X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => ActiveHome Pro General => Topic started by: tsttm on April 18, 2009, 11:42:17 AM
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My understanding of the CM15A was that it would work fine on its own..say you decided to unplug the usb, or keep your compouter off etc...
I noticed that when i reformatted my computer (so no AHP installd..but i did not uninstall it; just went straight to formatting)..the CM15A became useless. My remote would not control any of my modules or macros.
Why is that? I would have thought it would just remember the macros & modules uploaded to it even if AHp was not present.
Also, does AHP notify you if the batteries in the CM15A is low? Or, is there a way to check battery status in AHP?
Thanks!
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My understanding of the CM15A was that it would work fine on its own..say you decided to unplug the usb, or keep your compouter off etc...
I noticed that when i reformatted my computer (so no AHP installd..but i did not uninstall it; just went straight to formatting)..the CM15A became useless. My remote would not control any of my modules or macros.
Why is that? I would have thought it would just remember the macros & modules uploaded to it even if AHp was not present.
Also, does AHP notify you if the batteries in the CM15A is low? Or, is there a way to check battery status in AHP?
Thanks!
tsttm,
"My understanding of the CM15A was that it would work fine on its own..say you decided to unplug the usb, or keep your compouter off etc..."
Well that is true as long as you make sure to store your macros and timers in the CM15A interface and you do not have commands in your macros that require the PC to function. Some macro commands automatically choose the radio button that says "Must be run from PC."
"I noticed that when i reformatted my computer (so no AHP installd..but i did not uninstall it; just went straight to formatting)..the CM15A became useless. My remote would not control any of my modules or macros."
When you reformat the hard drive you loose all programs and data on that drive. If you had macros that need the PC to run they will not work until you reinstall the software and reset up every thing the way you had it prior to reformatting the computer. What kind of remote do you have and what kind of modules and macros did you have that will no longer work?
"Also, does AHP notify you if the batteries in the CM15A is low? Or, is there a way to check battery status in AHP?"
Yes there is a low battery notification and you can check the status by going to menu selecting Tools, Configuration, this is where you choose your time zone and on the right side of the screen you will see battery status.
Hope this helps,
Bob
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A more thorogh answer is, The AHP will not notify you automatically by sending you some message. You have to check it. The battery can be so low that the CMA15 doesn't even work and you're wondering what is wrong, at which time you have to reset it by replacing the batteries while still plugged into the wall. I have had this stuff for years and This APH software is not the most stable software. :)
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thanks, well i didn't think my macros were 'run from pc' but i'd have to check. Although, it seems like i can't even turn modules on & off directly with my remote..which seemed strange to me (& yes, i didn't store directly on the cm15a).
I thought maybe it was a battery issue..but the batteries are only there for backup right? (if power goes out)..i mean it shouldn't be an issue if it's still plugged in & i haven't lost power.
Remote i'm using is the learnable universal remote.
So for AHP battery notification, it's more something you have to go into to find (it won't pop up some notification to let you know) right?
thanks.
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thanks, well i didn't think my macros were 'run from pc' but i'd have to check. Although, it seems like i can't even turn modules on & off directly with my remote..which seemed strange to me (& yes, i didn't store directly on the cm15a).
I thought maybe it was a battery issue..but the batteries are only there for backup right? (if power goes out)..i mean it shouldn't be an issue if it's still plugged in & i haven't lost power.
Remote i'm using is the learnable universal remote.
So for AHP battery notification, it's more something you have to go into to find (it won't pop up some notification to let you know) right?
thanks.
That's one of the things X10 should have been included in AHP, but......... It doesn't tell you about battery status unless you are in AHP and remember to go into Hardware Configuration and check it.
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My understanding of the CM15A was that it would work fine on its own..say you decided to unplug the usb...
As others have indicated, all of the stored CM15A programming will work independent of a computer.
You do need the computer connected to store video and send email alerts.
Also there's the DST issue. The CM15A firmware has the old DST time change dates. (At lease in the US version) The CM15A must be connected to the computer at least 4 times a year for it to get the correct times from the computer.
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ok thanks. normally i will keep it attached at all times...i just found it strange that after i formatted my computer & AHP was no longer installed, that i could not trigger any of my macros or modules.
