ElkM1 setup

[ddexter]

I'm on my last days of the trial software and still trying to get Richard's Alarm script to work with my Elk panel. I've read through his instructions and also the Elk RS232 Protocal, but can't seem to make since of it. I guess I'm hung up on adding the ascii (hex) codes on the device. Can someone give me a definition file for an ElkM1 (without the userid's of course) or a simplified example of how to create them?

I have x10 lights and Winamp working and even created some nice remote screens, but I really want to see something working on the alarm panel before registering the program.

Thanks,
Dave

[Richard Naninck]

Dave,

Can you describe what you did so far to try to get it to work?!
I can imagine that it is a hard case to crack if it is one of your first projects.

Did you get the generic serial device up and running? If so, do you see ELK data flowing through your Received Data property?

These are the very basics you need to have before you can go on.

After the ELK is connected to HB, a script device for the script and a NULL device for the properties should be in place.

We could go on from there...

[ddexter]

Richard,

After improting your .hbx, I had two devices; "Alarm Status" and "Handle Alarm", a Hardware Interface named "Alarm", and a theme called "Alarm". When I enable everythimg and open the theme, nothing changes on the screen regardless of clickinng controls. I see on the hardware device (Generic Serial Module) Alarm Device, that there is only one command defined... "Send Data" = %1%. Am I correct to assume that I need all of the Elk rs232 codes here?

You mention the null device in this and several other posts. Is the Generic Serial Module with all rs232 commands filled in the null device? I read somewhere that .ddf files can be imported to populate these. Please bare with me as this is very confusing to me. I've been trying out several other HA apps and really like this one. I'm really supprised there are not more people (HouseBot users) sharing their files on this forum like your are.

I am a webmaster, not a programmer so the part I have a good handle on is the graphical theme stuff. I have to stumble through VB.

Best Regards,
Dave

[Steve Horn]

Dave, you should have a device, probably in your "Imported Devices folder, called "Alarm" that has properties for sending and receiving data to/from the ElkM1. They are: "Received Data", "Received Hex Data", and "Send Data". Based on your description of what got imported, that's what sounds like you're missing.
I'm in the process of incorporating a version of Richard's ElkM1 pkg into my HB as well, but have it only installed on a "sandbox" HB server, which is not connected to the Elk. So Richard may need to step in and provide further info. But from what I've seen in his .hbx file, the ascii/rs232 handling is done in the vbscript "handle Alarm.vbs". Be aware though that that script may not run on your platform as-is, as it has some Naninck-specific code in it. Best to look thru it to make sure its as generic as possible, or at least more suitable to your install. That said, I've not tried it in an unmodifed form; just noticed at least one sub at the end that addresses Richard's HB application. The rest appears to be generic to ElkM1 protocol handling. But I could be wrong...
Welcome to the HB family. We're a small but pretty tight group.

[ddexter]

Hi Steve,

I downloaded Richard's file named Alarm.zip. It contained 4 files; Handle Alarm.vbs, Elk_Words.txt, Elk M1.hbx and Alarm.hdf. After importing the Alarm.hdf file, I had a hardware interface called Alarm and two devices called Alarm Status and Handle Alarm. No device called just Alarm, only a hardware interface with that name.

When I click on the "Click for Command Configuration" link on the hardware interface called Alarm, a small window come up showing one command in the command list. It is "Send Data" = %1% (ascii). Is this where I should see the "Received Data", "Received Hex Data", and "Send Data"? If so... I either downloaded the wrong file or lost something along the way.

Thabks. I really appreceiate all the help.

Regards,
Dave

[Richard Naninck]

