My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

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Teken
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Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:30 pm

PROJECT TITAN - SWIDGET: THE FUTURE SMART OUTLET SOLUTION:
On July 23, 2017 of the wee hours of the night I received an alert message of new smart technology in the works. One item that caught my eye was from a Canadian start up company in Ontario called Swidget.

You can view their companies main web page here: http://swidget.com/

The company intends to offer the worlds first electrical outlet that supports a open hardware platform via plugin hardware?!? :shock: They currently have a Kickstarter campaign going on and they offer quiet a few early bird options which you can find here:

[video][/video]

The company already holds 8 patents for the concept here in Canada & United States

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MAIN SYSTEM & ACCESORIES:

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This novel concept has been tried in various ways in the open market in the past with little success. What differentiates this companies idea from the rest is they intend to make their own plugin modules and allow other companies to do the same. :P

This would essentially allow a person to customize outlets to that rooms environment. It would also allow a person to choose the protocol in place such as Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, IR, or a combination of etc.

[video][/video]

Below are some of the possible supported features and options of the plugin modules.

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Of interest in this screen shot is the blue tooth speaker option. This would allow a person like me to have speakers where needed for mini PA system, music, intercom. The motion sensor option would enable a person to integrate with smart controllers to detect presence or the lack there of to activate different resources such as lighting, ventilation, and various appliances.

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The three options listed below in my mind just opens up the different use cases and possibilities in a smart home. Having the ability to retrofit any place with an outlet to monitor environmental temperature and humidity would help those not willing to run miles of wire like I did for my 1 wire system.

The Alexa repeater is simply fantastic and would reduce the costs for a full blown Echo. While still allowing a person to use said device as a speaker / microphone.

The camera plugin option for me offers the greatest possibilities in my home and future projects. Being able to mount a camera in any room with out wires where a switch was would fill many needs.

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The option that interests me the most in this picture is power monitor. By default every unit will have the ability to monitor the energy consumption from each outlet independently. Having spoken with the developers regarding energy monitoring it will not be as accurate as the Brultech GEM.

Not a surprise but a little disappointing to say the least. The 1 hour emergency back up lighting is interesting but am skeptical on how much light such device could provide. Besides minimal path lighting normally seen in night lights.

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Another great concept use case is to have existing outlets double as WiFi repeaters. This I see has legs and value to lots of people like me.

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The last option of interest to me is the Carbon Monoxide detector. Being able to deploy ground level sensors where the gas first resides would offer more safety and security in my home.

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After doing some basic research on this company I decided to take a gamble and invest in the Z-Wave 3 pack system. I have already engaged the developers to help in any future Alpha / Beta testing and hope my input will result in a better product.

The company has a very long lead time of June 2018. To be honest having invested in many crowd funding campaigns their honesty and realistic time line is more factual than most. This may put off those who are *Instant Gratification* users ~ then again this wouldn't be for you!!! :lol:

As of July 25, 2017 I am a formal backer in this next generation smart outlet. My hopes are to bring to market the best in class hardware that anyone can use and integrate with their smart home.

Let the journey begin . . .
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:46 pm

PROJECT TITAN - SWIDGET: FUTURE PLUGIN OPTIONS
The following are the possible adapters the company or third party company may release. As noted up above the WiFi Camera option is of special interest to me.

I have already requested that the vendor consider making modules with out the outlets and a blank face plate so they can be installed where common switches are. As I don't for see a camera at the ground level offering much practical use or field of view. :?

WIFI CAMERA:

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Having a few strategically placed motion sensors would completely do away from hardware sensors being installed and affixed to the walls. While offering that stealth look and feel that would really fit into my environment.

WIFI MOTION:

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Probably one of the coolest ideas would be having an outlet or switch that is re-purposed to offer Alexa two way communications and use it as a remote speaker! This would allow me to use this as a means to invoke Julie U.S. for automation, energy, weather, security, force protection elements.

ALEXA REPEATER:

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There are a few areas in the home I wouldn't mind having a carbon monoxide detector hidden in stealth mode. :mrgreen: :ugeek:

CARBON MONOXIDE:

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The IR remote controller would do away with IR blasters through out the home and extended wiring.

IR REMOTE:

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Possible layout of some of the modules through out the home as I would expect.

LAYOUT 1:

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Other modules in various rooms to meet the needs of the end users.

LAYOUT 2:

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This room probably mimics exactly what I see in a few rooms.

LAYOUT 3:

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Having the ability to scatter a few discreet blue tooth speakers around key areas of the home would fill that voice announcement project under way. :ugeek:

LAYOUT 4:

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This FAQ was pulled off of the companies main website and the ones most important to me.

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Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:31 am

PROJECT TITAN - AUTELIS BRIDGE 2: THE NEXT STEPS
On July 31, 2017 USPS / Canada Post sent me a delivery confirmation text that my second 32 channel 1 Wire Autelis ISY Bridge had arrived. :D This new piece of hardware will compliment the other 48 other one wire sensors in place now.

This will bring my 1 Wire network to 80 active sensors through out the home and property.

For those interested in the first deployment of the Autelis Bridge 1 can follow this link: (Add URL)

AUTELIS BRIDGE - PACKAGE:

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The Autelis Bridge removed for the first time and into the Teken air. :lol:

AUTELIS BRDIGE - BOX:

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AUTELIS BRIDGE - CONTENTS INSIDE:

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AUTELIS BRIDGE - CONTENTS LAID OUT:

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The latest hardware *Casing* has very slight cosmetic changes to identify each of the ports and inputs. In the past this information was listed at the top of the clear sticker above the logo.

