RE: FW: External x-10 movement sensors

["Stuart Worrall" <stuart@xxxxxxx>]

Hi John

The app sounds great so I will have a look for it.  Are there any brands
of 12v PIR and light sensor you would recommend and can you buy them
online?  The light sensor sounds especially handy and something I hadn't
thought about as im always grumbling when the X10 dusk program comes on
too late because its really cloudy and overcast.

Thanks

Stu

-----Original Message-----
From: John B [mailto:home-automation@xxxxxxx]=20
Sent: 22 September 2003 20:42
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] FW: External x-10 movement sensors


> Im currently using homeseer although ive been looking at moving to=20
> xpHAL so not sure if there's anything been written yet to support game

> ports. Ill have to have a read.  Id probably have to go down the
12V=20
> route as I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to relays and=20
> 240V.

I have written an app to xPL-enable the game port, so you can use it
directly with xPLHal and other xPL-enabled devices.

You can connect up to 8 devices to the joystick port - I have both
indoor and outdoor 12V PIRs connected directly to the digital pins on
the joystick port - works very well. You can also connect light sensors
and other such analogue devices to the analogue pins - gives you a very
accurate way of determinig the light level - IMO far more useful than
just relying on the calculated sunset time.

> All this
> does involve more cabling than the X10 flood though so that's also
to=20
> be considered.

Yep, but like any hard-wired solution, detection is instant, and 100%
reliable.

>  How long do those bulbs last as they look quite dear?

No idea how long they last, but ISTR a friend paid about =A34 each.

HTH,

John