<Cocooner> Hello to all, this is the first time I have visited the chat lines on cocoontech, and yes, we have real antlers...
<electron> it's an alarm system which is also a HA controller and is very expandable
<electron> oh there he is
<electron> hiding
<joeW> lurking
<electron> he must know it's hunting season
<electron> lol
<bravesirrobbin> an elk is a large type of deer, but that's not important right now!!
<bravesirrobbin> (Airplane dialog)
<electron> lol
<GuyLavoie> more like a moose actually
<joeW> I knew that.
<electron> I remember that movie
<joeW> I have that movie
<electron> http://www.mydotsoft.com/products/my.Galle...nagement&page=1
<electron> post screenshots of the software on XP
<electron> first 5
<electron> Hi Chris, you can change your name by typing /nick Chris_RM or whatever you want it to be
<Cocooner> OK thanks, I am browsing your site while trying to watch the chat, sorry if i'm slow
<electron> np
<Cocooner> The new photos look great
<electron> yeah it shows I have a lot of more configuring to do
<electron> lol
<Cocooner> I see you have a car starter, what are you using here?
<bravesirrobbin> So to start with, what type of power do you need to run this remote management software? What is different than say, running the software from remote desktop for instance
<electron> http://www.cocoontech.com/index.php?showtopic=133
<electron> a tutorial on how I built my remote starter interface
<electron> nothing fancy
<Cocooner> The slowest machine I have run the software on is a 266Mhz running windows CE, seems to run pretty good
<bravesirrobbin> So how does it connect to the Elk M1, via the ethernet interface then?
<GuyLavoie> How will this software be sold (or bundled)?
<Cocooner> So far we have in our mind that we will post the software on the web site. You can download, and it will be able to run, but it will be in a demo mode... You will have to purchase a lisense key to get it fully operational...
<WayneW> how is this software different than whatever software comes with the ethernet expander?
<Eug> <electron> including the IPTV <<< Microsoft IPTV, in fact.
<Cocooner> It is close to the same software, but it is more of a graphical interphase. The ethernet module has limited memory, so we couldn't get as fancy
<Cocooner> The RM software also stores all of the settings for lights/climate/tasks etc... locally so every time you connect to the panel, the program does not have to poll to get all of the info, thus making it faster...
<electron> Chris, can you tell us anything about what kind of pricing you guys are thinking of?
<WayneW> ball park pricing? licensed per house or per computer?
<Chris_RM> Initial thoughts of around $50. This is per house, the software will be lisensed to the serial number of the control, so you can use as many as you want per house...
<WayneW> this is the same software that would come with the touchscreen?
<GuyLavoie> single house license...even if you connect by WiFi and are actually in the neighbor's house?
<GuyLavoie> just kidding...
<electron> lol
<electron> well I am planning on putting it on a smartphone and use a VPN connection over EVDO to test this
<Chris_RM> Yes, the software will be on the touchscreen, yes, once you buy the lisense for the serial number of your house, you can use it anyware, as many times as you please...
<electron> some people also like to monitor their vacation home,so I can imagine this being pretty useful in such a scenario
<WayneW> so when we buy a touchscreen, will that license us to use the software on our own PCs also?
<Chris_RM> You could have a touch screen in you main home that would stay connected to you vacation home 24/7, if you can put up with internet failures
<Chris_RM> Buying the touchscreen and having the lisense on the PC is a question we have not had to address as of yet, I'll have to get back to you on that one...
<GuyLavoie> I have to go away for a little while, but I'll let the chat session run...
<WayneW> then also think that if we buy RM now, do we get a discount on the TS? lol
<electron> Chris, are there any plans to allow people to come up with their own skin (maybe XML format), and even support renaming some of the buttons (i.e. it's pretty useful to rename outputs, since I use them to trigger IR macros)
<Chris_RM> You never know, it doesn't hurt to ask!
<AutomatedOutlet> back, sorry, I was selling another Elk!
<AutomatedOutlet> I have a new builder in WA state that's going to put them in all of his houses
<electron> that's cool Martin
<Chris_RM> Yes, actually it is already in the version that you have, I was hoping to poll some of your members tonight to see if they had any input on the best way to do it...
<AutomatedOutlet> hey Chris
<Chris_RM> I just look for a file in the application path called skin.bmp .gif .jpg etc, I can send you a template at a later date...
<electron> Chris, that's great news, would we be restricted to 640x480?
<Chris_RM> Hello there...
<Chris_RM> Well, I am thinking about making the program go full screen up to 800X600, what is your input?
<Chris_RM> If the screen is on a PC with bigger resolution, it will just be in a window...
<bravesirrobbin> so you will have a choice then depending on what you are running it on?
<electron> a max of 800x600 is fine
<electron> http://www.mydotsoft.com/products/my.Galle...touchscreen.jpg
<electron> that's the interface I would like to use
<Chris_RM> Yes, it will automatically go full screen on 800X600 or below, if the screen is larger, it will be viewed as the PC pictures of the software on this web site...
<electron> a PDA is 480x640, not 640x480, another touchscreen I have is 600x800, so being able to customize layout/orientation would be useful
<Chris_RM> We'll try to do a test on this Monday, give me a call if I don't call you, and I'll generate a new version for you to test...
<Chris_RM> I think I can get rid of those scroll bars...
<electron> I can imagine that this is the OS itself doing this
<Chris_RM> When the program starts up, it is just looking at the screen width, I'll do a test on the width and height before I make a determination on whether to go full screen or not...
<Chris_RM> We should be able to work around this...
<Chris_RM> If a PDA is running 320X240, do you think it should go full screen, or should the software remain large and have the scroll bars pop up?
<electron> if it goes full screen at 320x240, wouldn't it be missing some of the buttons?
<Chris_RM> I will resize the graphics so they will fit on the screen, David as one with the lower resolution, and having to use the scroll bars is not fun!
<bravesirrobbin> What type of screen customizing can you accomplish (command buttons, info text, etc...)?
<bravesirrobbin> in other words are those "canned" screens we are looking at in the demo shots?
<bravesirrobbin> or is there a lot of variance of what you can do
<Chris_RM> You can change all of the graphic, and what is show as far as the text, the program syncronizes with the data that you have programmed into the M1, so if you call a light "Front Porch" in M1 programming, that is what it will be in the software...
<electron> which works great
<electron> the only problem is when it comes to outputs
<electron> RP doesn't allow you to name outputs
<electron> (only the first 16 or something like that)
<Chris_RM> The first 32 outputs...
<WayneW> yeah, I started all my virtual outputs at 208 and worked down
<WayneW> and I cannot name them
<electron> yea same here
<electron> hard to keep track of
<electron> one output represents the mailbox status, another one is used to trigger my TV etc
<Chris_RM> Remember that outputs 193+ are actually on the keypads...
<bravesirrobbin> ah, can you place custom say jpg or icons with this (such as a garage door icon)?
<electron> I use 100-105 right now
<Chris_RM> I don't have it so you can change a specific icon like on the outputs page, but you can change the "F" keys on the keypad to display a garage door or something of that nature...
