Re: HouseHeat

["Kevin Hawkins" <yahoogroupskh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In xap_automation@xxxxxxx, "Martyn Wendon"
<martynwendon@...> w=
rote:
>
> Hi Kevin,

>=20
> FHEM was pretty easy to setup and get running, although it's written
in p=
erl=20
> which may have drawbacks for some people I guess.

One of the ideal platforms for this is the OPNMax (the embedded xAP
control=
ler based on the Linksys NSLU2 Slug).  For =A350 you could have a
standalon=
e xAP controller with the heating control nicely integrated and the
schedul=
ing and logic already provided.  Aside from Perl it also has a web
interfac=
e,  DB for logging and a graphing application...   My Linux familiarity is
=
nil though...


>=20
> My xAP gateway is also written in perl and so far I've got it
representin=
g=20
> all the available settings / measurements from FHEM as BSC endpoints
send=
ing=20
> ..info messages at startup and every 5 minutes and .event messages as
thi=
ngs=20
> change and get reported from FHEM.  .cmd and .query will be next on
the l=
ist=20
> of things to do, once I've got those up and running people are welcome
to=
=20
> it!

A lot of this code may already exist if you were to dovetail it into
OPNMax=
....

>=20

>=20
> I did spot though that each thermostat control can control up to 8
radiat=
or=20
> actuators and you can send commands via FHEM to manually control each
one=
as=20
> a percentage "open".  Therefore in theory if you already
have temperature=
=20
> measurement in rooms via another method, then with the PC Connect Kit
and=
7=20
> actuators at =A2G40ish each you can effectively control 8 radiators
for a=
n=20
> outlay of less than =A2G500, which I think makes it reasonably cost
effec=
tive?

I had thought that the thermostat controls - whilst being capable of
linkin=
g to 8 different rad controllers treated them all as one zone - ie sent
the=
same % value to each - or at least proportional ones to allow radiator bal=
ancing  .  I hadn't expected it to allow 8 different temp setpoints to
supp=
ort 8 independent % openings via the FHZ...      What I had thought was
may=
be the HouseMaster might be useable in such a fashion... but maybe that
can=
only talk to thermostats.  Keep me posted

>=20
> The RF side of things is also pretty impressive since I have my
controlle=
r=20
> in node zero, which is in an enclosed rack in the garage=20

RF range is one of my concerns as my internal walls are mostly three feet
t=
hick and my house is long so several to go through....  they don't seem to
=
offer an RF repeater.

I notice that  HouseIntelligence have now put up the HomeMatic products
whi=
ch use the encrypted bi-directional protocol - this has a slightly
differen=
t looking thermostat.  This is interesting to me because of the confirmed
d=
elivery of messages but my only route to integration would be via the
DLL..=
. plus the HomeMatic controller is expensive ..so although you gain on one
=
side you lose on the other...  the existing FHZ based solutions still look
=
to be the right way to go...

K



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