X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => Mac/Linux & Open Source and the X10 Home => Topic started by: birdzeye on March 31, 2009, 04:49:55 PM

Title: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on March 31, 2009, 04:49:55 PM
Could x10 work on this OS and how/what do I need to do?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on March 31, 2009, 10:47:34 PM
Could x10 work on this OS and how/what do I need to do?


   Heyu - X10 Automation for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X  (http://www.heyu.org).
 

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Duck69 on April 02, 2009, 08:29:09 PM
Ubuntu Linux. Could x10 work on this OS and how/what do I need to do?

YES    >!

The 1 and only thing you need to do, it to install a Home Automation application.

Do a web search for "Linux Home Automation", "Linux Home Automation software" or "Linux Home Automation application"

Find one you like, install it, have fun !


Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on April 14, 2009, 07:26:17 AM
Is there a driver for the VA11A? I've read on the internet that it CAN be used with linux, but the page with instructions seems to be gone now.

There's also supposed to be a driver for the CM15A (made by Neil Cherry) which can be used with MisterHouse. Anybody?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on April 21, 2009, 07:04:25 AM
Is there a driver for the VA11A? I've read on the internet that it CAN be used with linux, but the page with instructions seems to be gone now.

There's also supposed to be a driver for the CM15A (made by Neil Cherry) which can be used with MisterHouse. Anybody?

The VA11A (at least the one I have) has a SunPlus SPCA506A1 chip.  Perhaps you'll find a driver by searching for that.

If you've settled on using Misterhouse, you should subscribe to the Misterhouse mailing list.  See http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net



Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: crowntown on May 03, 2009, 07:58:33 PM
Good topic.  I've been running Ubuntu for a few years now but have never done any X10 stuff on it.  I have a Firecracker I'd like to set up on my Ubuntu box and at least be able to send commands.  Does anyone know what I need to accomplish this? 

As far as remote desktoping into Ubuntu, I do it over a VPN using Hamachi and gHamachi GUI.  It works great.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: crowntown on May 03, 2009, 08:05:10 PM
Could x10 work on this OS and how/what do I need to do?


   Heyu - X10 Automation for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X  (http://www.heyu.org).
 




It looks like that works with the Firecracker.  Thanks for posting that!
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: crowntown on May 04, 2009, 05:59:13 PM
I've also been reading about Bottlerocket but I'm wondering, is there any linux X10 software with a GUI?  I would only be using a Firecracker on my Ubuntu box.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on May 04, 2009, 07:36:02 PM
I've also been reading about Bottlerocket but I'm wondering, is there any linux X10 software with a GUI?  I would only be using a Firecracker on my Ubuntu box.

There's TK10 which works with Bottlerocket and a CM17A.
  http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Automation/TK-10-10800.shtml

There's also TK10heyu, a hack of the above which works with Heyu and a CM11.
(Re-commenting one line of the code makes it work with Heyu and a CM17A.)
  http://www.heyu.org/utilities/tk10heyu-0.1.tgz


Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: crowntown on May 04, 2009, 08:11:56 PM
TK10 looks just like what I was looking for.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Deemar on July 21, 2009, 02:52:50 PM
For anyone trying to get this stuff to work, I can help you out as best I can. I've got Ubuntu 9.04 running right now with Heyu and a CM11A and CM17A (Firecracker) plugged into the same serial port of my desktop. I use SSH to remote into it from my Ubuntu laptop and run Heyu commands ("heyu on a4") remotely. There's no need for VPN nor a graphical desktop at all.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: strannik on July 22, 2009, 01:31:25 AM
check this out www.ikatron.com -> products -> imca. It dedicated automation server. Can work on Ubuntu perfectly based on what they say!
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: jukingeo on August 16, 2009, 10:32:02 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Deemar on August 17, 2009, 12:02:17 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?
no
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: HA Dave on August 17, 2009, 12:39:44 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?
no

And that is sad too. Not that I am a big fan of Linux.... to be honest I am really NOT. But I am a big fan of home automation and I feel it should be available to [nearly] everyone. One of the really great things about X10 itself... is that it is value priced (cheap to buy) yet solid reliable.