<Chris_RM> We may be able to work something out in the future...
<electron> what about grouping of ha devices
<electron> is this something that would be supported in the future?
<electron> i.e. group by room
<AutomatedOutlet> i'd link to see the UPB links used
<Chris_RM> I am trying to keep the software compatible with the slowes of slow Windows CE, graphic manipulation slows them down a bit...
<Chris_RM> What do you mean/recommend for grouping?
<electron> well once someone has many lights to control
<electron> it would be nice if one could select a room first
<electron> i.e. Living room
<electron> and then only show a short list of lights
<Chris_RM> I may be able to arrange it so that you can put the specific lights in a room on the first page, or whatever order you want, would this work for you?
<Chris_RM> Maybe display lights in a list box on the setup page so you can delete or rearange them...
<bravesirrobbin> maybe have an overall directory screen, which you can link icons to for specific rooms or applciations
<bravesirrobbin> or what would be really cool is to have "drop down" listings/icons
<bravesirrobbin> mouse over an icon and get a drop down list of options
<bravesirrobbin> make the most of a limited screen
<WayneW> the elk itself doesn't have a concept of rooms, so this would need to be added somehow/where
<bravesirrobbin> does it do partitions maybe
<Chris_RM> You are right
<electron> maybe we can add a # in the device name in RP, and use that # for groupin
<electron> dunno
<electron> I assume it would be a memory issue if they add a 'location' field to a device property
<Chris_RM> When you enter a usercode to connect to the control, it looks to see what areas your code is good in and only alows you to select from keypads in those areas...
<Chris_RM> Not a bad Idea with the "#"
<bphillips> The lighting page displays 6 lights per. What if each page were able to have a room name
<WayneW> but could it handle lots of room names that way?
<Chris_RM> I'll have to give it some thought?
<electron> at least you know the demand is there
<bphillips> It would give you 42 rooms
<Chris_RM> One of the biggest challenges is space on the screen, especially when we are talking about running on 640X480
<WayneW> 42 should be enough
<Chris_RM> If I had 8 houses, I'd probably use them all...
<Cocooner28> hello
<electron> my touchscreen interface concept was made for 320x240, what I did was have a field which shows the room, and 2 buttons which scroll through that list
<WayneW> hi David, Chris siad you would fix everything
<electron> hey David
<electron> we are stress testing Chris hehe
<david0126> Hi all! HI Chris!!
<Chris_RM> That is generaly how it works now, scrolling through all of the pages that is...
<electron> Chris, I just noticed that the software doesn't display outputs > 32 (Since you can't configure the Show parameter in RP)
<Chris_RM> Yes, we can add that soon...
<Chris_RM> That one is on my list.
<electron> ok, just checking
<Cocooner28> Cooconner28 is Doo but cannot change nick
<electron> the doo user is online already
[22:07:46] -> [doo] VERSION
<electron> running mIRC
<electron> I can remove the client if you want me to, but you have another copy of mIRC running
<bravesirrobbin> maybe he an be "Doo Doo"
<electron> ok, user left
<electron> try again
<Chris_RM> lol
<Doo> It was me using mIRC but no one else was shown in #cocoontech
<Doo> so using JAVA interface instead
<electron> yeah it's #cocoon
<electron> Chris, do you have any idea how you would handle outputs > 32, since you can't provide a description?
<electron> maybe an easy way of allowing one to use their own graphics is by looking for i.e. o32ON.gif and o32OFF.gif for output 32
<Chris_RM> I will probably populate the screen just the way it is right now, call the "Output 33-208" by default, but provide a means to rename them in the software...
<Chris_RM> Could be a great idea!
<electron> if the text next to the button isn't graphics but real text
<Doo> OK. #cocoon and not #cocoontech. That explains why no one was around for the past several weeks
<electron> maybe something like o32ON-garage_door.gif
<Chris_RM> Yes, it is real text
<electron> then you can grab the text out of the file name, so you don't have to maintain a database
<Chris_RM> This could work as well
<electron> but not sure if that is efficient
<Chris_RM> Considering I don't have a lot per page, well have to try and see...
<electron> hey david, check your private messages on here for a second
<electron> Chris, did you write the reflector software as well?
<Chris_RM> Yes
<electron> great job!
<Chris_RM> Thanks, That is what I used before we had the ethernet board...
<electron> In case anyone is confused, the reflector software allows you to connect to a serial port on a PC by using a TCP Connection
<electron> so you don't need the Ethernet interface if you want to play with the software
<bravesirrobbin> so does that go with this new RM software as well?
<bravesirrobbin> i.e. you don't need the ethernet interface
<Chris_RM> Eventually when the .Net Framework version 2.0 is released, I plan on adding serial port functionality as well...
<electron> .NET 2.0 got released today
<Chris_RM> Great, guess I better get busy, we have to get the new development software in for me to write using the new Framework...
<electron> sorry lol
<Chris_RM> The old version of .Net did not have a standard class for dealing with 232, you had to use com interop, I thought it would be better to wait on 2.0...
<Chris_RM> To answere the quesion above, the reflector does not come with the RM software, but if you need it to play arround, I think we know someone here who can get it for you!
<electron> I found a free software package which creates a virtual com port, which sends the data to a tcp port, so I got to test the RM software, and was still able to use my own serial based elk interface
<bravesirrobbin> ah, very cool
<Chris_RM> I have seen a couple on the web, some of them have to many options, I just kept mine plain and simple...
<electron> it's very stable
<electron> haven't experienced a single issue yet
<Chris_RM> Great...
<electron> I am waiting for David to give me the go ahead to post the files, so others can play as well
<Chris_RM> I need to go ahead and make an insallable version of it...
<Chris_RM> my spelling is not good tonight
<Chris_RM> I need to step away for a couple of minutes
<electron> that is something you don't have to worry about in here
<electron> ok
<bravesirrobbin> Curious if anyone is using the Cinemar or Homeseer plugins with their Elks
<WayneW> I don't recall anybody saying that they did
<WayneW> chakara & steve are missing tonight
<bravesirrobbin> ah
<Doo> I'm coming in a little late but what kind of Elks are we talking about?
<AutomatedOutlet> i have my elk running the whole house now
<AutomatedOutlet> by itself
<bravesirrobbin> yea, I can't wait to get playing with it
<WayneW> my wife runs the house, the elk just helps her and I just live here
<AutomatedOutlet> lol
<AutomatedOutlet> my wife likes it when the elk tells the kids to go back to bed when it's late
<AutomatedOutlet> also tells them when to go to bed
<bravesirrobbin> I was a liittle confused on how many amps the aux 12 volt can provide
<AutomatedOutlet> needed another beer chris?
<bravesirrobbin> seems like it was only 1.2 amps steady state
<Doo> e do you have link for the elk you're talking about?
