Subject: From: Date:

RE: [ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'! Kelly, Graham Thu, 14 Jan 1999 08:59:31 +1300

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Tony

You're right about the latitude and longitude. Mark has set it up so it only
works from Greenwich to North America, because he only allows 2 digits to be
entered. My longitude in New Zealand is -171. There is no way I can enter
minus or 3 digits. Solution is to use an small X10 infra red detector (the
one that sends a signal at dusk and another and dawn) or the X10 Sundowner
and create a True/False daylight item which it controls. ECS will then know
whether it is daylight or dark.

BTW Mark, if you want a worldwide latitude & longitude utility, there is an
excellent one in a Dos shareware program called Earthwatch, although the
optional method in it of clicking your mouse on your spot on a map of the
world is a little too elaborate! However, it does allow you enter positive
and negative latitudes and longitudes plus 3 digits. It then calculates dawn
& dusk correctly anywhere in the world.

> ----------
> From: 	Mark Gilmore[SMTP:omnip@usit.net]
> Reply To: 	ecs-list@netbloc.com
> Sent: 	Thursday, 14 January 1999 09:04
> To: 	Tony James
> Cc: 	ecs-list@netbloc.com
> Subject: 	[ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'!
> 
> Tony, My answers are inserted below.
> 
> ECS-USERS: Any answers for the latitude/longitude
> questions a few paragraphs down ? tanx
> 
> Please send subsequent questions to ecs-list
> (ecs-list@netbloc.com), so everyone can have
> a shot at helping out.
> 
> Tony James wrote:
> > 
> > Mark
> > 
> > I have an HomeVision-PC which I bought a year ago with visions of
> writing my
> > own Visual Basic programmes and communicating with HV via DDE. Well to
> cut a
> > short story long I am not as clever as I thought I was! I did copy ECS
> > across 10 months ago but couldn't make head nor tail of it. Having seen
> your
> > announcement of the Windows version to the HV group I decided to try
> again.
> > Using the quick start instructions I found that I could do things at
> last.
> > However having joined the ECS mail group I realise I am not alone in
> having
> > trouble getting to grips with the ECS language.
> > Could you perhaps help with a couple of examples of how to do things so
> that
> > my brain can get into gear?
> > 
> > First a question on Sunrise/Sunset. I am in the UK, will this work here
> (it
> > doesn't seem to) as we have no time zones and how do you differentiate
> > between Longitude North and South or Latitude E and W. I put in 50 and 0
> and
> > the times were not even close.
> 
> I will need to add another time-zone for the UK -
> What would your zone(s) be called ?
> I would need to know your latitude/longitude/sunrise-time
> to do so, but I must plead ignorance on the 2nd question.
> I will forward to ecs-list in hopes of an answer.
> 
> > 
> > Down to my scenarios. I have a lamp that I want to come on at 0630
> weekdays.
> > No problem there, I can make ECS do this for me. However what I want is
> for
> > the lamp to come on at 10% and increase by 10% every 40 seconds until at
> > 100%. Obviously a counter and timer job, but how?
> 
> This would be the simplest approach:
> 	If time is 6:30 am
> 	and second is now 0
> 	then light set 12%
> 	else if time is 6:30 am
> 	and second is now 40
> 	then light set 24%
> ...
> ...
> 
> Note that most X-10 interfaces do not support even 10%
> dimming increments, which is why I chose the above %'s.
> WARNING: If the light is initially OFF, it will 1st come
> %100 ON and then dim-down. If it is initially set to 0%,
> you want have this problem.
> 
> > 
> > Next one. How do I capture any infra red commands that HV picks up from
> my
> > remote and then 'do' something? I've read the IR-signal-J bit but there
> are
> > gaps.
> 
> 	If IR-Signal-J Is 1
> 	Then ...
> 
> where "1" would be the ID of a particular signal,
> as learned via the HV software. Note that instead of "1",
> you could define a number Item whose name is say "TV:ON",
> and whose initial state would be 1.
> Your event-line would then read:
> 	If IR-Signal-J Is TV:ON
> This would make your events easier to follow.
> 
> > 
> > Like your last 'newbie' I am overwhelmed by the things that can be done
> with
> > ECS. My feedback on the help/documentation would be that more examples
> of
> > how things could be done would help. I tried to look at past postings
> but
> > they have been removed because of concerns about privacy.
> 
> Mucho examples are in EXAMPLE.CFG.
> 
> > 
> > Sorry for the length of this. I feel that ECS is going to be worth
> spending
> > my hard earned pounds (or will it be Euros) once I have go the hang of
> it.
> > However I guess that to make the best use of my HV-PC I will need the
> full
> > version?
> 
> ECS-Lite will support record/playback (via any wave card), and
> any/all x-10 capabilities, regardless of the hardware used.
> It's enough to keep you busy for a while :-).
> 
> > 
> > Regards
> > Tony
> 
> -- 
> Mark Gilmore
> Omnipotence (ECS home automation software)
> omnip@usit.net
> http://www.usit.com/omnip
> 

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