À JPÀ Msg#: 4199 *PROJECTS* 06/23/88 08:51:11 From: KEN DAVIDSON To: JEFF JENSEN Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4179 (X10 PL513 MODULE) You didn't miss a suggested price, but may have missed the part about the modules being available directly from X-10. They're charging around $10 for the module. As I said in the article, I've been slowly (!) piecing together an HCS II based on the BCC180 and the BCC bus. You'll be able to use optoisolated inputs and outputs, relay outputs, A/D input, and so on. I know the type of system you're suggesting, but I think that for most applications, a LAN requiring an interface at every node would become too expensive for most people. Archinetics' Max system is based on the LAN concept. I don't have pricing information, but I've found that most whole-house systems that do much of anything (like Max) start around $5000 and go up from there. Unless you can put together a node interface using a custom chip and produce countless thousands of them, the price per node is going to be at least $150-$200. It's much cheaper to use X-10 for light and some appliance control, and use hard-wiring for contact closure inputs and outputs. Msg#: 4207 *PROJECTS* 06/23/88 10:13:44 From: STEVE CIARCIA To: JEFF JENSEN Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4179 (X10 PL513 MODULE) The remote sensing device you want is an upcoming CC INK project. In CC INK #4 or #5 we (we're trying to decide 1 or 2 parts) we have an intelligent 6809-based 8 channel A/D (3 1/2 digit) that talks serial. -- Steve İİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİ Discussion on Home Control using the Xİ10 Powerhouse interface for the PC Bruce's Bar and Grill BBS 203/236İ3761 June 1988 İİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİ Msg#: 714 *BULLETIN BOARD* 06/23/88 03:08:27 (Read 5 Times) From: JIM KELLEY To: TAEGAN GODDARD Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 660 (HOME CONTROL) Taegan, I have been using the X10 here for a few years and have had the PC interface Üj܌for about 6 months. Handy little unit! Are you using the A-BUS for your sensors? I thought about buying one, but have decided to build my own. Back when I was using a Sinclair ZX81 I built one for that. I uploaded the program you wrote for the X10 and it is quite good. What language did you write it in? I have also written a program that uses the X10 in pascal. It is a hard disk menu and uses ALT key combinations to turn on or off specific units. I would be glad give you a copy if you would like to look at it but it has some functions that will only work on my computer. --Jim Msg#: 715 *BULLETIN BOARD* 06/23/88 10:35:03 (Read 0 Times) From: TAEGAN GODDARD To: JIM KELLEY Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 714 (HOME CONTROL) Jim, I would love to see the programming work of another X-0 users. Your PAscal program sounds interesting certainly.... I write most of my stuff in QuickBASIC 4.0 because I'm too lazy to learn the intricacies of another language. I've experimented with Small C and Turbo Prolog also but don't know them well enough to an in depth program. When I get the time I'm going to learn Quick C, but QuickBASIC is hard to stop using - it is a wonderful implimentation of basic. I'm not using the ABUS for sensors - but I've heard it is well supported by the compnay and easy to use - that's why I mentioned. I built my own interface for my old Apple //e - and I'll probably do that for my PC. Currently I'm using the game port for 4 analog inputs and 4 single bit inputs - fine for experimenting... I'd really like to see some stuff / ideas you written for the X-10 - there aren't too many out there Try the Circuit Cellar BBS 871-1988 for some really great X-10 discussions - if you don't already...! ....Taegan Msg#: 4232 *GENERAL* 06/24/88 08:37:48 From: KEN DAVIDSON To: RICHARD ANDREWS Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4216 (X-10 TRANSCEIVER) Just as that issue came back from the printers, we received one of the 2-way units from X-10. I'm doing an update article for the fourth issue of INK that describes the module and how to use it. X-10 says that there will be enough modules to meet any demand created by that update article when it appears, so it looks like limited production quantities are close. Its cost should still be around $10 (give or take a few bucks). Üj܌ Msg#: 4247 *GENERAL* 06/24/88 12:25:17 From: TAEGAN GODDARD To: ALL Subj: BSR MODULES OK.. A question I just have to ask: Why are my appliance modules acting up? I just walked into my bedroom - CD player on, Fan on - walked past the fan and... CLICK! The TV pops on! Why? No one else is home playing practical jokes on me. This has happenned with three modules - always with the TV. I just can't explain it. This could be pretty dangerous If I had something else turned on by an appliance module... Any answers for this problem? Msg#: 4250 *GENERAL* 06/24/88 15:59:01 From: KEN DAVIDSON To: TAEGAN GODDARD (Rcvd) Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4247 (BSR MODULES) I assume the modules you have are the older brown modules. That's all Steve has in his house and he's complained about the same thing in the past. One feature of his HCS is an auto-restore function that sends commands to all the modules every few minutes so they are set to their proper states should a glitch come along. The newer tan modules are completely redesigned and are much more reliable. The tan ones are all I use and only very rarely do I have a glitch (only two in the last year and a half that I can recall). Msg#: 4313 *GENERAL* 06/26/88 22:20:04 From: TAEGAN GODDARD To: KEN DAVIDSON Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4250 (BSR MODULES) Those old brown modules will have to go someday .. but I love Steve's idea about sending refresh codes every few minutes. Never thought of that. Real good idea! Msg#: 4248 *GENERAL* 06/24/88 12:28:05 From: TAEGAN GODDARD To: ALL Subj: HOME CONTROL SENSORS I've been using thermistors to measure changes in temperature. Is there anything