larryllix

I am still formulating another method using the MS II devices but haven't worked on it yet. We should be able to have the direct link with a light device to allow a fast on time with motion. Then ISY can detect the NS On signal and interfere with the MS --> Lamp scene link. I haven't tried it yet but this was introduced with one of the V5 beta releases. The delay inside the MS II would have to be very short as they present other problems in that they will not reset for the same time delay without motion either. Yuk. Design flaw IMHO. After the desired time the scene would have to be modified by ISY again. Hopefully, this wouldn't wear the eprom in the lamp device (guessing about 2-3 years?) out but it could be the cost of doing business like this.

With Insteon, I have turned off Battery Writes and disabled my folder Battery Device AutoUpdating. You can do the right click|write updates manually, when you need them. The automatic Use my open time window method was causing my ISY to hang and bog down until the next even caused it to correct itself. OTOH, ISY scene modifiers were attempting to write to battery devices in v5.0.16C. I assume that was fixed in V5.1.0 so this problem may not exist now.

I only use the MS1s as I have no Zwave. The Insteon scene is the only MS ==> Lamp that I have heard of that responds with a fast enough speed for room entry lights. I have three MS2s. I use many WiFi devices also but not for MSes. I have found and purchased many extra MS1s to replace any MSes that burn out. I have used some LioN 9v batteries that have burned out some MSes now with their 11.6v output. Not doing that again. The MS II is useful for non-immediate light requirements, security, and occupancy (home/away) detection, and I have now moved my 3 x MS IIs to those usage styles. I don't use any other fields in the MS IIs, as I find them mostly nonsense and unreliable, so far. Any other protocol of MS will have to go through ISY and will never be as fast as the Insteon/Insteon scene interface.

I have done that many times without problems. Likely save the power supply by soft-starting the power supply. I wouldn't try it with motor loads though. The dimmer circuitry never achieves 100% waveform.

I watched level 1 for about 15 minutes and the only major thing I see if my WC8 board variable stuffing a state variable, time integer MMDDhhmmss every 20 seconds along with one or two other weather variables when they change more than X counts. The odd stat update comes in and ecobee NS updates every 3 minutes. Nothing revealing but I will look for level 3 items next time I am in that area of town.

Installed and running. ISY seemed a little busy for about half an hour with continuous "Busy" box? Didn't find any strange issues, programs or devices that were weird. Backed up and all looks good.

Another Automation Anonymous candidate!

We have gone insane from too much home automation. SkyNet has already started.

He could just run the pump off of the latching relay contact or... ... get an ISY994 box and do it all in ISY programs.

The other thing that comes to mind is to put in a latching relay with each float activating Latch and Reset. Then run one I/OLink off the contact. You can get many voltage rating on P&B? KUPxxxxx relays for decent prices. I was a protection and control tech for 35 years and wired control panels for 5 years before that. I still remember some relay solutions from back then.

That is what I was thinking of, so it looks like you are on the right trail. If the floats had a mechanical hysteresis that overlapped the other float...could work but OTOH the float never never reset to be triggered again. Actually if you could introduce mechanical hysteresis you could do it with only one float. I have seen this done with a long shaft, several locking rings and a floating, sliding ring in between the two limit rings. The second float could be used in a wider allowance for extreme limits/emergency/failure levels detector. I have seen sump pumps with this style of float system where you can adjust either stop on the same float "stick" for the float pontoon to push.

My test Alexa vocal program control to test variable/pseudoMS to vocal output (ISY Portal in&out) works fine. No snags here. Thanks!

The basic part should be easy. create a scene with the upper limit/float as the controller. Set the pump receptacle as a device 'on' create a scene with the lower limit/float as the controller. Set the pump receptacle as a device 'off' There you have all the non-ISY control you will get create an ISY program to monitor the upper float and set a fail-safe timer to turn off the pump create and ISY program to monitor the lower float and the upper float and set a fail-safe timer to query both IO/Lincs. create more ISY programs to overview/monitor things, as required and thought of, to attempt to make the system safer than just the two floats. Monitor IOLinc failure, Insteon comms missed, etc etc... Your cabinet is not metal so you should have no problems with RF standing waves inside the "resonator can" fro dual-band Insteon devices, should any be added or needed later. (new dual-band i/oLinc comes out in 2029)

I would unplug the pumps and leave the i/OLincs powered up for the winter. You wouldn't want a frozen pump to be powered up by some HA error. The minor electronics heat will keep the Rh down inside the case by raising the temperature inside the units, lowering the Rh.

With scenes you cannot have any conditional logic. They are not as dependent on ISY, for sure, but when the power is off the pumps don't work anyway. Scenes can be modified, on the fly to create conditional logic, but that still is dependent on ISY then and scenes can make your logic obscure and hard to troubleshoot, or understand, a few years later when you need to update something. That many operations per day, something will give up the ghost as contacts do not like breaking motor load circuits that much. Your ISY programming is obviously smoothing things out there. If exact levels are important your ISY program timers could be tweaked somewhat, I would think. 1-2 cycles per day could be a good compromise.

