Temp Sensor Hooked to Zone 1-16 ELK M1

[fleetz]

I have two of the ELK sensors. One was off by several degrees. On the unit, you can calibrate it by shorting the ground pad to either the + or - pad with a flathead screwdriver or other metal object. It will increment one degree each time you short it.

What would really rock? ELK support for the RFXCom device.

Interesting there is no mention of calibration in my documentation about calibration. If the power goes off to the unit does the TZS require recalibrating or is the offset stored in some flash memory?

Fleetz

 

[srodgers]

I have two of the ELK sensors. One was off by several degrees. On the unit, you can calibrate it by shorting the ground pad to either the + or - pad with a flathead screwdriver or other metal object. It will increment one degree each time you short it.

What would really rock? ELK support for the RFXCom device.

Interesting there is no mention of calibration in my documentation about calibration. If the power goes off to the unit does the TZS require recalibrating or is the offset stored in some flash memory?

Fleetz

The manual does mention the calibration pads +/- in the unit. It does not explain how to just contact Elk support. http://www.elkproducts.com/pdf/M1ZTS_M1ZTS...ture_Sensor.pdf

 

[JayH]

[M1ZTS Stability] . . . There are many circumstances where it will bounce between 2 temperatures (ie, 74/75) for several minutes before stabilizing. . .

I have not noticed this either. Bobble has not been an issue.

I think Spanky's post was speaking to the possibility that JayH's setup was being incorrectly monitored - - Unless I got it wrong...
Anyhow -
I have 2 external Elk sensors and they are always close to what I think they should be.. No bobble here either.

I wish I had the stability you guys seem to have. I'm aware of the calibrations and have set them in the past - not in the last couple years. As far as firmware, I keep pretty close because of some of the new messages that have been added in the last 8-12 months.

My outside ZTS is mounted up in the corner of eves on the southeast side and is showing 37 degrees. My Fluke 87 is sitting about 2' away on the window sill with the sensor probe stretched and sitting within about 3" of the ZTS - it is showing 31. Is this possibly just an issue with radiated heat from the house being picked up by the ZTS?

On the bobbling, this has nothing to do with rules - I've been converting the messages into events and logging them for a long time. The device here is the outside temperature sensor for 8/20/2009 from midnight to midnight reporting the ST messages from the elk. Sorry for the length, but I figured if I cut anything there would be questions. I don't know what the real high (or low) was for the day but you can see the "bobble" in the ST messages and the time marks. It's not a firmware issue - I have 2 years of this logged across 3 firmware versions that I'm aware of.

00:35:08 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
00:35:24 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
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00:39:24 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
00:40:12 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
00:41:16 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
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00:42:52 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
00:43:08 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
01:48:30 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 86 OldValue 87
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20:27:57 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 91
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20:29:49 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 91
20:30:21 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 91 OldValue 90
20:30:53 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 91
20:31:58 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 91 OldValue 90
20:32:14 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 91
20:32:30 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 91 OldValue 90
20:33:02 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 91
21:03:26 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 90
21:05:18 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 90 OldValue 89
21:05:34 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 90
21:34:23 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 94 OldValue 89
21:34:39 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 94
21:38:39 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 89
21:38:55 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 88
21:40:47 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 89
21:41:03 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 88
21:42:07 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 89
21:42:39 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 89 OldValue 88
21:42:55 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 89
22:25:05 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:25:21 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:26:09 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:26:41 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:29:05 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:29:21 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:31:45 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:32:01 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:32:49 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:33:05 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:34:41 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:35:13 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:35:45 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88

Don't get me wrong - I really like the Elk M1 and am doing a lot with it - but temperature is one of the sore spots for me based on my experiences. Show me how to fix it.

Jay

 

[fleetz]

I have two of the ELK sensors. One was off by several degrees. On the unit, you can calibrate it by shorting the ground pad to either the + or - pad with a flathead screwdriver or other metal object. It will increment one degree each time you short it.

What would really rock? ELK support for the RFXCom device.

Interesting there is no mention of calibration in my documentation about calibration. If the power goes off to the unit does the TZS require recalibrating or is the offset stored in some flash memory?

Fleetz

The manual does mention the calibration pads +/- in the unit. It does not explain how to just contact Elk support. http://www.elkproducts.com/pdf/M1ZTS_M1ZTS...ture_Sensor.pdf

I have the ELK Ness Aussie version of documentation and the calibration is whited out for some reason. Yes no mention on how to set other than contact ELK tech support....Spanky!?

