Re: xPL/xAP an alternative to C-Bu$ ?

["David Buckley" <db@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "K. C. Li" <li@l...> wrote:
> On Thu, 20 May 2004, David Buckley wrote:
> C-Bus dimmers, there are a few versions, are no more average
> than most other dimmers and a whole lot better than some.

I cant think of a single feature that makes them anything better
than "average".  Things that would put them "up there"
would be a
feature like load feedback, unlimited short circuit handling,
switchable A-law curves.  Average.  Functional.  Adequate.  They'll
do fine in a CBus installation, but in a non-CBus installation, you
wouldn't use them, even if were reasonably possible to do so.

> I don't know what you mean by "horrible propriety interface"
> either. The C-Bus lighting protocol is easily obtainable from
> Clipsal without NDA.

I was a litle unclear here.  My suggestion was that if you are going
to buy just the dimmers, the only control interface is CBus native,
which is proprietry, to the point of being unavailable, short of
some reverse engineering; you dont have the benefit of the RS232
interface.  I'm an NDA-er (part of the CBus enabled clan), so I know
about the protocols once they are sanitised and made ready for human
consumption.

> I disagree with the unreliable claim. An X-10 system can be
> very reliable if it is planned correctly with the appropriate
> number of filters and amplifiers.

That may be true, but it isnt the essence of X10, which is its a
plug and play system.  It may work as you design it, but plugging
something in may compromise the system, as many here have found out.

However, underlying all that, is that although people may have an
X10 system that works reliably for them, its not reliable per se,
unlike for example CBus, which has reliability designed in as a base
requirement.  I havent seen the non-NDA CBus docs, but I guess they
will have the same explanation in there thats in the NDA docs of
what a network variable is in therel, and why its important.

Finally, I'm not knocking either of these technologies - they are
both fab, I've been a long time supporter of both.  But one has to
have ones eyes open.