[SGVLUG] home automation from x10

[Claude Felizardo]

On 6/1/06, Sean O'Donnell <sean at seanodonnell.com> wrote:
>
> Claude Felizardo wrote:
>
> > current sale at x10:
> > http://www.x10.com/onsale/index.html
>
> Could their web site get any shadier?
>
> > Oh, I should point out that any unsecured protocol such as x10 should
> > not be used to control access to your house or business.  However, I
> > do use it to control some of the lights at home.
>
> hmm, I don't think I'll hook my blender up to it. The lights and a few
> other devices would be nice to automate though. Can this be done via
> cron/sh? =)

yuppers!   However if all you want to do is send on/off commands at
specific times, the CM11A controller has a built-in timer and memory
for simple macros (ie, if 'A3 ON' then send 'B4 B6 OFF') so you don't
even have to leave your computer running 24/7.  But if you want to do
more interesting stuff like conditional logic, delays, etc, then you
can run something like heyu or misterhouse which is written in Perl.

But you're right, you don't want x10 to turn on motors and stuff
unless you have extra safeguards.  For example, I've been working on
an automatic garage door closer.   I hate looking outside in the
morning and discovering that the garage had been open all night.

We have a detached garage so I'm not concerned about someone gaining
entrance to the house but we do store tools, bikes and the cars.  Plus
I'd like to keep the neighborhood cats out.  I used to have a sensor
that would turn on a light in the house when the door was opened but
never got around to reconnecting it after we had the door replaced
with a roll-up.  The closer has the safety beam and I know the
stall/reverser works so it's just a matter of wiring in a relay in
parallel with the manual switch by the side entrance.   (There is a
disable switch for when we don't want the door closed remotely)

I had ordered parts for building an automatic closer over a year ago
but never got around to installing it until this past weekend.  I
installed a bigger N.C. magnetic switch with a 2" gap and wired it in
series with an x10 universal module (remote controlled relay).   That
way the door can be closed automatically but if it's already closed,
the door shouldn't open.  Or at least that's the theory.   It worked
until I tried to include the sensor that turns the light on in the
house.   Looks like the circuit/module I'm using can either control
the light OR prevent the door from opening but not both.  Need to work
on that...

> Do they have GF/Wife automation products too?
>
> I think this is what I would need for that:
>
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/10/25/financial/f133702D73.DTL

You want to strap something to the head of your GF/Wife and make them
dance around in circles?  ohhhh-kaaaay.

As for the GF/Wife approval factor, they like the automatic lights.
The light in the kitchen comes on at dusk and automatically goes off
about 11 pm so she doesn't come home to a dark house.  The lights on
the front porch and lamp post automatically come on when someone comes
to the door.  At my mom's house, the hallway light is triggered by a
dusk sensor.  She can also control all the lights in the backyard from
the family room.  No PC required.

Yeah you could do this with stuff you can get anywhere but what's the
fun in that?  Besides most of these things don't talk to each other.
Much more fun to have something trigger something else.  The geek
factor really goes up when you can control the lights using TiVo.
Negative points for playing with the lights when at work.

claude