Alarm Clock

[bdlhome]

I wondered what others were doing to solve the following problem or challenge.

 

I want to integrate alarm clock based functions, like turning the kettle on when the alarm clock goes off. The problem is I don't really want to change the way an alarm is set and used (meaning I still want something resembling an alarm clock vs a program in the ISY)

 

My reasons are:

1) It is always good to have a failsafe, I can live without the kettle switching on in the case of a power failure, but don't want to miss my train.

2) When in bed I don't want to have to turn on an laptop or iPad/iPhone just to change the alarm time

3) The family is used to setting the alarm clocks and it works so why change it

 

Solutions I have either seen or thought of are:

1) Modifying an existing alarm clock to connect to an IOLinc

2) attaching a Synchrolinc to the alarm clock.

 

Any other ideas? What have others done?

[fitzpatri8]

I have alarm clock presets set up on a PC running HAL. I can pick up a phone and 'schedule' an alarm to sound with voice commands, then at that time HAL can read out the time, the day's weather forecast, then trigger music via an IR signal.

 

With just the ISY, you can set up a remote or keypad to trigger one of several 'presets'--either have dedicated buttons to activate different alarm programs, or use variables to count button presses and activate the right preset. For instance, you could have a Wakeup button on your nightstand controller, then code ISY programs so if you press the Alarm button once it sets it to 5:30, twice for 6, three times for 6:30, or four for 7. You can then have the ISY send a beep to another Insteon device in the room several times to confirm alarm time.

 

When it is time for the alarm to sound, you could turn on room lamps, send an IR signal to turn on your bedroom TV to your favorite morning news, or turn on a powered speaker for your iPod set to Pandora before you went to bed.

[bdlhome]

Some good ideas fitzpatri8. When I was single I did some similar things and HAL brings back memories because I also named my home automation system HAL back then, mainly because I used the voice from 2001 A Space Odyssey. http://www.bdlhome.com/n-hal.html

 

The setting by phone or button presses is an interesting idea because I could use the Nabaztag ("Internet Rabbit") (of which I have a couple) to give audio feedback. Maybe I could even indicate the time with the ears!

http://forum.universal-devices.com/viewtopic.php?t=2705

 

Anyone else using an existing alarm clock modified or otherwise? I think I could probably just take one apart and connect to an IOLinc.

[Rod]

I have passed my alarm clock through a Synchrolinc and am using that to slowly ramp up the bedroom lights. So far, I am having mixed results. The alarm clock draws about 6.5-7.1W in standby and just about 8W with the radio on. This small difference from the radio is difficult to detect. The ISY allows the Syncholinc threshold and hysteresis parameters to be set in 1W increments and I am having difficulty finding a setting that works. At the 8W threshold the ‘off’ state is reliable but the ‘on’ state toggles on and off. At 7W the ‘on’ is reliable but the off state occasionally produces false ‘on’s – turning the lights on in the middle of the night. No amount of hysteresis seems to cure either problem.

 

I haven’t found any documentation on how the hysteresis and hold-off affect the detection algorithm. Trial and error seems to indicate that the hysteresis is all below the threshold and that the delay is just a time until next sample – not an averaging period. If anyone has insight into these parameters, I would appreciate help with them.

 

The limited documentation on the device indicates that these parameters can be set in 0.5W increments. If that resolution was available it would probably solve my problem.

 

Conclusion: before you choose the synchrolinc solution, I suggest you meter the clock / radio load to see if the power difference can be reliably detected.

[Goose66]

There use to be an X10 alarm clock (not the mini-timer), although I can't find it now, that would send an X10 command in conjunction with the alarm. It also had buttons on it to manually control X10 devices. A search for one of these may give you what you want, although I think you would have to buy the X10 module for the ISY to get it to run a program on an X10 command.

[fitzpatri8]

There use to be an X10 alarm clock (not the mini-timer), although I can't find it now, that would send an X10 command in conjunction with the alarm. It also had buttons on it to manually control X10 devices. A search for one of these may give you what you want, although I think you would have to buy the X10 module for the ISY to get it to run a program on an X10 command.

 

You can use an x10 command to trigger an ISY program without having to purchase any modules. However, because the x10 signal is one-way and doesn't get repeated or coupled the same way as an Insteon signal, the signal may be less reliable than an all-Insteon solution.

[bdlhome]

Thinking about using an alarm with bed shaker output connected to IOLinc

 

http://www.smarthome.com/5234/WakeMEup-Alarm-Clock-and-Bed-Shaker/p.aspx

[Goose66]

What about an oldfashioned mechanical alarm clock with wires soldered to the clapper and bell and connected to an I/O linc for configured to detect contact closure

[johnnyt]

There use to be an X10 alarm clock (not the mini-timer), although I can't find it now, that would send an X10 command in conjunction with the alarm. It also had buttons on it to manually control X10 devices.

 

Here's a link to the current iteration of an older version of X10 mini timer I use to send an X10 signal that ISY programs then respond to. The only additional module needed might be an X10 phase coupler but you could try without one if your PLM is on a circuit on the same phase. Not sure. I happen to have one since I do have some other X10 stuff I haven't moved to Insteon - and may never.

 

http://www.smarthome.com/1091/X10-XPMT4 ... MT4/p.aspx

 

I use one X10 code for alarm 1, which simply turns a floor lamp on very slowly (using Lamplinc). Then I set another X10 code later to turn on a radio (using applicancelinc). Finally I sometimes set the mini timer's internal buzzer as a failsafe - and much less pleasant - third alarm in case the programming fails but more likely because I think the "users" will need a little extra push to wake up (e.g. short night). I haven't had an X10 alarm fail to work but wouldn't bet on it never happening because it is X10. I think, however, it would be very unlikely both X10 triggers would not work unless I've got some kind of programming-induced power line comms flooding going on and then even Insteon might not work either.

 

Finally, I also have a button on a Keypadlinc in a desktop enclosure on both my and my wife's night tables to do 2 things: 1) turn the alarm on/off so we don't have to reprogram the mini timer to turn it off (maybe the new one is better at that but the old one requires reprogramming to disable the sending of an X10 code), and 2) to kill any running programs when we forget and the "alarm" goes off on the weekend. (You still need to turn off the mini timer's buzzer manually but there's an easy button for that on mine.)

[bdlhome]

What about an oldfashioned mechanical alarm clock with wires soldered to the clapper and bell and connected to an I/O linc for configured to detect contact closure

 

Now there's an idea