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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 08 2006 at 19:53 | IP Logged
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I just installed the new version and am getting an error "Mismatched version with PHFN.PDB"
So I look at the readme file and see this
IMPORTANT! If you are upgrading from a previous version of PowerHome, do not install in the same directory. Cancel this installation and rename the existing directory to something different. Restart this installation and install into the default location.
HOW THE HECK AM IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS BEFORE INSTALLING THE APPLICATION?!?!?!?!?!?
How do I fix the problem?
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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 08 2006 at 20:31 | IP Logged
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i made a copy and folllowed the instructions after-the-fact and it now starts, but i cant add any controllers in the setup area.
A critical error occurred at 2006-10-08 20:28:55.281. *** *** PowerHome Version: 1.03.4.8 *** Error Number: 6 *** Error Message: Invalid DataWindow row/column specified at line 52 in ue_keydown event of object dw_detail of w_explorer. *** Window: w_explorer *** Object: dw_detail *** Event: ue_keydown *** Line: 52
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 09 2006 at 15:06 | IP Logged
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Fasttimes,
Heh, the readme is launched at the start of the Install, but it's easy to overlook since everyone just OK's past it. I even enlarged the font in the last version but now it's so large and the install window doesnt autosize so not enough info is displayed.
Anyways, as you've found, you can still do it after the fact and still work.
However, you've discovered a bug for me. It's now fixed but in the meantime, you cant use the tab key to have Controller lines auto-inserted. You'll need to right-click and use "Insert" to add new controller lines.
Appreciate you catching this for me. Let me know if you have any other questions or problems. Also, Im thinking for the next version, I'll change the headline to smaller and red so it may be more attention getting  .
Dave.
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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 09 2006 at 20:09 | IP Logged
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Dave,
FYI, I didnt get the readme coming up when I did the install.
BTW, I like the Insteon Explorer window a lot! Much easier to do things. This puts Smarthomes Houselinc to shame. Theirs is way to buggy to use now, though they do have some good concepts, most notably the spidering function. (which doesnt work of course, but I like the concept)
I don't know if the copy/paste function handles what I would like to do yet, but a "n-way" function would be very cool, where you specify the load switches, the slave switches that belong to a group, and PH creates all the links for you, as well as having PH set the load switches first to the local value level, so you can press the set button, then having them set to the ramp value, so you cna press the set button twice. That way all the switches will be set for the same level/ramp.
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 10 2006 at 14:07 | IP Logged
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Fasttimes,
Glad you like the Insteon Explorer window. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Concerning the Spidering function...it's something that I could add easily enough, I just havent because I didnt think it would be that useful. The biggest problem I see with it is having all of the devices auto-discovered by expanding all of their links and then not knowing what device is what. As I spider links, I could discover the device type but I would have to label everything similar to NEW DEVICE ?? without the user having anyway of knowing if a switch is in the bedroom, the kitchen, etc. However, if anyone thinks it's a useful addition, let me know and I'll look into adding the code.
The "N-way" function concept sounds interesting. Im not sure if it would be easy enough to add or not. If I understand it properly, I would essentially add 4 switches to a "N-way" group with a global level and ramprate and PowerHome would then create crosslinks between all the switches. Switch 1 would control switches 2,3,4. Switch 2 would control switches 1,3,4, etc. You would then set the switches to the group level so that you could push the "set" button to assign the same local level and then adjust the level a second time so you could press the "set" button twice to assign the group ramprate.
If Ive described it properly, I don't think it would be too difficult. The only problem I see is with the "ramprate" setting. When setting the ramprate using the "set" button, you only get rates from 0.1 seconds to 9 seconds unlike the "group" programmed rate from 0.1 to 9 minutes. You could work around this though with the new ramprate programming option but would need to pull the "set" switch to remove power instead of pushing it twice. Using this method, you could also set the local level programmatically and only require a single airgap pull.
Anyways, thanks for the compliments on the new Insteon Explorer. I had been working on it for so long I wasnt sure if people would either like or hate it.
Dave.
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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 10 2006 at 14:25 | IP Logged
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dhoward wrote:
Fasttimes,
The "N-way" function concept sounds interesting. Im not sure if it would be easy enough to add or not. If I understand it properly, I would essentially add 4 switches to a "N-way" group with a global level and ramprate and PowerHome would then create crosslinks between all the switches. Switch 1 would control switches 2,3,4. Switch 2 would control switches 1,3,4, etc.
You would then set the switches to the group level so that you could push the "set" button to assign the same local level and then adjust the level a second time so you could press the "set" button twice to assign the group ramprate.
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The 1st paragraph sounds right. For the 2nd part, of seting the Load levels and Ramp Rates (LLRR from now on) PH should set the LLRR in the n-way group for all the non-load switches, and set the LLRR for the load switches, then tell the user to air-gap them.
Also, you said setting the RR at the switch allows you to set a range from .1 to 9 secs, while the group goes from .1 to 9 minutes. Is there a way to change the group setting for RR so you can get a better range? A setting of 28 gives you .5 second RR and 27 gives you 2 seconds, 26 gives you 4.5 secs. .5 seconds is too short of a RR and 2 seconds is too long. How could you get it to 1 or 1.5 seconds from setting it with the group? Or is this something that PH could set and could be air-gapped?
