X10 Community Forum

🎭Entertainment => Entertainment General => Topic started by: Tuicemen on March 28, 2009, 11:59:55 AM

Title: How do you use your VCR Commander?
Post by: Tuicemen on March 28, 2009, 11:59:55 AM

Many of us have this things but how many of us are actually using them?
And How many are getting the maximum bang for their buck from these things?

I have one set up at the cottage which triggers a VCR to record and stop recording from a hidden cam I mounted between logs it the wall!
Since I'm on solar there it isn't the best as the VCR must stay on eating up power :(
Maybe I'm missing something there?  ??? ::) :'

Anyways at home here where I have a AH PC running 24/7 and power is plentiful my VCR Commander has Unlimited possibilities!
I never liked the Idea of having wire dangling in front of all my audio/video electronics! :( And hated the emitters stuck to each,they never stayed! (Could be the fact that my wife never liked them either.)  rofl

But with my recent Powermid combo that is a thing of the past!
see: Hide that VCR Commander! (http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=17573.0)
A single X10 ON command:
1:Turns on my VCR
2:Turns it to the input channel 3 (just in case the last channel it was on is something else)
3:Then starts to record!
4: It also sends the signal to turn my TV to the input channel so If the TV is on I can quickly see what is being recorded .

Of coarse I'm using software to do this as the same X10 signal also turns on the designated camera, fires of an Email, and triggers a light in the house to turn on!

The X10 Off command simply
1: Stops recording
2: Turns off the VCR
3: In addition to the VCR commander the same X10 trigger also turns off the Light and Camera ;)

I'd love to hear how others are using this! It may spur me to use mine more or in other ways!  rofl
 >!

Title: Re: How do you use your VCR Commander?
Post by: Jim Clark on March 29, 2009, 12:32:25 PM

Quote from: Tuicemen

Since I'm on solar there it isn't the best as the VCR must stay on eating up power

I have the power on/off programed into my VCR Commander and don't have to leave the power to the VCR turned on.  I know that this is not recommended as the VCR can confuse the on and off signal should things get out of sequence but I have not had a single problem with this in the past two years.   
:)% :)%