Re: Comfort to HomeVision via direct serial

["bensbarn2001" <ben_wilkinson@xxxxxxx>]

Paul,

I've been working on this for the past 2 or 3 months and have learned
a few things....

1. You need to send a status enabling message (SR01) to Comfort to
get reporting going.  This is like Cinderella at the ball as it
expires at midnight.  The manual isn't clear but resending SR01 after
midnight does not re-enable status reporting.  You also have to log
in again (LIxxxx with your login code).  I believe they're going to
get rid of this soon, but it's a pain to deal with it as the HV and
Comfort clocks may not be exactly the same and so some HV code is
necessary to deal with it.

2. When status reporting is enabled, you not only get sensors
reported (can't remember the code), but also IR codes and X10
activity.  The X10 activity is a problem as if you're doing things
like multiple dims (or anything with a few X10 commmands coming close
together), then Comfort floods the serial port with lots of reports,
such that more messages arrive when HV is processing previous ones.
In version 2 of the HV serial port (the extra port, not built in),
there is a bug which means that HV changes its baud rate at this
point (it's a bit intermittent and somewhat difficult to say exactly
what causes it).  I just got a new PROM from Craig at HV which is
meant to fix this, but I haven't tested it yet.   The net result is
that serial comms don't work anymore until HV is reset or reloaded.

3. When it does work it's very reliable and I changed the HV code to
ensure that multiple X10 messages were unlikely (now use the "X10 set
directly to level" command, eg), but this wasn't that easy (and there
are always corner cases where it will happen).  So I'm hoping that
Craig's new code fixes this.

I have done a fair bit of HV code for this, and if you can tell me
how to copy large chunks of it at once (rather than the line-by-line
which is all I can do at the moment), you're welcome to see it.  Mail
me off line (ben_wilkinson@xxxxxxx)if so.

Ben

--- In ukha_d@y..., "psghome2002" <psghome@h...> wrote:
> I've just linked up HomeVision (additional serial port) directly to
> Comfort (second UCM01/A). This is in addition to both Comfort and
HV
> being connected to a PC running ACE and HV software. I'm trying to
> get them to talk to each other directly (therefore bypassing
weakest
> link of PC) for a few critical links (Comfort has control of PIR's
> but HV will also use these for light switching).
>
> I did read something a few months ago about the serial commands
> involved, hint/tips etc. Anyone done this or seen any detailed
notes
> on linking these two together.
>
> Might save me a few hours experimentation :)
>
> Paul.