Although the CM15A is the state-of-the-art HA interface of the day.... the same thing could have been said a few years ago. As a matter of fact... the state-of-the-art computers that were available when the CM15A was released... are dust collectors today. I use an old P3 that I saved from curbside on trash day... and I even use BVC with Speech Recognition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apZF77tsZlI)... to voice command my Home Automation.

Sure this techno-recycling won't make us popular with our Euro friends determined to bring down the evil American software giant... but what the heck... it makes for good HA.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on August 17, 2009, 02:22:44 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?

Misterhouse  (http://sourceforge.net/projects/misterhouse/) has some basic support for the CM15A.

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Deemar on August 17, 2009, 02:32:37 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?
no

And that is sad too. Not that I am a big fan of Linux.... to be honest I am really NOT. But I am a big fan of home automation and I feel it should be available to [nearly] everyone. One of the really great things about X10 itself... is that it is value priced (cheap to buy) yet solid reliable.

Although the CM15A is the state-of-the-art HA interface of the day.... the same thing could have been said a few years ago. As a matter of fact... the state-of-the-art computers that were available when the CM15A was released... are dust collectors today. I use an old P3 that I saved from curbside on trash day... and I even use BVC with Speech Recognition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apZF77tsZlI)... to voice command my Home Automation.

Sure this techno-recycling won't make us popular with our Euro friends determined to bring down the evil American software giant... but what the heck... it makes for good HA.
I just use a CM11A and a CM17A on the same port. I haven't looked at all the features of the CM15A but I can probably do just about anything that can do with my setup. I have wired and wireless, what else is there?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: HA Dave on August 17, 2009, 03:48:07 PM
I just use a CM11A and a CM17A on the same port. I haven't looked at all the features of the CM15A but I can probably do just about anything that can do with my setup. I have wired and wireless, what else is there?

That's brillant Deemar!

I own both a CM11A and an old serial firecracker (CM17A). I have had both for a few years... and they hang around in my parts box. But where does today's Linux user find these devices? Are they hard to come by (like ebay only.. finds)?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on August 17, 2009, 05:20:58 PM
I just use a CM11A and a CM17A on the same port. I haven't looked at all the features of the CM15A but I can probably do just about anything that can do with my setup. I have wired and wireless, what else is there?

Heyu (http://www.heyu.org) supports an RF receiver like MR26A, W800RF32A, or RFXCOM for an auxiliary input.

The MR26A receives only standard X10 RF and some older X10 entertainment RF, e.g., from a UR81A remote.  Its range is not that great.

The W800RF32A (http://www.wgldesigns.com) receives, in addition to the above, signals from X10 Security sensors.

The RFXCOM 310 MHz (http://www.rfxcom.com) receives all the above plus signals from RFXSensor Temperature/Humidity/Barometric pressure sensors.
The RFXCOM 433.92 MHz (or the dual frequency 310/433.92 MHz model) receives signals from European X10 sensors and also signals from  RFXMeter electric/water/gas sensors and Oregon Scientific sensors, e.g., Temperature/Humidity/Barometric pressure/Anemometer/Rain gauge/UV sensor/Bathroom scale/Remote meat thermometer. 

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on August 17, 2009, 05:46:02 PM
I just use a CM11A and a CM17A on the same port. I haven't looked at all the features of the CM15A but I can probably do just about anything that can do with my setup. I have wired and wireless, what else is there?

That's brillant Deemar!

I own both a CM11A and an old serial firecracker (CM17A). I have had both for a few years... and they hang around in my parts box. But where does today's Linux user find these devices? Are they hard to come by (like ebay only.. finds)?

Dave:
The CM11A is out of production but still available on dealer shelves, primarily at authorized X10 resellers on eBay.  X-10 is still advertising the CK18A kit which includes a CM17A, but you can generally find the kit or the CM17A by itself from the above dealers.

