Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'! Dan Carrington Wed, 13 Jan 1999 11:23:46 -0800

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Can't you just use a lat/long that is acceptable to ECS and calculate
the difference by adding or subtracting a certain amount of minutes or
hours a needed?  As long as you use the same distance from the equator,
the yearly change should be the same, just add/subtract to move the time
around the globe.  You could watch the local news to find the local
sunrise/sunset to calculate the difference you need.  The yearly
variations would only be different if the distance from the equator is
changed, correct?

$.02
Dan Carrington



"Kelly, Graham" wrote:
> 
> 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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