AUTELIS BRIDGE - CONTROLLER:

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That same information is now stenciled into a blue plastic frame as seen here.

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The company has also changed over to using a generic power supply instead of the Motorola branded PSU. Going off memory the previous generation PSU offered the same performance specifications of 100 ~ 240 VAC, supporting both 50/60 Hz, 5 VDC @ 1.0 amperes.

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This secondary 1 wire controller will also be mated to several pieces of RS-232 serial appliances enroute. :mrgreen:

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All of the new temperature and serial data will be pushed to the forth ISY Series Controller which is Z-Wave enabled. Taking advantage of the two way communications will allow me to finalize several important projects in the works for Titan.

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The paper insert offers a quick glimpse and insight as to how the two way RS-232 communications works.

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ALPHA DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTS - MY RANT:
This new controller was still using older 1.2.0 firmware which did not address all of the past issues I saw and had fixed. :|

As stated in that last thread entry I found it mind boggling that any consumer never mind company would offer and release a product that had so many obvious bugs and missing features!!! :evil: :? :roll:

That my friends makes it a Alpha product ~ Not a retail consumer product . . .

From a consumer stand point, I have no clue how come so many people never said a word about the obvious bugs in the software. Either they are clueless or just plain stupid in my estimation and have very low expectations for hardware. :| I don't pretend to be the smartest person in the world but what I lack in paper smarts I make up in lots of common sense!! :mrgreen:

Perhaps having been involved in many technical projects from the ground up has given me that insight as to what to look for. More realistically, its the fact I always try to ask questions, play with the product, while pushing a vendor to do better.

Doing so will benefit everyone from the top down and in the long run pushes sales, awareness, and market adoption. As of this writing I've been told this hardware has been abandoned and is (EOL) End Of Life. :| This was in large part because of me having identified related technical issues with the hardware.

One can see these issues in the Autelis Forum found here: (Add URL)

Like this site, the forums are scattered with *Feature Requests* made by me to help resolve existing, unknown bugs, while adding more capability to the system. My push to solve these technical issues and have basic features added has increased the awareness and sales of this product.

Only to have the vendor tell me he has decided to halt all sales and technical support for the hardware?!?! :shock: :|

If that isn't a real WTF I just don't know . . .

This is why the second Autelis Bridge 2 was purchased because there would be no more 1 wire hardware to be seen from them. Those so interested in extending their 1 wire network may want to consider purchasing a unit before they are gone.

Based on correspondence with the vendor they stated the unit I have is the last one. I personally don't believe him to be honest and feel it was some kind of shell game to avoid fixing hardware issues I brought to his attention.

Regardless, today is a sad day for the Plug & Play crowd who seeks to integrate environmentals in their systems with very little effort. :cry: :|
AUTELIS BRIDGE - FIRMWARE UPGRADE PROCESS:
For historic reasons and because I have bad (CRAFT) memory. :lol: Below is how the system tabs look using 1.2.0 firmware. Keeping in mind the latest 1.3.2 firmware includes no less than 25 feature request enhancements, performance and stability fix's, to obvious and glaring unresolved bugs, because of me . . . :|

RULES:

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SETTINGS:

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1 WIRE:

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ISY SETTINGS:

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The process to update the firmware is very straight forward and requires only a download of the Java application.

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The system by default will find the IP address of the Autelis Bridge. This assumes all of the base network settings are in place. If you ever feel the need to install the same firmware for what ever reason you will need to select the *Force Update* box.

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The system will prompt you to enter the port assuming it hasn't been changed otherwise it will default to port 80.

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Next the system will prompt you to enter the user name and password credentials used to access the Autelis Bridge. If you haven't changed anything since the device was received the default password is admin in lower case.

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At this point the system will begin the firmware loading process which takes about 30 ~ 120 seconds.

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Finally, once the firmware has been properly loaded you will be presented with a completion message as seen below.

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PROJECT TITAN - AUTELIS BRIDGE: THE JOURNEY TO STABILITY
As noted up above this second piece of hardware was purchased as a measure of fail over, spare, and to integrate with other sub systems on their way. For a long time I have been seeing the ISY Series Controller locking up and its reliability go down the toilet. One of the things I identified was that the Autelis Bridge at random times would lock up too?!? :?: :shock:

Meaning when you were trying to access the internal web page nothing would come up. Simply hard rebooting would solve the issue until the next time. Another issue I would see is randomly it seemed the hardware would transmit endless packets to the ISY Series Controller.

Even though the send interval was defined to be very modest of 60 seconds it seemed the ISY Series Controller would be overwhelmed by the flood of data.

As a quick fix I created a program to soft reboot the Autelis Bridge in hopes of resolving this odd issue.

A network resource was created in the ISY Series Controller to invoke the reboot sequence. Since this hardware is very simple the reboot sequence happens in a blink of the eye, literally. :| The only way to confirm this process actually happens is to watch the Ethernet port in the rear. If the soft reboot command is invoked the Ethernet LED will quickly blink.

PROGRAM - SOFT REBOOT:

The soft boot process is invoked every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday at 10:00 PM each night. At that point the system will wait for 5 seconds then play a voice announcement via Julie U.S. Next the controller will send out a custom email to me confirming this process has been completed. :P

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ISY NETWORK RESOURCE - SOFT REBOOT:

The network resource for this is very simple high lighted in red are the network parameters you will select and enter: HTTP, GET, IP ADDRESS, PORT. In green is the network command that needs to be sent Autelis Bridge. In blue you will select *Add* to include the user name and password credentials for the system.