Fleetz

 

[HoustonFirefox]

After 2 years on the job, my Elk temperature sensor mounted outside (under an eve) finally gave up the ghost. It still blinks but reports back a constant 170 degrees.

Even here in Houston, that's kind of high for January.

Any ideas?

 

[Lagerhead]

00:35:08 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
00:35:24 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
. . .
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. . .
22:35:13 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:35:45 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88

I see what you mean. Maybe it is a placement issue, with moving air having constantly-changing temperature?

I have not observed this. But my sensor is in a still-air attic and I sample it once every six minutes.

 

[signal15]

Just for clarification, the method I posted of using the calibration pads was provided to me by ELK when I inquired on how to calibrate.

Could the fluctuating temps be a residual effect of the analog/digital conversion used on the inputs? I don't think there's necessarily anything *wrong* with it, I just don't think the unit was originally designed to be able to do temp sensors, and the solution that is currently available was the best way to do it without having to engineer an external piece of hardware that could feed the data over the RS-485 bus. This was probably a more cost effective way of doing it.

I still want RFXCom integration.

 

[Monk]

[M1ZTS Stability] . . . There are many circumstances where it will bounce between 2 temperatures (ie, 74/75) for several minutes before stabilizing. . .

I have not noticed this either. Bobble has not been an issue.

I think Spanky's post was speaking to the possibility that JayH's setup was being incorrectly monitored - - Unless I got it wrong...
Anyhow -
I have 2 external Elk sensors and they are always close to what I think they should be.. No bobble here either.

00:35:08 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
00:35:24 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
00:35:40 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88
22:35:13 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 88 OldValue 87
22:35:45 R/1 1:028 value NewValue 87 OldValue 88

Don't get me wrong - I really like the Elk M1 and am doing a lot with it - but temperature is one of the sore spots for me based on my experiences. Show me how to fix it.

Jay

Interesting. What are you doing that generates that type of log?

 

[JayH]

Interesting. What are you doing that generates that type of log?

That is out of the interface code I wrote a number of years ago (obviously, just a snapshot of 1 device). So many applications that were out (at the time, at least) dealt with every device on a "least common denominator" basis so you couldn't really use unique features of a product. This interface takes the "communication" with the Elk, tracks state (area, zone, plc, output, tstat, etc) and generates "status" events for read-only items or "action" events (with old/new values) for plc, output, tstats.

At that time, I was dealing with RCS TR-36 thermostats (that Elk doesn't support) and had done my own Elk <-> ALC bridge because of queuing problems in the serial module dealing with a lot of ALC changes at one time causing echos in ALC.

Today I have rewritten most of it from C++ to Python, have it interfacing with the RCS TR-60 thermostats (Elk supports at a basic functional level, now I can still get to everything else) and UPB so Elk PLC and outputs can be aliased to Device, Group (link, direct commands) or Scene (link, activate/deactivate) and completely rewritten it to use a publish/subscribe messaging model so any application can connect in to the action/event flow.

Always intended to release the code, but this stuff has been a 10+ year ongoing project and I've never wrapped it enough to put it out there for others.

Jay

 

[signal15]

http://code.google.com

Maybe someone will clean/package it up or add some cool features.

 

[metroman]

I really agree about elk's current sensor looks; compared to what is installed commercially, they suck on so many levels, and the price is outrageous; the accuracy is poor. I would gladly stand behind a 1-wire solution for my installs, and I have been a long time Elk supporter, but HAI is kicking the cr@#% out of Elk on the temp side. Has anyone tried anything RS-232 or RS-485 for temps, like the RCS thermostats?

 

[fleetz]

I have two of the ELK sensors. One was off by several degrees. On the unit, you can calibrate it by shorting the ground pad to either the + or - pad with a flathead screwdriver or other metal object. It will increment one degree each time you short it.

What would really rock? ELK support for the RFXCom device.

Interesting there is no mention of calibration in my documentation about calibration. If the power goes off to the unit does the TZS require recalibrating or is the offset stored in some flash memory?

Fleetz

Does anyone know if you recalibrate the ELK M1-TZS if it holds it if the it is power off and back on. Or does it require recalibration on powering up??

Regards,

Fleetz

 

[signal15]

My system has been power cycled since I recalibrated mine. I haven't noticed it being way off, but then again, I haven't specifically checked to make sure it was accurate. The ones I recalibrated are for freezers, so I just have a rule that says if it makes it above 15F for more than 45 minutes to alert me (using counters).