| Author |
|
GQuack
Newbie
Joined: December 06 2013
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18
|
| Posted: December 16 2013 at 12:35 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Given the available documentation and comments from others on this forum, it looks like the expected method to learn the inner workings of PowerHome is via this open forum. I would rather glean as much as I can from documentation and trial and error first but that path may not get me far on this software. I expect this to be the first of a number of posts from me as I continue down the path of learning home automation and PowerHome. Coming from a technical background, I would like to understand the underlying Insteon infrastructure which I expect will help me understand how PowerHome works with the devices.
Device ID
Each device has a unique ID on the network. Does each device know of all other devices on the network or only those to which each device is linked? If a device has multiple functions like the buttons on a keypad, does each key also have a unique ID or is there some other way of identifying and addressing each button?
Groups
I am thinking that groups are one of two things. 1) serves to facilitate communication among devices to which you are sending a coordinated signal e.g. turn on all lights in group 1 at dusk, and to help keep organization of devices “cleaner”, or 2) is the equivalent of a “scene” where each device in a scene will be sent one or more commands.
Can someone clarify? Are groups numbered sequentially in the order in which they are defined?
Links
Serves to let each device know to which command they should respond and which they can ignore?
If setting up a manual link, I presume part of that definition includes the relationships of controller(s) and responder(s) again so each device knows to which commands they should respond and which they can ignore?
PowerHome formulas and macros
Macros look to be a series of functions which may or may not send commands to specific devices on the network. Can you use any basic text editor? Is there a naming convention? Macros can then be executed on the macro / formula -> run line by specifying the name of the macro file?
Using the macro / formula -> run line, I tried executing my first command last night by sending a simple on command to a plug in module currently being used for a light by our couch. <ph_insteon ( plug in module 1, 18, 255)>. I got the message about the macro being executed but could not identify the results of the execution. Didn’t see a return code, didn’t see an error message, but what I could tell is that the execution didn’t work as the light did not turn on. I would think the PowerHome software looks like a “controller” to every device on the network. Do I have to define specific links to each device or does PowerHome take care of that automatically? What was incorrect about my formula that it did not work?
That’s probably enough for now to get me to my next steps. If this information is already available elsewhere, just point me to it and thanks in advance!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dhoward
Admin Group
Joined: June 29 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4447
|
| Posted: December 16 2013 at 14:20 | IP Logged
|
|
|
gquack,
Couple of places where documentation exists may help in understanding some of the fundamentals. From within PowerHome, Help->Contents will bring up the help file. Here the formula functions are documented along with quite a few details on how Insteon works that will answer a lot of your questions.
Second, go to the PowerHome download page and pull down the PowerHome Users Manual for version 1.03.4.7. Direct link here: http://www.power-home.com/download/PowerHome%20Users%20Manua l.pdf. The manual is out of date, but most of it is still relevant in talking about the core aspects of PowerHome like macros, triggers, and formulas. It should help quite a bit.
Now to answer your specific questions:
Device addresses are unique. An insteon device ONLY knows about another insteon device if it specifically linked. Many links need to be both ways. Device 1 is linked to Device 2 and Device 2 needs to be linked to Device 1.
A link can be either a controller or a responder. A controller device will tell all linked responders (for a particular group) to go to their predetermined link on/off state, level, at a specific ramprate.
Each controller has a max number of 256 groups (controller links). Each group can link an unlimited number of responders (up to the memory limits of the device). So if you have 2 controller devices, that means you could have up to 512 different groups (scenes). Groups are specific to a controller and being a member of device 1 group 1 is different from being a member of device 2 group 1.
A PowerHome formula is just a math equation consisting of operators and operands. All the operators must be of the same datatype though (string, number, datetime, etc). The simplest formula would probably be 1. It consists of a single operand, which is evaluated in the formula evaluator and the result will be 1. Another simple formula would be 1 + 1 with a result of 2. Where the real power comes in is using the built in functions (which act as operands and all return a specific datatype). Most of the time, you don't even care about the result of a formula as the act of the functions executing is what produces the desired result. Formulas are used throughout macros, triggers, timed events, etc.
A macro is a sequentially executed list of macro commands. There are a number of macro commands for a variety of control including changing the flow of the sequentially executed commands. Macros are created in the PowerHome Explorer (nearly all PH configuration is done through this screen) under the macro section and cannot be created using a text editor. You also have the option of using Windows script host and can create functions/subroutines in either vbscript or jscript (which can be edited using a text editor) that have access to a full complement of the PowerHome functions.
Macros, formulas, device control, etc. are usually executed in response to some external event such as a light changing status, time of day, a door being opened, a Control Center button being pushed, etc. These are typically defined and setup in the Timed Events, Triggers, and Control Center areas.
Concerning your test on lighting a light that did not work...most likely this is an I2CS device and the PowerHome PLM (controller) has not been properly linked to it so cant be controlled by it. Prior to the introduction of the I2CS protocol, Insteon devices could be controlled just by knowing their address. With I2CS (which all recent devices are now using), in addition to knowing the address, the controlled device MUST have a link in its internal database to the controlling device.
Since Insteon is such a complex animal, it has it's own dedicated configuration screen called the Insteon Explorer. This is the screen you will use to define your devices and setup the links. Once you've done this, the first place to test would be from either the Control button on the Devices tab of IE or from the Device Status screen. Once that is successful, then you can play with control via macros and formulas.
Hope this helps,
Dave.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
GQuack
Newbie
Joined: December 06 2013
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18
|
| Posted: December 17 2013 at 16:40 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Now we're talking, thank you Dave. I have some reading and experimenting to do.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Active Topics 
Memberlist 
Search 
Help
Register 
Login
PowerHome Messageboard : PowerHome General
Topic: On my path to enlightenment - part 1
