of-hearing smoke alarms and add some new information. Had a
backstabber get so hot, it began melting wires. The hard of hearing smoke
alarm apparently goes off for no particular reason and at the oddest hours
of the day so my elderly friend has yanked the batteries. Not the outcome I
want.
But all the pieces of the web controller are in place now - got a
small Ethernet switch and some old laptops with network connection to create
a "sandbox" to play with the unit - the final pieces have arrived today. I
found some 8.4VDC/0.6A switching power supplies to power the board. Didn't
want to use the old non-switching adapters I had lying around because I
didn't have two match ones and I couldn't bring myself to cut a perfectly
good, strained-relief plug from one of my junk bin units.
These are Canon brand units that actually screw together so they might even
be repairable or filterable if they turn out to be too noisy, electrically.
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/PS-846/8.4-VDC-0.6A-SWITCHING-POWER-SUPPLY/-/1.html
I just checked these out on the bench and they are voltage regulated to
within .02 of a volt. I found that they are very useful for running 80mm PC
case fans at whisper quiet level, and I have begun mounting these to various
TV's and amplifiers. I thought there was something wrong with them at
first. I plugged them in after stripping and tinning the leads and then
went to test the polarity so I could mark the positive lead red. Well, my
electronics bench bottle of red nail polish had dried out, so I put some red
heat shrink on the positive lead. Just because reversed polarity can kill
things, I checked one more time with an bicolor LED and resistor that I use
to test polarity and it glowed for a second or two and then went out. Put
the voltmeter on it again, and it showed exactly 8.40VDC and then went
"hunting." Turns out I had accidentally unplugged the power supply and I
was running off voltage stored in the caps.
I found another use for these PS's. The IR thermometer I got for Christmas
(great toy, under $20 from Ebay, hundreds of uses - even SWMBO has found
uses for it. Any, the thermometer was showing much higher temperatures than
I thought on everything from LCD TV's to amps. (Sony appears to synchronize
their warranties with how long their gear will last without aux. cooling.)
I had a big Sony amp that would always trigger the thermal protector after
an hour or so of Pink Floyd, but since I added an 80mm fan running at 9V
(higher, actually because that PS is not regulated) it hasn't shut down
once. Now the speakers are the first to pop a breaker, but I don't think
cooling will help them as much. (-: So anyway, I'm going to order some
more because they spin the fans fast enough to move significant air but
slowly enough so that they can hardly be heard. Now you know why I am not
yet on the web controller project. I'm easily sidetracked! But I think I
can finally get a test unit rolling tonight.
Got a bunch of 6 & 9VDC DPDT mini relays (not sure which will work better),
some diodes to prevent the relays coils from spiking, some quick disconnects
and other miscellany because I like to be able to switch out things like the
main board without having to unscrew wires.
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/PCON-52/5-POLE-PLUG-IN-SCREW-CONNECTOR/1.html
I also have buckets of IDE hard drive cables because I do a lot of PC repair
and that's a commodity that seems to grow and grow in the junk bin. Not
sure how I want to connect the sensor wires. I might use the tons of
printer and serial cables I have lying around or I might get a
"daughterboard" for the controller that's got a 40 pin header to use ribbon
cables. Either way, I'm designing the unit so it's "snap out-able" so if
anything goes wrong, replacement's a snap. (-:
I wish I could give you an update on the board and all the things I have
planned, but spare time seems to have completely disappeared since I
retired. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened - it seems to
violate some sort of law of physics. That's more than you ever wanted to
know, I'm sure.
(-:
Soon, very soon.
--
Bobby G.
Jim Hewitt
> "Jim Hewitt" <jim.h...@spamless.hp.com> wrote in message
> news:hhtvir$cj3$1...@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
>
[snip]
> I wish I could give you an update on the board and all the things I have
> planned, but spare time seems to have completely disappeared since I
> retired. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened - it seems to
> violate some sort of law of physics. That's more than you ever wanted to
> know, I'm sure.
>
> (-:
>
> Soon, very soon.
Yeah, I've heard about that but won't ge to experience it for a while.
Thanks for the PS tip - I'll have to get some of those next time I place an
order to All Elect.
Jim
asleyprince
http://forums.cabling-design.com/homeautomation/Re-Web-Enabled-Time-Temp-Humidity-and-I-O-Controller-18649-.htm
:
Jim Hewitt wrote:
> "Jim Hewitt" <jim.h...@spamless.hp.com> wrote in
> message
> news:hcfe5s$k7p$1...@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
>>
>> Wow, it does look really good - for lots of things. You never did
>> say the
>> price nor does their web siet. What is the single unit price?
>
http://cgi.ebay.com/WebControl-timer-temperature-humidity-I-O-controller_W0QQitemZ270285035585QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3eee3e5841
> They want $49.84 plus about $10 for UPS in US.
> Interesting.
> Now to convince the wife that we need one...
> Jim
Thanks for that much informations regarding this topics
if u need any kind of assistance regarding wenbsite designing plese let me
know i'll definetly help you my level best
-------------------------------------
[url=\"http://www.wensil.com/\"]Web designing companies[/url]
[url=\"http://www.wensil.com/services.php\"]Web Design Company[/url]
--
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asleyprince
asleyprince
Red Green
news:254c3$4b7923df$42bb6765$28...@news.flashnewsgroups.com:
> asleyprince had written this in response to
> http://forums.cabling-design.com/homeautomation/Re-Web-Enabled-Time-Tem
> p-Humidity-and-I-O-Controller-18649-.htm
> :
>
> Jim Hewitt wrote:
>
>> "Jim Hewitt" <jim.h...@spamless.hp.com> wrote in
>> message
>> news:hcfe5s$k7p$1...@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
>>>
>>> Wow, it does look really good - for lots of things. You never did
>>> say the
>>> price nor does their web siet. What is the single unit price?
>
>>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/WebControl-timer-temperature-humidity-I-O-controlle
> r_W0QQitemZ270285035585QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3
> eee3e5841
>> They want $49.84 plus about $10 for UPS in US.
>
>> Interesting.
>
>> Now to convince the wife that we need one...
>
>> Jim
>
> Thanks for that much informations regarding this topics
> if u need any kind of assistance regarding wenbsite designing plese
> let me know i'll definetly help you my level best
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> [url=\"http://www.
> [url=\"http://www.
>
>
>
Spammer. Plonk.