ISY will not update EZIO8SA Status

[NeilP]

Gents,

I am embarrassed to tell you that I made a mistake in reading the firmware level on my troubled EZIComm PLM. It is indeed a Rev 9C, NOT a Rev 9B as I originally reported.

 

While attempting ELA's last suggestion about activating the PLM without connecting the EZIO8SA, I realized that I had gotten my cables mixed up and was using the SHN Utility Suite to read the firmware version of the PLM attached to my ISY which is a true Smarthome 2413.

 

Sorry for all the confusion this caused.

 

So in summary my problem of the ISY not auto-updating the state of the EZIO8SA still exists and is associated with a Rev 9C EZIComm PLM.

 

Neil

[LeeG]

NeilP

 

Thanks for the update. That explains the results. With the information ELA provided earlier the issue is that an EZIComm with 9C firmware does not identify itself as having an I2CS Engine even though in a 2413 Dual Band shell. PLM firmware 9B does identify itself as having an I2CS Engine.

 

Apparently Aartech has an inventory of EZIComm devices with 9C firmware. Likely if the EZIComm was functioning as a PLM in the context of an application interface using the Serial interface it would not make any difference. I issue I2CS messages through the Serial interface of PLMs that came out long before I2CS. That works fine. It is when the EZIComm is being used in the context of an internal PLM in an external package (like connected to an EZIO8SA) where knowing whether to use Peek/Poke or ALDB (is it I2CS) is critical.

 

They may have to carry two versions of the EZIComm. One where it will function as a true external PLM where 9C firmware (or later) is desired as it should have the latest maintenance, and a version that is meant to run as an internal PLM with the EZIO8SA where how it identifies the Insteon Engine is critical.

 

Update: the more I consider the EZIComm the more I realize it is no longer necessary to have a 2412/2413 replacement as far as an application interface. In the beginning the EZIComm could be used as a 2412S replacement when SmartLabs discontinued the 2412S. Now that the EZIComm is built on a 2413S shell there is no need for a 9C firmware level EZIComm. Logically that would be in competition with a standard 2413S. Loading the EZIComm with 9B firmware so it will work with the EZIO8SA is all that is needed from Smartenit.

[NeilP]

LeeG,

Your summation makes sense to me.

 

In fact, it got me thinking about a possible solution for my situation. Prior to this problem I had been considering purchasing another PLM simply to use as an interface for the SHN Utility instead of having to root around in my wiring to unplug the ISY's PLM to use it for the SHN Utility. Now that I understand what the root cause of my problem is, I think that I could re-purpose my EZIComm PLM to use as the interface for my SHN Utility. I would purchase another true Smarthome 2413S with Rev 9B and use that as the interface to the EZIO8SA.

 

Do you see any problems with this line of action?

Thanks

Neil

[LeeG]

Sorry but I don't know it that will work with what Smarthome is now shipping in the 2413S. It worked a few years ago as I tested it here with one of my EZIO8SAs but the 2413S firmware has been updated a few times since then. I think I saw a post that has the latest 2413S at v.9D. Also Smarthome does not allow you to pick the firmware of the device.

[NeilP]

LeeG,

Thanks for your opinion. So it looks like I need to get my existing EZIComm reflashed or replaced with an EZIComm with Rev 9B to solve my problem with my EZIO8SA. And then if I want a dedicated PLM to use with the SHN Utility Suite to just purchase either an EZIComm PLM or a Smarthome 2413S with whatever the current firmware is (assuming that there aren't any unknown bugs waiting to show themselves)

Neil

[NeilP]

Hi again,

Just reporting back on the status of my problem. I just received a new 2413S with Rev 9B firmware (NOT an EZICom PLM), deleted the old EZICom PLM/EZIO8SA in my ISY and added the new 2413S/EZIO8SA to my ISY. The ISY still does not automatically update the status of changed inputs on my EZIO8SA. If I do a manual query the change is recognized. So the problem still exists.

Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like I can't use the 2413S PLM Rev 9B and have to use a EZIOCom PLM with Rev 9B.

Any comments?

Thanks

Neil

[LeeG]

Need to see an Event Trace at LEVEL 3 of adding the EZIO8SA with the 2413S.

 

The EZIComm that works for ELA reports as an I2CS device.

 

Do not know if the v.9B 2413S reports as I2CS or I2. If it reports as I2 the SmartLabs algorithm will be used to evaluate memory size. If it reports as I2CS an Extended message with the ALDB command will be used to obtain memory size. The two methods could report different results. The algorithm is evaluating the physical memory size. The ALDB command is reporting what the PLM expects which may well be different from what the physical memory could support.

[ELA]

Hello Neilp,

Sorry to hear you are still having issues.

 

I just purchased a 2413S a couple of weeks back. It reports as Firmware rev 9B. It is an i2CS device and reports as so.

As a test I just connected it to my EZ8IO8SA and added it to the ISY.

 

It reported as i2CS, added all links fine and the inputs update as they should without a need to query.

 

Looks like you have something else going on. LeeG is the best at resolving these issues so hopefully he can direct you further. I just wanted to offer that data point to help.

As LeeG suggested some level3 traces are probably required to diagnose further. Perhaps a trace of the links present in the EZIO8SA ?

[NeilP]

LeeG and ELA,

 

Well, I am flummoxed. I did as LeeG suggested and deleted the 2413S/EZIO8SA from my ISY and then added them back into my ISY with auto-detect. And now the ISY does automatically report the change of status of inputs on the EZIO8SA.

(LeeG....I did send you a copy of the log anyway.)

 

The only other thing that I can add is that when I first tried to add the new 2413S/EZIO8SA yesterday to my ISY using the auto-detect capability, the ISY reported the 2413S as an "unsupported device" and did not recognize that an EZIO8SA was connected to it. I then deleted the 2413S from the ISY and added it using the manual identification technique to ensure that the EZIO8SA was identified. After that the ISY recognized the EZIO8SA but did not automatically update input status changes.

 

Today when I added the 2413S I did hold the set button for 10 seconds while plugging in the 2413S, assuming that this would do a factory reset. I did not do that yesterday. Perhaps that is the reason things work OK now.

 

In any case, it seems to work OK. I will monitor things for a while now. Hopefully there will be no more problems.

Thanks for your help.

Neil

[LeeG]

I sent an email back. The trace is correct showing the 2413S as I2CS and the ISY writing the link records at the correct location. The first attempt results posted sounds like the EZIO8SA was not powered On or the EZIO8SA did not recognize a new PLM had been connected. The unsupported device would be the result of the PLM responding with its device type rather than the EZIO8SA responding with its device type. Like the PLM did not receive the initial commands from the EZIO8SA to setup as something different than a normal PLM. The PLM connected to the EZIO8SA functions as an internal PLM normally would. In the EZIO8SA case it happens to be mounted in a separate box.

[LeeG]

For the benefit of others who may come to this topic in the future, the EZIO8SA should be power cycled (or powered off) when a 2413 PLM is connected.

 

This was not a problem with the 2412 PLM because it usually powered the EZIO8SA. Now that an external power supply must be used with a 2413 PLM it is possible to connect the PLM to the EZIO8SA without the necessary PLM initialization occurring. Without this initialization the PLM does not interface to the EZIO8SA correctly. Connecting the PLM to the Serial port does not send a notification to the EZIO8SA.