And then there are individuals who have these "antiques" hanging around in their parts box and who will likely be selling them on eBay.  :-)

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: HA Dave on August 17, 2009, 06:36:05 PM
.... And then there are individuals who have these "antiques" hanging around in their parts box and who will likely be selling them on eBay.  :-)

I certainly didn't mean to refer to these devices as "antiques". After all... they were new when I bought them. I guess I tend to think about tomorrow... more than today. I keep spares in my parts box... not just older items. I even keep a spare CM15A... as well as a backup Home Automation Computer.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: jukingeo on August 20, 2009, 10:31:50 PM

And that is sad too. Not that I am a big fan of Linux.... to be honest I am really NOT. But I am a big fan of home automation and I feel it should be available to [nearly] everyone. One of the really great things about X10 itself... is that it is value priced (cheap to buy) yet solid reliable.

I am actually a fan of Linux, but it is kind of what I would say a "held back" OS.  What I mean by that is lack of support for much of the hardware devices out there.  Granted most of the hardware driver issues are the fault of the companies that make the hardware, they don't want to bother with creating drivers for a 'free' OS.  However, if you ask me they are closing themselves off from many potential buyers.   While the OS is free, the hardware isn't and they could make money off of the Linux OS fans as well as the PC & Mac fans.

As for X10, I started using it when it was available at Radio Shack under the name Plug N Power.   I was fascinated  at how it operated.  I started with a simple wall lamp module and a lamp module for a table lamp in the living room.   I had a desktop clock/timer control it all.   Then I expanded that system to wireless remotes and control of appliances.  The Active Home Pro is just the latest advancement forward.  The AHP will replace a wireless transmitter and the old clock/timer.  Also, new is the use of Infrared Motion Sensors (i.e. to control a light over a stairway).

The next step forward for me with X10 is the security system.

I will say that now being more than a novice user of X10, I have seen that the system DOES malfunction every now and then, but for the most part it is pretty reliable.  Thus far I only have had one defective item.

Quote
Although the CM15A is the state-of-the-art HA interface of the day.... the same thing could have been said a few years ago. As a matter of fact... the state-of-the-art computers that were available when the CM15A was released... are dust collectors today. I use an old P3 that I saved from curbside on trash day... and I even use BVC with Speech Recognition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apZF77tsZlI)... to voice command my Home Automation.

I have quite a few Windows 98 machines that were retired from my job and I am starting to convert them as 'special use PC's.  One I am using for a commerical video game (Hyperbowl), another is for jukebox use, still yet another is for Mame.

Quote
Sure this techno-recycling won't make us popular with our Euro friends determined to bring down the evil American software giant... but what the heck... it makes for good HA.

I still use Windows 98 and XP and for the most part I do like Microsoft's products.  But it is a company that is starting to get to big for it's britches and the newer OS's (Vista) are just getting so bloated it practically forces you into buying a whole new machine.   I realized that many of the features of these bloated programs and OS's I don't even bother using.  Furthermore, I don't like the fact that you NEED to have an internet connection with many of the newer program's (or OS's) security features in order to run the program.  What if a software company goes under and you have to reinstall the program...you would be screwed out of using the program.  It makes me feel that I am not buying a program, but rather 'renting it' and it is only as good as the company is willing to support it.  It this latter most point in which I decided to make the switch to Linux.  With Linux I have more of a choice with what I want to put on my system.  Furthermore I can test the FULL version of the program without dealing with 'crippled' demo versions on a pay OS system.

For the most part Ubuntu does have equivalent programs that compare to their Windows OS counterpart.  There is Open Office, which does essentially substitute for Microsoft Office.  There is Evolution, which replaces Outlook, and there is Firefox for the web browser.  I mostly use Firefox even in Windows.  In fact right now as I am typing this I am using Firefox via Ubuntu.

For the general everyday tasks Ubuntu shines just as bright as Windows.  But as I said, the shortcomings are in the hardware support and of course newer games are an issue and certain specific applications where I still need Windows for.   I would say as of now I am running Ubuntu 80% of the time.  However, I am always looking to bump that percentage up, which is the reason I asked about the support for the AHP via Ubuntu.

