New to X10 - should I get it?
Joe Crabtree
I want to set up my room with X10. My plan was to have 3 light circuits
with LD10 DIN modules for dimming (up to 700W), a CM12U with Homeseer
software for dishing out control commands and an IR7243 for turning IR
commands into X10. I intend to use a remote to send a simple command to the
IR7243, this will be received by the CM12U and the PC will interpret the
signal and react accordingly.
The CM12U will be plugged in a different room to the DIN modules (only next
door though). I intend to run the lighting circuits on 1 wall circuit with
a 4 gang plug board or something similar.
I've spent quite a long time settling on this, but I am new to the whole
home automation thing. I'd appreciate any advice anyone can give me.
Regards,
Joe Crabtree
--
www.drumsolo.co.uk
Julian Porter
I too am new to X10 and have similar to you, I got into it after buying my
Marantz RC5000i ( recently upgraded to a prontopro) and so far have
automated my Cinema room , lounge & 3 of my bedroom lights as well as
numerous timers , curtains & lamps.
I get on fine with it all, mostly purchased from www.letsautomate.com
good luck
--
Regards Jules :-)
"Joe Crabtree" <joe.cr...@btinternet.comREMOVE> wrote in message
news:9olbpo$nd8$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
Tony Goddard
Sounds just fine but you will suffer some slowdown going IR/X10->PC->X10 and
I would opt for a IR7243AH instead of the single house code IR7243.
Vince
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Joe Crabtree <joe.cr...@btinternet.comREMOVE> wrote in message
news:9olbpo$nd8$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
Joe Crabtree
when you say slow down - how long exactly do you think I'll be waiting. A
second or like half an hour?
Joe
"Tony Goddard" <tonyREM...@thegoddards.com> wrote in message
news:9olsd7$ll1$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
Joe Crabtree
only work with a pronto whereas the regular 7243 will work with other
learning remotes. I'd like to be able to teach my IR watch the commands (my
dad has a pronto which I can borrow) so I guess I should stick with the non
AH version.
Joe
"Joe Crabtree" <joe.cr...@btinternet.comREMOVE> wrote in message
news:9onebi$dbh$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
John Galvin
There isn't any issue with learning remotes working with the AH models. If
you have access to a Pronto, you should be able to teach any learning
remote, the additional commands to control the AH. The AH models use a
superset of the standard non-AH commands. The only commands that were
added, are the commands to switch housecode. Those commands are implemented
very similarly, to the basic command set, so there shouldn't be any reason
that your learning remote couldn't learn them.
I think, what X-10 was trying to say on their website, was that some
universal remotes have built-in support for the standard non-AH commands,
but not for the additional AH commands. This, in no way, precludes the
additional commands from being learned, assuming you have access to a
Pronto.
J.G.
Joe Crabtree wrote in message <9onf77$egl$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com>...
Dave Houston
files for the Pronto and with .pdb files for OmniRemote. I control mine with
the OmniRemote.
"Joe Crabtree" <joe.cr...@btinternet.comREMOVE> wrote:
---
http://www.laser.com/dhouston/
The problem with Usenet is that so many with
nothing to say feel the necessity to say it.
Dave Houston
Preset Dim commands were also added to the IR543AH/IR7243AH. They are
included on the floppy that ships with the units in both .ccf (Pronto) and
.pdb (OmniRemote) formats. But, you are correct that there should be no
issue with learning remotes. I haven't tried it but you can probably even
teach them to a UR24 if you have a Pronto or OmniRemote. The .pdb files are
also available at...
http://www.laser.com/dhouston/source.htm
Where is X-10 (the company) saying anything about the IR543AH/IR7243AH?
AFAIK, these are not made or sold by X-10. They are a product that was
developed indepemdently by Laser Business Systems.