<WayneW> 1.5A continuous
<WayneW> elkproducts.com
<Chris_RM> Thanks Wayne
<bravesirrobbin> ah, ok, glad i ordered the auxillary 12 volt elk supply from martin with that order
<WayneW> then go to the M1 sections
<AutomatedOutlet> Doo, we're talking about the Elk M1
<bravesirrobbin> yea, did that wayne
<bravesirrobbin> that's when i decided to order the additional 12 volt supply
<bravesirrobbin> plus a couple of distribution units
<AutomatedOutlet> why did you need that M?
<bravesirrobbin> because of all the keypads, glass breaks, motion detectors, and eventually cameras that will go into this house
<bravesirrobbin> plus multiple sirens and strobes
<electron> Doo: this is the software we are talking about: http://www.cocoontech.com/index.php?showto...view=getnewpost the Elk hardware in question is the M1 and the M1EZ8
<GuyLavoie> back
<bravesirrobbin> wb Guy
<AutomatedOutlet> i haven't done the math but it doesn't look like too much. I think i have that much installed here
<GuyLavoie> I just read through the dicussion...good questions.
<AutomatedOutlet> or at least at the house
<bravesirrobbin> ah, well, I wanted to be sure I had enough power
<bravesirrobbin> will probably add an ocelot later also
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah, i think you will!
<WayneW> cameras with IR leds can suck up power pretty quick
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah they do
<bravesirrobbin> yea, so while we were planning all of this in his closet, i just went ahead and ordered that stuff
<GuyLavoie> A few questions about the screen labels, etc make me think that the ability to redefine them would be good for accomodating other languages, like French.
<bravesirrobbin> I have the baby brother of the elk supply (battery backed and charging circuit) and really like it
<AutomatedOutlet> that extra 4 amp power supply you ordered should help!
<electron> very good point Guy
<AutomatedOutlet> i have some elk 26 Ah batteries here too!
<electron> nice
<WayneW> free shipping!
<WayneW> jk
<AutomatedOutlet> I think BSR's package will be about 80 pounds as it is!
<bravesirrobbin> wow
<electron> did BSR tell you that he moved to NY
<electron> lol
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<AutomatedOutlet> not really but it will be over 50 I'm sure
<electron> let me give you the updated address
<WayneW> did you mean to order the pony kit instead of an elk?
<AutomatedOutlet> hehe - Dan, I have your address!
<bravesirrobbin> Yea, this was kinda fun, haven't ordered anything in a looooong time
<bravesirrobbin> I'm going to take pics and possibly do a "part two" on my security "how-to"
<AutomatedOutlet> BSR, the problem with ordering that for your friend is that now you'll have to start looking for someone to buy your caddx system.....
<AutomatedOutlet> ebay
<WayneW> spending other peoples money is always fun, eh BSR?
<bravesirrobbin> yea, I was thinking about that, this could be very expensive for me as well
<bravesirrobbin> yea, you are correct wayne!!!!
<AutomatedOutlet> as soon as I installed the elk in the office, I ripped out my caddx from my house...
<bravesirrobbin> my friend does custom wood working as well, he is making his own structured media housing for his closet
<bravesirrobbin> should be interesting
<AutomatedOutlet> out of wood??
<bravesirrobbin> yea
<AutomatedOutlet> hehe
<bravesirrobbin> custom frame and doors
<bravesirrobbin> it will look good when he is finished i'm sure
<AutomatedOutlet> is he going to make lots of little holes in the back to mount modules?
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<bravesirrobbin> naw, we will just mount stuff as needed
<AutomatedOutlet> that's funny. you know, i could send you an elk without the can
<AutomatedOutlet> might save about the price of one motion sensor
<bravesirrobbin> no
<bravesirrobbin> i want that case as well as the case for the power supply
<bravesirrobbin> we will basically have two "floor to ceiling" media centers
<AutomatedOutlet> hey, he can save $15 and only take another 3 hours to make a wooden cabinet - lol
<bravesirrobbin> right next to each other, will mount the boxes inside of those
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, well, we will have to see how all of this works out, he has a plan, i will take pics
<bravesirrobbin> but hey, we should probably get back on topic about the Elk Remote Management software
<bravesirrobbin> Sorry Chris, all yours
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah, take advantage of chris while he's here
<Chris_RM> I'm enjoying the conversations, know problems here...
<bravesirrobbin> Are you familiar with Main Lobby Chris?
<Chris_RM> I'm trying to soke up all of the suggestions here, I can't promise when I'll get around to all of them, but it will get better with time...
<Chris_RM> I am somewhat familiar with Main Lobby, looks like an impressive piece of software...
<AutomatedOutlet> it's OK chris, we'll give you until next week to get it all implemented!
<Chris_RM> Thanks!
<bravesirrobbin> yea, you may want to browse their line just to maybe get some ideas of what to incorporate into your software
<AutomatedOutlet> np
<smee> OT: http://www.animationusa.com/hb02/hb35n.html
<bravesirrobbin> here are some of my screen setups when you get a chance
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.talaverde.net/Main%20Lobby/
<bravesirrobbin> Would be nice to have some sort of custom ability like that eventually with the RM software
<AutomatedOutlet> gotta run to the house. I'll log back in from there in a little while!
<bravesirrobbin> ok Martin
<Chris_RM> I am working on a custom designer that will make it so you can add pictures and images to a screen, somewhat like a floor plan...
<bravesirrobbin> ah, very cool
<bravesirrobbin> That seems to be high on most people's home automation task lists
<Chris_RM> It's what we call "Skunk Works", I work on this in my spare time...
<Chris_RM> Your Main Lobby setup looks impressive!
<Doo> OK. I browsed elkproducts.com. I am interested in the ELK-930
<pauL> sell martin your soul and he can have one on your doorstep at dawn
<Chris_RM> What app do you plan on doing with the ELK-930
<Doo> I think that I would be able to connect it to Ocelot/Secu16 and get rid of two PowerFlash units (and X10 on powerline)
<Doo> that I use for doorbells
<Doo> Is that correct?
<Chris_RM> Yes
<Chris_RM> I went through the painful process of pulling new wires to my doorbell
<Chris_RM> My doorbell is plugged into my M1
<Chris_RM> When someone is at the front door, it will play one message, when someone is at the back door, it will play another...
<Doo> I guess no M1 for since I have Ocelot/HS but that doesn't mean there are not a lot of ELK products that fit into the picture
<Doo> I also have different spoken phrases for front and back doorbell.
<GuyLavoie> I have my doorbell hooked up to a SECU16 input *and* output. If someone rings the doorbell and the central vac is running, I stop the vac and then ring the bell again...
<electron> Ok guys, I need to run, but don't let that stop the conversation Chris, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to talk to us! Nite everyoe!
<Chris_RM> I'm Doing something similar, It cuts of the musing in my house...
<GuyLavoie> bye E
<Doo> Guy, how do you connect doorbells to Secu16?
<Chris_RM> "MUSIC"
<GuyLavoie> no more musing?
<Chris_RM> lol
<GuyLavoie> I designed my own circuit. It looks for the voltage drop across the button
<bravesirrobbin> will it work with a "light bulb" button Guy?