From what I am finding out though, with Linux, the older the hardware, the better.  Linux always seems to be trailing behind the PC and the Mac...which is why it does make a good OS for older computers or specific tasks (provided you can get your piece of hardware to work).

Anyway, that is my take on Linux.  I like it, but it isn't where it should be due to the lack of hardware support.  Out of all I/O connections via Linux I find USB compatibility to be the worst.  AND just about everything is USB now.

Geo
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: HA Dave on August 21, 2009, 12:42:38 AM
... I will say that now being more than a novice user of X10, I have seen that the system DOES malfunction every now and then, but for the most part it is pretty reliable.  Thus far I only have had one defective item.

The more reliable the automation... the greater the fun. There are a few threads here about "how reliable is your setup". 100% reliable anything.. may be.... 100% impossible. "Every now and then" might be a good description. But X10 can be made pretty darn dependable... with a little effort.

I have bought a couple defective items. But at the tiny per unit price I pay for X10 stuff (and the number of items I've bought)... I guess I overlooked that.

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Brian H on August 21, 2009, 06:22:02 AM
I have been trying out Ubuntu 9.04 and so far I like it. Has a issue with my local computers clock, but I am sure I can find the answer in their forums.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: jukingeo on August 22, 2009, 11:04:49 PM

The more reliable the automation... the greater the fun. There are a few threads here about "how reliable is your setup". 100% reliable anything.. may be.... 100% impossible. "Every now and then" might be a good description. But X10 can be made pretty darn dependable... with a little effort.

I have bought a couple defective items. But at the tiny per unit price I pay for X10 stuff (and the number of items I've bought)... I guess I overlooked that.



Well, I would like to say I want to shoot for as close to 100% as possible (even though that might be impossible).  It is pretty much minor things, but it is random.  For instance one night one of my lamps turned on at about 6:00am and I turned it off.  About 1 minute later it came back on again.  I turned it off and then it was OK.

I have the staircase light programmed to come on with a motion sensor, stay on for 90 seconds and then turn off.  Last night I it triggered on, but STAYED on.  I had to turn it off manually.

So far it is little quirks like that I am dealing with.   While most think that this may be trivial, they would be right, BUT I am thinking about expanding X-10 into their home security systems and THAT is something I don't need little 'ghost' problems with.  So my thinking is that my 'minor' problems now could become major ones when I go into the security aspect of the game.  So finding out what is causing these 'ghosts' would be helpful.

As for product reliability and frequency of defects...well, lets just say that I only have had two problems with an X-10 product.  The first problem was a flourescent lamp switch module which SUPPOSED to fit in a standard electrical box.  Turned out it didn't fit. Upon discovering that, I installed the module IN the lamp housing.  It ran fine for 3 weeks and then burned out.  I requested a return RA from X-10 (twice) and they never emailed me with it...so I said "eff it"  I still have the bad module sitting on my table in the living room.

The second instance was the fault of my 2.5 year old son (of whom has button fever (he plays with anything that has buttons, in the case of a TV remote control or cell phone...he usually destroys it)).  He got a hold of the X10 house wireless transmitter module and was 'messing' with it.  After his 'playing with it', it hasn't behaved properly since.   It was then I bought the AHP CM15A.  It has NO buttons on it for my son to play with.

Geo
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: jukingeo on August 22, 2009, 11:06:20 PM
I just picked up an ActiveHome Pro module CM15A.  Is there something for Ubuntu that would allow me to run this unit in Linux Land?

Misterhouse  (http://sourceforge.net/projects/misterhouse/) has some basic support for the CM15A.



Oh, Ok...missed this reply earlier.  Thanks for the tip-off, I will check it out.

Geo
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: HA Dave on August 22, 2009, 11:56:41 PM
I have the staircase light programmed to come on with a motion sensor, stay on for 90 seconds and then turn off.  Last night I it triggered on, but STAYED on.  I had to turn it off manually.

So far it is little quirks like that I am dealing with.   While most think that this may be trivial....

Nothing trivial about that! That would fall into the major malfunction category as far as I am concerned. You should post each problem like that at a proper thread location. That isn't something that I would normally except with home automation.