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PROGRAM - HARD REBOOT:

Anyone who has been around computer systems know soft rebooting can be a 50/50 proposition of success vs failure. To guard against such an incident the Autelis Bridge is hard rebooted. Meaning the physical power is removed from the hardware for a defined period of time. This is done using one of seven web enabled remote power switches in my home.

The hard reboot process is invoked every Friday at 7:00 AM. Like the other program the system is programmed to wait five seconds before it speaks to alert me. Finally, the controller will send out a confirmation email that this process has been completed.

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ISY NETWORK RESOURCE - HARD REBOOT:

The remote web enabled switch is programmed to cycle outlet 6 and wait five seconds before restoring power.

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As of this writing using these two methods seems to have fixed the web page lock up and data stream bombardments to the ISY Series Controller. I'm going to monitor this issue over the next few months to see if the above is the band aid solution. As I suspect the Autelis Bridge controller may very well be going out the door and sh^tting the virtual bed. :|
PROJECT TITAN - AUTELIS BRIDGE: 1 WIRE ENROLLMENT:
Having used and installed so many 1 wire sensors in the past that experience has taught me to be very patient and to test, validate, and confirm. Failure to do the three steps will result in lots of rewiring, ladder climbing, and endless nights of trouble shooting. :evil:

In this image capture you will see ten 1 wire sensors having been enrolled into the system. The first three sensors in green were from a previous project and found using long wire lengths caused these sensors and the controller to act up. This problem isn't seen using short wire runs or complex topology not recommended by Maxium.

The Maxium company call this *weight* I like to consider this as resistance / wire conflict. When thin wire like CAT5e Ethernet cable is used along with long runs slow readings can appear. Other times random out of band values will show up as you see here with numbers far exceeding the item being measured.

The goal for this second 1 wire temperature controller is to *Yet Again* hook up 32 sensors on a short length network. In red once I have validated which sensors are matched pairs I will group those same pairs to one another.

Next, I will test each matched pairs like the ones high lighted in blue for extreme hot and cold using boiling hot water, hot air gun, and a mini torch. For the cold I will be using water, ice cubes in water, and liquid nitrogen. Once the pairs that have been identified to be stable over a wide temperature range has been found those pairs will be grouped into another block.

From there a 30~90 audit & tracking will be used by the Z-Wave enabled ISY Series Controller. I'll be able to track the current, low, and high limits seen by each sensor. Once I am satisfied by this long term validation process I will commission the sensors into service.

*Oh joy ~ Teken what did you do over the 120 days of summer* :? :roll:

1 WIRE - TEN SENSOR ENROLLMENT:

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This same process will need to be rinsed and repeated with the longer wiring network. As noted in the GEM 2 install I will use a single home run wire to the Autelis Bridge. From there I will star out using the terminal blocks with *Even Length* cabling. I will be using high quality 22-4 quad cable as seen in the GEM 2 installation process to ensure the lowest resistance. While using the forth pair for the ground terminal to run in parallel to also reduce resistance.

Preliminary testing has shown this has made the difference in obtaining an extra 10~15 feet. As such regardless of wire length I intend to use the shortest run possible in hopes of lesser *Weight* on the 1 wire network.
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Aug 02, 2017 4:05 pm

PROJECT TITAN - SURGE PROTECTION: TYPE 3
On July 31, 2017 the city was hit with another massive thunderstorm event that lasted for almost three hours in duration in my area. Some parts of the city endured several more hours than I as the storm front was quite large. :|

As seen in this image capture the lightning started at 2:45 PM CST. At 3:20 PM the strikes begin in succession, last strikes are seen at 4:55 PM in my area.

WEATHER FLOW - LIGHTNING STRIKE LOG:

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Electrical power was never lost during that event in my area nor where there any line surges detected on the Power Watch Monitors or surge counters. The 120 / 240 APC Symetra 24.7.365 UPS system never came on line or detect a loss of power or surge event. The Guardian system also did not detect any threats in or around the home during those events. :P

Sadly, that can not be said for everyone in the city. :|

I received a panic call from a close friend who lives across town. He indicated that the entire area was seeing outages, brown outs, and random flicker in the house. All said after more than six long hours when electrical power was finally restored in his area. He found many large appliances and HVAC systems damaged. :cry:

He indicated the following items were damaged and not operable in any way: Furnace, Air Conditioner, Dish Washer, Washer, Dryer, and one single 50" HDTV. :|

I don't know what he has for a furnace but going off memory the cheapest no name furnace I've ever seen runs at least $900.00. Most of the 1st tier name brand units I spec'd out where thousands of dollars ranging from $2000 ~ $5500.00.

As of this writing he has engaged the insurance company to help cover the loss which surprisingly indicates *Act of God* events under the *All Perils* coverage. Strangely, after speaking to my insurance broker our insurance companies in the Province do not offer or cover for Tornado events?!?! :| :? :shock:

Guess I better pray my house is never sucked up or destroyed by a tornado!!!

Anyways, this high lights the importance of having a (SPD) surge protective devices installed in the home through a layered approach. As of this writing my friend and I are going to spec out Type 1, 2, 3 SPD's from various manufactures to offer more protection.

Unfortunately, he and many people around the world will need to accept the fact no SPD will ever protect the home against a voltage sag (brown out) or short duration rise in voltage that exceeds 130 VAC RMS.

The only thing that will offer such protection is a on line 24.7.365 whole house 120 / 240 UPS system like I have in place. For smaller appliances a dedicated AVR UPS that regulates the line voltage to maintain 90 ~ 130 VAC RMS could be employed but gets expensive and doesn't offer such protection for 240 VAC appliances.
TRIPPLITE - SURGE PROTECTION: POINT OF USE
More than seven years ago when I deployed all three layers of SPD's in the home. I decided to implement a red neck solution to protect various *Expansive* appliances in the home at the source. Even though the home is protected by a Type 1 secondary SPD at the meter base and a Type 2 secondary at the electrical service panel.

