Pete's R&D Build Thread

[quote="durosity"]
Good idea.. Only problem is I'd need to start knowing things instead of faking knowledge.

That's exactly what google was invented for !

I use DuckDuckGo


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Back in my school days I used 'DogPile' - a search engine that submits terms to several other search engines and merges the results.

Then the IT Manager spotted me and wasn't amused!


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Nest Protect Installation Difficulty: Easy | Installation Time: 10 Minutes
Installation was a breeze. Plugin was already installed from my Nest thermostat so simply needed to discover the new device.

Philips Hue Installation Difficulty: Easy | Installation Time: 20 Minutes
Again, as easy as changing a light bulb, however the Indigo side of things took me a little longer.
Each bulb has Hue, Saturation, R, B, G and Colour Temperature
After a bit of playing, I've stripped this back to Hue and Saturation (Since Hue just controls R, B & G separately)
One issue that's come up is the fact that you can't really use the light switch anymore. Since as soon as you switch the light off, you lose all control from the philips / indigo apps.
This can be fixed by buying more philips equipment (switches) however not ideal.
I'm going to wait for a new switch to come out towards the end of this year and fix them on the wall near the lights.

I've used these for 2x bedside lamps, and the kids nursery.
That has a few benefits - whilst we're asleep we can use the lights to signal events depending on the colour - red = emergency etc.. The nursery we can fade up / fade down the lights nicely whilst they go to sleep.

Global Cache iTach (Wireless Model) Installation Difficulty: Medium | Installation Time: 2 Hours and climbing
First impressions - it's tiny! I don't know why, but I had assumed it would be bigger.
The information / packaging it comes in is pretty naff. No real instructions other than telling you to look at their website.
The initial configuration was easy (joining local WiFi and setting an IP address) however it's the learning process after which confused me.
I have only just realised that the learning app simply converts the iR input into Hex code, which you can then paste into another program (Indigo)
Whilst there is a database of devices already, I've not had much luck using them. No entries for my Onkyo Receiver and the Sky Box codes didn't work for me. Eventually I ended up manually learning the codes through the windows app.
Negatives: No mac software - Had to run all their app's on my work laptop with a windows virtual machine.
This will be an on-going process - since I now need to design some cool remote control pages in Indigo

Fibaro Motion Sensors Installation Difficulty: Easy | Installation Time: 5 Minutes
Already have a few of these - easy to screw into the ceiling and sync. These will be paired with the TRV's to control room temperatures.

Still left - TRV's, RGBW Modules + LED Strips, a few more Philips Bulbs and more motion sensors.

Just FYI there are Mac itach apps available, some on the App Store and some just on a website linked to from global caches website. Also there are pages of IR codes for almost everything on sites like remote central . I'd recommend setting up each button as an action group rather than putting them straight into control pages. Much easier to reuse them for multiple different functions that way:)


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I would be jealous, but this stuff wouldn't be compatible with my system anyway

You can try to talk yourself out of being jealous all you want, but the iMac, MacBook, iPads and iPhones should work just fine here... so count me jealous. I'd say we borrow the Indigo Jet, go there on the premise of the Indigo on-call hardware installation service that durosity has referenced; a quick knock on the head and we are on the way back with the loot. We'll split it up on the return trip.

If things go sour then we bribe howartp and durosity with the incompatible gear and hang low for a bit...

You can try to talk yourself out of being jealous all you want, but the iMac, MacBook, iPads and iPhones should work just fine here... so count me jealous.

You would think so. But I've actually been to the U.K. and they have these funny looking plugs--I mean, look at that thing!

Uk_13a_double_socket.jpg (109.26 KiB) Viewed 4136 times

I'm pretty sure that they won't plug in here. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Dave

... I've actually been to the U.K. and they have these funny looking plugs ...

British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why

Yep the British plug is a very unappreciated design!

Also sorry Rogue, me and howartp already got there last night and cleared out the joint. The plan was we'd split it 50/50 but I decided that it'd be better if I took the lot and left him in a ditch somewhere. Now to head north of the border to an independent Scotland with no extradition agreement with the English... Oh wait damnit that didn't happen!


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1) love that video!

2) Was going to say, I don't remember any of that, Durosity

3) You talk about funny plugs but what about that wierd system where you have two half-legs of a 110/220 phase/neutral thing (that I don't understand a word of)?!


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British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why

I guess we'll have to disagree. I mean, if British plugs were truly better, Apple would have put them on all of their kit and forced the world to adapt!

I guess we'll have to disagree. I mean, if British plugs were truly better, Apple would have put them on all of their kit and forced the world to adapt!

Just you wait. I happen to be best buddies with Johnny Ives and he told me that's his next plan. In a minor side note to that I live but 2 miles away from where he learned his trade at what is now called Northumbria University.


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Just FYI there are Mac itach apps available, some on the App Store and some just on a website linked to from global caches website. Also there are pages of IR codes for almost everything on sites like remote central . I'd recommend setting up each button as an action group rather than putting them straight into control pages. Much easier to reuse them for multiple different functions that way:)

Right you are - I stand corrected!

Although you have to purchase them as extras when they're free for Windows, pah.

Agreed around the action groups - already in the process of doing this so I can link the buttons to those action groups!

Sorry everyone, I'm still alive

I mean, if British plugs were truly better, Apple would have put them on all of their kit and forced the world to adapt!

Well, Jonathan Ive has started the process - he has solved the standing on the plug problem - Apple 5W USB Power Adapter (Folding Pins)

Today has been a day of heating!

StellaZ TRV's Installation Difficulty: Easy | Installation Time: 5 Minutes each (if you already have TRV's fitted, otherwise you have to drain the system)
Physical installation - easy. Mental installation - it took me ages (and still is) to figure out how this will interact with my NEST thermostat.

The StellaZ's are a bit plastic - which I've found sometimes results in some clunky noises when opening and closing the valves due to the plastic stretching as it puts pressure on the valve I guess.
Another negative is there's no local control on the TRV itself. All control is brought into Indio. So it's a little anti-wife & visitor friendly.
The longest part of this for me was and is getting my head around the whole indigo integration - thanks to auto log for his continuing help with this!

Firstly you set up the Z-Wave device
Then you create a Stella-Z controller device, linked to that Z-Wave device
Then you need to create a trigger that listens for temperature changes to the Z-Wave device and sends it to the controller device.
If you have an external temperature sensor, then you need another trigger that pulls this value into the controller device.

Really love the fact that my Fibaro Motion Sensors are supported by autolog's plugin! It makes it easier to get an accurate reading since the TRV's themselves will of course report much higher temperatures since they're right next to the radiator.

I need to get my head around how the StellaZ's and Nest work together. The StellaZ's are all based around schedules - which is fine, but I do like the presence / Home & Away info in the Nest, as well as the nifty features such as learning how long it takes to heat the house up, thus it may turn the boiler off early if it knows the residual heat will finish the job.
This creates various issues - for example if a room isn't in use, then I have the radiator turned off. The house warms up as per it's normal schedule and I decide I want to use the room - so turn the radiator on. However since the house has warmed up, the nest has the boiler switched off - thus there's no heat to send to the radiator I've just turned on.
Like the Globalcache I can see this one being a long learning experience of fiddling and tweaking!

On the other hand ..
TKB UK Plug Sockets Installation Difficulty: Piss-Easy | Installation Time: 1 Minute
I already have a few of these around the house - but all the same, it's so simple being that all it does is On / Off. I'll probably use it for the Christmas tree in December, other the coffee machine or something earlier...