Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control - AppleScripts updated

Posted on
Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:04 pm
n8huntsman offline
Posts: 3
Joined: Sep 13, 2010

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

For anyone wondering, I got a $15 USB to RS-485 adapter. I was able to control the system using the One Touch emulator from Jandy's site. This is comparable to the AquaLink RS PC-Computer Interface/Docking Station, except it's $15 on EBAY instead of $200 from Jandy. The data that I read off the the port with a serial port sniffer was not the simple ascii commands that I had hoped for as documented in the AquaLink RS Serial Adapter manual. It seems that those commands are translated by the adapter into a confusing mix of ascii and hex. If I can figure out the protocol, it should open doors for web based programs, phone apps, and all the home automation stuff that we can imagine. If anyone wants to peak at a dump of the data, send me a PM and I'll happily email it.

Posted on
Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:18 am
hamw offline
Posts: 1212
Joined: Mar 31, 2008

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

Wold be interested in your progress on this.

Posted on
Wed Jun 29, 2011 4:45 am
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

I am in the process of building a pool and negotiated the Jandy RS8 Color Touch control AND the Jandy Serial Adapter. Can I ask someone to walk me through what else if anything I need to be able to use this to control my pool through Indigo? Is there an Indigo product that the Jandy RS Serial Adapter needs to plug into? Thanks in advance.

Posted on
Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:41 am
yergeyj offline
Posts: 260
Joined: Dec 29, 2004

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

kpfriedberg wrote:
I am in the process of building a pool and negotiated the Jandy RS8 Color Touch control AND the Jandy Serial Adapter. Can I ask someone to walk me through what else if anything I need to be able to use this to control my pool through Indigo? Is there an Indigo product that the Jandy RS Serial Adapter needs to plug into? Thanks in advance.


You will need a USB-Serial adaptor (e.g. from Keyspan) to connect to the Aqualink Serial Adaptor. You can then use Serial Bridge and Indigo to control your Jandy system, using the scripts in the User Contribution Library.

That said, there may be some issues with those scripts and newer Jandy Serial Adaptors, which we're trying to resolve; see the following thread for more information:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5845

BTW, do you have an electronic copy of the current Jandy Aqualink Serial Adaptor manual? This would help me to determine if the new adaptor "should" function with the existing scripts.

Jim

Posted on
Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:15 am
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

Do you have a link to the USB serial adapter? I don't have the manual yet as installation isn't done but when I get the manual I will post it. Thanks for the help.

Posted on
Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:18 pm
tadg offline
Posts: 29
Joined: Feb 13, 2008
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

I'm pretty interested in this plugin, since my pool was finished two months ago. The manual that came with my serial adapter looks pretty much like this one: http://www.jandy-downloads.com/pdfs/AquaLink_RS_Serial_manual.pdf

Although I've noticed that I get occasional "!00 SALT = 3200 PPM" status updates that aren't mentioned in the manual, so I assume that the serial adapter code got upgraded without a corresponding manual upgrade.

In my internet research I've seen that several people have reverse engineered the RS485 that runs behind the scenes, which would be a more advanced project. It would give you more control over the salt system and scheduling.

Tad

Posted on
Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:10 pm
yergeyj offline
Posts: 260
Joined: Dec 29, 2004

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

kpfriedberg wrote:
Do you have a link to the USB serial adapter? I don't have the manual yet as installation isn't done but when I get the manual I will post it. Thanks for the help.



The Keyspan-USB serial adaptor most folks seem to use is now sold by TrippLite (was Keyspan):

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/mo ... delID=3914

You'll need to poke around the Indigo forum about the installation to be recognized by Indigo, as I did mine several years ago.

Jim

Posted on
Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:19 pm
yergeyj offline
Posts: 260
Joined: Dec 29, 2004

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

tadg wrote:
... The manual that came with my serial adapter looks pretty much like this one: http://www.jandy-downloads.com/pdfs/AquaLink_RS_Serial_manual.pdf

Tad


That's the manual on which the original Jandy Aqualink scripts for Indigo are based, which should work for the RS-4 and RS-8 systems.

tadg wrote:
... my pool was finished two months ago. ... Although I've noticed that I get occasional "!00 SALT = 3200 PPM" status updates that aren't mentioned in the manual, so I assume that the serial adapter code got upgraded without a corresponding manual upgrade.