Type 3 SPD's in various forms are used to protect *Point of Use* devices.

Unfortunately none of these Type 3 SPD's can be used on hardwired appliances like the 120 VAC furnace. :cry: My solution was to implement a series wiring approach upstream like a standard AFCI / GFCI outlet.

Those familiar with AFCI / GFCI outlets know you need only wire in one of these devices upstream to protect all of the down stream connected outlets. In this same vain I decided to retro fit a Tripplite surge blok inline with the furnace.

Below is a quick over view of the product in question from the manufacture.
TRIPPLITE - OVER VIEW:
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TRIPPLITE - FEATURES:
I installed this specific piece of hardware back in the day because at the time it offered everything I considered important, relevant, and met the highest rating. The Surge Blok offers 1410 Joules one of the highest for a single *Point of Use* outlet. Has a AC response time of less than 1 nano seconds, clamping voltage of 140 VAC RMS which is the lowest I'v ever seen. AC suppression current of 48,000 amps and re-settable fuse.

Has three diagnostic LED's to indicate on line power, ground, and loss of protection. Meets all UL 1449 2nd / 3rd edition and exceeds IEEE 587 category A & B surge suppression specifications.

The most important aspect is this device is designed to a *FAIL SECURE* mode. Meaning should surge protection be lost electrical power will NOT be reapplied. Many SPD's when compromised will still offer electrical power to the connected appliance even when surge protection is lost.

This is aptly phrased as *Fail Safe* which is fine for fridges, freezers, sumps, where constant power is important etc.

There is no right or wrong as to what to use but serious thought and planning must be considered when employing either one. :|

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TRIPPLITE - SPECIFICATION:
This is very important to understand as what ever you decide to run in series will have no power until you replace or rewire the system to allow power like the furnace. I've taken a gamble and decided the extra protection was worth the headache of manually rewiring the furnace. In more than eight years nothing has ever happen but its always top of mind when I turn off the furnace during the summer time.

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As seen below the maker offers a lifetime protection for the device and covers attached hardware for up to $10,000 for damages even from a direct lightning strike!!

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TRIPPLITE - SURGE BLOK: TAKING IT APART:
Since this terrible event happen to my friend he has asked me to help recreate my red neck SPD to protect his new furnace. I'll need to add in the other images once I purchase all of the related hardware to finalize the SPD.

In the interim here is a break down of the Tripplite Surge Blok. Below is one brand new SPD still in the box.

TRIPPLITE - ISOBAR PACKAGE:

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TRIPPLITE - ISOBAR SURGE BLOCK:

The metal hardware plates are secured by four Phillips screws. Removing them takes a small amount of effort as the manufacture uses Lock Tite on the threads.

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Once all of the screws are removed the entire assembly just slides out of the metal frame.

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After the SPD is out your left with four wires and clear access to the wiring harness. We are going to modify and connect these wires to the incoming power from the service panel. It will then be wired in series to a dumb switch which offers extra protection and service point to the furnace.

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As seen in this close up photo the MOV's and series resistors are massive. All of the MOV's are also covered in a flame retardant orange foil and if you look closely all of them are thermally fused internally.

This is why this product can offer so much protection in a compact form.

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Since part of the extreme durability and safety rating comes from the metal casing along with the use of fire retardant wire loom. This same process will be replicated in the Teken Red Neck (TRN) SPD. :mrgreen: :lol:

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This is a old photo of the original switch that supplies power directly to the furnace. During the summer months I turn off the breaker at the service panel along with placing the switch in the off position. Doing these two things guards against any possible electrical surge event reaching the furnace during the summer time. :D

Unfortunately, it doesn't protect the furnace during the winter months when in use. :cry:

So that brings us to the TRN SPD where the Tripplite Surge Blok is wired before the switch. Wiring it in this fashion allows me to see power is present upstream via the diagnostic LED's and also cutting power to the furnace using the switch if and when needed.

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I'm on the fence on buying a plastic work box vs a metal one for my friend. As the metal one was a real bear to modify in the past and to shoe horn everything into one fixture. :x Given I am trying to keep the same UL safety rating a metal enclosure will more than likely be purchased. It would bug the hell out of me cheaping out on the last mile. :cry: :oops: :|
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Sun Aug 06, 2017 12:03 pm

PROJECT TITAN - SURGE PROTECTION: TYPE 4
This week end I pressed forward to complete the Type 3 SPD for my friend. But was immediately halted by the fact no local hardware store offered the required junction box, NEMA enclosure, etc?!?!?

It was either too big, too deep, too small, too expensive . . .

I don't know what happen from the time I purchased and built my box. But, this box I purchased simply won't cut it and work for the hardware in place.

JUNCTION BOX:

So the next option is to follow through in what I did in another project which is to use a Ditek series SPD as seen here. The benefit going this route is it requires no modifications and simply needs to be enclosed in a box if so required.

The wiring is more straight forward then it was in the TRN SPD I created even though it looked super cool and works. :mrgreen: Using this method is also much easier to replicate for others viewing this thread should it be required. :ugeek:
DITEK - DTK 120SR: 120 VAC SURGE PROTECTIVE DEVICE
I've been using the Ditek brand of SPD's in commercial, enterprise, and military applications for more than 15 years. This great family owned American company has been in business for more than 25 years and every SPD solution is made in good old U.S.A

Their products offer a solid 10 year warranty against product failure.

