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🖥️ActiveHome Pro => Plug-ins => Smart Macros => Topic started by: ITguy on July 14, 2009, 04:41:36 PM

Title: Extra (unwanted!) "camera on" commands for wrong cameras sent by macro
Post by: ITguy on July 14, 2009, 04:41:36 PM
Hi all,

I'm suffering with a problem where my camera-recording macros in AHP version 3.236 send an extra "on" command, for a different camera, after sending the one requested in the macro.  This happens regardless on the method I use to turn on the camera (i.e. "camera on", "select camera", etc.)

Example:

If the macro contains "C2 on", it executes C2 on, then also sends C3 on!  This, of course, results in the wrong camera being recorded. 

The "extra" on signal is not always to the next higher camera.  Sometimes if the macro calls for C4 on, it will then send C3 on after that!  The only consistent item is that any given macro seems to always send the same extra on command.

I've tried clearing the interface memory, then redownloading the macros.  I've even tried deleting all the camera macros, then creating from scratch. 

I've also tried backing down to release 3.204 and 3.228.  That solves the "extra command" problem, but then the recording functions just record junk (wavy lines, etc - no usable picture)!  I'm using the VA12A adapter.

Anybody have any ideas for a workaround?

Thanks,

ITguy
Title: Work-around found!
Post by: ITguy on July 18, 2009, 05:19:01 PM
Hi all,

I found a way to get around this crazy bug!  For a 3-camera setup, here's what I did.

Create the three cameras - addressed C1,C2,C3
Create 3 "dummy" appliance modules with the same addresses - C1,C2,C3

The old macro (that ended up recording the wrong camera) looked like this (omitted portions not related to this problem):

Select camera - Cam 3
Start video recording
Wait for 1 minute
Stop video recording
Turn Cam 3 off

The new macro looks like this

Select camera - Cam 3
Start Auto Still Record
Turn Cam 1 Dummy off
Turn Cam 2 Dummy off
Turn Cam 3 Dummy on
Wait for 1 minute
Stop Auto Still record
Turn Cam 3 off

This gets me something workable.  The macro bug still turns on the additional WRONG camera, but the dummy switch commands put things back the way they should be.  Only remaining problem is that if this method is used to try to record video, NOTHING gets recorded!  The Auto Still Record, however, does work!

Hopefully, this will save someone else some pain!

ITguy