Re: ADI SpeakEasy (was Re: Suggestions wanted for Motion Detector delay/time-out)

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"John W" <Don't_Spam_Me@xxxxxxx> wrote in message

<stuff snipped>

> > Why on earth would they make the Speakeasy a 12VAC product when
everything
> > else is 12VDC?  That sort of screws up my plans to run the entire
> > operation
> > from a single large U1 gel cell.  That's mighty weird.  Glad you clued
me
> > in
> > up front.
>
> I assume this has something to do with audio and the requirements of the
> chip they use?

Mebbe.  My many MP3 players don't seem to need AC to record or play back.
I'll save the question for when I join the ADI forum.  It just seems so
incongruous to have an entire fleet of add-ons powers from 12VDC with only
one requiring AC current.

>I looked at running everything from a battery with a
> homebuilt charger but it turned out to be just as cheap to buy a
good-sized
> UPS which gives more flexibility and also allows my PC to shut down
> gracefully.

UPS's always have a power loss so you never get the same AH's transforming
12VDC up to 110VAC and then back down to 12VDC again as just using straight
12VDC.  My PC isn't any part of my HA system so there's no need for me to
tie it in.  I wonder if there's a cheap DC to AC converter that won't drain
the battery too quickly.  I'll have to check the specs for what these units
consume in the standby mode before I make a decision.  It's always
something!

> >> If I was starting from scratch, I would hardwire everything from the
> > get-go.
> >> Unfortunately, there still does not seem to be a good affordable
> > replacement
> >> for X10 especially for lighting control and handheld remotes.
> >
> > Agreed.  There's nothing the reaches the X-10 price point and breadth of
> > offerings, at least yet.  I had high hopes for ZigBee but it seems to be
> > pretty well stalled at the moment.
> >
> > I finally got to see your whole installation.  Very nice.  Very
> > interesting
> > solenoid valve.  I bought a nice one from Smarthome that I am about to
> > hack.
> > It runs from low DC current (back up batteries are AA's) so it will be
> > able
> > to stay on line deep into a power failure.
>
> Since I'm on a well, my flood exposure during a power outage is limited to
> the water in the pressure tank so I haven't worried about backup power
> there.

An interesting benefit of well water!  Here, a busted valve can make your
basement a swimming pool.

> > Did you modify your EagleEyes to run from a wallwart?
>
> No, batteries seem to last about 18 months and I still have hopes of
> replacing them with outdoor rated PIR's so I never bothered.  I seem to
> recall discussions about false triggering due to "noisy" DC in any case?

Yes.  I recall that discussion as well as this 12VAC SpeakEasy one!  Ah,
senility!  At 18 months, the battery life is pretty much a modern miracle,
anyway.  It's easy to fold in their maintenance with gutter cleanings.

--
Bobby G.