The plan moving forward is to remove the TRN SPD that currently protects my furnace and to install it in my friends home. He really liked my unit so instead of farting around trying to get the exact same enclosure and waste time. I'll be removing mine and installing it in his new furnace when it arrives this week.

This will allow me to install the new Ditek SPD in its place and will reside in a similar enclosure as seen here.

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The system is extremely simple and easy to connect to with a input, output, and ground terminals. I'll be assembling a few 12 AWG wiring harnesses to connect to the 14-2 Romex in place now.

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The side of the unit indicates the very simple wiring schematic along with the UL / cUL 1449 certifications it meets and holds. Along with the surge protection it offers in each mode along with specifications for current handling.

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This specific unit doesn't offer the same performance as the Tripplite unit it replaces now. :cry: But, its very close and the benefit of going this route is it requires no custom alterations as I had done to the TRN SPD. :| :lol:

Agency Approvals: UL1449 3rd Edition, cUL, UL1283
Protector Type: Type 4 SPD, for Type 2 Application
Nominal Discharge Current Rating (In): 3kA
SCCR: 10kA
Operating Voltage: 120VAC
MCOV: 150VAC
Peak Surge Current: 54,000 Amps
Maximum Continuous Current: 20A
EMI/RFI Attenuation: Up to 35dB, 100kHz-100MHz
Protection Modes: All modes (L-N, L-G, N-G)
Voltage Protection Rating: 600V
Temperature Range: 32°F – 104°F (0°C - 40°C)
Dimensions: 6.87” x 3.50” x 2.50” (174.50 mm x 88.90 mm x 63.50 mm)
Weight: 12.16 oz.
Housing: ABS

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Since Project Titan has so many dedicated circuits already planned out and deployed I've decided to supplement every 120 VAC branch circuit with these Ditek Type 4 SPD's. :mrgreen: This will compliment the Type 1, 2, 3, layers already in place for the home. This will be a huge undertaking but in the long run all of the expansive appliances and electronics will be fully protected from in band surges.

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After thinking over the long term project to help reduce costs I've decided to use the base unit as is where it makes sense. As seen below each Ditek 120-SR comes with a clear Plexiglas cover.

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Considering most of these units will be mounted high in the ceiling the base clear cover will offer enough (Human) protection to guard against an errant hand touching the wiring.

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The next step was to locate the two huge box's of stranded hook up wire as seen here. I don't know what was more depressing than to find out, of 32 rolls of wire. There wasn't any 12 gauge wire to be seen?!? :? :x I had every other wire size from 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 16, 18, but not 12!!! :|

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Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:36 pm

PROJECT TITAN - LEVITON TYPE 3 SURGE PROTECTOR: MULTI-OUTLET
As summer has come and gone the phrase from Game Of Throne's: Winter Is Coming :| I've started on the next mini project inside where its nice and warm. :) On October 11, 2017 the first of several sets of these outlets have finally arrived from America.

They will compliment the other 4 outlet surge protectors in use now.

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These are Leviton (Hospital Grade) which are the highest rating for such outlets. The model is 8480-IGW (Integrated Ground White) surge protector. This device offers a VPR L-N / N-G 500 VAC Vpk, L-G 600 Vpk, In 3KA, and the lowest MCOV: 130 VAC of any protector on the market.

Typical MCOV is 150 VAC and for my use case that was much too high.

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The first two of eight will be installed in a new partition in the security room in my home. They will be fed by separate and independent branch circuits in my service panel. Along with the isolated grounding to ensure any fault voltages are shunted to ground as expected.

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I'm still waiting for the trim plate to arrive for these units but in the interim they can be installed using a single gang, 4" octagon, 4" square, 4" square plaster, etc. I'll be using a 4" square for more allowable wire and room. This specific model of surge protector is configured for *Fail Safe* meaning if the surge protection should be damaged.

The device will continue to supply electrical power minus the surge protection.

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For the hardware that is being powered by these four outlet surge protectors. It was imperative that electrical power still be present ~ even if surge protection was lost. Given this is the third line of defense in the electrical system, should it be damaged it would have sacrificed itself as intended.

As always the *Power of 3* will be employed and each appliance will be independently placed on a AVR, UPS, and Type 3 Point of Use Surge Protector.

I hope to bring these new Type 3 fail safe surge protectors on line in the next few weeks.

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Teken . . .

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Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
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Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:27 pm

NOMA G25 - 60 WATT FILAMENT LED BULBS: THAT CLASSIC LOOK
On October 08, 2017 I was finally able to purchase two sets of G25 60 watt equivalent filament LED bulbs. :mrgreen: I've been intrigued by these new filament LED bulbs since they came on the market a few years ago as they offered that classic incandescent look and feel while offering 2017 LED technology and energy savings.

During their initial release they only came in standard shapes & sizes from A19, A21, etc.

Later when the G25 bulbs came out for what ever reason they only came in 40 equivalent watts?!? :? As time went on there were a few 3rd tier vendors who offered the G25 filament bulbs for purchase and they did in fact offer 40, 45, 60, 75, 100 watts. But they were crazy expensive and the fact they were 3rd tier there was no way I was going to buy several box's only to have them fail. :|

Fast forward to October 2017 the weekly Canadian Tire flyer came out. To my shock and amazement the Noma brand had two different types available. They were the frosted and the clear G25 filament bulbs as seen in this Advert. As luck and timing would have it our local utility was having yet another *Energy Star* subsidy discount for all of these energy saving devices.

So that made these regularly $19.99 bulbs only $9.59 for a pack of 3. :mrgreen: That's only $3.20 per bulb and when compared to the 3rd tier bulbs of $25.00 each.

