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Re: Automating my heating



On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 22:07:55 -0700, "Jvert" <Jhenigin 'at' cawmcast.net
(cawm=com)> wrote:
Look into one wire programming devices and Labjack.  The one wire
devices used to be made by Dallas Semiconductor, now I believe carried
by Maxis?

Search on One-Wire weather station for a start.    Embedded Data
Systems provides a $15 US RS-232 serial controller chip (HA7S) that
can poll and control up to 255 devices on a two wire bus (ground and
power/data) for basic monitoring and control.  One-wire devices
include power controllers, temperature and humidity sensors,  A/D
converters, etc.   THey are very economical, easy to "interface" via
the HA75, and can use a simple text-based scripting language.  Best
part is that many of the devices are in TO-97 or 8-pin flatpacks -
This means that they can be embedde in other items such as
thermostats, etc.

The LabJack device is another method for PC control that is relativly
cheap ($80 US) Pligs into a USB port, adn provides analog and digital
I/O ports on a PC
>
>"Davester28" <dcmf6adda9for69@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:RDJmd.180329$Np3.7279528@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>> I want to automate the heating in my house.
>>
>> I have a fireplace insert that throws a lot of heat on one area of the
>> house.  This makes it difficult to rely solely on a thermostat to keep my
>> house comfortable, for example at night the heat from the fire keeps the
>> thermostat from turning on the furnace (thus the bedrooms get cold).
>>
>> Having computer programming experience, I can envision writing a "smart
>> software utility", to do things like...
>>
>> - Keep the bedrooms warm at night
>> - Conserve oil by leaving the bedrooms go cool during the day
>> - Conserve energy by turning on fans to circulate heat as required
>> - Perform in different ways based on "outside temperature", "home
>> occupied/not occupied"(based on last motion detected), etc...
>>
>> I can use X-10 to turn on fans as required (maybe a floor fan or two
>> placed in strategic areas).  I'm sure there are some in-line duct fans
>> available somewhere, which could be connected to the existing ducts in my
>> hot-air system, (that could be turned on seperately from the furnace
>> controlled fan via X10).  There are currently times when it's too warm in
>> the living room, near the fireplace, and too cool in other areas of the
>> house.  So, instead of relying solely on the furnace to warm the bedrooms
>> (while also making the existing hot areas hotter) my software can control
>> these fans (maybe also with X10 controlled dampers) to direct heat to the
>> needed areas of our home.
>>
>> Question A :  My software will need to know temperatures of various areas
>> (three or more) of the house at any given time...  Can anyone recommend a
>> product that can be polled for the temperature (and not restricted to the
>> vendor's proprietary software, but from my own application or via X10
>> commands)
>>
>> Question B :  Can anyone recommend a line of products for directing my
>> furnace heat to certain areas of the house, such as X10 controlled dampers
>> or X10 controlled in-line fans....
>>
>> I know I can google for such information.  In the past this is how I got
>> my information, but I have ended up with a lot of obsolete product that
>> I've wasted my money on that doesn't do exactly what I thought it would.
>> So I thought I'd start here for recommendations, and try to get the right
>> products and the right plan the first time.  Thanks a million
>>
>> Dave
>>
>



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