Re: Smarthome Insteon Translator

["Brett Griffin" <bret.griffin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry, to not reply earlier, I have been very busy getting ready to ship by
the end of the month.  The Chameleo PLC is designed to translate UPB to X-10
and vice-versa.  The current version does not replace the UPB PIM or the
TW-523/PSC-05.  We are testing to determine the limitation of sharing a PIM,
but we have not fully tested and created an app note on it yet.



The initial design pairs well with Simply Automated's starter kit.  It comes
with the UPB PIM, and you will need to supply the X-10 PIM, which is cheap,
and if you are like me you have 5 sitting at home anyways.



The device will have a default mode of translating A-1 through P-15 to UPB
address-using network ID of 0, which means most users will not have to make
any firmware changes to use the Chameleo PLC.  Note, the default mode will
not work with P-16, this is due to a UPB limitation of 255 addresses not
256, address 0 is reserved for another function.



We have an advanced mode for those who really understand the UPB
documentation, which allows each X-10 house code to map to sequential UPB
network ID's.



The initial firmware will support basic X-10 codes of Bright, dim, on, off,
all lights on, all lights off, and all units off.  There will be additional
non-documented support.  However, we also designed in a firmware update in
our design.  As demand for a particular feature, set is known it will be
developed and a free firmware update will be available.  We are planning to
support Extended and Compose code set, in the following months.



I will do better at monitoring these forums, as well as I and my engineer
monitor our own forum at http://architechtronics.com/forum/



Thanks for your interest and questions.  I am sure I probably have not
answered all the questions, so please ask more if desired.



Have a great new year.


--
Brett Griffin, Co-Founder
Architechtronics
providing unique home technology solutions


*Home of "fidoh" for HAI/OnQ/Aegis
http://www.architechtronics.com/fidoh.html

X-10 to UPB, Two-Way Translation
http://www.architechtronics.com/chameleoplc.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Dave Houston" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43a69b85.29221979@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> If the speculation by PeterW in the Insteon thread you cited, "...I expect
> this is a regular 2414U usb powerlincv2, but with custom SALad code
> downloaded to it" is true, this means they can change the personality of
> the
> unit by changing its programming. That's a pretty powerful concept and
> should allow them to do things like this quickly if they don't have to
> design new hardware. It's like a babelfish for Insteon. My forehead smarts
> where I smote it when I finally grasped what they are doing.
>
> It's not clear whether the UPB translator replaces the TW523 or whether it
> functions in like manner to the 2414X although the description does lean
> towards the latter. Maybe Brett can clarify that point if he can reverse
> the
> ratio in his posts from the current 95% flackery and 5% meat.
>
> Even with each Insteon device being a repeater, signal sinks are still
> likely to be a problem although a much less severe one than with X-10. I
> also expect that Insteon will be largely immune to noise but only time
> will
> tell. The Insteon technology can be used worldwide which means a larger
> market (although the need for different plugstyles negates that a bit)
> which
> should help keep prices reasonable.
>
> UPB prices are not as reasonable to begin with (Brett's UPB translator
> costs
> twice as much as the 2414X) and are not likely to moderate. I don't think
> the UPB technology will be legal in Europe.
>
> If Brett's translator functions in the same manner, mixing and matching
> X-10, Insteon & UPB with existing controllers should be possible.
>
> "BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>I hope to get more details in the morning when I call. If the Insteon
>>reliability is indeed as advertised and doesn't have the same problems
>>as X10 I will be happy to replace every X10 device I have.  The
>>announcement posted here today for a UPB translator is also intriguing.
>>Now the question may become "which is better?" rather than "who will do
>>it first?" Replacing my Stargate is something I'm loath to do as it is a
>>$1000+ investment that works beautifully and after all these years
>>programming in 'Starglish' I'd hate to have to learn another format.
>>Also, JDS support is fantastic.
>>
>>From:Dave Houston
>>nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>> I should have scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page.
>>> Apparently it does do two-way translation. I think it's a bit of a
>>> kluge but it is a way to address the issue. Actually, there are
>>> advantages since you still have the TW523 connected to the JDS or
>>> Ocelot or whatever for legacy X-10.
>>>
>>> nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston) wrote:
>>>
>>>> That reads more like it sits on the powerline and translates X10
>>>> codes that its been programmed for rather than something that
>>>> replaces a TW523. I guess the only thing that matters is whether it
>>>> allows you to do what you want.
>>>>
>>>> I wonder what it does on reception of an Insteon command. Does it
>>>> translate it to X-10 so your JDS controller will 'hear' it?
>>>>
>>>> "BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Found some more info in this thread too:
>>>>> http://forums.accessha.com/showthread.php?t=882
>>>>>
>>>>> From:Dave Houston
>>>>> nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>>
>>>>>> The mControl software User Manual mentions an "X10 translator" on
>>>>>> p10 and specifically refers to the "2414X" on p73 but the first
>>>>>> reference seems to refer to a software translation feature rather
>>>>>> than hardware...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> www.embeddedautomation.com/mControl%20v1%20(Home%20Edition)%20User%20Manual.pdf
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You'll need to paste the above URL into your browser.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> BTW, "baited" breath is what you have after eating sushi. ;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bai1.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "RF Dude" <post@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.smarthomepro.com/2414x.html Interesting possibilities.
>>>>>>> Would this integrate well with a Powerlinc module?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Then I find http://www.smarthomepro.com/2814ub.html which seems to
>>>>>>> be a slight variation (no pass-thru plug) and TIMER only software.
>>>>>>> I've heard they are having trouble coming out with Smarthome
>>>>>>> Manager V2 ... maybe in Q1?  So I wonder if this is an interim
>>>>>>> measure?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Also offered for a few months is
>>>>>>> http://www.smarthome.com/1411cu.html with software that has to run
>>>>>>> on a computer.  The timers and program can't be downloaded to the
>>>>>>> interface and run independently
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> These seem to be three types of interfaces that ideally could be
>>>>>>> combined into one?!  I wait with baited breath for Smarthome
>>>>>>> Manager V2.
>>
>