<Doo> Oh. Looks like ELK has a sale.
<Doo> ala Martin
<Doo>
<GuyLavoie> being across the button also allows me to "press" the button with an output. Yes, it works with a lit button roo.
<GuyLavoie> too
<bravesirrobbin> cool, could you Email me the schematic sometime?
<bravesirrobbin> [email protected]
<GuyLavoie> I'd have to make a clean version of it. I only have a hand drawn one right now.
<GuyLavoie> But sure, I'll get it done.
<bravesirrobbin> ah, a rough version would work
<bravesirrobbin> ok
<Chris_RM> I put an led behind my doorbell button that allows me to flash it to make different flash rates for different events in the house...
<bravesirrobbin> wow, good idea
<Chris_RM> I have all kinds of events set up for notification of events when I am outside...
<Chris_RM> I have a task set up that I can fire when I am working in the yard, if the telephone rings, it chirps my outside siren...
<GuyLavoie> I do things like "wink" a light in a room for certain acknowledgement functions
<bravesirrobbin> yea, i flash a light and chirp a siren when the garage door automatically closes
<Chris_RM> Have you heard of the "Walk the dog" feature?
<bravesirrobbin> no
<GuyLavoie> And when I come in and the alarm is in pre-alarm, it turns on the light in the lobby.
<GuyLavoie> what's walk the dog?
<Chris_RM> I temporarily set up a motion detector and speaker in my living room and bed room, when the dog goes into the bedroom, the living room speaker barks, when the dog goes into the living room, the bed room barks... I now need new carpet!
<Doo> I have heard of "Hair of the Dog"
<Chris_RM> lol
<GuyLavoie> I did plan on adding a "find the dog" feature. All it will do is ring the doorbell... We'll know where she is!
<Chris_RM> If the wife ever makes you mad, try this one, when garage1 goes down, raise garage2, when garage2 goes down, raise garage1...
<Chakara_> lol
<GuyLavoie> I'll have to get some new projects going...as soon as I finish the current one.
<Chris_RM> I am going to step away for a few
<bravesirrobbin> So what current project are you working on Guy?
<Doo> Anybody know of a digital answering machine that will connect to PC and allow downloaing of messages?
<bravesirrobbin> HOmeseer phone
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<smee> CyberGenie?
<Doo> hardware
<smee> I'm not aware of one, but I'd be interested if you found one
<GuyLavoie> the current project is the RCS Thermostat to ADI module. Its almost finished. I'm adding all the little extras like the setback modes, etc.
<Doo> I have SBC voice mail. I asked about ability to download messages and they said they were "thinking about it"
<Doo> Guy, serial or X10/
<GuyLavoie> serial, RS-485
<bravesirrobbin> via the "ad-net" bus?
<GuyLavoie> yes
<bravesirrobbin> woah
<GuyLavoie> It emulates a slave Leopard and a serial bobcat
<Doo> I wrote RCS X10 plug-in for HomeSeer. CMAX code would be a challengeZ!
<GuyLavoie> ie: if I set it to address 3 then the serial bobcat is at address 4
<GuyLavoie> I run *everything* with C-Max. So its simple and very reliable.
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, agree about the C-Max comment
<GuyLavoie> For the thermostat module, setting slave variable sets the heat setpoint on the thermostat, slave variable #2 the cooling setpoint, etc.
<bravesirrobbin> I'm going to sort of miss it with the Elk
<bravesirrobbin> wb Chris
<Chris_RM> What is the setpoint issue?
<GuyLavoie> huh?
<bravesirrobbin> Guy was talking about integrating the RCS Thermostat with an Ocelot
<Chris_RM> Misunderstood-Thanks
<GuyLavoie> ok
<bravesirrobbin> Guy is an Applied Digital product expert (Ocelot and add on modules)
<GuyLavoie> well...
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, plus a nice Guy as well!!!!
<Chris_RM> Does Ocelot have a good IR solution?
<bravesirrobbin> excellent one
<Doo> YES!
<bravesirrobbin> that is it's strong point
<Chris_RM> Cost effective?
<bravesirrobbin> $150
<GuyLavoie> Yes, many of them are sold for the IR fucntions.
<GuyLavoie> It can learn, play back, and even be triggered by IR codes
<GuyLavoie> It has X10 in and out and a serial port too.
<bravesirrobbin> Plus you can create X10 events with them
<Doo> I do all sort of IR control with Ocelot/Secu16IR via software. Almost as much as a remote
<Chris_RM> I'll have to look into them, the only IR integration I have done is with the RTI... But I can't afford one myself...
<GuyLavoie> Then there are expansion modules with relays, analog inputs, etc.
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.appdig.com/adicon_new/index.htm
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.appdig.com/adicon_new/ocelot.htm
<bravesirrobbin> Get them from Martin of Automatedoutlet.com
<Doo> Trade Ocelot for ELK stuff?
<GuyLavoie> My last few projects have been using 8051 microcontrollers to emulate ADI modules to do new things that regular modules dont.
<bravesirrobbin> http://automatedoutlet.com/product.php?pro...30&cat=0&page=1
<Chris_RM> Thanks
<bravesirrobbin> Have the Elk serial port compatible with the Ocelot
<bravesirrobbin> would be a killer application
<Chris_RM> We've had quite a few customers integrate withe the Ocelot
<GuyLavoie> what exactly do you mean by compatible, BSR?
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, be able to trigger IR commands via the Elk
<Chris_RM> What would it take to do it?
<GuyLavoie> You can do that already with simple ASCII strings.
<Doo> yes!
<bravesirrobbin> ah, well Guy would be the one to know
<GuyLavoie> send +I000021 style commands.
<bravesirrobbin> Would just be nice to have the Elk software a little more friendly though Guy
<Doo> now I'm lost
<GuyLavoie> Its getting data *from* the Ocelot that would require more work.
<GuyLavoie> using the binary protocol.
<Chris_RM> Can you program the Ocelot to send custom ascii strings or is it all in binary?
<GuyLavoie> you can easily do custom ASCII strings
<GuyLavoie> You can define up to 128 strings, each up to 32 chars. You can even embed a variable into a string.
<Chris_RM> You could then potentialy program the Ocelot to send a string to fire a task, output, light etc...
<GuyLavoie> yes
<Chris_RM> You wouldn't even have to write a rule...
<GuyLavoie> for example (in C-Max) IF Receive X10 A/1 On command pair, THEN Transmit ASCII string #3
<GuyLavoie> its that simple.
<Chris_RM> Beautiful!
<GuyLavoie> its ladder logic, just like the elk
<Chris_RM> May have to get one for the IR capabilities...
<GuyLavoie> you can do complex if/then, with OR and AND conditions, do math on analog inputs, etc.
<Chris_RM> Well, I'm going to run, I enjoyed talking to everyone tonight, and look forward to joing the chat again...
<bravesirrobbin> ok thanks for stopping by
<Doo> thnx Chris
<bravesirrobbin> let's do this again sometime
<Chris_RM> Most certainly!