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: luria on January 11, 2010, 11:07:21 AM


Anyway, that is my take on Linux.  I like it, but it isn't where it should be due to the lack of hardware support.  Out of all I/O connections via Linux I find USB compatibility to be the worst.  AND just about everything is USB now.

Geo
I find that linux has some very clear advantages over Windows, even when it comes to hardware:

1)  Open source drivers are usually better written and has more support from a large community than you get from two (or more) Taiwanese software engineers who cram code to make stuff work. A good example is the drivers for my DVB-S and S-2 satellite cards which consistently run better, has more options and is better maintained than the windows version

2) Linux drivers interact with the OS and programs in a consistent and logic manner, while it's windows counterparts often is restricted to propietary software.  The output and/or input from/to devices is usually available to the end user through standardized devices.

3) Linux drivers may be restarted or reloaded if they fail or stop for some reason, without the need to reboot the computer.  It's easy to monitor and restart both programs and drivers in linux without interfering with the rest of the running system.

By far I find linux clearly superior to windows when it comes to automating tasks, running htpc's and doing other common tasks. It's legacy from servers, industry applications and other specialized environments guarantee that you will find resources to do almost anything.  In addition, development is user driven, so no more 1 year + waiting for updates from manufacturers if something does not work or miss an requested feature. I usually find that if device support in linux is missing, the reason is often that the product is flawed or clearly performing worse than comparable produts.  In fact' I have never been forced to  abandon a device because of lack of linux support.

Thats my 2 kroner anyway ;)
 
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on April 06, 2010, 10:18:49 AM
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share some info on my new linux "project" with x10. It's actually working quite well, so far.
I had an old clunky P3 with a 40G HD that I wanted to do something with, so I installed Ubuntu and a cheap TV Tuner card, which I then connected to an x10 audio/video sender/receiver (aka VR46A).

The picture is actually better than on my WindowsXP computer, and I'm able to record and have more recording options to play around with. For instance, I can have continuous surveillance of 9 cameras 24/7 and only use about 2G of HD space in a 24 hour period. And the picture is OK. If I want to get a better picture I can fine tune the settings, although this requires more HD space. Since my HD is only 40G, this ability to adjust the recording properties is letting me do more with what I have than ever before! It's great! :) I couldn't do that with Windows XP.  :(

Now I just have to figure out how to be able to turn x10 modules on/off on this setup, and I'll be able to use this remotely over the internet. I'm thinking that maybe a firecracker would be easiest?  8)

P.S. it's interesting to note that the tvtuner card was advertised as compatible with windows xp but not linux, and I could not get it to work properly on xp, but have it working beautifully on linux!  rofl
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on April 06, 2010, 10:27:19 AM
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share some info on my new linux "project" with x10. It's actually working quite well, so far.
I had an old clunky P3 with a 40G HD that I wanted to do something with, so I installed Ubuntu and a cheap TV Tuner card, which I then connected to an x10 audio/video sender/receiver (aka VR46A).

The picture is actually better than on my WindowsXP computer, and I'm able to record and have more recording options to play around with. For instance, I can have continuous surveillance of 9 cameras 24/7 and only use about 2G of HD space in a 24 hour period. And the picture is OK. If I want to get a better picture I can fine tune the settings, although this requires more HD space. Since my HD is only 40G, this ability to adjust the recording properties is letting me do more with what I have than ever before! It's great! :) I couldn't do that with Windows XP.  :(

Now I just have to figure out how to be able to turn x10 modules on/off on this setup, and I'll be able to use this remotely over the internet. I'm thinking that maybe a firecracker would be easiest?  8)

Take a look at Heyu - X10 Automation for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X  http://www.heyu.org
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on April 06, 2010, 10:32:11 AM

Take a look at Heyu - X10 Automation for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X  http://www.heyu.org


OK I will, thanks!
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Brandt on April 06, 2010, 11:56:21 AM
I'm a successful linux / heyu user also if you guys need any extra assistance...
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: pconroy on April 06, 2010, 01:27:00 PM
Now I just have to figure out how to be able to turn x10 modules on/off on this setup, and I'll be able to use this remotely over the internet. I'm thinking that maybe a firecracker would be easiest?  8)