BTW, but setting a device to be control only prevents the ability to add it to a responder group. Why would you want to do that? Well I want a control-only switch's LED to respond to the rest of the group so it is in synch!
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cmhardwick
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| Posted: October 10 2006 at 17:06 | IP Logged
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I noticed the "control only" situation on a couple of my switches that were reporting errors. i removed them then couldn't add them back until the little light in my head went on. Changed the type to regular switch, added the links I needed, changed it back to control only. Would be nice not to have to go through those steps, so that basically "control only" keeps it from appearing in the listing on the control page but not from working with it as a controllable device, unless it IS only a controller like the ControlLinc.
__________________
Cicero, Enjoying automation!
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 12 2006 at 13:35 | IP Logged
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First,
Ive fixed the problem with the "Control Only" flag. Duhh...what was I thinking? Now only devices with the "ControLinc" flag cannot be set as a responder. Other devices including those set as "Control Only" can be set as a responder link in the Links tab.
Valid ramprate values are from 0 to 31. The ramp times associated with a certain value are fixed by the switch and not changeable. Each switch has a single "local" ramprate and each responder link has a ramprate. The ramprate value in all of these locations can be set programmatically or by dimming the light to a certain level and then manipulating the "set" button. I would have to run my own tests to confirm, but it's been reported that setting the ramprate with the "set" button only allows the setting of values from 24 to 31 which would be the 0.1 to 9 seconds. Unfortunately, it doesnt appear that there is any way to get ramprates in the range of 1 to 1.5 seconds using either local or group control.
With that said, Im not even sure why there is a "local" ramprate setting since a switch always uses the last ramprate as the "local" control ramprate. If you have a group with a 9 minute ramprate and control the switch with that group, the next time you switch the light manually, it will use that last 9 minute ramprate. A real PITA and a firmware bug in my opinion. I would expect a "local" ramprate to mean just that and is the ramprate to always be used when the switch is controlled locally. I guess you could also argue that the current behaviour is a feature where you could send have links with certain ramprates programmed and then send "off" or "on" group commands to the switch (depending upon current status so the switch doesnt actually change) to "program" the current local ramprate.
On the N-way group setup...I would think that it wouldnt matter which switches actually had the load or not since you would want them all to respond the same (at least that is how I have mine setup). IE, if you have a 3 way circuit (two switches) controlling a single light (one has the load) and the level is 75% with a ramprate of about 9 seconds, if I control the light using the slave switch, I still want the slave switch LED bar to reflect a 75% level (controlled by the slave switch local level) and I would want the LED to ramp up at the same rate as if I used the load controlled switch.
Give me your thoughts if you're thinking of something different .
Dave.
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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 12 2006 at 17:24 | IP Logged
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Dave, that makes sense. Now that you made this explorer, I've finally setup my switches to link.
Can you walk me through the procedure for using PH to set the LL and RR for a switch?
BTW, what language is PH developed in? I've got an idea for making a visual representation of the linkages in the Insteon Explorer. Switches would show what kind of load they control, as well as the LL and RR, and you would have to/from lines which would show the links, as well as what Level and RampRate to control that switch.
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 12 2006 at 23:16 | IP Logged
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Fasttimes,
No problem. To setup the Local level and local ramprate, open the Insteon Explorer and go to the "Devices" tab. Scroll to the right and you'll see columns: "Local Level", "Desired Local Level", "Local Ramprate", and "Desired Local Ramprate". Just set the "Desired" column to the values you want.
Before going to the next step, make sure that all of your other "Desired" columns (including the "Desired X10" column) match the actual columns. Even if you just have to type in the same value that exists in the "Actual" column, you want to make them equal because when we activate the "Write Level/Ramp/X10" checkbox above, PowerHome will scan for any difference between Actual and Desired and will update them. So make sure that the only ones that differ are the ones you want to update.
Save your changes by pressing the "Refresh" button. You'll be asked if you wish to save your changes. Choose OK.
Enable the "Write Level/Ramp/X10" checkbox at the top of the Insteon Explorer. Watch your "Pending Operations" window and you should see the changes queue up very shortly. After they've all been written, go to the switches and pull the airgap. This can be very quick. Just pull the airgap until the LED on the light goes out and then press it back in. Don't go too far and press and hold or you might factory reset your switch. After this step, your switches should have the new local ramprate and level (use this same procedure for setting the X10 address as well).
The bulk of PowerHome is written in PowerBuilder 9.02 (a sybase 4GL product). Some low level stuff is in C, C++, and even some assembler. Would be very interested in seeing anything that you come up with.
HTH,
Dave.
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fasttimes
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| Posted: October 13 2006 at 00:24 | IP Logged
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Dave,
If I set all the switches LL and RR at once, couldnt I just trip the circuit breaker in the house for a few seconds and accomplish the same thing?
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 17 2006 at 17:05 | IP Logged
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Fasttimes,
Absolutely! To me this would even be easier than going to each individual switch and try to fit my fingernail up under the airgap to pull out .
Dave.
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