99% of all thermostats use mercury switches mounted on a coil of thin wire and they don't have "WARNING" labels posted on them. At the price it sells for, I am sure it is using a mercury switch. Any digital sensing would make the unit sell for more than $10.00

Chris Couture

For those with experience with Houselinc (this is for you, Chris, hint...hint), does this system completely replace your ActiveHome kit?

- Computer interface?
- Transceiver? I'm sure you still need it for wireless remotes.
- ActiveHome Software?

I'm looking at a picture of the back of the HouseLinc Control Unit. What are the following used for:
- Option port
- IR Out (1-4)
- X10 Port
- Serial Port

And lastly, can the software do this example: Hawkeye II will only activate a module (e.g. turn on a light) when the IR motion detector is activate between the hours of 11pm to 6am. Other hours, motion will not activate anything.

Roland S

Roland,

If you are thinking of spending the amount of money that a HouseLinc costs, you might want to consider a Stargate Lite and IR Xpander2 instead. It's not that a HouseLinc is a bad product, but it costs enough that it wouldn't be considered a "disposable" item by most people. On the other hand, most people that purchase an Active Home realize that they really couldn't be getting anything great for less than $40 (with a bunch of extra stuff to boot), and if it doesn't work out, "who cares, I still got the free stuff from X-10.COM".

HouseLinc is fairly limited for its price. One major problem with its IR capability is that it will not learn IR codes, but instead relies on the pre-programmed IR codes in its firmware. While the X-10 scheduling and macro control is better than Active Home, it isn't even comparable to what the Stargate and IR Xpander2 will do.

The IR Xpander is a 2-way IR controller that was dessigned as an add-on to Stargate, but will also operate via RS-232. The IR Xpander can learn up to 500 IR codes from existing remotes, has an
adjustable carrier frequency between 36.7 kHz and 56.8 kHz, has 4 zoned output with enough power to drive 2-3 IR emitters per zone. It is also a 2-way device meaning that it is an IR sensor also.

The JDS Stargate (or Lite version) is the best value in home automation controllers. Not one of my customers, or anyone I have talked with for that matter, has been disappointed with a Stargate home automation system. And I haven't had a situation where Stargate wouldn't do what a customer wanted it to do. I could go on and on about Stargate but instead, take a look at our web site were we have information on the Stargate and IR Xpander including Adobe Acrobat files on the products. We also have a section on home automation applications with Stargate on the "Examples" page, including a formatted Word document that you can download.

Robert
RCI Automation
rciautomation@compuserve.com
[Link: ourworld.compuserve.com]

The Houselinc is a home automation controller that allows you to control ALL of your X-10 and IR devices. You program it with the software that it comes with (you can download free from www.smartlinc.com). Once you download to the Houselinc, it is a stand alone system not needing to be connected to your computer (I keep mine hooked up all the time to “monitor” all X-10 activities via the monitor feature). The Houselinc has IR blasters on its front panel and 4 IR outputs on the back. The IR output can be programmed to any port your want. For example, you have 2 Sony TV’s in your home theater room and they both have the same IR codes but you don’t want to change the channel on both. You can program one to use IR port 3 and the other to use IR port 4. Mount the IR emitter on each one and program them as different units in the IR file. This will allow you to change the channel on TV1 or TV2 independently. As far as macros, you can make the Houselinc do anything you want. It checks qualifiers before it issues a command or macro. This means that you can have a motion sensor only turn a light on between 9:00pm and 5:00am, only on the weekend, only during the month of May and on and on and on. The Houselinc knows what time it is, what day it is, what season it is, what month it is, when the sun will rise when the sun will set. My garden lights turn on at sunset and off at 10:00pm during the week and 11:00pm on the weekends. A remote chime only sounds at night. The nightlight, tripped by a Hawkeye, only comes on at night. The morning macro, which wakes, me only do so during the week. You could have a macro that “turns on the house when you get home” that will, in the winter, turn on the fireplace. In the summer, it would set the a/c to 72 and turn on the fan. You could have a macro that turns the TV on and tunes it to the Discovery channel at 8:00pm on Sundays so you will never miss the X-10 show (coming soon to a theater near you, we all wish). Yes, most satellites will tune to a program at a certain time, but only if the system is on. The interface port allows you to hook up the Break Out Box, B.O.B for short, adding probes to detect the status of your audio video system. There are light probes, which detect LED status lights of the unit, video probes, which detect a video signal, ac probes, which detect a/c voltage, and RF probes that detect RF from a transformer or the tube of the TV. The RF probe can also detect water, and the light probe can be used on any light. You use the probe status as a qualifier. If the TV is off, turn it on in the power on macro. This way it will never turn it off if it was on and you wanted it on. I use the Houselinc to turn on and off all my audio video, not a remote. I have a pronto so I could easily create a macro in it to do so but instead, the Houselinc Does it. This eliminates the need for discrete power commands and the need to have the pronto facing the equipment at all times. It also eliminates the long wait before the panel changes to the correct one. Relaylincs can be used to control multiroom speakers, fireplaces, sprinklers, a/c ducts and more. I use them on the fireplace and to control my multiroom speakers. Push a pool macro, if its night the pool lights come on and the speakers by the pool play the music. Every morning a 3:00am the second receiver turns on and adjust the volume to a preset level so I don’t have to worry about where I left it the night before. Every morning, only the bedroom and master bathroom speakers turn on to 80’s music, regardless of where we left it the night before.
Anyway, any X-10 input can cause anything to happen. I use the slimfire remotes to do macros; I have a XPT transmitter with a 4 button plate mounted at each door, which will allow me, with one button, to turn the house on or off. The other 3 buttons are used for various other macros. The slimfire remote in my wife’s car will turn on the outside lights and turn on the inside lights if she wants. It will also open or close the garage and trigger other macros. Sprinklers are controlled by the Houselinc to water more in the summer, less in the winter. Water only if it hasn’t rained in the last 24 hours. I can water any zone by its self, turn it off and totally control the sprinkler through the Houselinc. I am using Touchlinc LCD panels throughout the house and can label the “buttons” to do anything I want. Temperature control, light control, macros, speakers off and on, volume, channels …Anyway, as you can see, your imagination is the limit of what you can do with the Houselinc. Also JDS has similar features but I don’t know much about it. Robert from RCI Automation has several posts about it and he also has his own website. (looks like he beat me)

