X-10 could work for this idea. My question would be how reliable would it
be in a shop environment and at what cost.
For those of you who are not familiar with X-10, it is a technology that has
been around for approx. 20 years. It is based on transmitting signals
("ON", OFF", etc.) over 110V electrical lines to receiver type
components/module. Sounds fine and simple except when you have large motors
or other types of electrical devices plugged in (UPS battery backups, Low
voltage transformers, etc.) that cause "electrical noise" which interferes
with the X-10 signal so now you need to add noise filters on the lines.
Also, a typical house is a 2-phase system (shops environments with heavy
machinery may be 3-phase). Now you may have to worry about setting up a
signal bridge or phase coupler so that the signal can cross a phase if the
transmitter unit and receiver unit are on separate phases.
You can find more information on this at:
http://www.smarthome.com
http://www.x10.com
http://www.homecontrols.com
Radio shack also carries a small selection of X-10 components over the
shelf, but I haven't found any RS employee that knows enough about it.
There are also several ActiveX and OCX controls available for free so that
you can program your own software (Progress, Visual Basic, C++, or other
languages that use ActiveX and OCX controls) to communicate and control an
X-10 device through your computer via a serial port.
I'm not knocking X-10, its a fun product for the hobbyist and controls about
1/3 of the lights and electrical appliances in my house. When it works, its
great, but when you have to trouble shoot it, that's another story.
Michael Podlin
-----Original Message-----
From: richard gasser [mailto:gasser440@...]
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 10:01 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Vantage] need my bell rung
We use a product called X-10 Home Automation.
A P.C. drives a relay that operates a bell.
A startup script keeps the P.C. time the same as
the Vantage server time.
Check out Radio Shack or X-10.com.
This is a under $100.00 project.
Richard Gasser
Gasser & Sons, Inc.
--- Dan Shallbetter <dans@...> wrote:
be in a shop environment and at what cost.
For those of you who are not familiar with X-10, it is a technology that has
been around for approx. 20 years. It is based on transmitting signals
("ON", OFF", etc.) over 110V electrical lines to receiver type
components/module. Sounds fine and simple except when you have large motors
or other types of electrical devices plugged in (UPS battery backups, Low
voltage transformers, etc.) that cause "electrical noise" which interferes
with the X-10 signal so now you need to add noise filters on the lines.
Also, a typical house is a 2-phase system (shops environments with heavy
machinery may be 3-phase). Now you may have to worry about setting up a
signal bridge or phase coupler so that the signal can cross a phase if the
transmitter unit and receiver unit are on separate phases.
You can find more information on this at:
http://www.smarthome.com
http://www.x10.com
http://www.homecontrols.com
Radio shack also carries a small selection of X-10 components over the
shelf, but I haven't found any RS employee that knows enough about it.
There are also several ActiveX and OCX controls available for free so that
you can program your own software (Progress, Visual Basic, C++, or other
languages that use ActiveX and OCX controls) to communicate and control an
X-10 device through your computer via a serial port.
I'm not knocking X-10, its a fun product for the hobbyist and controls about
1/3 of the lights and electrical appliances in my house. When it works, its
great, but when you have to trouble shoot it, that's another story.
Michael Podlin
-----Original Message-----
From: richard gasser [mailto:gasser440@...]
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 10:01 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Vantage] need my bell rung
We use a product called X-10 Home Automation.
A P.C. drives a relay that operates a bell.
A startup script keeps the P.C. time the same as
the Vantage server time.
Check out Radio Shack or X-10.com.
This is a under $100.00 project.
Richard Gasser
Gasser & Sons, Inc.
--- Dan Shallbetter <dans@...> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a utility that will ring a break
> bell at various times
> through out the day?
>
> Thanks
> Dan Shallbetter
> States Electric Mfg.