Now, i did back up my AHP data file, but now my backup drive is having issues. Is there any way to upload the info on the cm15a into AHP so i don't have to recreate my macros etc?
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...Is there any way to upload the info on the cm15a into AHP so i don't have to recreate my macros etc?
The short answer is NO. This question has been asked before and you can find out more on why by searching the forum.
The quick reason is that the CM15A does not store all the information that is in the ahx file for AHP. i.e. While you may tell AHP to turn on the living room light (L1) at 8:00pm. All that is stored in the CM15A is "L1 On 8:00 pm"
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... The battery can be so low that the CMA15 doesn't even work and you're wondering what is wrong, at which time you have to reset it by replacing the batteries while still plugged into the wall. ....
The CM15A of which you speak must be different than the three which I own. The only reset that I know of involves UNPLUGGING it and pulling the batteries. I've never heard of replacing the batteries whilst retaining the 120v source.
I have at times let these things run for months on end with NO BATTERIES whatsoever, and have had no problems short of having the memory dumped in a power outage.
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must be my batteries died & somehow cm15a lost power so it got erased.
On a slightly off topic question- is there a way to overide daylight savings for a particular module/macro timer? So i want my computer & all the other macro/module timers to follow daylight savings..but i have one timer i want to maintain the same absolute time- ie at 8pm & when daylight savings changes, it will continue to fire at the same time (or 9pm now)
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...is there a way to overide daylight savings for a particular module/macro timer? So i want my computer & all the other macro/module timers to follow daylight savings..but i have one timer i want to maintain the same absolute time- ie at 8pm & when daylight savings changes, it will continue to fire at the same time (or 9pm now)
I'm not sure why you would want to do that unless needed to be in sync with GMT for something related to astronomy or something. There is no way to test for DST status in AHP. That said it does present a new and interesting programming challenge. I'd set up your macro with an else that tests for a flag. You'd still have to set the flag manually.
Hmm... I don't have access to my AHP right now but I think it might be possible to set a flag based on a time date/time range that could then be used to indicate DST. It would be a little tricky as the date of the month changes each year. You would need to test for the date range of March 8-14 and only execute on Sun. i.e. Have a macro timer execute every Sun at 2:00am for the dates March 8-14 and set a flag to use for DST. Likewise you would need execute a macro for every Sun at 2:00am for the dates November 1-7 and clear the flag.
I don't have a way to test the above right now but think it could work. Might have to tweak it to test at 1:59am depending on whether AHP makes a test before changing 2->3 or 2->1. I figure being off a minute won't matter, right?
Of course this all ties back to your original question. i.e. For this to work, you would need the CM15A connected to you computer.
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Thanks Steven.
I feel bad that i made you put that much energy into answering my question. That's sounds way to complicated to alleviate my laziness.
the only reason i asked is because i have a fish light on a timer to coincide with the automatic feeder that feeds them twice a day. The problem is there's no reason to adjust the feeder as daylight savings changes..whether they feed at 8pm or 9pm is not important.
But, i recently realized that the light timer i created was off an hour for the last 6 months.
Anyway, the simple solution is just to remember & move the light timer forward or backwards in the future. I was just hoping there was a check box option to 'ignore' daylight savings changes on a specific module timer.
This might be a suggestion i can submit to x10. It should be a simple things to do.
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I believe that Dan Lawrence uses multiple AHX files at different times of the year for just that same reason.
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...I feel bad that i made you put that much energy into answering my question....
It really wasn't any problem. It's so rare to get a new problem here. I enjoyed firing the brain cells. It makes up for the cells that went dormant watching that "movie" I saw on the Scifi channel. Also I use to do something along the same lines in the old days of DOS.
...i have a fish light on a timer to coincide with the automatic feeder that feeds them twice a day...
I'm guessing the fish light is on a mechanical time and not X10? Why not put it under X10 control also and it will stay in sync with feeder. i.e. If both the light and feeder are under control from AHP then they'll remain in sync even with the time change.
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I believe that Dan Lawrence uses multiple AHX files at different times of the year for just that same reason.
I was going under the assumption that he wanted to keep to 1 automated ahx file but having 2 files would work.
For myself it works best to use just one file year round. That way if I tweak or add something to the core programming I don't have to do it for more than one file.
