Skylight / Rooflight / Velux

[RSin]

Skylight / Rooflight / Velux or whatever you want to call it.

how are people controlling them? I've created a Rooflight category and using the blinds '0' setting. Animation is OK but the text stating "blinds are at 50%" ruins the illusion. Has anyone got anything better that shows up in the UI rather than blind oriented fields? Is there anyway to copy n paste the Blind code and edit it to a new Rooflight function?

Really don't understand why loxone haven't done this cut n paste to add functionality. Surely it would be a 15minute developer task.

Thanks.

[Simon Still]

I'm using a blinds controller for my rooflight.  

Loxone said there was no way of changing the text description - haven't checked in V9 yet.  Seems odd as they powered rooflights must be reasonably common in hi-tech houses and adding either one more mode to the blinds controller, or making the 'description' field configurable both seem relatively trivial.

the other thing I use the blinds controller for is a set of vertical blinds.  Again both the visualisation and description could be better - describe as 'curtains', hanging with slats 'inline' is 80% open/shade, visualisation shows opening and closing but not orientation. 

[Kops]

Same with servo controlled water valves, where I am using the same blinds control block, but the icon is no way to change. I flagged that to Loxone earlier already, no solution since.

[Robbie]

I have a couple of hardware / interface questions regarding Velux skylights, and thought I would ask them in this thread:

I currently use a Velux KLF 100 interface, which is quite limited, with only two inputs - I use one Loxone relay output connected to the KLF 100's first input to fully open my pair of skylights together, and another on the second KLF input to close them. But we may also use the supplied Velux touch panel remote to open, close, individually, or adjust positions, meaning that the Loxone receives no feedback on whether the skylights are open or closed.

Has anyone added window contacts to a Velux skylight to give feedback? (I took the precaution of running Cat5 to each Velux during the build, so it wouldn't be difficult. Another alternative is the Door & Window Contact Air.) Did you feel it was worthwhile having feedback?

Velux appear to have replaced the KLF 100 with the KLF 200, which appears to have more (five?) inputs. I can't find much information (or any connection diagram) on-line. Has anyone used the KLF 200, and can provide more information &/or a link to the connection diagram? Is it only five inputs or control of five Velux products (i.e. ten inputs)?

This is of interested, as we may add the motorised sunscreens, and ideally like independent control of both.

Any other comments/suggestions/solutions of Loxone control of Velux (including the OP's question) would also be greatly appreciated.

[Thomas Brooker]

Hello All,

Totally new to Loxone, however I've been tasked with wiring a 5 bed Loxone house. I've got my head around most of it, but need some input if at all possible with the integration of the Velux KLF200 into loxone. I have 2 skylights both with blinds that I need to integrate into the system. Have any of you guys had experience with the programming of these? What comms cable to run to the unit. I am assuming I need 2 relay outputs for each window and blind to control the up and down, and integrate this into the blind\ shading block, and then trigger an input to tell me when the blind is closed or open. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

[Rob]

Have you had a look at the Loxone Shading Actuator Air? It might work for your installation although I don't know how it would integrate with the Velux controller and you might need 2 per rooflight, one for opening and closing and one for the blind. The actuator has up/down outputs and will also determine the fully open/closed positions. As it's Loxone hardware it's automatically available in config.

[RSinn]

Tom, you may not have the option but if the roof lights haven't been installed talk to them about Roto (German roof lights manufacturer). I did a fair bit of comparing roof lights when we did our build and chose these over Velux/fakro/keylight for the ease of integration. These have 2 cables, 230v power & 8-core 24v dry contact. These don't need a fancy box of tricks, just a relay on the terminals. Blinds & shutters can be retrofitted (after plastering) with the cable going into a control unit mounted within the frame, you just need to open the window and you have full access. It was my understanding, at least when talking to Loxone, that the vf100 can be troublesome but personally don't have any experience of it.

Another Roto detail but may apply to Velux was that if you extend the control cable to a central cabinet I think you need a thicker cable over 10m. Check the docs.

[Jedi Tek'Unum]

I just stumbled across How To: Control Velux skylights via Loxone directly with KLF200 which may be useful.

Awhile back, when researching this topic for my new home construction, I tried to figure out how to remove all the RF components and just talk to the Velux VSE product via hardwired control. Velux support was not helpful. I discovered the document Electrical Handbook; the "Open System" description looked promising but I was told that was a commercial system, the VMS series, which was not available for residential use. In that document it refers to MotorLink as the underlying control mechanism. This is provided by WindowMaster. WindowMaster is almost non-existent in the USA; I finally got an offer to purchase directly from them in their US office only because there is nobody else to buy from! But its an expensive system - over $1,000US for a 4 motor controller. I've not been able to figure out if the VSE product line uses the same protocol.

Since then I've become distracted with the many other issues of home building. I'm getting VSE skylights and will have to figure out how to automate after the fact.

[denver]

When we were looking for roof windows, we opted for Fakro because they have Z-wave built in and Fakro offer the ZWMA that works with control systems to open and close the windows and blinds if fitted.

https://www.fakro.co.uk/att/COMMON/prof/roofer/fitting%20instructions/ZWMA_FAKRO.pdf

[Jedi Tek'Unum]

After a lot of struggle with Velux support I finally got a useful manual for the hardwire connections on the KLF-200. And with that I was able to find the document online here. Not a stable link I'm sure so save it if you want it.

Unfortunately its very primitive contact-driven. The ethernet is listed as "for internal use only". My Velux contact (USA) does not believe their is any supported TCP/IP interface over ethernet or WiFi. Same for Active Climate control.

So the KLF 200 takes simple contacts and converts to their RF system (io-homecontrol). Can we spell KLUDGE?

I asked about removing the control system and driving the actuator directly. Of course the answer was either/both that it couldn't be done or it wouldn't be supported. Surprise.

[RSinn]

Yeah we went through hours of that and got nothing either! Ridiculous having simple electronics masked by stupid systems. Should be able to do both...I had enough and bailed on Velux because of it.

[Jedi Tek'Unum]

I finally got this working over ethernet. The protocol has changed with version 0.2+ firmware so upgrade the Velux KLF 200 firmware if not already there (I'm running 0.2.0.0.71.0). Get it from https://updates2.velux.com

The quick-n-dirty method is to use an intermediate box that will accept HTTP commands and translate them into the KLF 200 protocol. This can be done using https://github.com/werner-j/vlxcontrol. The real work is done with https://pypi.org/project/pyvlx/. Yes (fortunately or unfortunately depending on the person), its Python.

See the attached image for an example of a Virtual Output Command. "Foyer" is the name of one of my skylights. 0% is full open and 100% is closed.

[David Wallis]

Nice, thanks for the info

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[Ian King]

As an alternative to Python, if you are running Loxberry, there is a FHEM module for the Velux KLF200: https://wiki.fhem.de/wiki/Velux_KLF200 which can be linked to the MQTT broker allowing control via MQTT from Loxone.

I pieced it together from the instructions on: https://www.loxforum.com/forum/hardware-zubeh%C3%B6r-sensorik/171217-velux-klf200-endlich-mit-api/page3#post190659

I'm controlling 4 roof windows and 2 shades with it.

The FHEM module allows you to set certain parameters, like the speed of the windows/shades and can report the status of the rain sensor (if present).