ELK Configuration....

[noshali]

You guys are awesome. I have learnt a lot more in the thread than I have in some time. Thanks to all the experienced users for contributing and taking the time to write in so much detail. I have my work cut out. I will keep you guys posted.

BraveSirRobbin:
As for providing you with a specific subject or project for the how tos would be very selfish of me. As for an opinion, I would prefer to see the kind of projects that you have but with slightly more detail on what entails a given setup. For eg. My latest project is the garage door and the dampers to my furnace. Both are very easy for someone who knows what they are doing. I want to be able to integrate it wth elk and also want to be able to use Homeseer. Now the biggest challenge is not how to cut the vents etc but what is a relay? What kind of wiring, if I use the 12v relay on the elk then how does the 24v power supply work. If I use the 24v relay does it provide power also??? If a relay is just a switch then what difference does it make whether it is 12 volt or 24 volt. If I can connect a 24 volts damper to a 12 volts relay then why would anyone want to use a 24 volts relay. etc etc.

My qustions are more geared towards getting a better understanding from the how tos of how things work and application through real life projects rather than...here is a 12 volt relay and you connect the yellow to the a contact and brown to b contact. Don't get me wrong that helps a lot also for people who just want to know what cable to connect but folks like me who want to get a better understanding of how things work struggle.

Once agian thanks for all your help.

Regards,

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

noshali;

One disadvantage (or advantage depending on how you look at it ) is I do not write a How-To on something unless I did all the steps and setup of that subject myself! I don't have any dampers to play around with so I'm at a loss on how they work (and would hesitate writing a How-To about them). But, if you could post a link on the kinds you have and how you feel you want to implement them I (along with the forum members) could probably walk you through the process.

As for your garage door are you setting it up with a remote (as in the How-To I referenced) or are you providing hard wiring from the garage door opener button back to your home automation gear?

 

[noshali]

Garage Door:
I want to use my GE security remote (from my previous security panel) to open and close the garage door. I am able to wire to the elk panel. The uqestion that has been asnwered was how?

The monitoring works fine for now as I use two ds10s (very simple setup) to report changes in HS and a script that monitors any changes and reports the 3 states:
Open
Closed
Opening/Closing/Ajar

Next step would be to incorporate the change in the status of the door into elk once I can get my remote to work. I gues I would need to know what is the best way to do that and if there is a better wireless option than the ds10a to actually know the state of the garage.

Dampers:
I am interested in the RCS RDM series of dampers. I will post more once I figure out what I really need to get done. Right now just want the basement vents (basement only used when guests are in) to stay closed until opened.

The reason for so many questions are getting this whole thing together. I know it will take time but just want to do it right so that there are no "oops should have done that" as I have had too many of those in the past.

regards,

 

[maximusbraveheart]

I am having trouble getting the automatic closing of the garage coded on ElkRP. Note that I have the garage on output 3 and that works great (program it to close out3 for 1 sec. does the trick on my opener).

The main problem is trying to get a delay of say 5 min. after sending a msg. to the keypad that the door is still open after say 10PM.

If I use Whenever garage zone is not secure and time is past 10PM time, it does not catch that the garage is actually open unless you OPEN it after 10PM. That is not my intent!

If you use whenever time is 10PM and garage zone is open it will catch it once at 10PM. If you came home later than 10 and left the door open it would not of course.

Anyway getting on to the time delay (so it does not close on a car coming in, unloading etc.). I first have it announce the garage zone (open), and then send a note to the keypad to "close garage - garage open" for 5 min. as a warning. Then turn output 3 off for 5 min. (fyi already off normally but THOUGHT this would certainly work as a timer), and then turn output ON for 1 sec so it closes after the 5 min. of warning time.

So when this is run however it does everything immediately and closes the garage door right away. What happened to keeping out3 open for the 5 min? Not sure I understand why this is not working...

How else can this timer function be done? There must be a timer function I am not seeing! How do you wait X min before going on to the NEXT step of the action. Should be simple so I think I am missing something.

