| ECS-L Home Automation and Security Archives |
| Subject: From: Date: | RE: [ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'! Kelly, Graham Thu, 14 Jan 1999 09:23:16 +1300 |
Dan This is OK while you're in the northern hemisphere. But down under here in New Zealand (and Australia, South Africa and South America) our seasons are reversed. So using ECS, we get dawn at 8am and dusk at 5pm in the middle of summer (which is now!) and 5am dawn and 8pm dusk in the middle of winter which is useless. > ---------- > From: Dan Carrington[SMTP:dc_grafx@microworks.net] > Reply To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > Sent: Thursday, 14 January 1999 08:23 > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > Subject: Re: [ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'! > > 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 > > > >