Central Power Supply over CAT5 for Blinds

[shaurya]

Hello,

While I am still looking at Motorized blind from www.justblinds.com (Still looking at other cheaper solutions). I need help in buying other accessories.

I have got Cat5 next to each window. These are dedicated meaning none of the condutors will be used for anything like networking/phone etc. And 2-3 windows/bay window will have 1 common Cat 5.

I am looking for a power distribution module that I can put in my Panel to suppy power over the cat5 thus eleminating the need for battery. I will connect the other end of Cat5 to the battery compartment of the blind. It needs 6Volts DC for each blinds. I don't know the Amps it required. I have 23 windows. Also which colour pair of Cat5 should be used considering any telecom/network standards.

I need to transmit IR thru the remaining pair of same Cat5. So I can transmit IR from a particular loaction of the Room. What should I be buying to fulfil it.

I understand I would need an Ocelot for automating it not for just simple IR.
Could there be a cheaper Hardware solution for automating it down the line other than Ocelot..

To complete the picture, I am planning on purchasing ELK or HAI (probably ELK), Russound CAV and last would be HomeSeer/HAL ect. In nutshell less dependency on Microsoft/OS/Mr Gates.

Thanks,
Shaurya

 

[Guy Lavoie]

There are several things that need to be answered here.

- You will need to determine the power (amps) required by one blind. If these draw anything more then 1 amp per blind, then you will probably need to get more then one power supply. I would also avoid drawing too much current through a single Cat 5 pair. Anything more then 2 amps would be better off using more then one pair.

- If the Cat 5 wiring is to be used only for the blinds and nothing else, then it doesn't matter which pair color you use, since this is a non standard application. If you wanted to use some pairs for telecom, then I would suggest that the blue and orange pairs be used for telecom and the green and brown pairs be used for this type of application.

- For distributing IR, devices like the Buffalo or Xantech connecting blocks work well. If you're treating the whole room as one zone or are using a blaster, then one pair is enough. For zoned control, plan one pair per zone/device.

- The Ocelot is a good, cost effective way to send IR to one zone. An expansion module (SECU16IR) can also be used to have up to 16 more zones. The Ocelot is also a good standalone home automation controller with built-in X10, but can also be used in conjunction with an Elk using ASCII strings to communicate between the two.

 

[stipus]

I would not use CAT5 to supply power to a motor.

Even if the motor draws only 1 or 2 amps at 6V (and I doubt it... I just googled and found a few motorized blind specs), you have to consider that if one of your blinds ever get stuck or anything, the motor will draw much more power, and CAT5 pairs are way too thin for this usage.

If you still decide to go that way, double-check your fire insurance !

Just my 2 euro cents.

stipus

 

[Spanky]

The ELK P624 is a small 6, 12,24 volt selectable power supply, battery charger that can deliver 1.5 amps continuous with additional current coming out of the battery if you need it. We use it on window blinds in our demo house. It has a 4 amp auto resettable PTC circuit breaker.

If you do not want the battery backup, a good quality switching or linear 6 V wall wort will do the job too.

 

[elcano]

There are two other factors to consider in addition to the nominal current consumption.

How long does it take to close/open the blinds? How frequently will they be opened/closed? This is important because it might not be a problem to stretch the current capacity of the conductors for a few seconds. However, head builds up in the wires and the longer that it operates, higher will be the temperature. Also, you need to give it some time to dissipate.

You can do a bench test abusing from the cables closing/opening frequently and see if they become hot.

The other factor is distance from the power supply. If the current is high and the cables are too long, your voltage might drop too much to operate the motors.

In case of problems you might jsut usae two pairs.

Anyway, if you find two blind motors (other things being equal), it is recommended to choose the one with higher voltage (12v or 24v) since they use to consume less current. Of course, this also depends on design.
Higher voltq

 

[Mike]

- If the Cat 5 wiring is to be used only for the blinds and nothing else, then it doesn't matter which pair color you use, since this is a non standard application. If you wanted to use some pairs for telecom, then I would suggest that the blue and orange pairs be used for telecom and the green and brown pairs be used for this type of application.

This is not direct experience, but I knew someone who said they on occasion were using the extra for phone (and the remainder for networking). I thought it interesting and thought nothing of it. Later I read that doing that can cause issues during conditions like the phone ringing (it was because of the voltage if I remember correctly). If I can remember the source I will post it, but sharing it with networking applications might be something you want to avoid to avoid an issue (even if sporadic). Then again since I can't remember the source at the moment, nor check my facts here, I may be way off base (may not be related either as you can do POE without an issue, maybe it was just the ring condition for phone and network connections).