That's a really great savings on these new LED filament bulbs.

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So while on errands I stopped by one of the Canadian Tires and figures ~ None were to be had. :cry: a quick talk to one of the employee's and they confirmed there were others on hand at a local store by me. :P As always the true test was to ensure these bulbs operated fine with my Insteon home automation hardware. Initial tests using a Insteon Switch Linc dimmer showed what I hoped for.

These bulbs offered from what I could perceive a soft start at near zero, ramped up in a linear fashion, and had no flicker, pulsing, strobing, hum, or buzzing!! :mrgreen: Fading down also proved to be excellent and the Insteon network had no issues turning other devices on / off when they bulbs were fully activated.

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These filament LED bulbs offer 2700 K soft warm light which mimics true incandescents. Also, unlike the previous Sylvania G25 half moon bulb these Noma branded bulbs offer a true 360 degree spherical glass lens.

This will offer more ambient light spread than what I had before.

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These are 60 watt equivalent or 5.5 real watts of energy consumption. I'll be measuring them with the GEM to confirm the actual power consumption in a few days. The maker claims these bulbs produce 500 lumens and has a 15000 hours life expectancy based on 3 hours of use per day.

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As expected the maker states these bulbs are not intended to be used in emergency fixtures. The hardware is also not to be used in enclosed fixtures and is weather rated to operate from -25'C.

Noma offers a 3 year warranty on this product which is about par for the course for most. Most of the LED bulbs I have on hand offer five years so this isn't stellar in my mind.

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Here is one of the filament LED bulbs after I cleaned the outer glass casing prior to install. I am extremely impressed that *Noma* or who ever makes these bulbs were able to squeeze all of the electronics into the base housing?!?! If anyone has ever seen the insides of these devices there is quite a bit of technology inside. The most obvious is the metal casing to absorb the heat from the PSU.

As you can see this LED bulb has no metal fins, giant cooling base, etc?? I am going to assume the large G25 glass bulb and inert gas is what's used to keep it cool?

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This a direct comparisons of the Sylvania G25 which these new Noma filament LED bulbs replace. If I could show you how heavy and robust these Sylvania bulbs are you would drop in your seat. One literally feels like a metal brick while the other feels like a standard (light) glass A19 bulb.

Only time will tell if these bulbs will last and perform as expected. I will circle back in a few months to offer my long term impressions of the same.

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Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
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Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:40 pm

WEATHER FLOW - AIR & HUB: PRODUCTION UNIT ARRIVES
On October 09, 2017 the Weather Flow company had informed me that I was placed on a list as one of the *Shipping Beta Testers* to confirm their shipping process was in place and working as expected throughout the globe.

The over all intent was to ensure the international freight forwarding, tracking, documents were in hand, no extra duties, tax's, and brokerage fee's were seen by the end user.

The end results were very positive and nothing was left besides me having to pick up the parcel from the community mail box. :mrgreen:

On October 11, 2017 I was greeted with a little brown double box.

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Cracking open the box revealed the retail package of the general release of the Weather Flow system.

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Who said weather geeks had no sense of humor? :lol:

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Underneath there was quick note as to what outstanding parts were required. Along with the online setup manual ~ followed with an update regarding the Sky.

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The three items inside as noted by the paper hand out.

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Of special mention is the new hardware change to the environmental sensor array port. During my Alpha trials I found the port would become saturated with moisture. This would cause the device to declare 100% humidity for days after rain fall.

So based on this issue the team reconfigured the port to allow moisture to weep away based on my feedback. They also modified the internal Gortex membrane that covers that sensor port to allow better permeability. Hidden inside the team also re-orientated the lightning sensor array to better negate false positives and reduces EMI injection.

Based on my testing & feedback they found the initial Alpha units sent out were configured incorrectly. Thus one of my *Air* units will have to live the rest of its life in a horizontal plane. :cry:

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The setup process was pretty straight forward but there was a moment of angst. :| All of the shipping units from the WF company are *Paired* at the companies factory. This information wasn't made known to me and thus during the pairing process nothing happen.

The expected green LED on the Air never lit up so I had to *Divorce* it from the linked hub. That process was a little harder to complete but it was done in the end. I've been told that since I am literally the first Alpha / Beta tester to receive the production ready units all of these issues have been captured moving forward and modifications to the smart application will take *Existing Hub's* into account. 8-)

Below is the *Production Hub* as viewed from the web portal interface. Right now the production Air is sitting inside until I get the chance to properly mount it outside.

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The Weather Flow team has made it dead easy to select and toggle between multiple stations, hubs, and sensors. As seen below this is the Beta Hub now in place outside. Given the ease of use and connectivity *Team 86* will have these weather stations deployed all over North America moving forward.

This will provide our team, family, friends an early warning system which covers the entire Province which I reside. But also covers all of Canada, 50 Unites States, and many other countries from EU, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

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I've been told by the Weather Flow team I will be the very first person to receive the Beta Sky. :mrgreen: ETA is still being finalized and hope very much to offer the team the same insight and feedback as I did on the Air.

Watch this space for more updates and first impressions of the Sky! :geek:
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
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Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Fri Nov 03, 2017 2:37 pm

WEATHER FLOW SKY - BETA TRIALS START:
On November 03, 2017 my Beta Sky arrived from America. :mrgreen: Having been working with the Weather Flow team for more than a year in the development cycle. I was informed several months ago that I would be the very first Beta tester outside of the company to have a Sky unit in hand. :P

I am once again great full, humbled, and honored to have been chosen for this endeavor. :oops: Several weeks ago all of us were sent an email showing casing the units being readied for shipment. At the time I laughed thinking the blue packaging was a one off. Low and behold when I received the parcel it was indeed enclosed in a blue package! :lol:

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I wasted no time ripping that bag apart like it was the last super. :D

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The next step was to cut open the tamper tape on the box to let the *Sky* breathe the GWN air. :lol:

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Enclosed was the Sky, Dual mounts, and eight lithium primary cells.

