Re: Stylish keypads?

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Mark Thomas" <mrt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

http://www.homeauto.com/Products/HLC/HouseControllers.htm

> it's another engraved rubber membrane, with even smaller buttons. I
> doubt you can fit full words on them.

I think you're right.  But you might be able to fit three letters, which is
usually enough to be distinct and memorable.  Might need to use a cheat
sheet for a while, though. I think the rubber membrane design's so popular
because it really keeps fingertip crud out of the switch innards.  That's
got to increase overall reliability, even if it's got a lower customer
approval rating.

I like HAI's idea of a controller that can show, at a glance, the status of
the house lights.  But I wonder if a wall mounted device with an
ever-changing light display isn't going to have poor SAF?  I had to move the
server and hub out of the guest bedroom because the LEDs were bothersome to
certain, high-status guests. :-)

Reading on through HAI's site revealed this comment, which really bothered
me:

    Although the UPB? protocol is extremely robust and less
    susceptible to powerline conditions, HAI recommends the
    use of a UPB? Powerline Phase Coupler in every installation.

That tells me that UPB(tm) isn't much more robust than X-10 at reaching
every corner of a large house without an assist.  For lots of people, that's
a pretty expensive issue (installing repeaters or couplers).  What a
disappoinment.

Then, they went on to say:

  UPB? transmits using a pulse over existing house wiring
  instead of the 120 KHz tone used by X-10 . This pulse has a
  longer range and travels better on powerlines than the X-10
  tone. The UPB? pulse is less susceptible to noise than
  X-10's tone.

I assume that's largely because a 40 volt signal is stronger that the 5 volt
signal put out by most X-10 gear.  But they still talk about phase bridging
and three-phase issues that make most people's eyes roll when they are asked
to understand the problem.  As much as I dislike radio control, I think it's
going to win because it solves many of the most intractable problems of
powerline control.  A "mesh" design of the radio network also promises to
eliminate many of the problems inherent to radio control.

> I think my favorite is the minimalistic
> Centralite Classica series
> (http://www.centralite.com/images/Classica_large.jpg). Is something
> like that *that hard* to make?

I like the big buttons, too.  But look at all the opportunity for dirt to
get in on those Centralites.  While I agree that they are easier to
understand and use, I'll bet they've got a significantly lower MTBF than the
membrane style switch unless they've got some sort of gasketing around the
switch rods.  It's not until you start using trackballs in a dust
environment that you appreciate how much bioslime gets into control
interfaces.

--
Bobby G.