Premise Z-Wave Status using RZCOP/VRCOP help

[chucklyons]

I have only been casually following this thread..(I don't have any z-wave things and have been buried with non-fun stuff)
So what does this do? (controls z-wave). All z-wave? Or is it Leviton only?

In any event, it looks like great work. Good job!

 

[etc6849]

For two way feedback (i.e. you manually toggle a switch and the switch tells the controller with no polling required):
You need Vizia RF or RF+ modules.

If you're ok with polling the lights, any brand seems to provide status.

The driver also supports thermostats from any brand. I use the $70 Wayne Dalton model.

 

[etc6849]

I've added two more nodes (cheap intermatic lamp dimmers for $15/each) and have now upgraded to the USB ControlThink and ControlThinks Professional Software. I've never been happier. The devices automatically show up in Premise when after you include the VRC0P/RZC0P, optimize/repair network and lastly update the controller (VRC0P).

The previous lag issues I had with the two way feedback are completely gone after removing the handheld controller as the primary. It's very cool to see the two-way feedback in less than a 1-2 seconds from every Vizia RF node.

The VRC0P driver is ready to be posted in the downloads section. I'm going to work on a guide this week and next. Anyone know of a how to install Premise guide I can include with the driver?

PS: The ControlThink USB Stick works so much better as the primary controller that so far after 1000 jobs, no X002 errors at all. The polling is also extremely fast compared to when the VRCPG was the primary and included. You can visually see the increase in speed under port spy.

 

[etc6849]

123, I just noticed your post at the bottom of page 10. Doh!

Please take a look at the onChangeScripts I've modified and post under downloads if you are happy with the changes or modify as you see fit; I very much trust your expert programming skills over my non-expert skills I've learned a lot from you and appreciate your due diligence on this driver. Hopefully someday I write a Premise Z-Wave handbook with screen shots, but I've been traveling a lot lately and dont' have the time right now. However, I did include documentation to post under the downloads section in a word file that should be enough for an experienced user to understand the driver. I pulled the information in the word file from this forum.

I've modified the OnChangeOnNewData and OnChangeInterfaceFailure scripts and added a new EnableAutoDiscovery property under the Discovery class.

OnChangeOnNewData now handles flow differently depending on the type of command sent (discovery, scenes, on/off/dim, etc... as previously discussed).

OnChangeInterfaceFailure now calls the ResetPort method and sets the appropriate events, but only if a certain number of interface failures have not occurred. If a max number of interface failures is reached, the user must manually reset device polling and the serial port.

Enable Auto Discovery This property will ensure objects under the Devices container remain static even if the primary z-wave controller says to update the VRC0P/RZC0P. It turns out that the ControlThink USB stick will force the devices to be found by the VRC0P upon an update to the VRC0P! This is pretty neat, but only if you expect it to happen. The default value for EnableAutoDiscovery is false and it's used under OnChangeOnNewData in the form of a flag. I didn't want to give Discovery devices free automatic reign because if a node failed and update devices removed it from the VRC0P, the device could be deleted and the binding with the home object removed.

 

[etc6849]

I'm happy to report that this driver still works great. I've moved to a larger place and went from a few vizia rf modules to 26 (and from 900 sq ft to 2640 sq ft).

Scenes and groups work great in a large space. I hadn't used them before since I was in a small apartment, but as expected all lights in a scene or group come on at the same time and at the same fade rate...

The only change I've made since my last post is I've added code to "reset" the VRC0P's cache upon a hardware failure (note: this is done by sending "DE"; I presume this clears the cache of the VRC0P). I've also implemented a new fade rate property for scenes. This allows playback of a scene at a given fade rate. It works nice for creating a dramatic entrance into a home etc... I'll post the new version in a few weeks after further testing.

 

[etc6849]

New version is attached with the small additions noted below. Not really a must to upgrade. This driver is NOT in Beta anymore and at some point this next month I'll post a copy under the Downloads section.

The only change I've made since my last post is I've added code to "reset" the VRC0P's cache upon a hardware failure (note: this is done by sending "DE"; I presume this clears the cache of the VRC0P). I've also implemented a new fade rate property for scenes. This allows playback of a scene at a given fade rate. It works nice for creating a dramatic entrance into a home etc... I'll post the new version in a few weeks after further testing.

 

[chucklyons]

Does this also work with the outlets? If so, how are the outlets? loud like x-10 or quiet like Insteon?
Is this for general z-wave things or only for Vizia?

 

[etc6849]

The firmware of the VRC0P probably treats the receptacles as a switch so yes it should work. However, I haven't tried the new Vizia RF+ receptacles yet so I don't know for sure. I'm curious if the new receptacles support two way feedback via load sensing? That would be really neat if they did (the vizia rf lamp dimmer module does this so I bet the new receptacles do).

I do know the vizia rf+ fan speed controller works great as I'm using two of them for ceiling fans that are too high to reach. All you do is set the fans on the highest speed once (via a ladder), then use the controller to vary the speed from 0 to 100 through Premise.

