ELK M1G Thermostat Options

[Mark S.]

Today I found that my ancient RCS ZCV40 zone controller has stopped communicating with my ELK M1G. I restarted several times but no joy. Seems like it is not putting out or responding to RS-485. The thermostats still operate fine (i.e., the 2 wall display units still work with the controller), but I can no longer read or control them via ELK, and apparently the ELK does not even see any connection. I suppose I could have a failure of the M1XSP interface, but somehow I doubt that. Suggestions?

I have dreaded the day my RCS thermostat system goes belly-up, and this might be the day. The RCS ZCV4 is no longer available, nor are the stand-alone RCS TR16 or TR40 thermostats. So it looks like I have to move on to something else. But the Aprilaire 8700 is also no longer available. I believe HAI is also defunct. So what modern thermostats interface well with ELK? Recommendations? Experiences?

 

[Ishmael]

I also dread the day my RCS systems fail. If you find something modern that supports zones as cleanly as these old workhorses do, please share back your findings. Definite bonus points if the solution allows configuring minimum runtime and minimum off time like these units do.

 

[Mark S.]

After playing with it some more, I seem to have gotten some communication working, but still seems crippled.

As mentioned above - I had no signals back and forth between ELK and the ZCV4. My cable modem went belly-up a few weeks ago after an electrical storm - so I am guessing a surge came through the cable. I also lost my Homeseer PC which is connected to the modem via a phone line, so I can only guess the same surge passed through to the phone line. The ELK is also connected to the phone line, so maybe somehow the M1XSP got hit, although it has no direct connection to the phone line. Nothing else seems to have been affected by the storm - phones are fine, ELK still working, other PCs are fine, router and network stuff all fine.

Anyway, on the theory that the surge might have messed with the internal settings of the ZCV4, I went into the installer menu on a thermostat and 1) changed the "network address" of the ZCV4 from 1 to 2 and back to 1 again, and 2) changed network "autosend" to yes. Now ELK can now see temperature and setpoint changes from the thermostats, however, the ZCV4 is not always receiving changes from ELK (for example my Ecomony Mode is not being received), so it is kinda one-way-ish.

I did order an M1XSP to see if replacing that makes a difference.

 

[Mark S.]

And it's back down again - no communication - it was flakey there for a while, but now I have nothing again. I swapped out the M1XSP - no change. I reset the ZCV4 to factory default and reprogrammed it - no change. So I'm afraid that whatever component on the ZCV4 that does the serial communication may be shot.

So back to the original purpose of this post - what are the currently available and preferred options for thermostats on an ELK M1? The ELK website lists 4 Integration Partners for thermostats:
1) Aprilaire - but the documentation only mentions 8700 and 8800, both of which are obsolete and no longer available.
2) Lutron - the webpage references Homeworks QS and Radio RA2 - but I know nothing about them, and they don't seem to be available for DIY.
3) RCS - again, they no longer offer any serial comm line of thermostats. RCS has a Zwave thermostat, but doesn't look like it is supported per next line.
4) ZWave - the website says it requires the Universal Devices ISY994i ZW+ which is no longer made and no longer commercially available.

So unless I am missing something, there seems to be no commercially available hardware to integrate thermostats with the M1 panels. Has ELK really fallen that far behind? Come on ELK!