LIFX Tip: Brightening & Dimming

[autolog]

Version 4.1.0 of the LIFX Controller plugin now supports all the standard Indigo UI controls.
In particular, it fully enables support for Device Actions > Light/Appliance Controls > Brighten by % | Dim by %

This means you can use another device to control the brightening and dimming of the LIFX device.

I have tested using a Z-Wave Remotec Scene Master ZRC-90 - see http://www.vesternet.com/z-wave-remotec-scene-master

You will need two triggers. The first to do the brightening/dimming while the button is held down and the second to request a LIFX status when the button is released

As an example, to brighten you need to set-up an Indigo Trigger as follows:

• Trigger
  • Type: Z-Wave Command Received
  • Event: Incoming Command Received from Device
  • Edit Event Settings...: From: ZRC-90 Device, Received: Button 1 Held Down
• Condition: As required - not used?
• Actions:
  • Type: Brighten by % (Light/Appliance Controls)
  • Device: LIFX device
  • Amount: 2% (or value as required)

The state in the Indigo UI gets updated continuously, but if you want to ensure that the LIFX device is totally consistent with Indigo then when you release the button, it is best to trigger a LIFX Status request, as follows (using example above):

• Trigger
  • Type: Z-Wave Command Received
  • Event: Incoming Command Received from Device
  • Edit Event Settings...: From: ZRC-90 Device, Received: Button 1 Released
• Condition: As required - not used?
• Actions:
  • Type: Request Full Status Update (Universal Controls)
  • Device:LIFX device

I guess the same could be done with an Insteon dimmer switch but I don't have any Insteon devices?

Hope this might prove useful

[kelmk]

Hi I'm trying to set this up for an Insteon dimmer switch. I'm confused by the brighten by 2%. How do I get it to keep brightening and not just once? When the Insteon dimmer is held it only sends one command start brightening. How do you get the brighten to loop?
Thanks

[autolog]

With the Z-Wave switch it continually sends dim/brighten commands while you hold the switch down.

Can the Insteon switch be configured to do this? I presume not.

I will take a look at enhancing the plugin to handle a single brighten command and to set up an internal timer loop to continue brightening/dimming until it receives a button released command.
I am assuming that with the Insteon switch that you get one trigger when you hold the button down and and that you get a further trigger when you release the button?

Not sure how complicated this will be to do but I will investigate it.

[kelmk]

Ah that makes sense. The insteon just sends one start dimming message and a stop dimming message. I might have a work around using a repeating schedule every second but your solution sounds cleaner. Thanks!


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[jay (support)]

With the Z-Wave switch it continually sends dim/brighten commands while you hold the switch down.

Can the Insteon switch be configured to do this? I presume not.

No. However, a dimmable Insteon device will send a start brighten/dim when pressed (and held) and a stop brighten/dim when released so those can be used for triggers. So you you subscribe to those Insteon events then your plugin could do some dimming/brightening. I think something similar is sent by the Homeseer Z-Wave switches as well but I'm less clear on that.

[autolog]

I will restart the work to look at this - I got sidetracked sorting out the no ack bug..
It is doable but won't be quite as quick as I had hoped - maybe a week or two (depends on other commitments).

[kelmk]

I will restart the work to look at this - I got sidetracked sorting out the no ack bug..
It is doable but won't be quite as quick as I had hoped - maybe a week or two (depends on other commitments).

Have you had a chance to look at this? No rush, just curious.



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[autolog]

Have you had a chance to look at this? No rush, just curious.

Not yet but I will take another look at it shortly as I have doing some bug corrections to the LIFX plugin.

[koensayr]

I'd be interested in figuring out a way to get it to function. So far, I can't seem to do it via triggers while holding the dimming button down. I can only get the adjustment to happen once the button is released (stop brighten status) as Jay suggested above.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help!

[autolog]

I will start looking at this shortly but the UK Bank Holiday weekend has got in the way.