jgraziano

Ok, Michel, I'm convinced! I'll probably go ahead and unlink all of the devices (or just default them) and link them in the ISY. Sounds like a good 'tween Christmas and New Years' project!

Definitely make sure you create your links on the ISY. If you link 2 devices together, but not to the PLM, they will only inform themselves of any status changes. The PLM will not know you've turned them on or off unless the devices are also linked to the PLM. Creating links within the ISY ensures that the proper links are created between both the switches AND the PLM. I've only been using scenes in the ISY for actual scenes the ISY is to control. If I want to control one lamp with one button on the CL, I've been doing it manually. In that kind of scenario, should I create a scene with one lamp and one button? Seems kind of inefficient to me, but if it does indeed give me status correctly, I guess it's worth it.

1. Yes 2. No, never has, that is one of my complaints about Insteon. If you manually link devices 'in the field', ISY does not know the status. On the X10 delay, yes I have seen a few situation where the X10 commands need some extra 'elbow room'.

Michel, Yes, the update was immediate and complete. Now that I look at it, I stated it wrong initially. It is a Sunset minus 1 hour program which sets two scenes and there is an X10 command that happens first. The second scene is the one that did not update the status. Note that I still had not removed the 'if time' workaround. If From Sunset - 1 hour For 2 minutes Then Send X10 'G14/On (3)' Set Scene 'SC-Pre Sunset Lightup' On Set Scene 'SC-Master Bedroom Lamps On' On Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

I don't think mine locked up or anything. Everything seemed to be working. It just didn't get the status right.

I thought, as long as the ISY is controlling the devices, the status display should always be updated, correct? I just had ISY turn on the Sunset - 1 Hour scene, three of the lamps had correct status, 2 did not until I ran a manual Query.

Thank you Michel.

My virus protection keeps flagging this program. Usually it happens when the console pops up if I have it open when an event occurs. I think I had said to trust it before, but yesterday I said to delete it, now it keeps popping up. Is this a program you guys need for the console? If so I can just set it to 'trust' status. Thanks.

Thanks for the explanation Chris! I definitely understand it better now. Just have to get away from the 'else' from other programming lanuages.

Yeah, really. Thanks. Sounds like 'else' is kind of a misnomer, doesn't it? I'll have to play with that one. Didn't realize that's how it worked.

Yep, that's certainly a good way to do it. I haven't used else too much since it never really works the way I expect else to work and I haven't really delved into it. That's one of the reasons I have time-based programs, to keep the total nr. of programs down and make it more manageable. I just group on's and off's at certain times under one program for that time. Makes it easier to follow the daily schedule also. That's the great thing about ISY. There are many ways to accomplish the same task, depending on your preference!

You would typically use a separate program for the 'off', but you could put in a 'wait xx' and the do 'set off'. It would always track with sunset time, though. I personally like to organize my scheduled events in one folder, then name the programs by the time they occur and put all of the events that occur at that time in that program. That way if I want to see everything that happens at 8 am for example, there is an 8 am program and all device events will be right there.

Very cool. Thank you Michel!

Well I assume the purpose of it is to get an updated status of all of your devices. Some things that happen out there the ISY does not know about unless it queries the device; for instance manual operation of a lamp will not update the ISY automatically. There is a query function for each device as well as a query all in the Main page and there is a query command for each device in the program section. I didn't realize there is a way to query all devices under program control. That is handy. Hopefully I can add it back in to mine. Don't know why it's not there. I didn't see any program commands for it.

Nope. Nothing. I looked in Program Summary for Query All, found nothing. thx.

Thanks Michel. . . . but I don't have 'my old schedules' or 'n' either. I guess it's because I went to the beta before I did anything? Anyway, what is the code for 'query all'? Thanks.

Query All???? I don't have a program called Query All.

Not sure if you can utilize the RF remote, but I'll tell you how I did mine. I think it is fairly typical and there are a couple of threads on the SmartHome forum I believe. Mine has two switches for the fireplace, one for the blower and one for the fireplace on/off. The on/off simply acts as a dry contact for the gas valve power, which is derived from a thermocouple monitoring the pilot flame. If the pilot goes out, no heat to create the voltage, therefore no power to open the valve; failsafe system. So it's just a matter of placing another (Insteon controlled) dry contact either in parallel with the switch (bypass it), or in series with it, ie, both the wall switch and your new Insteon contolled dry contact have to be ON for the fireplace to light. I went with the latter, so if I turn off the wall switch, I know for sure that the fp cannot light. The issue is the dry contact. It has to be completely isolated, no voltage on it whatever. There are Insteon modules to do that: EZIO2x4 for example. Also X10 modules: UP506, which can be had on eBay new for $10. Or, if you are electrical/electronic oriented, you can do what I did. Use an Insteon or X10 appliance module to turn on/off an ice cube relay and use a set of NO contacts on that. I mounted one in a little box with a fuse and wired in a pigtail which plugs into my appliance module and a set of leads from the NO contact going to the FP, which I wired in series with the wall switch. It works great (X10 works as long as you don't have X10 transmission issues). That said I bought a UP506 to try. I have two receptacles inside the fireplace, one for blower, which I am using for the blower, and one for the remote, which I don't have. I'm going to try using the remote receptacle for my switch to see if it will work (same phase as the one that is working?). That way I won't have a little wire runing out from the fireplace. I need to check the heat level when the fp is on, though. Hope I made sense and didn't bore you with stuff you may already know!

I was thinking about the same thing tonight for turning on my fireplace on the way home! That would be great!

Sure, I'd welcome additional X10 support, but it hasn't stopped me from integrating existing X10 stuff into my system. It's less convenient to just put in codes instead of names, but it sounds like that will change. As a semi-workaround, I keep my X10 codes/names in a spreadsheet and paste it into comments where needed. No, not optimum, but good enough for now. So the two biggest things are being able to name X10 codes and use those names in programs, and direct X10 control in the console. I've had more X10 transmission issues than ISY/X10 issues.

Good reminder, thanks. These particular links were created manually, not part of a scene. Thanks.

Thanks Rand, that's exactly what I was looking for. I thought I had seen Query in the programming drop-downs somewhere, but couldn't remember where, then I looked in the wrong dropdown! As a test I turned on a lamp from a CL, ISY showed OFF, then triggered a Query in a program with an X10 button press and the status did indeed change. Thanks!

Is it possible to query under program control? Testing 'status' in a program doesn't automatically query the device first does it? As I understand it, ISY does not know the status of devices that were controlled by d2d links, correct? So if I turn on a lamp from a CL, ISY won't know it unless it querys the LL. I'd like to query the LL in the program so then I can get a 100% accurate status before I test for it. Thanks.

Hi Michel, A little OT here, but industrial automation programming such as AD8BC does (and I did for many years before going into sales) is involved, you're right, but is also lots of fun. It is extremely rewarding to see, via your programming, a manufacturing line a city-block long come to life and produce something we may see in our every day lives. Of course, along with that comes the liability and responsibility-health and safety of those operating the equipment are in your hands. But it is fun, and very rewarding. Sorry for the OT!

You should be able to do it by testing the state of a program, true or false, in the 'folder conditions'. When you press the away, start a program that runs for 15 minutes, and the folder conditions test to see if that program is true or false. If true, it does not let the programs in that folder run. I think that will work.