Dave,

The hardware device contains one command like you said. When you have the Generic Serial device it usually ony got Received Data and Received Hex Data. In the definition I added a Send Data "*" property to it and bind that with the Hardware Genereic Serial Command Send Data %1%. The "*" is a wildcard which means you can send anything though the Send Data property and the sending part gets done through the script.
The script contains three parts: a receiving data and a sending data part. The third part is for inegration purposes which are specific to ones owv=n setup.
Sending data gets done via the NULL devices "Action" property. The script reads this property every mili second and if the "Action" property differs from the standard "Waiting", the script parses the action. The command set in the Action property gets handled by the script. The script just looks which command is set, assembles the correct ascii string for the command and sends it to the ELK via the Send Data property. Since the Send Data property is bound to the hardware devices Send Data %1% using the wildcard "*", the hardware device now actually puts the ascii string on the serial line and the ELK responds with a reply.
The reply becomes visible in the Received Data property. The script also reads the Received Data property every mili second and if it holds new data, the data gets parsed by the script. The scipt unravels the data and fills the appropiate properties like Zone data, Keypad codes and whatever have you. The ELK also produces data without having sent a command first. If a Zone is triggered, you get an ascci string in the Received Data property. The script handles it and fills the correct properties again. By attaching these properties to your SWRemote, you can create an actual status of everything the ELK is about.

First things first:
- Can you talk to your ELK using Hyper terminal or any other terminal for that matter?
- If so, do you have your hardware device and your Generic Serial Device setup correctly so that you see data in the Received Data property when for instance a zone changes state?
- If so, did you bind the Send Data command to the Generic Serial Device Send Data wildcard property?
- Do you have a script device and is the script running?
- Do you have a NULL device with atleast an Action property attached to it?

My script has evolved since I posted it and it contains lots of specific code to my setup nowadays. I should still be able to get this going for you but I realise it is a hard nut to crack if this is your first project on HB. If you get it though, you will find it easy to understand and manipulate it to your own needs.

[Richard Naninck]

@Dave,

It seems you are missing the Generic Serial Device Calles "Alarm" containing the three properties Received Data, Received Hex Data and (a manually added) Send Data.
Create a new device (Requires a Hardware Device) -> pick the Alarm (Interface) from the list (if you have it), then get the Alarm Definition (Device) and name it "Alarm".
In the Settings Menu you should go to Configure Generic Serial Port devices and select the Alarm definition. It should hold the Alarm Send Data property. If it doesn't, you should create such a property in the property editor with one value "*" being Alpha Numeric, then go back to the definition and add the property. Once you have that, go to the newly Alarm Device, click the Alarm Send Data property and rename it to Send Data and select the Commands tab (most right or 4th tab). Now bind the * to the hardware Send Data command and you should be one step closer to solving your problem.

@Steve,

Feel free to join in since my internet time isn't much because of my location (you know what I'm talking about;))

Hi Steve,

I downloaded Richard's file named Alarm.zip. It contained 4 files; Handle Alarm.vbs, Elk_Words.txt, Elk M1.hbx and Alarm.hdf. After importing the Alarm.hdf file, I had a hardware interface called Alarm and two devices called Alarm Status and Handle Alarm. No device called just Alarm, only a hardware interface with that name.

When I click on the "Click for Command Configuration" link on the hardware interface called Alarm, a small window come up showing one command in the command list. It is "Send Data" = %1% (ascii). Is this where I should see the "Received Data", "Received Hex Data", and "Send Data"? If so... I either downloaded the wrong file or lost something along the way.

Thabks. I really appreceiate all the help.

Regards,
Dave

[Steve Horn]

Dave, another thought, though unrelated to HB-ElkM1: If you haven't downloaded the ELKRP or ELKRP2 program from the Elk web site, do so. It makes configuring the Elk easier. (I'm not sure whether your M1 is new or been there awhile, configured and now you're integrating it into HB.)
I'm not sure I can add anything to Richard's description... yeah I am - I can't; It captures it better than I could. But don't hesitate to post any issues you run into. I'm in the process of upgrading my security sys to the ElkM1 and am still dealing with installation and configuration issues. So I'm actually further behind than you in the Elk/HB integration process.

[ddexter]

Thanks Richard,

I think you just hit on the problem. I didn't create a new device named Alarm. I quess I was reading your instructions wrong... thinking the null device was the Generic Serial interface. I was just able to create the new Alarm device and it now shows up in the list of devices.

Unfortunately am working off-line from the Elk right now because it is installed in my vacation home and I won't be there till the weekend. I'll have to put this all together on a laptop and then try to go-live this weekend. I'll report back my progress.