rciautomation@csi.com
[Link: ourworld.compuserve.com]


Sorry for such a long post, it hard to express all you can do in a few words,

Chris Couture

Chris,

Regarding one of your earlier posts on this thread... you mentioned that with your garage door idea with the universal module, you have to send an "ON" command followed by an "OFF" command to release the PUM01.

Is this an older model? The newer (is it newer??) Universal Modules have both a sustained contact mode as well as a momentary mode (contacts close for 2 seconds, then back open again). This way, you wouldn't have to send an "OFF" command to release the contacts.

[Link: x10.com]

Just thought I'd let you know.

Roland

Roland
Your right, I wasn't thinking. I do have it set on the momentary and don't issue a off command like I stated. I was thinking about the other PUM01 in my home.

Sorry and Thanks,
Chris

Well this isn't a new product, but just a "heads-up" on a current existing product.

A friend of mine started his venture into X-10 and bought the Decorative Rocker-style wall switches thru X-10. Be forewarned that this inexpensive version ($19.99) is mainly for looks only.

It doesn't work by pressing the top of the rocker for ON and bottom of the rocker for OFF. Basically, it's just like the push-button wall switch -- a toggle switch. The bottom lever of the rocker extends out slight (spring loaded or something). You press the bottom lever to turn it on and press it again to turn it off.

He was kind of disappointed that it was like this, but he said he probably wouldn't spend the $40+ each for the better kinds.

Roland

Oh, and he is encountering phase jumping problems, but he has no empty breaker slots. Any suggestions on this? The Leviton 6299 requires 2 dedicated breakers (obviously on opposite legs).

As far as the coupler:
Cheat! Use 2 breakers that are already there. I had to add a second breaker panel in the house I just bought so I could add an ice machine and an aquarium. I replaced the dryer breaker with a 100 amp and ran the wires from it to a second 100 amp breaker panel. This gave me I think 6 more slots. I moved the dryer down to the new breaker box and have 4 left. One for the aquarium (it requires its own 20 amp breaker) and two for the ice machine (it's 220v). It was a lot of work (and money) but was required for my needs. I would suggest simply attaching the coupler to two 15-amp breakers, one on each phase. This would be 2 breakers in a row or two across from each other. Breakers are staggered to help distribute the current on both legs so that is why one side is not one phase and the other side, the other. Hopes this helps you!

Chris Couture

Quite a few of my 110V 15-amp & 20-amp (standard size, about 1" thick) have two switches. For example, one breaker has one switch that goes to bedroom 2 and the other to bedroom 3.

** I don't know if these are fairly new, but my house was built last year.

Are these rated for 15 amps total or 15 amps each switch? (Each switch has a "15" on it.) These switches are nice because each bedroom doesn't need a full 15 amp load (only 6 outlets total and some don't get used because they're behind either a couch or bed).

The friend of mine (house built in 1974) said there's a dedicated circuit for each room. I'm sure he could double up and get those 1-pole 2-switch 110V breakers, eh?

-------------------------------------------

Secondly, according to the diagram of my breaker box, I believe the breaker directly below it is the opposite phase, but the breaker directly across it is the same phase. I am referring to standard 1-pole 15-amp breakers.

I have a generic diagram of it at
Please note that it is not drawn to scale. (I drew it from work with PaintBrush, so it's not my best work of art...hehe).

But am i correct in my statement? Please let me know.

Roland