Starting From Scratch, Suggestions?

[charliebarns]

Any chance you live in Canada? Alberta Specifically?

Sorry to jump in here. I'm in Alberta, Also a .... Software Engineer, and in the middle of a build. I'm in Edmonton specifically, so if you're in the area you are welcome to stop by and talk wiring/hardware/HA/Audio etc.

CB

 

[123]

If you plan to build a driver for your Yamaha receiver, have a look at this short video.

You don't even have to commit to using Premise for Home Automation; you can use it as a protoyping tool. Using the Class Wizard, in less than 2 minutes you can create the framework for a Receiver driver. All functions and I/O ports are displayed in a treeview that lets you fill in the discrete commands: strings for serial control or Pronto codes for IR control. Strings can be ASCII text or binary (entered as hex-equivalent strings). It can even learn the command codes (serial or IR) from the physical device (you'll need a USB-UIRT or GC-100 with GC-IRL to learn the IR codes).

The integrated Port Spy lets you see exactly what you are transmitting and what is echoed back from the Receiver. All in all, its a handy way to debug communications and command strings before writing a driver for your preferred HA software.

 

[Shinyshoes]

Any chance you live in Canada? Alberta Specifically?

Sorry to jump in here. I'm in Alberta, Also a .... Software Engineer, and in the middle of a build. I'm in Edmonton specifically, so if you're in the area you are welcome to stop by and talk wiring/hardware/HA/Audio etc.

I am in Red Deer, and will be in Edmonton the middle of April. I might have to take you up on that. I will be in touch.

If you plan to build a driver for your Yamaha receiver, have a look at this short video.

Looks neat. I have already ordered a USB-UIRT so once that gets here, i can really start rolling.

I'll have a look this weekend.

Shinyshoes

 

[beelzerob]

USB-UIRT? I assume that's for something other than controlling the yamaha, since you'll obviously do that via RS232. (I didn't watch the video).

No, I'm "south of the border"...PA. Sounds like CharlieB can help ya, though. Having someone to talk to and see firsthand with is a big help, I'd say. But if you happen to end up down this way, let me know.

I know it's tempting to jump into all of this, especially the CQC part, since that's software and what's familiar. But if you've only got months, then I'd still highly suggest you devote MOST of your energies to wiring and planned capabilities. The control software is the same as the devices....it's something you can take your time to decide on after the wiring is all done...in other words, it doesn't matter which control software/hardware you choose later.

An excellent example of how to go about planning this is broconne's wiring thread. Whereas my wiring thread dealt with actually putting it in, his thread deals with all the planning, and he's learned a lot of the tradeoffs and pitfalls already. He also is going about it much like I did....get your home floorplan, and start filling it up with symbols of what capability you want and where. It helps in the calculations of how much wire you need, and helps bigtime when you're actually standing in an open-walled house and trying to figure out what to do.

 

[123]

When you're not thinking of wiring (and you should be) kill some time by watching Home Theater Control. Although related to Premise, it covers all of the concepts you'll need when you automate your A/V system with your chosen HA software:

• Controlling A/V equipment via serial or IR commands.
• Activating lighting, blinds, screens, etc.
• Preparing libraries of media content (music, video, radio and TV stations).
• Gluing everything together with macros/scripts/magic spells/etc.
• Creating a UI to control the whole shebang.

It's a long road but an interesting one (and much more enjoyable if you've left no corner unwired)!