cbus

[ukdavros]

Hi Guys
Is there a cbus plugin available for xlobby

thanks
Mark

[CouchPotatoe]

There is a xAP to C-Bus hardware embedded controller available and a xAP plugin for XLobby. I control my C-Bus this way - and of course it means you can enlist HomeSeer as a backend too. However the controller (being essentially a whole embedded computer and including a C-Bus interface) is not free ($300 ish). I went the 'embedded' route as I wanted to remove the dependence on any Windows based PC in ensuring my HA setup worked even if they crashed (and they do !)

K

[CaM]

...that is great news.

I'll be implementing a cbus system into my new place next year and I wanted to use xlobby as the front end for it

CaM

There is a xAP to C-Bus hardware embedded controller available and a xAP plugin for XLobby. I control my C-Bus this way - and of course it means you can enlist HomeSeer as a backend too. However the controller (being essentially a whole embedded computer and including a C-Bus interface) is not free ($300 ish). I went the 'embedded' route as I wanted to remove the dependence on any Windows based PC in ensuring my HA setup worked even if they crashed (and they do !)

K

[jlcrawford]

Hi
I am about to finish first fixing my new house which is to have a Clipsal lighting system through the main area. I planned on buying a serial PC interface from Clipsal but until today hadnt realised that I could get control of it through Xlobby/Xap/Homeseer.
Is there anything extra I need to hard wire into the system before plastering and what is there any extra software required- I will read about Xap later and Couch Potato do you also frequent AVforums?
Cheers

[CouchPotatoe]

Hi - Yes I do keep an eye on this forum but I occasionally miss 'new' threads as the XLobby Forum only sends me notifications of replies to existing ones.

Re hardware - no there's nothing extra you need really to cater for - my gateway has an Ethernet connection on one side and a C-Bus connection on the other so it can be located almost anywhere. It only has one 'RJ45' type C-Bus socket though so either you need to have it at the end of your C-Bus run or split out the cable. There is a screw terminal block too if you have wires rather than the RJ45's.

The two bits of software you need are the xAP plugin for XLobby from Pierre and the xAP plugin for HomeSeer from James - both of which are free

K

[jlcrawford]

K
thanks for the quick response.Is your hardware interface for sale? and would you advise me to also have the Clipsal Rs232 interface,both or yours (if buyable).
Forgive my ignorance but is Xap simplya software device?
I would love to get reporting status and control of lighting through Xlobby and am prepared to read and learn ( I have been on your site and that of tikiwiki).
Also if I manage to learn how to use Xap can I schedule events etc as I believe I could if I was to buy Clipsals homegate software? Would this be achievable through homeseer ( another product I have no familiarity with )?
Cheers
Jeff

[jlcrawford]

Sorry but one more question- how do I get Xap is it downloadable from one of the Xap web sites? Thats assuming it is a software and even after an hour of searching I am not even sure!
Cheers

[CouchPotatoe]

You still really need to have an RS232 interface as that is the only way you can install / configure your C-Bus network using the C-Bus Toolkit. Actually there are some other ways - via Touchscreens, Ethernet or the PAC controller but most people use the RS232 - ( BTW - if you're interested in a reduced cost RS232 unit get in touch via PM as I have a brand new one spare).

Re scheduling events - there are a number of applications around that can schedule xAP events - including the free "xAP Floorplan" from http://www.mi4.biz . However I must say that I would tend towards making your C-Bus lighting install as standalone & robust as possible and hence trying to reduce any dependence on a PC to minimal. PC's do crash as I'm sure you know. Adding the extra smarts using a software application is the route I took, but the core C-Bus system is independently functional. To an extent scheduled events may not be critical - but a switch turning a light On or Off is. HomeSeer can also act as a scheduler, every group (light) on C-Bus becomes a HomeSeer device and you can trigger based on it changing state or you can script/schedule changes , even using logic as needed.

xAP is simply a protocol - perhaps a reasonable analogy is TCP/IP - it is the 'language' mechanism by which other applications communicate eg web browsers, email, this forum etc. Really you don't need to know anything about TCP/IP to use a web browser and xAP occupies that same ideal. Unfortunately as xAP is new and still finding it's feet it doesn't enjoy that transparency and you have to work a bit harder to get it all talking.

I am just an enthusiast who designed the gateway for my own needs - when others had the same needs I had some boards professionally manufactured - it's still a 'hobby' project though, constantly evolving ( read never finished !) and I only make the boards up in small numbers, so sometimes people have to wait for the next batch...

K

[CouchPotatoe]

Sorry but one more question- how do I get Xap is it downloadable from one of the Xap web sites? Thats assuming it is a software and even after an hour of searching I am not even sure!
Cheers

xAP is just a protocol, or a definition of the language (or messages) that devices can send to each other - you need an application that is xAP enabled. Take a look at http://www.mi4.biz where there are a load of them. You will definitely want to download a xAP hub from there - and/or xAP Viewer which allows you to see xAP messages as they are sent. Just at the moment our third main site (http://www.xapframework.net) is down as the hosting provider has ceased trading - Stuart is in the process of setting up a new provider. Reminds me of a similar XLobby issue a while back I think. FTTB the main applications are mirrored on the mi4 site .

There is a plugin for XLobby (see the xAP plugin thread on this BBS) and a HomeSeer plugin on mi4 - which is now only being onwardly developed/supported for HomeSeer v2. This setup allows buttons to be setup in XLobby that send xAP messages to HomeSeer that end up controlling devices there. Likewise as devices in HomeSeer change their state can be displayed realtime in XLobby. These devices could be C-Bus groups in your case.

It will take a bit of familiaristaion and playing around - and you could do with a source of xAP messages (preferably using the BSC schema - which is what C-Bus uses). Do you by any chance have an X10 setup there running from HomeSeer to experiment with ?? If not what devices do you have in HS that say change between ON and OFF or have a 'Level' ?

K

[jlcrawford]

K
thanks for the reply again. I currently have no X10 setup as I have never got round to setting them up- I did buy them to play with and will probably get round to them and homeseer more urgently now I know I can use Xlob/HS to control my Clipsal.
I havent bought anything Clipsal yet but have been quoted on a 5500PC interface by my dealer.I cant get PM to work but if your price is cheaper than his I would take your spare.LMK.
Iwill post more as I start to play but for tonight its scaling off drawings to get lengths for skirting boards and back mouldings- not quite so interesting but less taxing.
Cheers again