HELP! TIA.

 

[WayneW]

I think you want something like:

Whenever every 1 minute
and garage zone is not secure
and time is after 10 PM
then ....

this will only work between 10PM and midnight, so if you come home after midnigtht, you will need to tweak or add.


For your 5 minute delay, I think you will have to use a non-present output (like output 99) as a timer. Turn it on for 5 minutes, then have a rule like:

When output 99 turns off
then ....

 

[maximusbraveheart]

Wow! Thanks! Very helpful! That is important info!

I think the delay is important otherwise if you come home after that time (between the 10 and midnight) IT WILL try to close it on your car. Yes the opener has the safety thing but a suburban is not THAT far from the bottom of the garage door LOL.

Thanks Again!

 

[acheslow]

What happens if you're out in your garage at 9:59 and your neighbor walks by so you step out to have a two minute chat? <_<

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

What happens if you're out in your garage at 9:59 and your neighbor walks by so you step out to have a two minute chat? <_<

That is a good point. One way of getting around that is to incorporate an "arm stay" with the logic.

Another thing I do before closing the garage door in these "timed" scenarios is "chirp" the siren and flash the lights in the garage a few seconds before closing the door.

 

[ctwilliams]

More on the garage door automation if you don't mind...

After reading BSR's how to on garage doors and a few other posts, I attempted this using the wall controls for my garage doors.

These wall switches are made by Liftmaster and there is just a 2 conductor wire going to the garage door opener itself. So, I hooked up my 2 wires to those two terminals and then one of the relays on a ELK-M1XOVR using the NO configuration. It works with no problems, the Elk can open and closed the door.

BUT, the wall switches themselves now do not work. These wall switches control the door as well as the light on the garage door opener. The Elk relay output is somehow killing their operation.

Instead of using the relay, would using one of the voltage outputs work? I do not understand enough about the difference and way the outputs work to determine a better course of action. The manual for the M1XOVR shows using the relay outputs, so that is what I tried.

If not, what if I soldered my two wires running to the Elk itself onto the actual button on the wall switch that opens and closes the door, maybe bypassing the rest of the circuitry on the wall switch.

 

[Steve]

I just use a relay on the R1DB so I don't think that is an issue. How did you wire it by the GDO button? Did you just parallel the wires (remove the existing wire from the opener attached to the terminal - twist it together with wire from the Elk relay - and reconnect it to the terminal)? That should work fine. I have the same setup but my wire from the relay goes directly to the opener (just the opposite end of the wire by the button, but same thing).

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

ctwilliams;

Just to make certain; you are only "closing" the relay for a second, then opening it back up. I.E. The relay is not closed for more than just a second.

 

[ctwilliams]

I just use a relay on the R1DB so I don't think that is an issue. How did you wire it by the GDO button? Did you just parallel the wires

Yes...I did it that way. If I take the wires off of the Elk output, the controls work correctly. I can touch the two together for a moment and the door opens. The failure of the switch occurs when I hook them up to the Elk....

Does your wall switch have more than one function? This has buttons to open/close the door, turn on the light on the opener, and one to "lock" the unit from operating. I am wondering if somehow whatever signals the opener is expecting to receive from the wall switch are being interfered with by the Elk. But since the relay is open, I do not understand how that could effect it.

 

[ctwilliams]

ctwilliams;

Just to make certain; you are only "closing" the relay for a second, then opening it back up. I.E. The relay is not closed for more than just a second.

Correct...In fact I have the rule set just for one second....

 

[Steve]

Yes, mine is an older Sears GDO and has the same - open/light/lock. I don't see how this would make a difference, but you could try to run from the relay direct to the opener, not the button. My sisters has a plain Genie and there I go straight to the button and it also works fine.

 

[electron]

I use the M1XOVR myself, same setup, and works fine. Can you take some measurements (voltage) before and after at the wire terminals of that button? If your button has a light, does that light still work after hooking it up to the XOVR? Definitely don't use the voltage outputs, you want to use the relays.