@bmercierLooks like I may have found some answers. Whatever kicked my Alexa Routines off, removes the device triggers and also disables each routine. After re-attaching each device again, I didn't notice the "disable/enable switch" was disabled. Well, I did notice it but while in the disable position, it appears to be labelled a disable switch that was Off, so I was reading it backwards. grrrrr.... It was also possible my finger was slipping on each save when clicking the back arrow and disabling each Routine, also Then, I could not duplicate the multiple speaker selection using Announcements. It turns out the Alexa app routine does not support multiple speakers directly, but the IFTT interface included does, via it's messaging option. I created a dummy Routine with an instructive name at the top of the list, because I have been caught on this before, but didn't remember it from a few years ago. I tried to contact Amazon support a few times, but the online chat contact would never answer, and I could never get an answer from the support phone number, either. Despite submitting my email address, I never received a response from that either. I will be watching for the satisfaction survey, I am sure will come later.

Sounds like @Jimbo had to make a choice of F or C to be transported, and then convert it in the NS which powers up more slowly. May need to include a "heartbeat valid" flag into every program making usage.

That seems odd. The KumoApp injections never switch out of C to F.

I have discovered my ISY Portal switched at least one table entry with another spoken. I created a new spoken entry from a state variable and it disapeared. I found it with the variable number using another entries spoken table. I deleted anything I thought was related and rebuilt those three entries. In the Alexa app I found the same thing with the spoken (MS names) switched with Routines. I have deleted accounts and rebuilt all Routines from scratch. My Alexa Routines still do not function. This also happened a few years ago. IIRC Amazon tech did something after being told and it suddenly disappeared again. I can initiate state variable value changes and see the devices in Alexa app show "motion" and then "no motion", so the ISY Portal is working fine with the pseudo-MSes from state variables. The routines can be manually triggered inside the Alexa app and they speak properly. The routines just do not trigger. I just noticed the Routines all contain blank names now. I don't remember that field existing before. Looks like Amazon modified their software and made a mess.

Thanks! This happens every 6-12 months on my Alexa. Any clues to why my ISY Portal and Alexa accounts would seemingly keep disconnecting and clearing out my Routine setups? The device list is always maintained even after disconnecting accounts for hours. When reconnected no "Discovery" is necessary as Amazon remembers everything but the Routine usage of pseudo MSes (state variables) is always lost. The trigger MSes seems to persist but the routines think they devices are gone and remove the triggers involving them.

This has become a PITA for users of Alexa Routines. It seems every time the ISY Portal disconnects from the Alexa interface all routines lose their triggers when the devices become MIA. Each time this happens all Routines have to be rebuilt again in the Alexa mobile app only (Routines are not apparent online in browsers). Yesterday I rebuilt all my Routines again but this time Alexa refuses to run them. Not sure why this time. This hasn't happened for a long time now. Still working on it. If I disconnect the accounts and reconnect them, it may fix the Routine responses but I will have to start all over again with every Alexa Routine, rebuilding them again. **SIGH**

You are using the MS II units. Not going to work well. If you select "On commands only", the MS II will only send one On command while the internal timer has been retriggered within the last timeOut set time. (0.5 minutes). Once the internal timer times out with no motion sensed for the 0.5 minutes then the MS II must see no motion for another 0.5 minutes before it will reset again. These MS II units are not good for Insteon scenes in ISY. As the sole control source for a lamp, turning it on and off as a dumb Insteon Hub would use it, it may work well, but for ISY intervention the only way anybody has found to make it work with a lamp properly is by not using Insteon scenes between the MS II and a lamp. The response time will be slower then. Both the MS II and the original MS have an internal, retriggerable timer. The difference is that the original MS sends an On command every time it is retriggered. The MS II doesn't. Also in the MS II the off cycle is dependent on the same Internal timer timing out by not being retriggered with motion. That right...the MS II will never send an On command until the MS II doesn't sense any motion for the timeOut time. It's a design error by Insteon. One is used for a scene with light in my laundry room but is set for a long timeout and is a PITA. It's on USB power and that doesn't change the operation. I have three and only use them for detection of occupancy for security, and determination of home or away

My "Alexa. Turn on security lights!", turns all outdoor lights on, turns off all indoor lighting it can find, including WiFi bulbs, RGBWW strips and Insteon lighting. "Alexa. Turn off security lights!" restores all lighting back to it's original scenes and levels.

Yeah and 3:00 AM queries also show up un-reversed and cause grief. Need to write you own code or modify the standard published code to adapt insetad of using the reverse feature.

It is very hard to tell in advance what kind of Insteon noise disturbances will be on your power lines. Usually Insteon signals can be used up to 500 feet between devices with clean powerlines. The best way to test this would be to get two SwitchLinc dimmers, one in each between building, and attempt to create a scene between them. If this doesn't work, you will have two expensive light dimmers. If it does work then proceed with more Insteon devices. ***To make this test work both Insteon devices would need to be on the same phase (leg) of your power panel. Insteon devices have a built if four tap test to prove or disprove this association.