PROJECT TITAN - ISY 994 SERIES CONTROLLER Z-WAVE ENABLED:
This New Year another new ISY 994 ZW IR Pro home automation controller was added to the Teken household.
As noted in this thread entry there are three similar ISY Series Controllers deployed now:
Since my primary home automation system uses Insteon technology having the ability to test, sample, and provide feedback on Alpha / Beta projects that pertain to Z-Wave was the next logical step.
A few months ago I was asked by several Z-Wave developers to assist them in the testing, development, and validation portion of their hardware.
The primary goal and objective like many of the other Beta tests is to help the entire team bring to market the best in class hardware possible for all.
What has been missing from Insteon has been 2017 seamless integration of the following areas: Locks, Window, Energy, Multi Sensors
Since this new Z-Wave enabled controller is more for development than production. My plans are to migrate a few secondary systems from the ZigBee enabled controller now in place. The hope is doing will restore better response and reliability to the controller. As it appears I have maxed out this controller in processing and I/O throughput.
The following are the initial setup and processes it will now support in hopes of off loading high load services from the primary ZigBee controller now in place. I've identified that some of the latest voice announcement features I incorporated into the ZigBee controller can be re-tasked to the Z-Wave controller.
Since there are two sets of Dash Box's & GEM's in place many of the energy monitoring can be relayed to the newest Z-Wave controller via state variables for Alexa voice interaction. Other aspects like the Autelis 1-Wire temperature monitor will still have to remain on the primary DB since the system can only relay its data to one destination IP address.
The most important part of this new controller is having the ability to get a head start in the testing stage of the 5.XX Beta release.
It's hoped all of the dog food testing will result in a positive outcome for the soon to be released node server(s) for the various projects under way now. Other aspects is having the ability to test out the integration of the Aquanta Monitor, Water Hero, and Weather Flow products with out affecting my production unit now in place.
2017 will be a very hectic time for Alpha / Beta testing as there will be no less than 28 new projects under way.
My hopes are to document and track as many parts of these new pieces of hardware to offer insight for those interested in the very same.
Sadly, a large portion of the hardware projects are covered by a NDA . . .
Regardless of that fact, I will share what I can when I can with the forum members in hopes of fostering more brand awareness, product capability, and home automation integration.
Because there was going to be so much overlap from the production ISY 994 IZ IR Pro controller the same firmware upgrades which encompass: Weather, Irrigation, Networking, were incorporated.
WEATHER - ALL HAZARD FAIL OVER ALERTS:
Presently both controllers are linked to Aries Weather which is tied to the local airport for weather data. This controller will be the first proof of concept to integrate a fail over weather system which is hyper local to my home. The long term goal is to have four PWS (Personal Weather Stations) linked and cascaded for real time weather.
Two of the four stations will offer *All Hazard* alerts which are identical to the portable weather radio's I rely upon in my home and while traveling. All of this will be tied to the node server(s) which I will discuss below to allow all four stations to be compared when required.
The primary goal is to be able to obtain real time: Advisory, Watch, Warnings, for extreme inclement weather from Blizzard, Fog, Hail, Tornado, Flood, Lightning, Wild Fire, High Winds, Extreme hot vs cold temperatures.
NODE SERVER:
VOICE INTEGRATION - ALERT STATUS:
Having my current two way voice integration field tested and proven during the last several months. The next step was to deploy en-mass this powerful feature through out the home in a way that offered the most direct benefit to all.
As noted in another thread entry my long term goal was to have a multi zone sound and PA system which could broadcast unique, custom, and zoned announcements. The first area was for the garage overhead door to ensure anyone knew the door was opening or closing.
This is the sample proactive voice announcement that Julie U.S. will state while the GDO is in operation:
To offer more awareness and protection these Insteon alert modules will be incorporated to sound out while the door is opening vs closing. The system will be programmed to delay the initial door movement and will speak first then the alert module will pulse to confirm this action is in progress.
For quiet times the interior garage voice and siren announcement will be muted or set to a reduced volume. All of this is simply auxiliary services to existing hardware and safeties in place now.
