Sending a message to a second RS232 PLM

[coder96]

Is it possible to have two RS232 PLM's sending messages to each other?

 

Say I have

+------------+   +-------+   +--------+   +-------+   +-----------+
| Computer A |---| PLM A |---| Network |---| PLM B |---| Computer B |
+------------+   +-------+   +--------+   +-------+   +-----------+

1. I would like to send a string "Knock Knock" from the Computer A to Computer B.

2. Then From Computer B send the string "Who's There" to Computer A.

 

Now replace Computer A with a ISY-99.

+--------+   +------+   +---------+   +-------+   +-----------+
| ISY-99 |---| PLM A |---| Network |---| PLM B |---| Computer B |
+--------+   +------+   +---------+   +-------+   +-----------+

Can the ISY-99 do the above steps?

 

I'm fairly certain I can handle the programming on Computer B. Computer B being a microcontroller.

[LeeG]

I don't think so. PLM B has to be defined to the ISY which exposes the ISY to all the PLM memory size issues the ISY has to deal with SHN devices today. The algorithm used to evaluate SHN device PLM memory size has not been applied to a native PLM device. Also for PLM B to fit into the one node for each separate Group number the PLM would have to have up to 255 nodes. Michel will correct this if I am wrong but I feel certain this is not possible today.

 

As a side note, yes, two PLMs can talk to each other over the powerline as far as Insteon is concerned. The ISY PLM talks to an EZIO8SA external PLM. The EZIO8SA PLM is passing the Insteon messages on to the EZIO8SA device which is responding as any other Insteon device. That PLM could just as well be a PLM connected to Computer B which is programmed to react to basic Insteon and SHN device commands as a native EZIO8SA would. Don’t know if there is enough generality to support the command flow you are looking for.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello coder96,

 

As LeeG suggested, you cannot do that on the INSTEON network with ISY especially if you just want to send random "text" which is not supported by PLM commands that I know of.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[LeeG]

Michel

 

I was thinking along the lines of an Extended Set/Get which has 14 bytes of extended data that is very device specific. The PLM B would pass a Set along to Computer B as the PLM plays no role in actual data content since it is device specific. An Extended Get could return 14 bytes of whatever. It is academic anyway since the ISY would need to add support for the PLM as a device on the powerline and I doubt there is much call for that arrangement compared to other things the user community is looking for.

 

Lee

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Lee,

 

Thank you and apologies for not reading your post more thoroughly.

 

Yes, that does make sense ... as you said, the main problem is that we do not yet support PLM as a device so the messages received will be discarded since we do not know what to do with them.

 

Thanks as always and with kind regards,

Michel

[coder96]

I definitely understand that I'm on the not as designed side of things.

 

I did look though a PLM manual. It looked like the command structure could not send random text. I just wanted to make sure.

 

Just to make things clear.

 

The ISY was not designed to use a PLM as a end device.

[LeeG]

Not at present.