"John Galvin" <lgalvin...@pacbell.net> wrote:
---
John Galvin
My standard issue IR543A not AH, does preset dim. It's not terribly useful
mind you, since the fixed housecode goes out as the dim level, but it will
transmit both preset dim 1 and 2, given the proper IR sequence. So, really
there didn't NEED to be any new commands above and beyond the house code
switching, for the AH models. It could have all been handled by a macro in
the remote: user presses "3" on the remote and the IR543AH sends out "G3" to
the powerline. User selects preset dim level on remote, via whatever means
and the remote sends out the command to switch housecode, followed by either
the preset dim 1 or 2 command and the IR543AH combines the new housecode
with the preset dim 1 or 2 and sends it to the powerline. Probably want to
restore the previous housecode after that. I gather that's not what they
did though.
Also, I've not been able to teach any X-10 IR commands to my X-10 UR24A. I
don't know what it is about the X-10 IR commands that confounds the UR24A,
but it can't learn them. Kind of ironic, considering that the UR24A already
has a limited set of X-10 IR commands (unit codes 1-10 only) in it's
built-in database. I haven't found any other learning remotes that had any
problem at all, learning X-10 IR commands, either the standard X-10, or the
AH stuff.
As for X-10 saying anything about the AH models, I was only trusting what
Joe was saying. I'm sure that SOME website did make that statement about
compatibility, though it may not have been X-10 themselves. On the other
hand, there's been a rumour making the rounds, that X-10 was going to begin
marketing the AH's, or something using the same command set.
J.G.
Dave Houston wrote in message <3bb0533b...@nntp.fuse.net>...
Dave Houston
Well, "given the proper IR sequence" is the key. I don't think any remote
other than the Pronto or OmniRemote, both of which can be programmed to send
almost any arbitrary sequence, can generate the proper ID sequence. I've
never checked whether the standard IR543 can repeat any arbitrary sequence
or whether it does some checking to be sure it's standard X-10. The IR543
and the IR protocol was documented 10-12 years ago in a Circuit Cellar
article.
http://www.circuitcellar.com/HCS/pdf/9-Davidson.pdf
John Galvin
The One For All series of remote controls can send the proper IR sequence
for the preset dim commands. Those, can send all 16 possible X-10 commands,
via so called advanced codes. You just press setup, followed by the 3 digit
advanced code that maps to the command that you want. Alternatively, you
can assign an advanced code to any button. There is a list with the
advanced codes mapping to X-10 commands, available from One For All tech
support, or it's also posted on one of the remote control sites
(hifi-remote.com?). I should point out that not many of the 16 possible
commands are terribly useful in an IR543A environment. Sure, you can send
out a status request command, but whose gonna see the response? I suppose
that one could use things like hail ack, to trigger a macro though. Gotta
be careful that no device out there is listening for hail ack (Leviton
PR511?). On the other hand, if your light modules happen to respond to "all
lights off", then you can send that, instead of the more heavy handed "all
units off" command.
I'm not sure what you mean by "arbitrary sequence", but the IR543A will
accept and "repeat" onto the powerline, all 32 possible X-10 IR
command/unitcodes. That is, 1-16 unit codes and all 16 commands. In the
X-10 IR protocol, there are only 5 unique bits, giving 32 possibilities.
The 5 bits are repeated in complemented form, for a total of 10 bits, not
counting leadin and leadout. The new commands that are in the AH command
set, appear to be very similar except they're only 4 bits of housecode plus
4 complement bits, for a total of 8 bits. A standard IR543A ignores those
commands, since they don't conform to the standard 10 bit protocol. What's
interesting is that I did at one time, record a sequence from a One For All
remote that appeared to include an 8 bit sequence, just prior to the usual
10 bit X-10 IR sequence.
BTW the tools to import Pronto ccfs into an Ocelot are available. So that
is another way to use the full set of 16 commands. Of course now if you've
got an Ocelot, what's the point of messing with an IR543A in the first
place?
J.G.
Dave Houston wrote in message <3bb05a07....@nntp.fuse.net>...