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The Sky laying on the kitchen floor. The sensor is quite a bit larger than the Air and weighs about 3~4 lbs.

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A close up shot of the (North) embossed indicator. The (N) is to help the user finalize and sight the Sky to the correct orientation. Doing so will ensure wind direction is properly captured and displayed to the end user in the smart application and web hosted portal service.

I've provided some suggestions as to how to make this a little better from a human ergonomic perspective. My suggestion was to offer a small hole where a tooth pick or thin rod could be inserted.

This would allow the person holding the unit and a compass / smart phone could see quickly the unit was pointing in the correct direction of North.

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A close up shot of the infrasonic wind sensors.

The unit has four of these sensors mounted under the belly of the top dome. The Beta trials will be used to identify hardware & software issues so they can iterate the final product.

Real world use from me and dozens of others will help finalize the deployment firmware.

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The top of the dome show cases the UV, Light, and Solar Radiation sensor array. The haptic rain sensor is underneath the dome.

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Image of the pole mount that attaches to the Sky.

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I separated the two so you could see the casing, pitch, and base stem.

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Inside of the pole mount stem ~ Its pretty hard to make out screw pitch, sorry. :cry:

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The Sky takes (8) Lithium primary cells and they must be orientated in the same direction.

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I found the locking collar was extremely tight and not very smooth. Even after repeated cycling of the collar up and down it was near impossible to turn the unit to go up / down. A quick lube with Vaseline and the bulk of the friction was reduced to a manageable force.

I've provided some feedback that the team consider marking the poll mount stem with a *Max Height* indicator whether it be a line, arrow, or verbiage. This will ensure the user doesn't attempt to twist the collar past a safe position which could snap the collar or leave the housing completely locked in place.

I can tell you anyone who has tried to remove the battery compartment to the *Air* can attest it was extremely hard to remove. Take what I am telling you here and multiple that by ten!! :| Meaning if you turn that collar past a defined height you better have God on your side help you unlock that collar! :roll: I've asked the team to review the pitch and angle of the collar assembly to ensure its machined correctly to ensure a better user experience.

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I've been told the trial will be using algorithms that are going to chew through batteries. Because of this I have decided not to install the Sky up in the roof as noted in a past log entry. I don't want to be scaling a 25 foot ladder when the mercury is -35'C and five feet of snow is around. So in the interim I purchased a pole for a broom stick! :mrgreen:

Yes, I know pretty ghetto but this will allow me to place the Sky where ever I need it for a clear wind, sky fetch. Since its at ground level it won't be an issue to replace the batteries during the testing phase.

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Since the pole wasn't exactly the right diameter I had to use the opposite side of the broom stick to insert into the pole mount. Worked perfectly and was snug as a bug in a rug after only a few turns of the collar. :geek:

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I decided to place the Sky in the center of the back yard as it offered the best clear view of the sky itself. Given its so low on the ground I don't expect it will offer much real world wind accuracy but the system is tracking it none the less. :geek:

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WEB HOSTED PORTAL ~ STATS:
These images are from the Weather Flow web hosted portal services. Below is the main page show casing the various cards / tabs. It should be noted the user may adjust the cards up and down to reflect their personal needs this must be done using the smart application though.

I will be moving my card / tabs up three levels for easier view from the smaller iPhone 5. The third card displays the UV, Light, and Solar Radiation metrics. The forth card / tab indicates the amount of rain now, past hour, and 24 hours.

The last card / tab indicates the real time wind direction, speed, 1 minute average, and wind gust.

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Selecting any of the tabs will provide more details about those specific metrics. This one is for the solar radiation as of this writing.

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UV Index as measured by the Sky in my back yard.

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Wind data as captured by the infrasonic sensors embedded into the Sky.

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WEATHER UNDERGROUND ~ INITIAL METRICS:
Here are the initial metrics as captured by Weather Underground. I've asked the team to clear out my data points and will do the same for the WU to ensure a clean slate.

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Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: My GEM, ISY, Dash Box, Insteon Home Automation Install

Post by Teken » Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:41 pm

WEATHER FLOW SKY BETA:
As of November 08, 2017 the Weather Flow Development team have taken on no less than 25 (New) suggestions, feature enhancements, and hardware improvements. The Hub, Sky, Air, have all been iterated in firmware and today both of my Hubs are using firmware v.25

Firmware v.24 was in place for just a short month or so and resolved many past issues the Alpha / Beta team found.

The iOS application is now running 1.64 (build 106) and several existing and new bugs have been squished. The incredible pace at which the development team is moving on these fronts is breath taking.

Key feature enhancements I pushed for were to have more tracking metrics as seen below. Those were online, offline, uptime, RSSI, time stamps for all hardware, battery voltage.

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The Beta Sky has been in production and deployed for 5 Days, 3 Hours, 6 Minutes, 11 Seconds.

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My Beta Air has been in production and testing none stop for more than 206 Days, 3 Hours, 11 Minutes, 43 Seconds!

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Future metrics and enhancements which I've requested for are these in no specific order of relevance or importance: Compensation of metrics vs OEM, MAC Address, IP Address, Clean Mode, Edit / Delete Data, DHCP vs Static, Charts & Graphs, etc.