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I'm guessing the fish light is on a mechanical time and not X10? Why not put it under X10 control also and it will stay in sync with feeder. i.e. If both the light and feeder are under control from AHP then they'll remain in sync even with the time change.
The light is on x10 control. The feeder is it's own unit that runs on batteries..so there's no way to connect it to x10.
really, it's no big deal. I just have to adjust the timer in AHP. It's not worth doing something complicated or having 2 ahp files i think.
it's just that the fish get conditioned- light comes on, food comes..so they probably get confused when daylight savings hits.
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...it's just that the fish get conditioned- light comes on, food comes..so they probably get confused when daylight savings hits.
I think your fish must be smarter than mine if they make the connection. Mine are just happy when I remember to shake in some flakes light or no light. ;D
BTW... Since I have my tank is plugged into a UPS, I just use a mechanical timer plugged into one of the surge outlets of the UPS for my lights. The UPS backs up the 2nd heater that is set a bit lower than the first. If all else fails, I have a battery operated air pump that runs on 2 D cell batteries when the backup power fails.
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The light is on x10 control. The feeder is it's own unit that runs on batteries..so there's no way to connect it to x10.
I see potential for "Forum Fun Design Contest"
Lets couple the feeder to X10 so X10 AHP can control the light!
1. Buy a second feeder so we can destroy the first. :D
Since the feeder runs on batteries it will be easily to couple it to a "Power Flash" module. This will be great fun, as it requires screw drivers, disassembly, and soldering!
2. Solder two wires to the motor or solenoid that causes the feeder to dump its food.
3. Connect these wires to the Power Flash input.
4. Set the Power Flash to the desired HCUC.
Now everytime the feeder runs the Power Flash will send a HCUC "ON" command. When the motor stops, the HCUC "OFF" is sent. Use either command to fire macros and timers to control your lights. In my aquarium days I used similar setup to turn OFF the air pump and filters so the food would float on surface for a longer period of time.
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...The feeder is it's own unit that runs on batteries..so there's no way to connect it to x10.
There's always a way. Granted it may turn out to be more expensive and less practical but there's always a way to interface X10. ;D
I see potential for "Forum Fun Design Contest"...
...Since the feeder runs on batteries it will be easily to couple it to a "Power Flash" module. This will be great fun, as it requires screw drivers, disassembly, and soldering!...
Might even be able to plug in a wall wart to an appliance module and eliminate the batteries all together. -:)
Of course the original battery operated system might prove more reliable. Think happy blotted fish when the X10 feeder doesn't shut off. :D
Note to dave w: Reread your post. I first thought you were suggesting a way for X10 to control the feeder. Actually your idea is to have the feeder signal X10. A much more reliable approach! I like it! Almost has me wanting to buy a battery operated feeder.
Note to tsttm: Don't let our "extreme automation" scare you away from X10. Sometimes some interesting ideas come from brainstorming. Dave_x10_L's automated chair came from a top of my head thought.
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Note to tsttm: Don't let our "extreme automation" scare you away from X10. Sometimes some interesting ideas come from brainstorming. Dave_x10_L's automated chair came from a top of my head thought.
That is absolutely correct! steven r thought of The Automated Chair (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7szRtNQIxo4)... then it was a race to see who could get it done first. Of course being both retired and a regular YouTube contributor... I had some advantages.
It seems to me.... just about anything can be automated in some way or another. It can be fun to try out some new setups and some can prove to be of real value. Not everything I try... turns out to be a keeper... but none have been a waste. I am always looking for ways to expand and improve my home automation setup. Little by little my setup continues to better reflect my lifestyle and my automation expections.
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WOW! You guys make want to go out and buy fish now. This X10 stuff is addicting!!! >!
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.. This X10 stuff is addicting!!! >!
Yes it is... but it's perfectly legal.
And.. [I have found] even socially exceptable... as some parts of most setups also saves energy. So we get the convenience, safety, and security and often even save a little on the electric bill to boot. Not that my Home Automation... dependence.. has saved me money it hasn't. But the safety and security has value too.
There are so many aspects of the Home Automation lifestyle that I enjoy. I won't go into it here... but it does at time seem very much like the early stages of an addiction.