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[Elfmaze]

I have been using a box( http://humboldt1.com/%7Ezerdo/index2.htm) that i have to plug in 8 hours before waking up.  It will slowly bring up the room light that is pluged into it over half an hour.   Making an effective sunrise in the room.  i have been using this tied to a standard house timer so i don't have to be ready to plug it in at the exact time when i need to get up earlie( read 4am) for work.   

After being inspired by the tony stark wake up scene.  youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXH2K2ZlrjQ
 I decided to look for something that could do this for me. 

I found the Talking Headline Alarm clock At:  http://www.kprobe.com/kprobe/THAC.htm
It theoretically will activate an X10 device,  read the weather off an RSS weather feed and then resort to some music or whatever you choose.

I have not quite gotten the talking part to work yet.  But i am looking to you're help for the X10 side.   


I understand that X10 does not do well with slowly bringing lights up over a long period of time. But i do have a module that can do just that with a good long 9 hour notice.  I wake up at different times each day from 8am to 5:30am to 4:30am thru the week.   

  My goal would be to have a smaller light start comming on a half hour before wake up.  Then at wakeup time have the alarm clock go full bright on my CFL room light,  hallway, and bathroom lights. while reading weather and then playing some radio for me. 

Sry the post has alot in it.  been brainstorming for a week now.

 

[dave w]

I have not quite gotten the talking part to work yet.  But i am looking to you're help for the X10 side.   


I understand that X10 does not do well with slowly bringing lights up over a long period of time.

There are ways of getting X10 to do this. You do not specify the software you are using.

I used to use AHP but switched to "Homeseer" for it's voice recognition, speech, and scripting power. Everything you want to do is capable with Homeseer. (e-mail, weather, music, "sunrise" etc.) I think AHP will do everything also, with add-ins like BVC.

For your "sunrise": before retiring have your system turn ON your light to full brightness and then DIM to 0% "new" X10 lamp modules do not dim less than 10%, so you need a old X10 Lamp Module, or a Smarthome Lamp Module).

When your "sunrise" time (i.e 4 AM) arrives, begin sending one BRI command at a time over the "sunrise" period (i.e. 1.5 hour). Not knowing what software you have, you will have to figure this out. Using standard DIMS there are 16 steps from full dim to full bright, so in AHP you could set a flag for the 90 minute period and then send a DIM every 5 minutes until the flag resets (your actual "sunrise" period would be 80 minutes, 5 minutes times 16 steps). At the end of the 90 minute timer the flag resets and the sequence stops. You would turn OFF your light using an X10 controller. Since you have changing requirements you would need a seperate macro for each different scenario.

Just some ideas. For every weakness or "fault" with X10, there is a work-around. My bet is one of the forum contributors will know about it.

[Elfmaze]

So far I'm not using software at all.  The lighten up box is a standalone timer.  And the other lights in my house like the bathroom are controled by motion sensors on the switch itsself.  I took a brief look at Homeseer.  And looks like more than I would probably need(remote access, security, voice control,  etc).   BUT i also didn't see too much about voice events  from RSS feeds.   While I will continue to look over that.

Edit:  As it would seem my alarm clock software is out of date and as of right now there is no Windows XP support for the text to speech wakeup.  darn

[Tuicemen]

Elfmaze
Since your main goal is to use your sunrise timer without having to reprogram it for your different time here is a x10 solution!
Get an x10 appliance module and plug the sunrise timer into it.
Using Active Home Pro (AHP) you can set a timer to turn that applice module on 8 hours before the sunrise timer has to start!
 
As dave w AHP will do everything you want, with the addition of thirdparty Addon software.
PC Companion has a reminders and weather report via voice option and much more.
BVC will add total voice control to your X10 setup But I'm sure Dave_x10_L will comment about this!

[HA Dave]

I have not quite gotten the talking part to work yet. 

Welcome to the X10 forum Elfmaze!

I use BVC for voice announcements... I would think a "wake-up call" would be doable. PCC (PC Companion) also has some nice options... you might find useful. Both have trial versions.

There isn't a "blueprint" or plan anywhere that you can follow... to achieve your goal. But I would think X10's AHP (Active Home Pro) and some lamp and appliance modules may be a good place to start.

If your new to X10 and Home Automation... your in luck! You've just stumbled onto what can be a huge amount fun. Please... take the time to keep us up on your progress with this.

[Elfmaze]

PC companion looks like it has promise.   But a quick runthru and all the weather tab will give me is that i entered an incorrect City Code. i i have tried using 5 digit zip.  5 + 4.  and even used the canadian code for Ajax with no change?

[Tuicemen]

PC companion looks like it has promise.   But a quick runthru and all the weather tab will give me is that i entered an incorrect City Code. i i have tried using 5 digit zip.  5 + 4.  and even used the canadian code for Ajax with no change?

I'm in Canada as well you only need to select the city (Ajax in your case) which will give you a code of CAXX0005.
If your getting the message that a incorrect city code was entered you may have to check your internet settings and make sure you allow PCC to connect.
 

[Elfmaze]

that was what i was thinking.  just don't know where the fire wall is yet.  none on the computer.  need to dig deeper. 

Update:  I never found out why it would not connect thru that other computer.  Something was blocking it. never found it.   Good news it on my Main machine and the one that will be running the program the weather connected and ran great!!!


Not i'm trying to wrap my head around this Batch file concept.   After reading thru the manual and checking out the posts in the third part software forum this is what i got from all that.   

  By writing a batch file I will be able to trigger a series of events via X10s home automation software,   X10 can tell its time to wake me up,   Execute the batch file,  which can can have a chain of events like a TTS greeting message,  followed by the time,  followed by the weather,  followed by any messages i may have left,  followed by some music.

Am i at least close to correct?   I have played with the different options in the PCC program and they all sound great seperate,   once i get it working in a chain i will be there at my goal!

[Elfmaze]

OH and that Microsoft voice HAS to GO!!!   what were they thinking.

[HA Dave]

OH and that Microsoft voice HAS to GO!!!   what were they thinking.

Aparently your using XP (or older). The voices in Vista are pretty darn nice... Anna sounds nearly as human as my Kate.

[Elfmaze]

thats depressing,  You may have given me the first reason i've ever seen to switch to vista or windows 7.     Is there a way to upgrade the unusable XP voices?   

[Tuicemen]

Elfmaze there are many voices available on the net.
Some are very reasonably priced and some you can even try before you buy!
I also run the Kate voice which is a NeoSpeech voice set
 

[Elfmaze]

The AT&T brittish Audrey is pretty nice too.   http://wcarchive.cdrom.com/pub/bws/bws_44/Audrey.mp3

[HA Dave]

The AT&T brittish Audrey is pretty nice too.   

WARNING: This stuff can be highly addictive! Once you automate your home to the point where it informs you and provides helpful information... as well as listens and obeys commands... you may be hooked. But it's a heck of a lot of fun too.

[dave w]

Hey, this is a good time to re-post an old question.

I am using XP for the home controller and am not giggly all over about "Microsoft Mike" because they actually sound more "natural" than I want. I am looking for a very synthesized sounding voice, but not so "synthesized that it sounds like a Cylone from Battlestar Galactica (i.e. comically robotic).

I want a synthetic sounding voice for when the house warns away tresspassers. The implication being; an icy voiced  computer announcing it will "call the authorities in 30 seconds", sounds more threatening than Microsoft Mary or Mike doing the warning.

Anyone have suggestions for such a voice?

Thanks!