P.S. it's interesting to note that the tvtuner card was advertised as compatible with windows xp but not linux, and I could not get it to work properly on xp, but have it working beautifully on linux!  rofl

I've had the same experience - some of the legacy hardware that no longer has Windows support now just *worjks* under Linux!  I've been amazed at what I've been able to plug in.
Old webcams, an old Hauppauge TV Tuner card, USB devices - they all just work!  :)

If you're into programming - I've just started goofing with the "OpenCV" library, with an eye on writing very simple image capture code.  The OpenCV library is amazing.  A program to capture and display images from a video device was about 12 lines of code!


For controlling modules, Chas Sullivan's HeyU is great.
There are also five or six other ways to control modules on Linux.

But -- I believe that Linux support for the CM15A is still under development.  I *think* I saw a recent post saying that they had all of the basic interactions figured out but there was still some USB traffic that hadn't been reverse engineered!

But if, like me, you have an older CP290, CM11A or CM17 - i think you'll find complete solutions ready-to-load and go under Linux.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: pconroy on April 28, 2010, 05:11:55 PM
I'm a successful linux / heyu user also if you guys need any extra assistance...

Pom - I *just* tried this morning to get heyu 2.8 up and going on Ubuntu 9.1
And am running into a problem.

Things I'm noticing
1) The CM11A is on ttyS3 and there's a getty on that too.  How necessary is it to remove the getty?
2) heyu_relay won't seem to stay running.  Over dozens of "heyu start/restart/info" attempts - I've had two daemons running a couple of times, `ps` showing one "heyu_relay t" most of the times, but then every heyu command causes a "starting heyu relay" message, as if it's NOT running

I'm pretty sure the CM11A is on ttyS3 -- I know it's not ttyS1 because the weather station is there.

Intetesting -- if I try ttyS1 or ttyS2, I do NOT get the repeated "heyu relay starting" messages, but I do get the expected error "received 0 bytes instead of 14" messages.

I'm kinda stumped...
I'm gonna edit init, remove the getty and reboot when I get home.

Other than that - I'm scracthing my haid!   ???
thanks!
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on April 28, 2010, 06:42:27 PM
pconroy:
Pull up man page heyu(1) and follow the procedure in section HEYU CLEANUP down near the end.

When you changed the serial port to /dev/ttyS1, I assume you edited the TTY directive in your Heyu config file to match.

BTW, I assume you know that the serial port is /dev/ttyS1 and not /dev/ttys1.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: dbemowsk on April 29, 2010, 12:00:49 AM
Most everything in linux is case sensitive (/dev/ttyS1 vs /dev/ttys1).  The more you use it the more you watch for it.  Windows for the most part doesn't care.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: pconroy on April 29, 2010, 07:16:29 PM
pconroy:
Pull up man page heyu(1) and follow the procedure in section HEYU CLEANUP down near the end.

When you changed the serial port to /dev/ttyS1, I assume you edited the TTY directive in your Heyu config file to match.

BTW, I assume you know that the serial port is /dev/ttyS1 and not /dev/ttys1.


Thanks Charles - I've joined the Yahoo group and have followed the cleanup instructions as they mentioned there.
No help.

Yeah - sorry for the typo, I know it's /dev/ttyS3.  :)
I ran gdb last night, and I too am dying in the tcgetattr() call.


I looked at my WS2308 and X10 Controller code and I see tcgetattr() commented out, and replaced with a memset() call.
I can't recall why I may have done that...
 ???


And - it could be the port - this port, COM4, ttyS3, is a Cardbus card with a DB-9 serial port - I suppose it could be configured weirdly by Ubuntu.
It's not a native, on the motherboard, with a real UART type of port!


Now -- I know the card is OK - as it worked ok with that X10 Code running under Cygwin.


What I'll do is slide the CM11A over to ttyS0, which is the native com port on the machine.
If that works - then I'll know there's something funky with the Cardbus RS232 port.

