Help with RatGDO as scene controller / responder?

[Bug994]

RatGDO and the plugin have been working well for me.  I'm now trying to take the next step of setting it up to be part of a scene.   I had this set up a long ago with the Insteon garage door opener kit (which sometimes worked, sometimes didn't) and I can't remember how I did it.

Essentially I just want to do this:  I have an Insteon KeypadLinc Dimmer 5 Buttons (2334) and I want to have Button A send the open/close command to the RatGDO.  This part should be easy:  add both the RatGDO plugin and the Button to the scene, let the Button be a Controller and the RatGDO be the Responder.

However, I also want the button to be a Responder to the RatGDO based on the status of whether the garage door is open or closed:  Backlight of the button should be on when the garage door is open, off when the garage door is closed.

I can't for the life of me remember how I set this up before - and whether the RatGDO and plugin can also work this way.  Trying to avoid doing it with programs if possible.

Apologies if this is more of a basic IOX question, but thought I'd ask here first.

Thanks.

Edited December 1, 2024 by Bug994

[maxnorth]

I believe the basic approach for controlling KPL LEDs is to create another scene with only the LED in it.  Then create a program that will turn that scene on or off.

When the garage door is open, run the program to turn the LED on. When closed, off.

(fwiw, I have mine set to turn the light on when the door is closed.  It's sort of a failsafe so I know it is working properly.)

[Guy Lavoie]

13 hours ago, Bug994 said:

Trying to avoid doing it with programs if possible.

I'm afraid I'll disappoint you...

You'll need a program to do this, to trigger a scene that updates the keypadlinc button. It's great that we can do this though, because it allows the button (especially when configured in toggle mode) to always be in the correct state for the next, alternate action. Seeing the status light is also a nice plus, for situations like yours where direct observation of the garage door isn't easy.

 

[oberkc]

The way to do this with Insteon does not require a program.  I cannot say about whether RatGDO would work the same.  (Does RatGDO plug in have relay and sensor nodes?). With Insteon, create two scenes.  One with the keypad button as controller and relay as responder.  The second scene would have the sensor as controller and same keypad button as responder (set up so that the sensor is ON when the door is open).  Configure the keypad button as non-toggle (on) mode.  Configure the IOLinc to accept ON commands to trigger a momentary closure of the contact.  

Hopefully, RatGDO will work the same.

 

[Bug994]

Thanks for the quick help everyone.  It definitely knocks a couple things loose in the noggin.

I do now remember how the two scenes is the key to get the keypad button to turn on and off.  I think @oberkc has it correct on how the IOLinc didn't need a program to do that second scene.  Even if a simple program for RatGDO is necessary, it shouldn't be too difficult.  I'll play around with it this afternoon and update back here.

Edited December 1, 2024 by Bug994

[maxnorth]

I finally installed my RatGDO and faced a similar problem.  Here is my experience.

If you just want your KPL light to come on when the door is open and off when closed, simply create a scene with the RatGDO and the KPLs involved, and it should just work.  If your KPL is set to "toggle" mode, when the toggle sends an "on" the door will open and the KPL light will come on. When it sends an "off" the door will close and the light will go off. In this scenario, you should not use a separate scene to control the LED, because your door will no longer work properly if the off/on status of the KPL gets out of sync with the actual door status.

In my case (previous IO Linc user), I have always had my LED set to be on when the door is closed. That provides me positive confirmation that the door is actually closed, whereas no light does not.  I have three KPLs with garage door buttons. So, how to do this?

I do not put the RatGDO and KPLs in a scene together.

The method I used was to set my KPL buttons to non-toggle (on). So, every press sends an "on". I created a program that says anytime a button "on" is received, "toggle" the RatGDO. This program is dumb -- it does not care about door status.

Then, to control the LEDs I created a scene containing only my KPL buttons.  I created two programs. When RatGDO door status is closed, turn the scene on (the LEDs turn on but no command is sent to the RatGDO). When door status is open, turn the scene off.

This seems to work perfectly fine. This is not needed if you are content with having the LED on when the door is open.

[Guy Lavoie]

Ah yes, garage doors and KPL. This is one area where we really want to use the KPL LED as a position status indicator. I messed around a lot with it to get that functionality, no matter how the garage door opener is activated (including it's own RF remotes). I think I restarted the programming project 3 times. I did get it working as I wanted it, with one KPL button/LED for open and another one for closed. The end result is 14 separate programs. This includes proper status indication in UD Mobile too. The door activation hardware is one IOLinc (for input and output). The trick was getting to sense position change when not done by automation, and still update status, without triggering any events. To do that, I needed to use a disabled program that only gets run once.

Fun stuff.