X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => Plug-ins => Smart Macros => Topic started by: orca on July 26, 2006, 05:28:13 PM
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Hi Everyone;
I'm just learning all this stuff and in some regards I'm totally confused as to what the smart macros can really do.
I have a client that has 44 devices installed, mostly WS12A and XPS3 wall switches with companions.
The living room, dining room, billiard room, rec rooom and kitchen all need to be on the same schedule.
Friday night; On ½ hour before sunset, off at sunset plus 4 hours, Saturday morning on at around 8 AM and off at 930 AM, Back on at 12 noon until 1½ hours after sunset when everything shuts off.
The master bedroom and the Library need to be on the Saturday schedule and the master bedroom needs to have lights on Friday night from sunset plus 3 hours until sunset plus 4 hours and then everything is off.
Is this something the smart macros can do or are there other, more useful, things.
The last of the switches are being installed today and I need help ASAP.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
Make it a GREAT day.
Warm regards,
Orca
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...Is this something the smart macros can do or are there other, more useful, things....
Yes and more.
What HC are you using? Once you have assigned house and unit codes to all your lights, start building your macros. I find it useful to pick a different HC for macros than the one you're using for the lights. e.g. The lights could be on HC "B" and your marcos could be on HC "M". If living room, dining room, billiard room, rec room and kitchen, were assigned house/units codes B1, B2, B3, B4 and B5 respectively, you could then create a macro "M1 ON" that turns them all on and a macro "M2 OFF" that turns them off. Then add your times for the macro and your done.
You've done most of the hard work already by deciding what you wanted the macros to do. At this point it just a matter of plugging in the values. Try it you'll be surprised how simple it is.
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You forget to also tell him to go to http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/activehome-pro.html and order Active Home Pro for his client. Once AHP and the CM15A is installed. he can create timers that do exactly what he wants to do. The one thing that he didn't mention was if the client had AHP or just a bunch of X10 modules.
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You forget to also tell him to go to http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/activehome-pro.html and order Active Home Pro for his client....
There I go making assumptions again. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.
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I have a client that has 44 devices installed, mostly WS12A and XPS3 wall switches with companions.
I would like to add that you give some thought to "individuality" vs "grouping" - you have 44 devices, and a HouseCode can only control 16 INDIVIDUAL addresses. You need to decide if you want to "double up" and put all the lights in one room on one address, or make them all separate. Macro-wise, it doesn't matter either way - C1 ON with 4 lights all assigned to C1 will perform EXACTLY the same as C1 C2 C3 C4 ON (or C1 D2 E3 F4 ON). But, if you group them, they the all go ON, OFF, BRIGHTEN, DIM together.
...Is this something the smart macros can do or are there other, more useful, things.
This is so basic that the ActiveHome [Original] CM11A can handle it. :)
The last of the switches are being installed today and I need help ASAP.
If these switches are in the home of a CLIENT, and you're the 'Professional' INSTALLER, I sure hope that you have a Signal Meter (a RR501, Palmpad and Universal Module too!) and a handful of filters to use to troubleshoot the INEVITABLE "Noise Makers" and "Signal Suckers" hiding there, just waiting to trip you up.
Besides your admitted lack of knowledge concerning "smart macros", what is your level of X10 experience?
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The lights could be on HC "B" and your marcos could be on HC "M".
Per the X-10 Checklist that I posted, try to avoid Housecodes A and M:
- A is the DEFAULT that ALL non-codewheel devices reset to when their batteries are removed
. - M is the code generated when the codewheel is missing, or not making good contact with the pads on the PCB
May save you some grief (and a house call) later on down the road...
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Oh yes. M13. The famous no wheel making contact thing. We have seen other posts here on my module or switch only like House Code M or Unit 13 or Address M13
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Hi Everyone;
Thanks for all the tips. I'll give you a little more information.
I'm using AHP with the AH 2-Way PC Interface.
