Elk outputs?

WayneW

WayneW

Senior Member
I want to add the ability for the M1 to control my swimming pool stuff. I already have an old brain dead pool controller in place and the relays & contactors seem good, so I think I only have to worry about the low voltage side. I will be adding relays on everything I am doing to make sure I have full isolation.

Since I want 8 or more outputs, I was figuring I would just put a ELK-M1XOVR (8 voltage & 8 relays) or a ELK-M1XOV (16 voltage outputs) out by the pool equipment, rather than running all the individual wires back to the M1. Are there any drawbacks to remote mounting an output board? It will be exterior to the house, but that isn't to large a security risk, is it? Could somebody hack the data bas or shut down the M1 by shorting the power wires?

I also want the ability for local manual control for service reasons. Basically, a way to switch between "auto (Elk) / off / on" modes. I figured I would add SPDT-center-off switches between the M1 outputs and the relays I am adding. The addition of the manual control switches seems like the M1XOVR is no longer a good choice for me, even though it is a good value. Is there any way to hack this unit to add switches? Otherwise, I will use the M1XOV and a bunch of ELK-924 sensitive relays to drive the existing valves & contactors.
 
Sounds like an interesting way to do it. On mine, I just plan on using 220V X10 switches for my 2 pumps.

What do you have all of those relays controlling? Various pumps, etc?
 
You could add a M1XIN zone input expander at the remote location on the data bus and add on/off switches to it. Then write rules according to the on/off switch positions to control the outputs. If you you use center off switches, you can have three switch positions.

I have a gold fish pond in my backyard and added an output relay board and an input zone expander over a cat 5 cable. I ran the 120 VAC also to a nema water proof box. I do all the relay switching and input sensing in the box and send it back to the M1 over the RS-485 data bus. I control the pumps, filter, lights, and automatic water refill. I added Task Rules to be able to control all the pond systems from the keypad, telephone, and soon a wireless touchscreen.
 
It is a pool/spa combo, with solar heating for everything and gas heating when in spa mode. So I have: 1 pump, 1 air blower, 2 valve actuators (motor driven valves) to switch between pool (regular) mode and spa mode, 1 valve actuator for fountains, the gas heater on/off, the pool light, and the spa light. I was also going to use this to control some landscape lighting and the sprinkler system (master on/off only) since that equipment is in the same area. I might try and convert the pool & spa lights to use X-10 or Insteon control so that I can dim them, but that means messing with the high voltage side and I don't think there is room for modules or anything in there.

Jandy & Goldline make dedicated pool controllers, but they want way too much $$ for them compared to what it will cost me to do it with the Elk. Jandy wants $800 minimum just to replace the old dead brain in my obsolete model. I may convert from a chlorine system to a salt/chlorine electronic gizmo, but I don't think there is anything automatable on those, it would be a separate controller, just like my standalone solar controller now.
 
David, I may use zone inputs to interface with some switches in the house or I may just use an X-10 transmitter or something for end-user control. I like my local hard switch idea better because that allows full manual control even if the Elk happens to be off or dead. Not saying anything bad about the M1, but I do live in the lightning capital of the US and I have to keep in mind that the M1 is not bulletproof.

WIRELESS touchscreen? tell us more! Is this an official Elk slippage or something you personally are doing? If this is an Elk wireless touchscreen, does that mean that there might be a way to take the existing 4 wire data bus and make it wireless? So I can add my output expander without running wires?
 
David, if I were to add an input expander outside, are there plans to add support for the temperature probes to more than the first 16 zones? Right now I would have to home run the temp probes, which is not my goal.
 
Currently the wired temperature probes must return to zones 1 to 16 on the main control. I am working on getting the Oregon Scientific wireless temperature probes working with the M1. They have a floating temperature probe that is good for pools or hot tubs.

Touch screens will use the RS-232 or ethernet module.

Looking at what you are doing, you may be better off price wise using a M1EZ8 control remoted from your main M1 as the input and output controller and let it talk to the main M1 through Cat5, X-10, UPB, Zwave or what ever.
 
:blink: How would you synch the 2 panels?? :blink: Sounds like it would be easier and cheaper to pull the wire to me :blink:
 
Spanky said:
Currently the wired temperature probes must return to zones 1 to 16 on the main control. I am working on getting the Oregon Scientific wireless temperature probes working with the M1. They have a floating temperature probe that is good for pools or hot tubs.

Touch screens will use the RS-232 or ethernet module.

Looking at what you are doing, you may be better off price wise using a M1EZ8 control remoted from your main M1 as the input and output controller and let it talk to the main M1 through Cat5, X-10, UPB, Zwave or what ever.
Click to expand...
Supporting the Oregon Scientific temp probes would be cool. I was consider using an OS weather station, then weather software, then HomeSeer to back feed it into the Elk.

232 or ethernet isn't wireless. Or do you mean at the base station for a wireless combo? How soon? What price? Is this separate from the wall mounted keypad upgrade touchscreen?

The EZ8 seems like expensive overkill, it sure sounds cheaper and easier to just use expansion modules and/or homerun more wire.
 
It is according to what you are doing and how many zone inputs you need and how many outputs you need whether the EZ8 is economical or not.

I was talking about the M1EZ8 board only and mount it in a weather proof box. You have 8 inputs, 12 outputs, 2.5 amp power supply, X-10 interface, 528 Rules. You do not need the complete EZ8 package.

In my pond application, I used an input expander and a Relay output expander and controlled it over the RS-485 data bus but I am not doing as much as you want to do.


If you can run the wire, that is another option. You still need relays or contactors to control the pumps.

Sorry for the confusion.
 
"Oregon Scientific wireless temperature probes working with the M1"

How would it recieve the signal?

I was trying to figure that out. If the M1 would support a weather station I would have to get one :blink: .
 
It uses a 433mhz radio receiver that will interface to the M1. Somewhat like the W800. Don't go out and buy a weather system yet.
 
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