KPL and a relay switch scene...

[ulrick65]

I have a scene setup with a relay switch as the responder and two KPL secondary buttons (E on one and F on the other) as controllers as well as button 5 on my controLinc. The light works fine...

 

The problem is that whenever I turn the light on from the relay switch itself (where the load is connected) the KPL led's do not update. From everything I read here, I am guessing this normal....but I wanted to ask to be certain I am not missing something.

 

I assume the only way to get around this is to have a program watch for the status of the light and update the KPL's accordingly.

 

Thanks.

 

ulrick65

[MikeB]

Any reason you don't setup the SwitchLinc Relay as a controller?

[JasonWPB]

As MikeB suggests, if the SwitchLinc Relay is also a controller in the scene, then the KPL buttons will light up. Unless there is some reason that you don't want to do that, then having all in the scene be controllers will result in the behavior you are seeking -- turning the scene on from any source will turn on the SwitchLinc and the KPL button lights. Same goes for off.

[ulrick65]

That is the part I am having trouble with I guess...because I figured the same thing, the relay switch should be both a responder and a controller...but it wont let me add it to the scene again since it is already in there a responder.

 

I am pretty good at programming, PLC's, machine logic, etc. but for some reason I have difficulty wrapping my mind around this controller/responder/scene/group thing. I am sure that once it hits me, I will be like "OHHH... NOW I get it!" but that revelation hasn't happened yet.

 

Can you give me the quick step by step on how to accomplish what you guys are saying?

 

Thanks for the help...I appreciate it.

 

EDIT:

 

I removed the switchlinc relay from the scene and added it back as a controller....this works perfectly as you both suggested. I am not clear on how it works, since now there is no responder in the scene at all. The Switchlinc is setup as a controller, but still turns on and off. I guess this is how it works...I just didn't realize that a controller responds to commands as well as sending them?

 

ulrick65

[Sub-Routine]

You will have to remove the switch from the scene and re-add it. When you do this you will have to set the level and rate again.

 

The level and rate can be set for each scene controller.

 

See the Wiki page concerning Scenes.

 

Note that when a device is notated with Local Level you may have to reset the switch for the new level/rate to become effective.

 

Rand

[MikeB]

I removed the switchlinc relay from the scene and added it back as a controller....this works perfectly as you both suggested. I am not clear on how it works, since now there is no responder in the scene at all. The Switchlinc is setup as a controller, but still turns on and off. I guess this is how it works...I just didn't realize that a controller responds to commands as well as sending them?

 

Correct... a 'controller' is actually a 'controller/responder'. A 'responder' is only a 'responder'.

 

Glad you got it working!

[JasonWPB]

A Controller is both a controller and responder.

 

I added the ISY after about 2 years with Insteon. The way that I have found that is helpful to think of ISY "scenes" is to think of simply linking switches.

 

Let's say that you have two"linked" SwitchLinc Dimmers, A and B. Without the ISY, you have a 3-way circuit (two dimmers, A and B, controlling the same light). To link the two switches, you would put A into "controller" mode and tap B as a "responder". Then, you would do the reverse: put B into controller mode and set A to respond to B. In this way, A responds to B and B responds to A. They are both responders. In the ISY, you just think of it the other way around, A controls B and B controls A -- they are both controllers in the same scene. Controllers in a scene are also responders to the other controllers in the same scene. Thus, the ISY makes it simpler to link switches in scenes such as A and B. They are both set to controllers and that's that.

 

To me, this is elegantly simple. Rather than having to think of N*(N-1) links in the same scene -- as you have to do if you are just linking N switches without the ISY to be both controllers and responders -- you just add them all as controllers in one scene. The ISY takes care of the rest. However, this is why scenes and KPL's take up so many links in the PLM.

 

I removed the switchlinc relay from the scene and added it back as a controller....this works perfectly as you both suggested. I am not clear on how it works, since now there is no responder in the scene at all. The Switchlinc is setup as a controller, but still turns on and off. I guess this is how it works...I just didn't realize that a controller responds to commands as well as sending them?

ulrick65

[ulrick65]

Thanks for clarifying for me. This also helps me understand why I was seeing some other things act and makes sense now that I think about it.