<electron> it's an alarm system which is also a HA controller and is very expandable
<electron> oh there he is
<electron> hiding
<joeW> lurking
<electron> he must know it's hunting season
<electron> lol
<bravesirrobbin> an elk is a large type of deer, but that's not important right now!!
<bravesirrobbin> (Airplane dialog)
<electron> lol
<GuyLavoie> more like a moose actually
<joeW> I knew that.
<electron> I remember that movie
<joeW> I have that movie
<electron> http://www.mydotsoft.com/products/my.Galle...nagement&page=1
<electron> post screenshots of the software on XP
<electron> first 5
<electron> Hi Chris, you can change your name by typing /nick Chris_RM or whatever you want it to be
<Cocooner> OK thanks, I am browsing your site while trying to watch the chat, sorry if i'm slow
<electron> np
<Cocooner> The new photos look great
<electron> yeah it shows I have a lot of more configuring to do
<electron> lol
<Cocooner> I see you have a car starter, what are you using here?
<bravesirrobbin> So to start with, what type of power do you need to run this remote management software? What is different than say, running the software from remote desktop for instance
<electron> http://www.cocoontech.com/index.php?showtopic=133
<electron> a tutorial on how I built my remote starter interface
<electron> nothing fancy
<Cocooner> The slowest machine I have run the software on is a 266Mhz running windows CE, seems to run pretty good
<bravesirrobbin> So how does it connect to the Elk M1, via the ethernet interface then?
<GuyLavoie> How will this software be sold (or bundled)?
<Cocooner> So far we have in our mind that we will post the software on the web site. You can download, and it will be able to run, but it will be in a demo mode... You will have to purchase a lisense key to get it fully operational...
<WayneW> how is this software different than whatever software comes with the ethernet expander?
<Eug> <electron> including the IPTV <<< Microsoft IPTV, in fact.
<Cocooner> It is close to the same software, but it is more of a graphical interphase. The ethernet module has limited memory, so we couldn't get as fancy
<Cocooner> The RM software also stores all of the settings for lights/climate/tasks etc... locally so every time you connect to the panel, the program does not have to poll to get all of the info, thus making it faster...
<electron> Chris, can you tell us anything about what kind of pricing you guys are thinking of?
<WayneW> ball park pricing? licensed per house or per computer?
<Chris_RM> Initial thoughts of around $50. This is per house, the software will be lisensed to the serial number of the control, so you can use as many as you want per house...
<WayneW> this is the same software that would come with the touchscreen?
<GuyLavoie> single house license...even if you connect by WiFi and are actually in the neighbor's house?
<GuyLavoie> just kidding...
<electron> lol
<electron> well I am planning on putting it on a smartphone and use a VPN connection over EVDO to test this
<Chris_RM> Yes, the software will be on the touchscreen, yes, once you buy the lisense for the serial number of your house, you can use it anyware, as many times as you please...
<electron> some people also like to monitor their vacation home,so I can imagine this being pretty useful in such a scenario
<WayneW> so when we buy a touchscreen, will that license us to use the software on our own PCs also?
<Chris_RM> You could have a touch screen in you main home that would stay connected to you vacation home 24/7, if you can put up with internet failures
<Chris_RM> Buying the touchscreen and having the lisense on the PC is a question we have not had to address as of yet, I'll have to get back to you on that one...
<GuyLavoie> I have to go away for a little while, but I'll let the chat session run...
<WayneW> then also think that if we buy RM now, do we get a discount on the TS? lol
<electron> Chris, are there any plans to allow people to come up with their own skin (maybe XML format), and even support renaming some of the buttons (i.e. it's pretty useful to rename outputs, since I use them to trigger IR macros)
<Chris_RM> You never know, it doesn't hurt to ask!
<AutomatedOutlet> back, sorry, I was selling another Elk!
<AutomatedOutlet> I have a new builder in WA state that's going to put them in all of his houses
<electron> that's cool Martin
<Chris_RM> Yes, actually it is already in the version that you have, I was hoping to poll some of your members tonight to see if they had any input on the best way to do it...
<AutomatedOutlet> hey Chris
<Chris_RM> I just look for a file in the application path called skin.bmp .gif .jpg etc, I can send you a template at a later date...
<electron> Chris, that's great news, would we be restricted to 640x480?
<Chris_RM> Hello there...
<Chris_RM> Well, I am thinking about making the program go full screen up to 800X600, what is your input?
<Chris_RM> If the screen is on a PC with bigger resolution, it will just be in a window...
<bravesirrobbin> so you will have a choice then depending on what you are running it on?
<electron> a max of 800x600 is fine
<electron> http://www.mydotsoft.com/products/my.Galle...touchscreen.jpg
<electron> that's the interface I would like to use
<Chris_RM> Yes, it will automatically go full screen on 800X600 or below, if the screen is larger, it will be viewed as the PC pictures of the software on this web site...
<electron> a PDA is 480x640, not 640x480, another touchscreen I have is 600x800, so being able to customize layout/orientation would be useful
<Chris_RM> We'll try to do a test on this Monday, give me a call if I don't call you, and I'll generate a new version for you to test...
<Chris_RM> I think I can get rid of those scroll bars...
<electron> I can imagine that this is the OS itself doing this
<Chris_RM> When the program starts up, it is just looking at the screen width, I'll do a test on the width and height before I make a determination on whether to go full screen or not...
<Chris_RM> We should be able to work around this...
<Chris_RM> If a PDA is running 320X240, do you think it should go full screen, or should the software remain large and have the scroll bars pop up?
<electron> if it goes full screen at 320x240, wouldn't it be missing some of the buttons?
<Chris_RM> I will resize the graphics so they will fit on the screen, David as one with the lower resolution, and having to use the scroll bars is not fun!
<bravesirrobbin> What type of screen customizing can you accomplish (command buttons, info text, etc...)?
<bravesirrobbin> in other words are those "canned" screens we are looking at in the demo shots?
<bravesirrobbin> or is there a lot of variance of what you can do
<Chris_RM> You can change all of the graphic, and what is show as far as the text, the program syncronizes with the data that you have programmed into the M1, so if you call a light "Front Porch" in M1 programming, that is what it will be in the software...
<electron> which works great
<electron> the only problem is when it comes to outputs
<electron> RP doesn't allow you to name outputs
<electron> (only the first 16 or something like that)
<Chris_RM> The first 32 outputs...
<WayneW> yeah, I started all my virtual outputs at 208 and worked down
<WayneW> and I cannot name them
<electron> yea same here
<electron> hard to keep track of
<electron> one output represents the mailbox status, another one is used to trigger my TV etc
<Chris_RM> Remember that outputs 193+ are actually on the keypads...
<bravesirrobbin> ah, can you place custom say jpg or icons with this (such as a garage door icon)?
<electron> I use 100-105 right now
<Chris_RM> I don't have it so you can change a specific icon like on the outputs page, but you can change the "F" keys on the keypad to display a garage door or something of that nature...
<Chris_RM> We may be able to work something out in the future...
