Re: powerlinc usb control api

[Marc F Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 02:26:27 GMT, Marc F Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote in message  <m58gm1legcl3nqfmdga7p7ebe2724oldfn@xxxxxxx>:

>On 1 Nov 2005 12:07:07 -0800, "Mark Thomas" <mrt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
>message  <1130875626.971044.37220@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
>>Yeah, Smarthome wants you to shell out $$ for dev kits and sign your
>>life away. To date, I'm not aware of any open interface to the USB api,
>>but Neil Cherry has an experimental linux driver for the RS232 api and
>>is working on USB. See
>>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ncherry/common/iplcd/
>
>hmmm ... after all the negative comments in this newsgroup, I decided to
>look at the offerings.
>
>http://www.smarthome.com/insteon/sdk2600U.html
>
>"shell out $$ for dev kits" ?
>
>For $99 one gets:
>
>INSTEON User & Reference Guide
>PowerLinc V2 USB
>LampLinc V2
>Email support certificate
>INSTEON developer web-site username and password


Both the USB and RS232 entry level developer ("Level 1 membership" ) kits
are out of stock. Smarthome was supposed to get more last October 21 but I
am waiting still.  The cost of the two hardware components (USB version)
separately is $90 so effectively one receives the development kit for $10.

I haven't inquired about the $250 ("Level 2") and $2000 ("Level 3")
membership levels for obvious reasons although apparently there are some
benefits:

" Level two and three memberships are able to influence the direction,
development and marketing of INSTEON. " as stated in

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051101/15934.html?.v=1

The command set has useful and conventional extensions such as ramped
dimming that make it a candidate for the primary control language for my
homebrew controller. Also, if it works as advertised as an X-10 controller,
it would obviate the need for a separate x-10 transmitter.

Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org