Hey Guys,
Im in a bit of dilemma as to which of the above two software options to go foward with.
I guess I'll start off by giving an idea of my requirements and current set-up.
Basically I currently use a homevision pro hardware based unit for general control. It controls the following;
1 x RS232 controlled Yamaha RX-V1700
1 x IR controlled Yamaha RX-V757
2 x RS232 Controlled Infocus IN76 Projectors
2 x RS232 Controlled Yamaha DVD-S1700 DVD Players
1 x Clipsal C-Bus PC5500 PC Interface
2 x 13 CHAR LED Displays via RS232 (dumb units - no feed back just direct write)
A couple of 12VDC actuated 240VAC relays/contactors
I have the homevision unit controlled via an in wall Touchtronix Touchscreen driven by a Windows PC which has plugin to control the Homevision unit. A single serial output on the Homevision unit is fed into a Baytech Multiport Controller which basically allows this one serial port to control 8 connected serial devices. Different ports can be selected by outputting a control character and port number from the Homevision serial port and then the required commands can be sent to the selected device.
The whole setup basically controls two presentation rooms that have a projector, amp and DVD player each with all the lights controlled via CBus. They show the same 20 minute presentation which is triggered by a button on the touchscreen etc. Its not commercial but more of a tourist information video that gets shown up to 15 times daily on both screens.
I have a keen interest in the whole automation side of things so I'm always playing with it! So thats the setup at the moment. Although the homevision unit is rock solid it does have a couple of limitations as with any hardware unit when it comes to greater control of units, dealing with serial feedback and just general room for future expansion. So im looking for a PC based solution to handle the nitty gritty stuff and leave some of the PC-less work to the Homevision unit.
I have been trialing (if thats a word) CQC and Housebot over the past few weeks to see which would be the best option for me to go with. I'm impressed with both and both would give me alot of room to expand. However as any of you that know either system theres a steep enough learning curve and almost an endless realm of possiblities when it comes to using them in such a setup.
The homevision unit isnt really designed to deal well with the level of feedback that the RX-V1700 provides over its serial port so the system is a bit laggin on the reliability side of things which always gets me into trouble when what should happen doesnt happen when the trigger button is pressed!!
So after going through both of these for a while Im at a loss as to which route to go down. The thing is I know it will take a full setup of both systems to evaluate which one fits the bill! Id love to have a system that is a bit less dumb in relation to the serial control and if a Power On command is sent to the Yamaha units for example, that if they fail to switch on for whatever reason, the system will retry for a couple of times before sending a notice to the touchscreen.
The LED units always seem to work which is a bit ironic given that they provide no feedback. The receiver will not switch on sometimes and the dvd players either dont select the right language track on the DVD menu or else it just doesnt play at all. So I guess Im looking for the best system to provide reliability to my set-up.
Ive read through numerous posts in here and Im well aware of the different members with which ever systems. Im not looking for a simple CQC vs Housebot answer but more of an opinion from someone who has travelled a bit further down the road than I have with either system so I can make an informed decision. As I said I've done it before and it always takes so much longer than I ever planned to get the system to where I wanted it to be and Ive already spent a good bit of time with both systems so Im well aware of it! I know I always turn to cocooners whenever I have dilemmas like this!
I looked at other options also eg Elve but I narrowed it down the above options due to reading about their reliability and track record. I need to write a driver for CQC for the Yamaha DVD player but its similar enough protocol to the RX-v1700 so Im using that driver as base to work of. Ive done a good bit of C Programming and basic etc before but Im slow to get my head around this Object Orientated stuff that the CML language is based on. Housebot on the other hand has an easier learning curve as alot of implementation in drivers and external macros are handled in vbscript. I know the support is also pretty good in both systems with Dean and Scott so thats another reason for me.
Sorry about the bit of a short novel but I'd really like to hear back on what advise ye in the know could offer me with this. Its a bit late here now so Im not thinking that clearly but I'm sure theres a few things I've forgotten to ask!!
Anyways, any advice at all would be greatly appreciated as Im just not able to decide which one to go with!
thanks inadvance,
Rob
Im in a bit of dilemma as to which of the above two software options to go foward with.