<electron> what about grouping of ha devices
<electron> is this something that would be supported in the future?
<electron> i.e. group by room
<AutomatedOutlet> i'd link to see the UPB links used
<Chris_RM> I am trying to keep the software compatible with the slowes of slow Windows CE, graphic manipulation slows them down a bit...
<Chris_RM> What do you mean/recommend for grouping?
<electron> well once someone has many lights to control
<electron> it would be nice if one could select a room first
<electron> i.e. Living room
<electron> and then only show a short list of lights
<Chris_RM> I may be able to arrange it so that you can put the specific lights in a room on the first page, or whatever order you want, would this work for you?
<Chris_RM> Maybe display lights in a list box on the setup page so you can delete or rearange them...
<bravesirrobbin> maybe have an overall directory screen, which you can link icons to for specific rooms or applciations
<bravesirrobbin> or what would be really cool is to have "drop down" listings/icons
<bravesirrobbin> mouse over an icon and get a drop down list of options
<bravesirrobbin> make the most of a limited screen
<WayneW> the elk itself doesn't have a concept of rooms, so this would need to be added somehow/where
<bravesirrobbin> does it do partitions maybe
<Chris_RM> You are right
<electron> maybe we can add a # in the device name in RP, and use that # for groupin
<electron> dunno
<electron> I assume it would be a memory issue if they add a 'location' field to a device property
<Chris_RM> When you enter a usercode to connect to the control, it looks to see what areas your code is good in and only alows you to select from keypads in those areas...
<Chris_RM> Not a bad Idea with the "#"
<bphillips> The lighting page displays 6 lights per. What if each page were able to have a room name
<WayneW> but could it handle lots of room names that way?
<Chris_RM> I'll have to give it some thought?
<electron> at least you know the demand is there
<bphillips> It would give you 42 rooms
<Chris_RM> One of the biggest challenges is space on the screen, especially when we are talking about running on 640X480
<WayneW> 42 should be enough
<Chris_RM> If I had 8 houses, I'd probably use them all...
<Cocooner28> hello
<electron> my touchscreen interface concept was made for 320x240, what I did was have a field which shows the room, and 2 buttons which scroll through that list
<WayneW> hi David, Chris siad you would fix everything
<electron> hey David
<electron> we are stress testing Chris hehe
<david0126> Hi all! HI Chris!!
<Chris_RM> That is generaly how it works now, scrolling through all of the pages that is...
<electron> Chris, I just noticed that the software doesn't display outputs > 32 (Since you can't configure the Show parameter in RP)
<Chris_RM> Yes, we can add that soon...
<Chris_RM> That one is on my list.
<electron> ok, just checking
<Cocooner28> Cooconner28 is Doo but cannot change nick
<electron> the doo user is online already
[22:07:46] -> [doo] VERSION
<electron> running mIRC
<electron> I can remove the client if you want me to, but you have another copy of mIRC running
<bravesirrobbin> maybe he an be "Doo Doo"
<electron> ok, user left
<electron> try again
<Chris_RM> lol
<Doo> It was me using mIRC but no one else was shown in #cocoontech
<Doo> so using JAVA interface instead
<electron> yeah it's #cocoon
<electron> Chris, do you have any idea how you would handle outputs > 32, since you can't provide a description?
<electron> maybe an easy way of allowing one to use their own graphics is by looking for i.e. o32ON.gif and o32OFF.gif for output 32
<Chris_RM> I will probably populate the screen just the way it is right now, call the "Output 33-208" by default, but provide a means to rename them in the software...
<Chris_RM> Could be a great idea!
<electron> if the text next to the button isn't graphics but real text
<Doo> OK. #cocoon and not #cocoontech. That explains why no one was around for the past several weeks
<electron> maybe something like o32ON-garage_door.gif
<Chris_RM> Yes, it is real text
<electron> then you can grab the text out of the file name, so you don't have to maintain a database
<Chris_RM> This could work as well
<electron> but not sure if that is efficient
<Chris_RM> Considering I don't have a lot per page, well have to try and see...
<electron> hey david, check your private messages on here for a second
<electron> Chris, did you write the reflector software as well?
<Chris_RM> Yes
<electron> great job!
<Chris_RM> Thanks, That is what I used before we had the ethernet board...
<electron> In case anyone is confused, the reflector software allows you to connect to a serial port on a PC by using a TCP Connection
<electron> so you don't need the Ethernet interface if you want to play with the software
<bravesirrobbin> so does that go with this new RM software as well?
<bravesirrobbin> i.e. you don't need the ethernet interface
<Chris_RM> Eventually when the .Net Framework version 2.0 is released, I plan on adding serial port functionality as well...
<electron> .NET 2.0 got released today
<Chris_RM> Great, guess I better get busy, we have to get the new development software in for me to write using the new Framework...
<electron> sorry lol
<Chris_RM> The old version of .Net did not have a standard class for dealing with 232, you had to use com interop, I thought it would be better to wait on 2.0...
<Chris_RM> To answere the quesion above, the reflector does not come with the RM software, but if you need it to play arround, I think we know someone here who can get it for you!
<electron> I found a free software package which creates a virtual com port, which sends the data to a tcp port, so I got to test the RM software, and was still able to use my own serial based elk interface
<bravesirrobbin> ah, very cool
<Chris_RM> I have seen a couple on the web, some of them have to many options, I just kept mine plain and simple...
<electron> it's very stable
<electron> haven't experienced a single issue yet
<Chris_RM> Great...
<electron> I am waiting for David to give me the go ahead to post the files, so others can play as well
<Chris_RM> I need to go ahead and make an insallable version of it...
<Chris_RM> my spelling is not good tonight
<Chris_RM> I need to step away for a couple of minutes
<electron> that is something you don't have to worry about in here
<electron> ok
<bravesirrobbin> Curious if anyone is using the Cinemar or Homeseer plugins with their Elks
<WayneW> I don't recall anybody saying that they did
<WayneW> chakara & steve are missing tonight
<bravesirrobbin> ah
<Doo> I'm coming in a little late but what kind of Elks are we talking about?
<AutomatedOutlet> i have my elk running the whole house now
<AutomatedOutlet> by itself
<bravesirrobbin> yea, I can't wait to get playing with it
<WayneW> my wife runs the house, the elk just helps her and I just live here
<AutomatedOutlet> lol
<AutomatedOutlet> my wife likes it when the elk tells the kids to go back to bed when it's late
<AutomatedOutlet> also tells them when to go to bed
<bravesirrobbin> I was a liittle confused on how many amps the aux 12 volt can provide
<AutomatedOutlet> needed another beer chris?
<bravesirrobbin> seems like it was only 1.2 amps steady state
<Doo> e do you have link for the elk you're talking about?
<WayneW> 1.5A continuous
<WayneW> elkproducts.com
<Chris_RM> Thanks Wayne
<bravesirrobbin> ah, ok, glad i ordered the auxillary 12 volt elk supply from martin with that order
<WayneW> then go to the M1 sections
<AutomatedOutlet> Doo, we're talking about the Elk M1
<bravesirrobbin> yea, did that wayne
<bravesirrobbin> that's when i decided to order the additional 12 volt supply
<bravesirrobbin> plus a couple of distribution units
<AutomatedOutlet> why did you need that M?
