help - I can't get the x10 to dim what am i doing wrong?

[davemgraham]

Dear All,



I've only just found Housebot (last night) - Wow - what a great piece of software !!



We don't have much choice here in Australia of X10 products and I've been using the Homeseer trial for the past 28 days - only 2 more to go so I'm quite relieved of finding HouseBot.



I've got the following lamp module (http://www.eon3.com/content/products/pr ... roductID=5) which came as part of an ActiveHome Computer Kit.



With Homeseer I am able to Dim from full brightness gradually to 0% DIM, and I can Bright to 100% from 0%. This gives me a smooth transition which creates a pleasing effect.



I've read through the forums (which are oustanding) and have tried using the A;1;BRIGHT;10 ability but this gives a very staggered dimming effect - not something that, to me, is good for scene lighting.



I suspect the module I have is not the Leviton style, but if I can Dim and Bright with Homeseer so I should be able to do the same with HouseBot, right ? We're just sending commands ?



Am i right in thinking that you originally had this feature in but took it out due to issues of manual intervention ?



If so could it be put back into HouseBot in such a way that it could be utilised if desired ?



Keep up the great work !!



Cheers,



Dave

[ScottBot]

Dave,



As you mentioned, I used to have this feature for dimming but was never satisfied with the results. If someone went and manually changed the dim level, the dim level that HouseBot knew was no longer correct. Therefore when the dim level was changed from HouseBot, the lamp would not go to the desired level. I even had an option to reset the dim level each time by running the dim level up (or down I don't remember) and start from there. In every case there was some kind of side effect that I wasn't satisfied with.



HomeSeer may very well have solved the problem somehow. If you have any details on how they circumvent the issues I mentioned above, I'd be very interested in learning about it.



I'm not against re-implementing the feature, but if it frustrates people (like it did me) more than solves the problem, then I'd rather not do that.



One reason that I didn't feel bad about removing the functionality is because you should be able to reproduce most of these effects using a script Device or a Task (as Redbeard25 is doing). By using a 'For' loop in a script, you should be able to ramp the light. If you only have one lamp that you are wanting to dim, I could outline a script for you that might work.



Scott

[davemgraham]

Hi Scott,



Thanks for the prompt response. I have created a script similar to Redbeard25 but the effect i get is as follows.



From full brightness, the lamp dims, then a second or so later, it dims again, then a second or so later it dims again, and so on, until it is completely black.



The same is true in reverse.



I'm wanting to be able to dim and bright in a smooth motion, rather than a staggered dim, wait, dim, wait fashion...if you know what i mean ?



Perhaps your for loop script would work - I'm having to use the composite property by setting the lamp as an X10 controller. When I try to set it as a Lamp module, the settings don't seem to operate the lamp at all.



Is there something else I can try / verify at this end to help ?



Cheers,



Dave.

[davemgraham]

Just another observation...it may help...it may not :)



I've just checked Homeseer and ActiveHome. In ActiveHome you can see the communications log and when I move the slider to Dim or Bright the lamp, it sends a message A2 Bright 067 for 67% brightness. This gives a really smooth transition.



I couldn't find anything in HomeSeer which would resemble a log....and my 30 day trial runs out today !!



In regard to the problem of not knowing if the dim has been manually changed or not, would there be a way of implementing such a feature that you could use it if you wanted (knowing the restrictions/issues)?



Unfortunately we can't get any of the smart Leviton style modules here in Australia



Cheers,



Dave

[ScottBot]

Dave,



I couldn't understand why your X10 Controller was not working with A;1;Bright;10. I ran some tests on the CM11a (I presume that is the interface you are using) and found a problem with dimming.



I've patched the CM11a plugin with a change that may fix your dimming problem. Please download this new Plugin. Unzip the new DLL and copy it to your \HouseBot\Plugins\Interfaces directory. I would suggest that you backup the existing CM11A.dll plugin first.



Let me know if this gives you better dimming results with the X10 Controller.



Scott

[davemgraham]

You were spot on Scott !! I downloaded the latest DLL and its working beautifully now.



Thanks for such a fast response and solution !!



I can now dim and bright to my hearts content and make the neighbours wonder what the hell is going on !



I'll start getting stuck into the other features in Housebot.



Cheers,



Dave

[NickLe]

I know that there have been a number of postings on the subject and that you had taken the DIM command functionality out of the CM11A for a reason, but......



....... as it stands I have this working using a Control and setting the composite property to send the X10 codes directly. The problem is that this means that I have the X10 house and unit codes hardcoded in various tasks. It therefore is an absolute pain if I want to change any of the codes. Recently, I had to move some codes around when I purchased some new R/F transceivers & pads. It was a bitch trying to find the tasks where the composite values had been hardcoded.



Is there anyway you can look at getting at least some macro substitution in place so that instead of having A;1;bright we could specify the device by name and then only hardcode the parametrs?



P.S. This is a minor gripe anyway - it's a great product, I actually put off buying Home Control Assistant or HomeSeer because I thought HouseBot was better - and no, I don't just mean cheaper

[ScottBot]

What if I added a new Property to the X10 Devices to handle this? Something like Direct Command that you could populate with the same thing as the X10 Controller.Composite Property but without the House Code and Unit Code?



For example, you could set the Value to Dim;3 to send three Dims.



This would give you the ability to not have to embed the HouseCode and UnitCodes in your Tasks and Scripts.



Scott

[NickLe]

Yes it would simplify things a bit. I have actually got round this by setting the composite property to %%mainlight.X10 House Code%%;%%mainlight.X10 Unit Code%%;Bright;5 for example. It makes it easier to change the settings, but a pig to spot typos in the code!!!



On a separate note, I have a number of lamps that I want to control. I have put in my theme four buttons for Off - + On and using the - and + for Dim and Bright. However, I'm having to create a new task for each dim and bright button with an action of %%mainlight.X10 House Code%%;%%mainlight.X10 Unit Code%%;Bright;2 for example. And I'm having to do a separate dim and a bright task for each lamp!!! I now have an awful lot of tasks. Surely someone has done this in a better way.........

[ScottBot]

NickLe,



I added a "Direct Command" Property to the X10 Devices. It may make life a litter easier for you. Version 1.62 now has that Property.



Scott

[NickLe]

Scott, you're a star, mate!