And if it works - I'm golden, since I can move my weather station code to ttyS3, since I don't call tcgetattr().

thanks guys.
I'll do some debugging and report back.
Maybe there's a lesson to learn buried deep in here.



Maybe... ;D
patrick
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on April 29, 2010, 09:31:22 PM

  <snip>
I looked at my WS2308 and X10 Controller code and I see tcgetattr() commented out, and replaced with a memset() call.
I can't recall why I may have done that...
 ???
  <snip


Patrick,
Uh, oh!  Heyu uses tcgetattr()  (in modules tty.c and tty_aux.c).   I'm guessing your mod is likely the cause of the problem.



Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: pconroy on April 30, 2010, 12:55:03 AM
I mod'd my code - not the heyu code...

But I found the culprit - it's that Cardbus/RS232 card.
Once I moved heyu over to the native COM port everything worked as expected.

Now I have to debug why that silly card works under Windows but not Linux.
I'll bet dimes to donuts, I find anuuder darned Prolific chip in there.    B:(


Thanks for the support!
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on April 30, 2010, 08:45:17 AM
I mod'd my code - not the heyu code...

But I found the culprit - it's that Cardbus/RS232 card.
Once I moved heyu over to the native COM port everything worked as expected.

Now I have to debug why that silly card works under Windows but not Linux.
I'll bet dimes to donuts, I find anuuder darned Prolific chip in there.    B:(


Thanks for the support!

The card probably requires a proprietary driver.   Your life would be simplified by spending the bucks for a decent two-port serial card which has both Windows and Linux support.  Byterunner (http://www.byterunner.com) provides detailed support information about the cards they sell.


Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on May 18, 2010, 09:53:25 PM
Take a look at Heyu - X10 Automation for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X  http://www.heyu.org


I downloaded HeyU and was wondering if someone could help me to install it? :'

It's extracted to a folder on my desktop, so I opened a terminal and typed: cd ~/Desktop, and now I should type???what??  :-[

BTW should I have the dongle/adapter installed first before I install the program or does it matter? (I haven't actually got one yet because I can't decide between the cm17a or the cm19a and have no idea of where to even find a cm11a!!)
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on May 18, 2010, 10:21:03 PM

birdzeye:
While in your Desktop directory, unpack the file you downloaded (which is probably heyu-2.8.0.tgz) with
   tar -zxf  heyu-2.8.0.tgz
then
   cd  heyu-2.8.0

and read the file named "INSTALL" with
   less  INSTALL

and follow the instructions therein for Ubuntu Linux.

Of the CM17A and CM19A, only the CM17A is supported by Heyu, and there's no way for _any_ software to detect the presence of a CM17A other than nothing happens if you send it a command and it's not attached.  The CM17A is only an RF transmitter and has no receiving capability, so you'll need a transceiver like a TM751 or RR501 to convert the RF to a powerline command to actuate your X10 modules.

Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: birdzeye on May 19, 2010, 07:43:02 AM

birdzeye:
While in your Desktop directory, unpack the file you downloaded (which is probably heyu-2.8.0.tgz) with
   tar -zxf  heyu-2.8.0.tgz
then
   cd  heyu-2.8.0

and read the file named "INSTALL" with
   less  INSTALL

and follow the instructions therein for Ubuntu Linux.

Of the CM17A and CM19A, only the CM17A is supported by Heyu, and there's no way for _any_ software to detect the presence of a CM17A other than nothing happens if you send it a command and it's not attached.  The CM17A is only an RF transmitter and has no receiving capability, so you'll need a transceiver like a TM751 or RR501 to convert the RF to a powerline command to actuate your X10 modules.



OK thanks I got it installed. Does this always have to be started from the terminal, or is there a program icon or entry in the start menu to start a program interface?

About the CM19A, I read on another thread here on x10 forums that had a link to lemay's driver for it. Won't that work with HeyU?
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on May 19, 2010, 10:18:00 AM

birdzeye:
While in your Desktop directory, unpack the file you downloaded (which is probably heyu-2.8.0.tgz) with
   tar -zxf  heyu-2.8.0.tgz
then
   cd  heyu-2.8.0

and read the file named "INSTALL" with
   less  INSTALL

and follow the instructions therein for Ubuntu Linux.