Steve,
I've had the Elk running for about four years and am very happy with it. Yes, I have the most recent versions of the firmware and RP (Jan or Feb I think). I tried the new ElkRMS but didn't like it much. Thats why I started lookinng for a new HA app and ended up here. I just got a USB-UIRT and I'm waiting for delivery of a 17" ELO Touchscreen I found on eBay to further consume my free time :).

Thanks again to both of you. I'll post my results after the weekend.

Regards
Dave

[Richard Naninck]

Good to hear that. Once you understand the basics, you will find the ELK vs HB setup is a must have!
I also got the latest firmware running on my ELK. I even beta tested it because a new Ascii string "EE" came up with a faulty length.
The latest additions to the firmware made it possible for me to get Trouble status from my Caddx devices. I now get battery low messages from each device popping panels on my HB SWRemote. Very neet.
We'll talk again after you hooked it up then. I got all the time;) just not much internet access that's all, but I am sure you will get this to work!

[ddexter]

Well, I was able to create the new device with the Send Data property and got the Elk communicating correctly. My joy didn't last long because fro some reason there were two hardware instances named Alarm, and in the process of trying to delete one of them... I lost both. Since I didn't have a lot of time at the cabin over the weekend, I put it all on hold till next weekend.

The good new is I decided I like HouseBot and I just registered my copy. I'm now officially an HB'r :)

One more question for now. How do you delete a property from the Property Management window? I mistakenly created a device property called Send Data as a boolean type. Now I don't see anyway to get rid of it.

Regards
Dave

[Steve Horn]

I created a dummy property in Prop Mgr. Then I was able to highlight it and the delete button becomes active. And then I deleted the dummy property. What am I missing?

I've got HB/alarm w/ElkM1 with VERY BASIC functionality - I can enable and disable the system. But the property values for the various zones is not fully populated, and there are lots of other issues as I try to configure the script to my elkM1 environment (# of zones, etc.). Still plugging away at Richard's script file though...

[Richard Naninck]

Since you imported the devices you have the properties set to write protect. One way to get rid of them is to open the dbase using MS Access, go into the tables and change the protect value from 0 to 1. (Backup your dbase before proceding!). After you set the value to 1, you can delete the property using the property manager. Or just delete it in the dbase itself. If you delete it from the dbase itself, make sure that the property isn't tied to a device or you will get errors in HB.

You could also create another Send Data property by just calling it Alarm Send Data and then strip the word "Alarm" after you bound it to the device. The property should be alpha numeric.

If your cabin has the alarm running, why not keep your HB server running as well? Install some kind of remote control software like VNC or Remotely Anywhere and you can handle this problem from any other location in the world where you have access to an internet PC. That's how I maintain my system when I am away from home.

At least it is good to hear that you got some data over the line. That is the most important thing. The rest can be handled by asking questions so I can provide the answers.

Good luck!

[ddexter]

Richard,
Removing it directly from the database makes sense. I should have thought of that. I spend the majority of my time at work doing SQL web programming. Duh. I would love to do this over the internet, but the cabin doesn't have any internet service. It's remote enough that the cost of putting it in is prohibitive for now. I can do a lot of the configuring at home and then transfer it when I get to the cabin on the weekends.

I received my new USB-UIRT and 17" touchscreen so I'm happy to play with them this week. I hooked up the touchscreen (with MP3 Jukebox software) and got some big WAF points! Now she wants one for her own desktop.

Steve,
Glad to hear you're making progress with the Elk interface. Are you just starting with HB now or have you been using it a while? I plan to incorporate my home theater next. DVD's via an overhead projector to a 96 inch screen. I want to control it all with HB through both the touchscreen and UIRT.


Regards,
Dave

[Steve Horn]

Dave, I've been using HB for years; have no idea how many.((My profile here says I joined in '03). And yet I'm still a rank amateur. I'm using one theme for home theater control and another theme for the main house stuff (lighting, A/V, weather, email, and now security (just barely)). There are others on this forum that go WAY beyond that. I just recently converted from using an ADI Ocelot for IR and relay closures to USB-UIRT for IR and a Velleman board for A/D I/O. I use Insteon for all lighting; getting rid of the last vestiges of X10 when I replaced the Ocelot.
Have fun. HB is a great product and this group here can help you out if you get stuck.