Loxone, HAI, Omnibus, Centralite, RGBWW LEDs

[sionxct]

Crydom is one of several manufacturers of solid-state relays (SSR). Yes, an SSR is basically a triac with an opto-isolated trigger. Here's a good video explaining how to create a dimmer using an ardunio & SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y5AxWws0tI
 
I stopped researching Omnibus when I realized they didn't have a DMX module. Maybe I stopped too soon, but I wanted to look for other options. I did learn that:
1 - DALI is more of a European standard and US support may not be as good. There seems to be some concern about finding drivers that fully support the DALI protocol. For example, some drivers may not offer dimming.;
2 - DALI is focused on building lighting, where DMX has its origins in theatrical lighting. As such, DALI is suitable for on/of & dimming while DMX is suitable for On, Off, Dimming and RGB. There are a lot of DMX products available, so there are probably some products available to suit unusual needs (like the RS-232 DMX controller Picta previously suggested for control from the Omni Pro) I know DMX is used by some of the Christmas light fanatics to control their mega-displays.
 
@Fred - The Loxone system is probably the closest of any system I've seen that fulfills my HA goals. However, I guess my biggest concern is the lack on inventory on their website. It makes me wonder if they are serious about supporting the US market. It also gets a bit pricey as you add more IO. If I go with all 24vdc controls, I'm looking at a lot of digital inputs. From a technical stand point, I'd like to know what the trigger voltage is on the 24v inputs (how much voltage drop can it handle?)
 
I'm still pondering whether it makes sense to go all low-voltage controls, or some hybrid of line-voltage and low-voltage controls.

 

[fcwilt]

Here are the tech specs on the miniserver:
 
http://www.loxone.com/enen/service/documentation/miniserver/miniserver-setup.html
 
 




What devices were you looking at that were out of stock?  I never purchased any as I got my devices are part of doing the review.

 

[cobra]

Is loxone.com working for you?  I tried your link and their main page and it seems to be not responding.

 

[sionxct]

Thanks for pointing out the technical specs. A number of their products are listed as no stock or low stock. The mini server is low stock, the DMX extension is no stock, the larger power supplies are low stock, numerous other stuff

 

[jeditekunum]

Probably an obvious answer but can anyone with Centralite comment on whether it can be configured to completely be a slave of another automation system? That is, a button press on a Centralite keypad does nothing except send the event out the integration port?
 
I'm getting the uneasy feeling that I'm going to need three layers to really get state-of-the-art automation. That is, something like Centralite integrated with HAI which, in turn, is integrated with ???? Possibly even my entirely custom self-written highest level automation.
 
I'm not saying that HAI or Elk can't be made to do most things but they won't do everything.
 
Just to give an example... I've currently got Insteon, Indigo, and Netatmo. One of the things I have setup is that Netatmo monitors indoor CO2 levels and Indigo controls the air exchanger based on the level. Not obvious how one would do that with HAI or Elk (Netatmo data is cloud-based).
 
Relevant to this thread, I could see RGBWW lighting controlled by cloudiness.
 
From what I've seen, none of these products are as modern as they could be. Sure, there are lots of ways to monitor and control from iPads and whatnot but that requires somebodies brain and time to do advanced things. Things that should be automated 
 
Update: I was wrong; Loxone looks very sophisticated.

 

[sionxct]

The Loxone system looks ideal, except for product availability. It seems to me the DMX module is crucial for LED control, but its not in stock. Is it going to be restocked? Or, discontinued?

 

[fcwilt]

The Loxone system looks ideal, except for product availability. It seems to me the DMX module is crucial for LED control, but its not in stock. Is it going to be restocked? Or, discontinued?

 
I would just ask them.
 
If you want to control DMX devices then, naturally, you need the DMX module.
 
But you can also use the RGBW module for control of 3/4 color LED lighting strips and the like - which is the route I would go UNLESS I had a specific need for DMX.
 
 
One problem I have with Loxone is the pricing for things like Weather service ($69 per year) or Caller service ($69 to $33 per year).
 
My goto system for mid-range installs is Elan g! and these services are free.

 

[sionxct]

I have asked by email, no response so far. Maybe I'll call next week. Any idea what they are doing for fan control? From what I've found on the site so far, they mention turning the fan on/off but nothing about speed control.
 
Does Elan require a dealer for programing?

 

[jeditekunum]

Am I wrong in thinking that RGBWW are exclusively in light strips? Are there any manufacturers of typical recessed down lighting that are DMX controlled?
 

 

[jeditekunum]

One problem I have with Loxone is the pricing for things like Weather service ($69 per year) or Caller service ($69 to $33 per year).

That's crazy price for weather info. I suppose one can't implement their own method for these services.?

 

[fcwilt]

Am I wrong in thinking that RGBWW are exclusively in light strips? Are there any manufacturers of typical recessed down lighting that are DMX controlled?

 
I think you are likely correct. I was not thinking in terms of RGBW down lights. The DMX lighting I am most familiar with is "stage lighting" which would not really be suitable for general purpose home lighting.
 
The Philips HUE system does have RGB down lights but I don't know if they could be made to work with Loxone.

 

[sionxct]

I was looking for RGBWW light strips last night. I thought I had seen them before, but all I found was RGBW. The Loxone PWM module appears to only support RGBW. That means any RGBWW strips would need to be DMX controllable.
 
There are several manufacturers of recessed lights that accept DMX and other controls. Off the top of my head, Acuity / Juno Lighting but I know there are others also. Wall sconces, chandlers, etc are another issue. I've been looking for white tunable wall sconces. The closest I've found are dim-to-warm. If you find anything else, please let me know.
 
I intend to download the software to verify, but I thought I read in a review that it provides the ability to write custom functions. It might be possible to write a function that taps into the APIs of weatherunderground.com or others. $69 a year isn't bad for security monitoring, but I doubt I would use the Loxone for that; rather, an Elk or Omni and interface via the serial port (which probably requires custom code.)
 
All for not though, if Loxone doesn't restock their DMX module.

 

[fcwilt]

I think I recall seeing that RGBWW was used to indicate "warm white" but was functionally still a RGBW.

 

[sionxct]

Ahh, that makes sense. I misunderstood the terminology. I thought the WW meant two white lights (cool & warm), therefore white tunable.

 

[cobra]

Most of these modules I see on loxone.com in the shop are available here (USA).   The RGBW 24V DMX Dimmer shows in stock for me.
 
Ah, but I see the DMX EXTENSION is listed as out of stock.  Wow, $299!