----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2001 2:53
PM
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Din Mounted
Mains Relays for lighting control verses AD10s
Thanks to Steve, Simon, Alan and Mike.
I can now see the biggest issue with mains relays is 'State'.
I apreciate that an additional relay across the lamp can feed the
state back to Comfort/HV. But then one has three further
complications:
More ports being used up
More code needs to be written to 'monitor'
everything
More wires need to be run back to Node Zero
I don't see though, how with x-10 Comfort/HV would know the
state if one is also using mometary switches for manual operation
anyway. Have I missed something critical about X-10???
It almost seems irrelevant mind you. Comfort/HV can ignoe the state
and just send the apropriate X-10 command which tells the device to
go ON or OFF or DIM. So for example, if I leave the house and want all the
light off, where as with relays the HA Controller would just dumbly
trigger all the relays and risk turning some lights on instead
of off, X-10 will send the 'OFF' command and be done with
it.
My philosphy for HA is that if I fall down a deep well, then my
family needs to be able to run the system without taking a course in VB.
Guests need to be able to operate switches by the door - rather than
having to learn to use a pronto (might be important if they need to take a
leak in the middle of the night). So everything needs a manual overide,
and the whole shebang needs to be simple. Seems that this simplicity is
available if you don't mind spending £40 for every 'appliance/lighting
circuit'
Comments?
Chris
You can add an additional mains coil relay
accross the lamp using the contacts to an input to give you
state.
As i want complete automation i went the
route of avoiding manual control using my own pcb mounted relays for
cheapness. In a kitchen make over i parralleled the oringinal switch
this leaves manual control in case of failure but totally automated the
under unit lights and cooker hood lights.
I am in the process of doing another room
again this will have multiple lights but one set will have a manual
control in a cupboard, so no light switches visable at all.
All done with comfort, relays, pc & vb
code. After initally burning my main comfort pcb the relays have 100%
reliabily operated around 8 lights for three months. No sleepy x10
modules.
I now find myself walking into areas i plan
to automate and wonder why the lights havent come on!
Approx costs per light X10 40 quid, CBUS
higher, Relays 1.50
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2001
9:31 AM
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Din Mounted
Mains Relays for lighting control verses AD10s
Chris, if you wire them as two way
switches then how will Comfort know what state they are
in?
Does Comfort not have input ports like
Homevision, if so the override switches could be connected to the
ports then Comfort can instruct the relays and track the
status.
Not being a Comfort fan I don't know its
full capabilities.
Alancc
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 24,
2001 11:40 PM
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Din
Mounted Mains Relays for lighting control verses AD10s
Andrew,
Thanks for this. I figure the override needs to be achieved
by wiring the relays (which are controlled by comfort only) with
standard wall mounted rocksers as if they were all 2
way circuits. Does that make sense?
chris
Chris
I'm about to embark on a large HA project and I'm
not touching X10 - just seems too unreliable and expensive (plus
I'm on 3-phase).
Like you, I aim to use DIN mounted relays. But I'm
going to switch them using 12v or 24v signals from industrial
control cards mounted in a dedicated PC - so not quite your
config. The main problem I can see with your direct
switching of the relays (I assume?) is being able to override them
>from
Best regards
Andrew
I'm sure this has been discussed before,
but I'd apreciate to hear a fresh round of debate on this point.
I'm doing a complete rewire on the house - so there's two
choices for control of lighting: X-10 or Mains relays. Either
way we're gonna use a star pattern as this provides maximum
longterm flexibility.
I figured LD11's are hard to beat for their
versatility, but for switching fluorescents, or applicances why
spend £40 on an AD10 when I can have DIN mounted relays for
under a tenner? Of course a mains relay like this will need to
be CAT fived back to the HA interface, but aren't relays more
reliable than X-10 anyway?
So here are my three
questions:
1. All things being equal in a star wiring
pattern - would you go for DIN mounted relays or
AD10s?
2. Are there any obvious gotchas when
hooking up manual (rocker type) wall switches for local
control if I go for the DIN mounted relay option?
Suppose for example I need two way control
for the lights on the stairs?
3. My consumer unit and DIN rails are all
in the boiler room next to all the HVAC stuff. The boiler room
is also very well sittuated for running wires almost anywhere.
However, Node Zero (Comfort, AV gear, Data Hub, Telephony etc)
is in a large cupboard in the centre of the house. Given that I
first need to make the choice between AD10's verses DIN
mounted mains relays - is there any particular advantage to
having Comfort located close to the DIN rails in the boiler room
rather than in Node Zero.
Thanks for your help
Chris
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