open close instead of turn on/off for automated pocket doors

[barrygordon]

I am just finishing up the automation of the converging pocket doors that are the entry way to my home theater. Since the theater is fully controlled by a PC taking commands from a Pronto 9800 i will have no issues sending a request to the R-Pi that runs the house using either a UDP or TCP command. The system I am using takes commands to activate a door (open/close) from wireless sensors, or  contact closures and provides status as opened or closed.  If there is interest in doing this I will start a thread on the subject.  The basic control system costs $399 for each door. My expense/time was in re-engineering the framing to drop a fascia and trim such that the mechanisms are not seen, and the fact that the doors will open with 2 inches showing on each side. Not in my world.

 

The question I have is regarding a Dot and telling it to Open or close the doors. I will only need to have the Dot start a UDI network sequence as I already do that for many other functions (turn on the theater, turn on the fireplace, . . . ). The question is can a Say "Alexa, Open the theater doors" or "Alexa, close the theater doors".

 

TIA,

 

Barry 

[cyberk]

Although it did work at one point, Open/Close has apparently been reserved, an excluded from the Amazon Smart Home API. Last I checked, the only way to get Open/Close to work is to use the ISY skill by "Tell Izzy to open blah". This is old info, so I don't know if it's still accurate.

 

Can you share what system you used to motorize those pocket doors?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stusviews]

I've tried open/close on devices (sometimes works), scenes (rarely works) and programs. One and only one program responds to open and close. Actually, it's a pair of programs with the first running the If section of the second.

[barrygordon]

I am using the AutoSlider.  I bought my units from Gentleman Door Automationy carry both pneumatic and motor driven units.  The AutoSlider is motor driven. The motor is quite powerful. 

[kevindavis544]

Hi Barry. As part of my work, I install automated door operators and have them controlled with the ISY, Alexa, Insteon or Z-wave contact closure endpoints (I/O linc or MIMOlite respectively). I use OpenSesame openers for French and single hinged doors and AutoSlide for patio doors (also works with Pocket Doors). I believe the Gentlemen Door products are similar in that a momentary contact closure will activate the operator(s). I have found "Activate" {Front Door} works as an invocation phrase with these endpoints. I hope I understood your post correctly and I hope this may help. 

[barrygordon]

Kevin, Thanks for the reply.  Activate is better than turn on / turn off but I would really like to see Amazon allow open / close. I understand the issue with open and the usage for opening a skill, but they could get around that. The could check to see if there is a skill with the name being used with open/close and if not revert to the connected home (CoHo). Activate is working for me with "Activate the Theater Door", and "Activate the Theater door opener". It does not seem to like "Activate the Theater Door Closer".  That seems strange.

 

The Gentleman door product I am using is the AutoSlide which is an Australian product. I am using both the sensing contacts (door closed) and a contact closure to activate the door. The activation contacts I handle in parallel with a single relay since the pocket doors are of the converging type (two doors in a single opening).  I will probably wire the sense contacts in series so the state is true when both doors are closed.

 

The AutoSlide Accessory cables for contact closure activation and position sensing were a bit prices so I located them in an electronics supplier catalog (Vetco) for $1.29 for the 2 pin cable and $1.39 for the 3 pin cable. The cables are short (6 and 11 inches respectively) but are easily extended.

 

I am looking for a PIR sensor with a very controllable field of view so I can open the doors when someone approaches them. The ones from Insteon look a bit pricey, but I will probably investigate them.