<bravesirrobbin> because of all the keypads, glass breaks, motion detectors, and eventually cameras that will go into this house
<bravesirrobbin> plus multiple sirens and strobes
<electron> Doo: this is the software we are talking about: http://www.cocoontech.com/index.php?showto...view=getnewpost the Elk hardware in question is the M1 and the M1EZ8
<GuyLavoie> back
<bravesirrobbin> wb Guy
<AutomatedOutlet> i haven't done the math but it doesn't look like too much. I think i have that much installed here
<GuyLavoie> I just read through the dicussion...good questions.
<AutomatedOutlet> or at least at the house
<bravesirrobbin> ah, well, I wanted to be sure I had enough power
<bravesirrobbin> will probably add an ocelot later also
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah, i think you will!
<WayneW> cameras with IR leds can suck up power pretty quick
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah they do
<bravesirrobbin> yea, so while we were planning all of this in his closet, i just went ahead and ordered that stuff
<GuyLavoie> A few questions about the screen labels, etc make me think that the ability to redefine them would be good for accomodating other languages, like French.
<bravesirrobbin> I have the baby brother of the elk supply (battery backed and charging circuit) and really like it
<AutomatedOutlet> that extra 4 amp power supply you ordered should help!
<electron> very good point Guy
<AutomatedOutlet> i have some elk 26 Ah batteries here too!
<electron> nice
<WayneW> free shipping!
<WayneW> jk
<AutomatedOutlet> I think BSR's package will be about 80 pounds as it is!
<bravesirrobbin> wow
<electron> did BSR tell you that he moved to NY
<electron> lol
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<AutomatedOutlet> not really but it will be over 50 I'm sure
<electron> let me give you the updated address
<WayneW> did you mean to order the pony kit instead of an elk?
<AutomatedOutlet> hehe - Dan, I have your address!
<bravesirrobbin> Yea, this was kinda fun, haven't ordered anything in a looooong time
<bravesirrobbin> I'm going to take pics and possibly do a "part two" on my security "how-to"
<AutomatedOutlet> BSR, the problem with ordering that for your friend is that now you'll have to start looking for someone to buy your caddx system.....
<AutomatedOutlet> ebay
<WayneW> spending other peoples money is always fun, eh BSR?
<bravesirrobbin> yea, I was thinking about that, this could be very expensive for me as well
<bravesirrobbin> yea, you are correct wayne!!!!
<AutomatedOutlet> as soon as I installed the elk in the office, I ripped out my caddx from my house...
<bravesirrobbin> my friend does custom wood working as well, he is making his own structured media housing for his closet
<bravesirrobbin> should be interesting
<AutomatedOutlet> out of wood??
<bravesirrobbin> yea
<AutomatedOutlet> hehe
<bravesirrobbin> custom frame and doors
<bravesirrobbin> it will look good when he is finished i'm sure
<AutomatedOutlet> is he going to make lots of little holes in the back to mount modules?
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<bravesirrobbin> naw, we will just mount stuff as needed
<AutomatedOutlet> that's funny. you know, i could send you an elk without the can
<AutomatedOutlet> might save about the price of one motion sensor
<bravesirrobbin> no
<bravesirrobbin> i want that case as well as the case for the power supply
<bravesirrobbin> we will basically have two "floor to ceiling" media centers
<AutomatedOutlet> hey, he can save $15 and only take another 3 hours to make a wooden cabinet - lol
<bravesirrobbin> right next to each other, will mount the boxes inside of those
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, well, we will have to see how all of this works out, he has a plan, i will take pics
<bravesirrobbin> but hey, we should probably get back on topic about the Elk Remote Management software
<bravesirrobbin> Sorry Chris, all yours
<AutomatedOutlet> yeah, take advantage of chris while he's here
<Chris_RM> I'm enjoying the conversations, know problems here...
<bravesirrobbin> Are you familiar with Main Lobby Chris?
<Chris_RM> I'm trying to soke up all of the suggestions here, I can't promise when I'll get around to all of them, but it will get better with time...
<Chris_RM> I am somewhat familiar with Main Lobby, looks like an impressive piece of software...
<AutomatedOutlet> it's OK chris, we'll give you until next week to get it all implemented!
<Chris_RM> Thanks!
<bravesirrobbin> yea, you may want to browse their line just to maybe get some ideas of what to incorporate into your software
<AutomatedOutlet> np
<smee> OT: http://www.animationusa.com/hb02/hb35n.html
<bravesirrobbin> here are some of my screen setups when you get a chance
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.talaverde.net/Main%20Lobby/
<bravesirrobbin> Would be nice to have some sort of custom ability like that eventually with the RM software
<AutomatedOutlet> gotta run to the house. I'll log back in from there in a little while!
<bravesirrobbin> ok Martin
<Chris_RM> I am working on a custom designer that will make it so you can add pictures and images to a screen, somewhat like a floor plan...
<bravesirrobbin> ah, very cool
<bravesirrobbin> That seems to be high on most people's home automation task lists
<Chris_RM> It's what we call "Skunk Works", I work on this in my spare time...
<Chris_RM> Your Main Lobby setup looks impressive!
<Doo> OK. I browsed elkproducts.com. I am interested in the ELK-930
<pauL> sell martin your soul and he can have one on your doorstep at dawn
<Chris_RM> What app do you plan on doing with the ELK-930
<Doo> I think that I would be able to connect it to Ocelot/Secu16 and get rid of two PowerFlash units (and X10 on powerline)
<Doo> that I use for doorbells
<Doo> Is that correct?
<Chris_RM> Yes
<Chris_RM> I went through the painful process of pulling new wires to my doorbell
<Chris_RM> My doorbell is plugged into my M1
<Chris_RM> When someone is at the front door, it will play one message, when someone is at the back door, it will play another...
<Doo> I guess no M1 for since I have Ocelot/HS but that doesn't mean there are not a lot of ELK products that fit into the picture
<Doo> I also have different spoken phrases for front and back doorbell.
<GuyLavoie> I have my doorbell hooked up to a SECU16 input *and* output. If someone rings the doorbell and the central vac is running, I stop the vac and then ring the bell again...
<electron> Ok guys, I need to run, but don't let that stop the conversation
Chris, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to talk to us! Nite everyoe!<Chris_RM> I'm Doing something similar, It cuts of the musing in my house...
<GuyLavoie> bye E
<Doo> Guy, how do you connect doorbells to Secu16?
<Chris_RM> "MUSIC"
<GuyLavoie> no more musing?
<Chris_RM> lol
<GuyLavoie> I designed my own circuit. It looks for the voltage drop across the button
<bravesirrobbin> will it work with a "light bulb" button Guy?
<Doo> Oh. Looks like ELK has a sale.