Oddly enough the VRC0P protocol treats the fan controller as a dimmer. Not a big deal, you just bind the dimmer that's discovered with a fan controller under home. I was surprised that the VRC0P offered support for the fan controller, so I'd almost bet support is there for a simple receptacle.

 

[etc6849]

If anyone is using this module besides me, please post a screen shot similar to mine

I've been trying to reduce the transmission errors (">X002" packets) as much as possible. I've found that by not asking for an update (not appending ",UP" to the transmission packet), communication failures are greatly reduced. Perhaps asking for an update puts a lot of stress on the z-wave network?!?

The attached image is a two node test with a RZC0P and a Trane thermostat (primary controller was removed). These are the best transmission results I've ever seen!

Once I have ironed out these final changes I'll post the final version.

There is one draw back to not asking for feedback (i.e. not appending ",UP"): if a job fails (has 5 unsuccessful attempts in a row), Premise will have the wrong switch state until the next time someone manually operates the switch or a command is successfully sent. If polling is used, the state would be incorrect until the next successful poll. This isn't a big deal though since in this first test there were no failed jobs in 16000+ trials!

I have a second VRC0P collecting data for a 29 node Vizia RF+ lighting network. I don't use polling for this network, so I'm waiting for the transmission count to grow more before finalizing the module. So far, no failed jobs at all on this network and only one transmission error for ~1000 jobs.

 

[etc6849]

Here's data from a 29 node Vizia RF+ lighting network. I wrote a script to toggle the lights on/off every 45 seconds to gather this test data. While there were a few transmission errors, I think the results look very good as the Vizia module was successful after a retry of any bad transmissions (i.e. no job failure after retry).

PS: this represents a 50-60% improvement over the latest module that's posted so not appending a transmission with ",UP" appears to be a good idea. However, it will still be necessary to use ",UP" with scenes and groups.

 

[kellyjsanders86]

Z-wave VRCOP+3 Module/Device Install issues. Need some help guys!

TotalTransmissionErrors are going up (now at 600+). No device or communication failures. Discovery Devices pulled back all (17) devices BUT missing about half of the data (did some but not all and not the lock). I had set up the system using Leviton's USB stick and Installer Tool and did a Rediscovery+Controller Update just prior to adding the module to Premise. RxTextLine: I do see a X001 coming back every 10 seconds or so. Some light switchs (even some without full data will respond to On/Off commands). Missing detailed info on about half of the devices. My guess is it got caught up partially through a routine and so didn't finish pulling in detailed info. Also, Initializing is set to True and not clearing (12 hours now).

A) How should I fix the transmission errors?
B) How can I get full Discovery of all devices? Including Lock? btw Lock has been confirmed Included at Installer Tool level.

Thoughts?

Thanks much!

Kelly

 

[etc6849]

Did you set the VRC0Pv3 boolean to true after installing the module?

 

[kellyjsanders86]

Yes I did. and confirmed I have the correct version. I followed your instructions and the discovery portion seemed to go well until some devices came back with partial info and transmissionerrors cropped up. Odd there's no Interface errors nor Communication errors.

Something to try? shall I delete module and start over?

Thanks,

 

[etc6849]

I would highly suggest updating the VRC0Pv3 with the new firmware (10/5/2012) found here: http://www.leviton.c...&minisite=10251

Then, definitely, delete the module and retry. I've tried the new firmware and it works well. The old firmware would drop device names from time to time. You may also want to change the add delay after next job to false as the new firmware works better and didn't seem to need it in my test.

If some names are missing, you can always go back and add it later. Also, some devices do not support naming. If devices are still being skipped and Premise still has Discovering Devices as true, capture the entire discovery process and post the port spy output. Also, check the RS232 set up in the Leviton RF Installer tool. Make sure the VRC0P is set up to controll all the devices (if you don't do this some will not show up). Also, always update the VRC0P controller using the RF Installer Tool after doing anything to the network (rediscovery, adding nodes, etc).

 

[kellyjsanders86]

Darn! While updating the firmware on the v3 unit the second hex update 'bricked' my VRCOP. no status lights even after a power cycle. Further attempts to connect via bootloader failed. I have an email into Leviton tech support.

Just to be clear, and once I get my VRCOP going again, if I add more devices I'll need to A) include to main controller or A2) If it's a new lock or serial interface upgrade then include first then re-reinclude ALL device after... then B) update my secondary controller VRCOP v3, then C) do a device rediscovery in Premise, then D) readd any missing names/data, then E) verify links to Home objects...? ...almost plugNplay... ;-)

...for another thread but I've found it difficult at best to install a new system then patch with the various customizations from over the years. I wonder if producing a couple of basic install (but updated) disc images would be helpful. I do know there are many iterations but there are some very basic paths in the beginning.

Friday at 6pm, bricked my VRCOP, time for a glass of wine!