GARAGE DOOR SAFETY - MAINTENANCE:
With the advent of home automation many new users have opted to integrate remote control of their GDO remotely with out much care or concern for life and safety.
The sad reality is a large percentage of the human population are simply too fucken stupid to use common sense or to take any meaningful steps to ensure all is well.
Its safe to say every year there is at least one new thread where some joker says he want to remotely close his garage door with out any consideration or thought about personal safety. The first step is to ensure the GDO is properly installed and calibrated per the makers full users manual.
Monthly to season inspections which include the following must be done on a consistent basis to ensure life and safety are present at all times.
Torsion Springs: Confirm the unsprung free weight of the door while the motor is disengaged. A properly wound torsion spring will allow the door to be moved up and down with one hand with moderate effort. The door should hold any position when manually placed and it should never shoot straight to the top or come crashing down to the floor when unloaded.
If the door does not mimic what has been stated here the torsion spring needs to be adjusted and calibrated to reflect the above. Failure to adhere to this most basic principle will shorten the life of the GDO motor and blow main boards while under load.
Max Height: The door should be set and defined to the proper max height to ensure any vehicle can clear the entrance of the garage. This also tells the GDO when to stop and not exceed the maximum travel distance of the open (home position).
Failure to define the max height (open position) will over extend and exceed the motor travel and thus blow a main board or snap a part inside of the GDO motor assembly.
Crush Depth: Every GDO must be properly set, defined, and calibrated for the crush depth of the door gasket. Ideally the bottom of the door should be 1/2 ~ 5/8" hovering from the ground. The rubber *Crush* depth gasket is intended to seal the door to the ground and not to be bottomed out.
Failure to adhere to this simple process will cause early failure, deformation, and replacement of said crush depth gasket.
Impact Sensing: The impact sensing threshold is one of several safety features that must be adjusted, tested, and validated on a regular basis. This defined force detection is what determines if a child's head ends up being a crushed water Mellon or just a rub mark on the noggin. When properly adjusted if the defined impact sensing is met the door will automatically reverse to the up position.
Safety Beam Sensing: Every GDO on he market has one set of safety beams that are supposed to detect the presence of a moving object. Upon detecting any object in the beam the GDO will reverse its direction to the top position. Always ensure the beam is fully operational and aligned to one another.
Cable Tension Monitor: Many newer GDO like mine offer a cable tension monitor which tracks the cable which pulls the door from top to bottom. Should the tension of this cable every become too slack or break off. This will close a N.O. contact and thus cause the GDO to declare a fault and prevent the unit from operating any further.
Tracks & Rollers: The two side rails that guide and hold the door should be inspected for even wear, alignment, and clear passage. Dirt and debris should be cleared on a season basis while confirming all station bolts are properly tightened.
Emergency Release: The emergency release cable should be inspected for proper operations in disconnecting the main GDO motor from the slide track. In the case of direct drive unit it should decouple the GDO from the side wheel.
WHAT I HAVE DONE:
In my home the ability to remote control and confirm its safe to close the garage door is determined by many safety systems in place. At a high level the following safety measures are deployed to ensure reliability, security, and personal safety for all.
- Multi Point Sensors detect and measure the door position.
- Video Analytics monitor the defined area to ensure its clear prior to closing.
- Audio & Video IP cameras monitor, validate, and confirm GDO status and movement.
- Security Alarm panel monitors every state, position, and time of movement events.
- Laser Break Multi Point detection monitors not only the garage interior but eight points of the door entrance.
All of the above are safety measures to ensure when I remotely close the door its safe to do so. The system is wired and programmed in such a way to follow the ideology *Fail Safe*. Meaning life and safety is placed at the highest level over security given specific instances of use.
Some of you may have noted from time to time the off reference of the *Guardian* watch monitor. The Guardian system is a single point system which over sees many facets of my homes superstructure, environmental, security, and fire safety.
Its primary roll is to ensure the health and safety of the home and its occupants.