Hardware improvements and enhancements for Sighting True North. Solutions to offset blockage of the sensor array, Battery Carrier, Solar Power, and many still TBA.

HOLY CRAP - UPDATES KEEP ON COMING:
November 08, 2017 5:29 PM CST and the team has released yet another iOS update. We are on version 1.65 (build 107). :ugeek:

SNOW IMPACT - IDEAS AND ENHANCEMENTS:
It didn't take long for the white fluffy stuff to come dropping out of the Sky <- See what I did there? :lol: Anyways on this specific day approx 10~15 CM of the white stuff came our way.

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A closer look inside of the wind chamber and you can see just natural *Real World* snow accumulation is seen.

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On November 08, 2017 more of the white fluff was streaming in. I believe it was 5~7 CM of snow was called for the forecast. But this is what hit my area during the entire day.

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A close up shot of the snow accumulation on the Beta Sky.

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Based on this natural weather event it was quite apparent to me there needs to be a few enhancements to the software and hardware. One of the feature requests I've submitted and will be developed in the future is a *Clean Mode*. The team may consider offering one or both options which I have suggested they use both.

The clean mode as I envision it will disable the haptic rain sensor. This is important for those of us who need to clean the dome of snow debris. A simple caress of the dome will immediately be detected as a false capture of rain.

There isn't any rain when its -35'C :?

Another possibility is offering the user the ability to edit / delete out of band values in the system. I've suggested both features be implemented because one would address situations where bad values were seen and captured.

So just having the clean mode would not address errant values so in my eyes both are needed. Another issue as seen up above is the snow is literally covering the sensor arrays. There is no way anyone is going to scale a 25 foot ladder all winter long just to clear the dome.

I've offered several hardware enhancements which if taken on would ensure such an condition could be reduced or eliminated completely. Those suggestions have been to first physically increase the length of the sensor array to stick out like a nub instead of being flush.

The practicality of how much it sticks out is up to debate between all of us. I have suggested a good balance of looks and operational use is 0.50". Another option which I believe has more legs but would increase costs and require more complexity is offering a heating element as seen in some professional weather stations.

My hardware enhancement suggestion has been to incorporate either POE for those that can. Or better yet to offer the solar add on power supply option. When the Sky is coupled with the solar array and rechargeable batteries having a snow melt feature would not impact the operational run time of the system.

At this juncture these are only suggestions I have made and the company will need to decide what route makes sense. I believe going the nub & solar heating route is the best path to follow and offers more real world use and value to all.

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BETA SKY TROUBLE SHOOTING: WHEN ITS BAD ~ ITS GOOD
November 10, 2017 Ran into a few technical issues with the Beta Sky here on site. Normally this would put a damper on further testing but in this case. I really wanted to talk about how the Weather Flow team handled the issues I found and the solutions provided.

This may become quite old for some as they read this but I must affirm once again. Having the opportunity to participate in the development cycle has been simply fantastic. Given the ever dropping temperatures a few things came to light that wasn't known.

There were also unexpected generated behavior by the Beta Sky that hadn't been tracked in the past.

What this affirms is the importance of in the wild testing in real world conditions. A person can test all they like in a controlled lab environment but once a piece of hardware is out in the wild things can be drastically different than what was measured, tested, and seen. :|

Having documented no less than four new out of band issues with the hardware today. What continues to amaze me is the complete and utter dedication and commitment to take on the smallest questions, suggestions, and observations from the users.

Its not every day you receive a personal email from the engineering team. Nor is it even likely to receive hourly, daily, emails from someone in leadership at the company. At 7:XX PM on a week end the company is still replying back and offering critical insight about the days events, issues, and corrective actions!!! :o

The last year and a half should have prepared me with how things would be. But, on a consistent basis the people at Weather Flow continue to amaze me by pushing the bar of communications, focus, and development. Based on my observations, repro, and documentation the team was able to quickly determine root cause for at least three of the four issues that impacted my Beta Sky. It should be noted this same level of commitment and the pursuit of excellence has been seen by Aquanta, Brultech, Universal Devices Inc, Water Hero and 75 other companies whom I've had the privilege to help in their development process.

Here are some tid bits that came to light some I already knew because a similar problem appeared during the enrollment process. While others were new elements not well documented to the public at large. It should be clearly noted none of the information relayed here today should be considered final. As the team may decide to iterate and change it to make it better.
BETA SKY - LED COLOR INDICATORS: COLOR STATUS
Push the button next to the battery door - one of three things should happen:

- If GREEN, that means it's working and it thinks it's talking to the hub.
- If PURPLE, that means it's working but can't talk to the hub for some reason.
- If it doesn't light up at all or shows some odd color pattern, that means it's dead or in a weird state.

- If GREEN, and continues to flash continuously it means the Sky is in factory mode and needs to be paired back to the hub steps below.
PAIRING - FACTORY MODE: THE ENROLLING PROCESS
There may be a instance or situation where you find the Sky unpaired with the Hub. The following steps are needed to pair the two units back to one another. Note the name of the Sky will be what ever you named it. Below is simply what I named my hardware and in this case its called Beta Hub & Sky - Beta Ground.

1. Open the app, go to settings->stations->"Beta Hub"->manage devices
2. Swipe "Sky - Beta Ground" to the left to remove it from your station
3. Close the app and "swipe" it out of memory (just to be sure we're starting fresh)
4. Cycle the power to the hub
5. Cycle the power to the SKY - confirm it's still pulsing green
6. Open the app - hub LED should turn BLUE
7. In the app, go to settings->stations->"Beta Hub"->manage devices
8. Tap the "+" in the upper right, and follow the steps to add a SKY as before
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
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