better to use with an IBM PC... My technical background is limited: from magazines, BBSs, and books. Where is the best place to order them from?? Thanks much... Taegan Msg#: 4297 *GENERAL* 06/26/88 00:10:30 From: ANDY FLATTÜj܌To: TAEGAN GODDARD (Rcvd) Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4248 (HOME CONTROL SENSORS) The best thing I've found to measure temperature is an AD590, a 3-terminal temp sensor from Analog Devices. It is linear with temperature, and is a current output device, so long wire runs will not affect its output. The LM...what is it, 334?...is another 3-terminal device that can be used to measure temps, but it's not as accurate. Just hook the thing between + and ground, and take its output lead through a 10K to ground and measure the voltage at that point. Direct voltage output of the Kelvin scale! (2.73V = 273 degrees Kelvin = 0 degrees Celsius = 32 degrees F.) The AD590 is cheap, too! Good luck! Andy Flatt, sysop NightHawk BBS, Iowa City, IA. 319/338-2961. Msg#: 4273 *GENERAL* 06/25/88 09:31:19 From: TIM GALLAGHER To: ED NISLEY Subj: IBM GAMEPORT I HAVE NO O-SCOPE YET,AND I AM TRYING TO USE THE GAME PORT ON MY IBM CLONE TO LOOK AT SIGNALS.I'M SENDING AN OUT TO HEX 201 AND THEN TIMING THE DIGITAL PULSE,WHICH DEPENDS ON THE RESISTANCE.THIS WORKS FINE FOR PHOTO RESISTERS,SOLAR CELLS,POTENTIOMETERS ETC.BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE VOLTAGE CHANGES.I HAVE A PRESSURE SENSOR IC TAHT OUTPUTS A DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE FROM A WHEATSTONE BRIDGE ACCORDING TO THE PRESSURE. AFTER APLIFING THIS I WOULD LIKE TO SENT THRU THE GAME PORT FOR PROCESSING ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE E WILL BE APPRECIATED.THANKS Msg#: 4314 *GENERAL* 06/26/88 22:22:50 From: TAEGAN GODDARD To: ANDY FLATT Subj: HOME CONTROL SENSORS Thanks Andy for the info about those devices, you made my search a whole lot easier. I've been using these thermistors I picked up in a surplus store in Rochester and I'm tired of the unreliability I have to put up with... ...Taegan Msg#: 4254 *PROJECTS* 06/24/88 19:00:46 From: JEFF JENSEN To: KEN DAVIDSON (Rcvd) Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4199 (X10 PL513 MODULE)Üj܌Ken, thanks for the pricing info. Even at twice the price for the module, it seems like a pretty good deal. A guy could easily spend more than that trying to locate the parts for it. . On the topic of the remote sensor, I didn't do a real good job of describing my idea. Most of the systems I have seen so far are "centralized" in that the intelligence is all in one place. I have been interested in home control, security, environment, weather stations, etc. for a while. As I design these things in my head, I keep coming to the conclusion that by putting a little bit of intelligence at the sensing end, you could possibly reduce wire stringing, and definitely add flexibility and concentrate sensing devices into zones. A single pair of wires would allow you to keep track of a room full of contact sensors, plus a thermistor, an IR sensor or a position sensor on a pot. Implementing a weather station with temperature, wind speed and wind direction would be a snap. These "smart" sensors or sensor concentrators could use an ASCII character stream to identify themselves, identify fields of data and then pass the data. Any PC with a serial port could capture the data and act on it, be it logging, dialing for help or turning on a light. In actuality, this would be an extension or modification to the HCS system rather than a replacement. . The communications medium could be carrier current, RF, the household LAN, or it could be IR across the room to another sensor concentrator or one of these IR extenders similar to Radio Shack's. My concern for wiring alternatives comes from the house I live in. It is an older home, with plaster walls and finished ceilings. Snaking cables from each window and door in the joint down to a central location does not excite me. I'm looking for another way from here to there, but with a variety of alternatives. . . Jeff Msg#: 4255 *PROJECTS* 06/24/88 19:01:20 From: JEFF JENSEN To: STEVE CIARCIA Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4207 (X10 PL513 MODULE) Steve, I'm looking forward to the article. Is there any way to look under the covers ;-) of the article. I have a couple of thoughts on addressability and binary contact sensing. . . Jeff Msg#: 4284 *PROJECTS* 06/25/88 14:51:26 From: KEN DAVIDSON To: JEFF JENSEN Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4254 (X10 PL513 MODULE) Distributed intelligence is definitely one way of doing it. Give each room its own processor that senses motion, controls the lights in that one room, and can send out the status of things over a twisted-pair connection. A single master computer at a central location can monitor and coordinate things and decide when to sound any alarms. Such a system will still be more expensive than a single central computer Üj܌controlling the whole shootin' match, but for applications where wire runs must be kept to a minimum or are so complicated that a single processor becomes overwhelmed, it makes sense. Msg#: 4299 *PROJECTS* 06/26/88 00:14:58 From: ANDY FLATT To: ALL Subj: IR SENSORS Can anyone direct me to any articles on how to build or use passive IR detectors? I see all this talk here about security, and IR detectors, and I just went and bought the RCA $30 IR light controller. The thing's neat, except the circuit is potted. (How DARE they!) I'd like to know how the things work, and perhaps how I could build some up to play with. Surely there's been an article or two on them. Where should I look? Andy Flatt, sysop NightHawk BBS, Iowa City, IA. 319/338-2961. Msg#: 4300 *PROJECTS* 06/26/88 00:22:38 From: ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER To: ANDY FLATT Subj: REPLY TO MSG# 4299 (IR SENSORS) Call Eltec Instruments, Inc. (800) 874-7780 They will send you a rather large catalog including text on the individual sensors, completed systems, and articles on their use. Alex