All the hallways are on HC H, the living room is on HC L, the Dining room is on HC D, the Kitchen is on HC K, the Den is on HC D, all Bathrooms in the house are on HC E, the Bedrooms are on HC F and the Basement is on HC B as is the Billiards room. Commode rooms are on HC G.
I plan on using HC M for all macros.
The Master Bedroom has a commode room which is separate from the bathroom. I want to use a motion sensor every day but Friday/Saturday so that when either occupant of the master bed room needs the loo at night the sensor in the bathroom hallway will turn on the bathroom light and the commode light at 50% and shut them off after 10 minutes which I'm pretty sure I can do based on the macro library commands already available.
I hope this additional information helps.
With the old program it was a very simple process to drag and drop all the room modules into one macro. Of course, they all had to be with the same HC which was a little confining although I did get it to work that way in my home. Of course I only have 13 switches in my home, not 44 as is in this home.
Warm regards,
Bill Cook
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...All the hallways are on HC H, the living room is on HC L, the Dining room is on HC D, the Kitchen is on HC K, the Den is on HC D, all Bathrooms in the house are on HC E, the Bedrooms are on HC F and the Basement is on HC B as is the Billiards room. Commode rooms are on HC G.
I plan on using HC M for all macros....
...Of course I only have 13 switches in my home, not 44 as is in this home....
Wow 44 things to control. I'm jealous. ;)
Don't worry about using HC "M" for your macro. While it is true that controllers can fail default to that code, I've never lost a code wheel on any of my remotes. Also if you're using a remote to control your macros and it fails to HC "M" there's no loss.
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All the hallways are on HC H, the living room is on HC L, the Dining room is on HC D, the Kitchen is on HC K, the Den is on HC D, all Bathrooms in the house are on HC E, the Bedrooms are on HC F and the Basement is on HC B as is the Billiards room. Commode rooms are on HC G.
I plan on using HC M for all macros.
Out of curiosity, why did you choose to group HouseCode & Room, as opposed to HouseCode & Type of Module?
My HouseCode setup, for example, is:
- C: All above-ground lights (originally dictated by the HeathKit SL-5320 :) )
. - H: All above-ground appliances
. - F: All motion sensors
. - L: Alll below-ground lights and appliances
. - M: All macros (but, this was *BEFORE* I knew - currently I'm getting 'false' M5s when I press H5 on a Palmpad and plan to change this)
. - N: Nighttime motion sensors
. - P: Annunciators - Chimes and Universal Modules
. - B: 1½-Way Status Indicators
LOGIC:
- All above-ground lights are grouped on HC C so that the DS7000 can flash them
. - All above-ground appliances were REMOVED from HC C so that the DS7000 WON'T turn them off
. - All below-ground lights and appliances were moved to HC L because HC C and HC H were FULL
. - All motion sensors were grouped on HC F because they "eat up" two addresses each
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Wow 44 things to control. I'm jealous. ;)
Out of curiosity, I just counted my PLC Receivers in AH: 49
Don't worry about using HC "M" for your macro. While it is true that controllers can fail default to that code, I've never lost a code wheel on any of my remotes. Also if you're using a remote to control your macros and it fails to HC "M" there's no loss.
What about if you're using a remote to control "anything" (on a HC other than "M") and it erroneously transmits it on "M" - still no loss?
The reason I mention this is because it's been happening to me - I've added Universal Module ding-ding-dings at the end of my macros so that I KNOW when they fire. Randomly, when I turn ON (or is it OFF?) the LR A/C on H5, I hear a ding-ding-ding that I shouldn't.
There are 16 HouseCodes with 16 UnitCodes each (256 total). I personally can afford to skip 'A' & 'M', dropping the number of available addresses to 224 :o in the interest of increased reliability. ;)
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I would also say M is fine. In all the messages here and on the original X10 BB. I have seen only one post with my switch only likes the House Code M