Tad



Tad, Are you saying that you have a recently installed Aqualink system with the serial adaptor, and that the Indigo Jandy scripts are operational? I ask as there is concern in another thread that something "broke" with a recent update to either the Aqualink serial adaptor or the main Aqualink Power Center PCB board (rev QQ). So, it would be good to know that someone with a recently installed system has been successful with these scripts.

I'm considering learning python to be able to convert the scripts to an Indigo plugin, but don't want to even start if it only works for older systems (mine dates from 2008).

Jim

Posted on
Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:30 pm
tadg offline
Posts: 29
Joined: Feb 13, 2008
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

I tried to use the script when I first got the serial adapter connected, but had some serial bridge trouble and I didn't want to spend the time (or $29) on something that was going to get replaced in 5.0 shortly.

I've been using the old-school method of just connecting to the serial port and manually typing commands. My desire to remotely control the spa has also been tempered with the arrival of summer and the ability of the new heater to get the spa up to temp in 20 mins or so.

Tad

yergeyj wrote:

Tad, Are you saying that you have a recently installed Aqualink system with the serial adaptor, and that the Indigo Jandy scripts are operational? I ask as there is concern in another thread that something "broke" with a recent update to either the Aqualink serial adaptor or the main Aqualink Power Center PCB board (rev QQ). So, it would be good to know that someone with a recently installed system has been successful with these scripts.

I'm considering learning python to be able to convert the scripts to an Indigo plugin, but don't want to even start if it only works for older systems (mine dates from 2008).

Jim

Posted on
Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:41 am
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be sure i understand. So:

1. Serial Adapter gets wired to RS8 Color Touch Control
2. Keyspan adapter plugs into the Jandy Serial Adapter
3. Where does the USB end of the Keyspan plug into? Does it have to go into the computer? That is going to be tough for me. Is there a way to plug the usb end of the Keyspan into an indigo product that simply plugs in the wall so instructions can be sent over powerlines just like all the other indigo products?

Posted on
Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:44 pm
yergeyj offline
Posts: 260
Joined: Dec 29, 2004

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

kpfriedberg wrote:
Sorry for all the questions, just want to be sure i understand. So:

1. Serial Adapter gets wired to RS8 Color Touch Control
2. Keyspan adapter plugs into the Jandy Serial Adapter
3. Where does the USB end of the Keyspan plug into? Does it have to go into the computer? That is going to be tough for me. Is there a way to plug the usb end of the Keyspan into an indigo product that simply plugs in the wall so instructions can be sent over powerlines just like all the other indigo products?



1 - Correct, but see answer to question 3.
2 - Correct.
3 - Correct again, into the computer. What is typically done is to run a four conductor wire from the Touch Control to wherever your computer will be, and mount the serial adaptor there. Then you can readily attach the USB to the computer.

Hope this helps,
Jim

Posted on
Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:10 pm
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

I really appreciate the response however don't indigo commands have to run through the PLM? If the key pan is plugged directly into the Mac doesn't this bypass the PLM?

Posted on
Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:40 pm
yergeyj offline
Posts: 260
Joined: Dec 29, 2004

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

kpfriedberg wrote:
I really appreciate the response however don't indigo commands have to run through the PLM? If the key pan is plugged directly into the Mac doesn't this bypass the PLM?



Yes, Indigo connects via USB to the PLM. However, as you indicated, the "USB end of the Keyspan USB-to-Serial adaptor" also has to plug into the Mac. Indigo then communicates to the Keyspan and hence the Jandy Serial adaptor.

Indigo does not send Insteon or X10 commands to the Jandy Serial adaptor, but rather has to communicate via serial commands, hence the Jandy AppleScripts that translate Indigo actions into serial commands that the Jandy system understands.

Hope this makes sense?

Jim

Posted on
Wed Aug 03, 2011 3:50 am
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

Ah! Got it. Thanks again.

Posted on
Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:54 pm
kpfriedberg offline

Re: Jandy Aqualink Pool / Spa Control

I now have the manual, Keyspan on the way...what would you like me to look for in the manual?

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