Of the CM17A and CM19A, only the CM17A is supported by Heyu, and there's no way for _any_ software to detect the presence of a CM17A other than nothing happens if you send it a command and it's not attached.  The CM17A is only an RF transmitter and has no receiving capability, so you'll need a transceiver like a TM751 or RR501 to convert the RF to a powerline command to actuate your X10 modules.



OK thanks I got it installed. Does this always have to be started from the terminal, or is there a program icon or entry in the start menu to start a program interface?

Yes, you can easily have Heyu start automatically at boot time.  However since you are evidently new to Linux and Ubuntu, I'd prefer you join and ask this question on the heyu_users forum where Ubuntu users (I'm not) can give you detailed guidance about things like paths and permissions which may be unique to Ubuntu.

Quote
About the CM19A, I read on another thread here on x10 forums that had a link to lemay's driver for it. Won't that work with HeyU?

Michael Lemay's driver doesn't have the flexibility to make it useful for inclusion in Heyu.  It supports simple X10 commands from the command line and given your proposed hardware acquisition you may want to consider using it by itself in place of Heyu.

A couple of programs for the CM17A (only) which are a lot simpler than Heyu and may meet your needs are "Bottle Rocket" and "Flipit".
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Deemar on May 19, 2010, 11:22:54 AM
You don't need to start Heyu with your computer, anytime you send a command it'll first check if Heyu is running and if not, it'll start it by itself. So basically even if it's not running and you send a command, it'll start it, then process your command.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on May 19, 2010, 10:04:10 PM
You don't need to start Heyu with your computer, anytime you send a command it'll first check if Heyu is running and if not, it'll start it by itself. So basically even if it's not running and you send a command, it'll start it, then process your command.

What you say is true, but only for the Relay daemon (which is probably all that the OP needs).  The other daemons (if configured) need to either be individually started or started all together with the "heyu start" command.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: nogero on August 23, 2010, 07:26:50 PM
I am running Ubuntu Linux 10.04. I installed Heyu and it works great. I have an old CM11a. Since I don't have a serial port on my PC, I bought a USB-to-Serial adapter and it is working great.

I use Homeseer for x10 control/security on a Windows XP box which I want to stop using. Its the only reason I'm running XP. Ubuntu 10.04, the latest version is better than Windows in every way except I can't watch Netflix.

I plan to write a mobile web app to send/receive X10 commands and run that on my linux web server so I can send commands from any mobile phone that has web access.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Brandt on August 23, 2010, 07:36:47 PM
I plan to write a mobile web app to send/receive X10 commands and run that on my linux web server so I can send commands from any mobile phone that has web access.

Have you tried domus.link? it does browser detect for the iphone, and will soon implement an android and nokia theme.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Charles Sullivan on August 23, 2010, 10:43:10 PM
I am running Ubuntu Linux 10.04. I installed Heyu and it works great. I have an old CM11a. Since I don't have a serial port on my PC, I bought a USB-to-Serial adapter and it is working great.

I use Homeseer for x10 control/security on a Windows XP box which I want to stop using. Its the only reason I'm running XP. Ubuntu 10.04, the latest version is better than Windows in every way except I can't watch Netflix.

If you have a wireless router, consider getting a Roku box (http://www.roku.com) and you can watch Netflix streaming video directly on your TV set. 
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: nogero on August 24, 2010, 03:09:43 PM
Have you tried domus.link? it does browser detect for the iphone, and will soon implement an android and nokia theme.

No I haven't tried domus.link, but I downloaded it and have yet to install. It does look close to what I had in mind. Essentially I want a nice readable control page like domus seems to offer, then I was thinking I would have a button with more "pages" to display device status for example. I'll give domus.link a try.
Title: Re: Ubuntu Linux
Post by: Brandt on August 24, 2010, 04:53:20 PM
well I'm one of the domus.link developers (when I have time) so go ahead and put in an issue request and I'll see what I can do.

 :)%

http://code.google.com/p/domuslink/issues/list