Re: EIB installation

["David Buckley" <db@xxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@yahoogroups.com, "Dean Barrett" <dean@r...>
wrote:

> I assume you have installed both, if so which do you
> personally favour ?

Hard question, as they are about the same, but different in myriad
tiny details.  And its a while since I touched either...

In terms of installation, you can do Instabus the same as CBus (ie
central dimmers) or you can do it as a conventionally wired house
with just the extra control cable.  The Instabus system has more
gubbins - CBus is just power packs which are often integral to a
dimmer, on Instabus you need a choke and separate PSUs.

For comissioning - the Instabus system is marginally easier to do
the initial setup, as the paradigm is to lay out the (autodiscovered
or manually inserted) devices on a sheet, and then draw lines
between (say) a button and a dimmer.  You can then add more devices
to the same line so multiple sources or loads are supported.  CBus
does exactly the same thing with groups, but its visually a little
less exciting.

Instabus switches have an extra LED on them which you can flash from
the software to discover exactly which switch you think you are
programming :-)

Instabus cant dim the LEDs on switches like CBus can.

Instabus is certified SELV.

Instabus uses insulation displacement connectors for the bus, not
very unlike the old IBM Token Ring IDCs, but marginally less
painful, CBus screws in.

CBus cable is pink and is just Cat5, Instabus is green, and is 4000V
wet rated.

The two systems have far more in common than they have different.

> I had a quick look at the Siemens site, but couldnt find a
> great deal of info - are there any PDF's etc. available do
> you know with specs etc ?

There are megatons, but strangly its all on the Singapore site(!),
I've no idea why, start here http://instabus.siemens.com.sg

> Does the Instabus offer equivalents of the CTouch and
> HomeGate software.

While since I've looked, but for PC intertface the usual thing is
the Falcon toolkit, which is a non-Siemens but EIB compatible
product.  There are others as well.  Siemens offer RS232 and
ethernet TCP/IP interfaces.

http://www.georg-luber.de - you
can download the limited version of
the programming software from here.





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