<Doo> ala Martin
<Doo>
<GuyLavoie> being across the button also allows me to "press" the button with an output. Yes, it works with a lit button roo.
<GuyLavoie> too
<bravesirrobbin> cool, could you Email me the schematic sometime?
<bravesirrobbin> [email protected]
<GuyLavoie> I'd have to make a clean version of it. I only have a hand drawn one right now.
<GuyLavoie> But sure, I'll get it done.
<bravesirrobbin> ah, a rough version would work
<bravesirrobbin> ok
<Chris_RM> I put an led behind my doorbell button that allows me to flash it to make different flash rates for different events in the house...
<bravesirrobbin> wow, good idea
<Chris_RM> I have all kinds of events set up for notification of events when I am outside...
<Chris_RM> I have a task set up that I can fire when I am working in the yard, if the telephone rings, it chirps my outside siren...
<GuyLavoie> I do things like "wink" a light in a room for certain acknowledgement functions
<bravesirrobbin> yea, i flash a light and chirp a siren when the garage door automatically closes
<Chris_RM> Have you heard of the "Walk the dog" feature?
<bravesirrobbin> no
<GuyLavoie> And when I come in and the alarm is in pre-alarm, it turns on the light in the lobby.
<GuyLavoie> what's walk the dog?
<Chris_RM> I temporarily set up a motion detector and speaker in my living room and bed room, when the dog goes into the bedroom, the living room speaker barks, when the dog goes into the living room, the bed room barks... I now need new carpet!
<Doo> I have heard of "Hair of the Dog"
<Chris_RM> lol
<GuyLavoie> I did plan on adding a "find the dog" feature. All it will do is ring the doorbell... We'll know where she is!
<Chris_RM> If the wife ever makes you mad, try this one, when garage1 goes down, raise garage2, when garage2 goes down, raise garage1...
<Chakara_> lol
<GuyLavoie> I'll have to get some new projects going...as soon as I finish the current one.
<Chris_RM> I am going to step away for a few
<bravesirrobbin> So what current project are you working on Guy?
<Doo> Anybody know of a digital answering machine that will connect to PC and allow downloaing of messages?
<bravesirrobbin> HOmeseer phone
<bravesirrobbin> hehe
<smee> CyberGenie?
<Doo> hardware
<smee> I'm not aware of one, but I'd be interested if you found one
<GuyLavoie> the current project is the RCS Thermostat to ADI module. Its almost finished. I'm adding all the little extras like the setback modes, etc.
<Doo> I have SBC voice mail. I asked about ability to download messages and they said they were "thinking about it"
<Doo> Guy, serial or X10/
<GuyLavoie> serial, RS-485
<bravesirrobbin> via the "ad-net" bus?
<GuyLavoie> yes
<bravesirrobbin> woah
<GuyLavoie> It emulates a slave Leopard and a serial bobcat
<Doo> I wrote RCS X10 plug-in for HomeSeer. CMAX code would be a challengeZ!
<GuyLavoie> ie: if I set it to address 3 then the serial bobcat is at address 4
<GuyLavoie> I run *everything* with C-Max. So its simple and very reliable.
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, agree about the C-Max comment
<GuyLavoie> For the thermostat module, setting slave variable sets the heat setpoint on the thermostat, slave variable #2 the cooling setpoint, etc.
<bravesirrobbin> I'm going to sort of miss it with the Elk
<bravesirrobbin> wb Chris
<Chris_RM> What is the setpoint issue?
<GuyLavoie> huh?
<bravesirrobbin> Guy was talking about integrating the RCS Thermostat with an Ocelot
<Chris_RM> Misunderstood-Thanks
<GuyLavoie> ok
<bravesirrobbin> Guy is an Applied Digital product expert (Ocelot and add on modules)
<GuyLavoie> well...
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, plus a nice Guy as well!!!!
<Chris_RM> Does Ocelot have a good IR solution?
<bravesirrobbin> excellent one
<Doo> YES!
<bravesirrobbin> that is it's strong point
<Chris_RM> Cost effective?
<bravesirrobbin> $150
<GuyLavoie> Yes, many of them are sold for the IR fucntions.
<GuyLavoie> It can learn, play back, and even be triggered by IR codes
<GuyLavoie> It has X10 in and out and a serial port too.
<bravesirrobbin> Plus you can create X10 events with them
<Doo> I do all sort of IR control with Ocelot/Secu16IR via software. Almost as much as a remote
<Chris_RM> I'll have to look into them, the only IR integration I have done is with the RTI... But I can't afford one myself...
<GuyLavoie> Then there are expansion modules with relays, analog inputs, etc.
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.appdig.com/adicon_new/index.htm
<bravesirrobbin> http://www.appdig.com/adicon_new/ocelot.htm
<bravesirrobbin> Get them from Martin of Automatedoutlet.com
<Doo> Trade Ocelot for ELK stuff?
<GuyLavoie> My last few projects have been using 8051 microcontrollers to emulate ADI modules to do new things that regular modules dont.
<bravesirrobbin> http://automatedoutlet.com/product.php?pro...30&cat=0&page=1
<Chris_RM> Thanks
<bravesirrobbin> Have the Elk serial port compatible with the Ocelot
<bravesirrobbin> would be a killer application
<Chris_RM> We've had quite a few customers integrate withe the Ocelot
<GuyLavoie> what exactly do you mean by compatible, BSR?
<bravesirrobbin> hehe, be able to trigger IR commands via the Elk
<Chris_RM> What would it take to do it?
<GuyLavoie> You can do that already with simple ASCII strings.
<Doo> yes!
<bravesirrobbin> ah, well Guy would be the one to know
<GuyLavoie> send +I000021 style commands.
<bravesirrobbin> Would just be nice to have the Elk software a little more friendly though Guy
<Doo> now I'm lost
<GuyLavoie> Its getting data *from* the Ocelot that would require more work.
<GuyLavoie> using the binary protocol.
<Chris_RM> Can you program the Ocelot to send custom ascii strings or is it all in binary?
<GuyLavoie> you can easily do custom ASCII strings
<GuyLavoie> You can define up to 128 strings, each up to 32 chars. You can even embed a variable into a string.
<Chris_RM> You could then potentialy program the Ocelot to send a string to fire a task, output, light etc...
<GuyLavoie> yes
<Chris_RM> You wouldn't even have to write a rule...
<GuyLavoie> for example (in C-Max) IF Receive X10 A/1 On command pair, THEN Transmit ASCII string #3
<GuyLavoie> its that simple.
<Chris_RM> Beautiful!
<GuyLavoie> its ladder logic, just like the elk
<Chris_RM> May have to get one for the IR capabilities...
<GuyLavoie> you can do complex if/then, with OR and AND conditions, do math on analog inputs, etc.
<Chris_RM> Well, I'm going to run, I enjoyed talking to everyone tonight, and look forward to joing the chat again...
<bravesirrobbin> ok thanks for stopping by
<Doo> thnx Chris
<bravesirrobbin> let's do this again sometime
<Chris_RM> Most certainly!