I guess I'll start off by giving an idea of my requirements and current set-up.
Basically I currently use a homevision pro hardware based unit for general control. It controls the following;
1 x RS232 controlled Yamaha RX-V1700
1 x IR controlled Yamaha RX-V757
2 x RS232 Controlled Infocus IN76 Projectors
2 x RS232 Controlled Yamaha DVD-S1700 DVD Players
1 x Clipsal C-Bus PC5500 PC Interface
2 x 13 CHAR LED Displays via RS232 (dumb units - no feed back just direct write)
A couple of 12VDC actuated 240VAC relays/contactors
I have the homevision unit controlled via an in wall Touchtronix Touchscreen driven by a Windows PC which has plugin to control the Homevision unit. A single serial output on the Homevision unit is fed into a Baytech Multiport Controller which basically allows this one serial port to control 8 connected serial devices. Different ports can be selected by outputting a control character and port number from the Homevision serial port and then the required commands can be sent to the selected device.
The whole setup basically controls two presentation rooms that have a projector, amp and DVD player each with all the lights controlled via CBus. They show the same 20 minute presentation which is triggered by a button on the touchscreen etc. Its not commercial but more of a tourist information video that gets shown up to 15 times daily on both screens.
I have a keen interest in the whole automation side of things so I'm always playing with it! So thats the setup at the moment. Although the homevision unit is rock solid it does have a couple of limitations as with any hardware unit when it comes to greater control of units, dealing with serial feedback and just general room for future expansion. So im looking for a PC based solution to handle the nitty gritty stuff and leave some of the PC-less work to the Homevision unit.
I have been trialing (if thats a word) CQC and Housebot over the past few weeks to see which would be the best option for me to go with. I'm impressed with both and both would give me alot of room to expand. However as any of you that know either system theres a steep enough learning curve and almost an endless realm of possiblities when it comes to using them in such a setup.
The homevision unit isnt really designed to deal well with the level of feedback that the RX-V1700 provides over its serial port so the system is a bit laggin on the reliability side of things which always gets me into trouble when what should happen doesnt happen when the trigger button is pressed!!
So after going through both of these for a while Im at a loss as to which route to go down. The thing is I know it will take a full setup of both systems to evaluate which one fits the bill! Id love to have a system that is a bit less dumb in relation to the serial control and if a Power On command is sent to the Yamaha units for example, that if they fail to switch on for whatever reason, the system will retry for a couple of times before sending a notice to the touchscreen.
The LED units always seem to work which is a bit ironic given that they provide no feedback. The receiver will not switch on sometimes and the dvd players either dont select the right language track on the DVD menu or else it just doesnt play at all. So I guess Im looking for the best system to provide reliability to my set-up.
Ive read through numerous posts in here and Im well aware of the different members with which ever systems. Im not looking for a simple CQC vs Housebot answer but more of an opinion from someone who has travelled a bit further down the road than I have with either system so I can make an informed decision. As I said I've done it before and it always takes so much longer than I ever planned to get the system to where I wanted it to be and Ive already spent a good bit of time with both systems so Im well aware of it! I know I always turn to cocooners whenever I have dilemmas like this!
I looked at other options also eg Elve but I narrowed it down the above options due to reading about their reliability and track record. I need to write a driver for CQC for the Yamaha DVD player but its similar enough protocol to the RX-v1700 so Im using that driver as base to work of. Ive done a good bit of C Programming and basic etc before but Im slow to get my head around this Object Orientated stuff that the CML language is based on. Housebot on the other hand has an easier learning curve as alot of implementation in drivers and external macros are handled in vbscript. I know the support is also pretty good in both systems with Dean and Scott so thats another reason for me.
Sorry about the bit of a short novel but I'd really like to hear back on what advise ye in the know could offer me with this. Its a bit late here now so Im not thinking that clearly but I'm sure theres a few things I've forgotten to ask!!
Anyways, any advice at all would be greatly appreciated as Im just not able to decide which one to go with!
thanks inadvance,
Rob