Bell Issue

Another year has passed since it was being investigated

has there been any progress on fixing this door bell issue. I am scared to go to some clients now as they are still on my back about when this will be fixed. They cannot believe it takes so long. I have one client now holding payment on job completion till this issue is fixed.
Can I please have an actual DATE for this fix otherwise I am going to start telling my customer to return the MARPA equipment and amps for a full refund under AUS consumer law as they are not of acceptable quality and taking over 2 years to get a simple bug fixed is unacceptable. It would have cost far more to get the tuner fixed and that took long enough. Why is this taking so long to get resolved.

 

Coming up to 17 months since this statement. Is it really ever going to get fixed ? What is the actual problem. Is it that hard to fix. ?

Charles

 

I managed to get a workaround in place that seems to 'fix' the problem (at least for now) using logic...setup the door bell bus coupler to fire off a trigger event that is picked up by CTC Logic, store all active zone source settings to an array then change all active zones to Local (which I don't use at all so no sound), fire the trigger that rings the bell on the Matrix Amp for one second, then wait four more seconds before resetting the sources back to their original values.

CTC Logic:

Code:

SourceSettings: array[1..8] of Integer;

{
Fix Volume Issue with Doorbell (switch all sources to local for 
5 seconds)
Trigger "Security", Action Selector 5 = "Door Bell", 8 = "Door Bell Push"
}

once (GetTriggerLevel("Security") = 8) then
begin
  SourceSettings[1] := GetLightingLevel("Family Amp Absolute");
  SourceSettings[2] := GetLightingLevel("Alfresco Amp Absolute");
  SourceSettings[3] := GetLightingLevel("Rumpus Amp Absolute");
  SetLightingLevel("Family Amp Absolute", "Local Input", 0);
  SetLightingLevel("Alfresco Amp Absolute", "Local Input", 0);
  SetLightingLevel("Rumpus Amp Absolute", "Local Input", 0);
  // Fire MARPA Action Selector
  SetTriggerLevel("Security", 5);
  Delay(1);
  SetTriggerLevel("Security", 0);
  Delay(4);

  SetLightingLevel("Family Amp Absolute", SourceSettings[1],0);
  SetLightingLevel("Alfresco Amp Absolute", SourceSettings[2],0);
  SetLightingLevel("Rumpus Amp Absolute", SourceSettings[3],0);
end;

In this code actionselector 8 is fired by the bus coupler while action selector 5 triggers the MRA to play the bells.

Not saying this is a good way and doesn't excuse the bugs in the system, but it seems to work here.

 

Is it really ever going to get fixed ? What is the actual problem. Is it that hard to fix. ?

 

Any update on when this will be fixed? My customers have given up asking me now..

 

Any update on when this will be fixed?
If you are not going to fix it can you please tell us so we know.

 

6 years since I posted this thread - http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6088
regarding the sound bleed issue... got a feeling this is on the bottom of the to-do list.

 

letter to the editor ....

Lol - 4.5 years since this thread opened. I believe that the logic workaround is our only cure. Time to move on with current & supported audio tech lads.

And looking back at comments as this is my last (and longest) post in this thread...! -

@Roosta, I've successfully merged a bell press with PUSH/ SONOS/ CBUS. It requires some tinkering but nothing harder than setting up Marpa/ Matrix/ Ripple; any half competent CBUS installer should be able to work this out fairly easily. A solution like this also costs about the same BUT it allows the added bonus of what gaps PUSH and SONOS fills in....

ie. PUSH fills in a lot of gaps when talking about 3rd party integration and audio/visual control. SONOS allows the end user to be able to manage things like audio subscriptions & content & zoning far easier whilst making initial install costs nearly nullified.

Most importantly though they are both supported, updated regularly & are easily integrated into CBUS. A competent installer can also deliver far more to the client in the way of home automation with these products.

Let me explain:

When I first started installing CBUS networks I quickly understood that it was a brilliant product that could be merged with other systems. As time has moved on I have seen CBUS remain the top in its field for bespoke install requirements due to the myriad of input/ output controls & the logic it can deliver.

However I have also seen that home automation is becoming more common. New products have taken over what CBUS is offering in certain areas due to greater feature sets, better pricing, regular support and less installation time. Audio/Visual and Security control spring to mind instantly. Heck, CBUS relies on NESS now for security panels as Clipsal have left that market.

We all change the way tech is used too. We used to burn all our CD's and get the album art because there was no choice in having a library. I now see more and more people opt for streaming services because for a small monthly fee they do not have to worry about the labourious effort of creating a music library & they have all the new music coming out too. The majority of the next generation of clients won't have even bought a music CD. As of now the Matrix solution does not support this type of streaming. Ask yourselves - would you tell people to invest in a product which doesn't cater for the current trends. Even more disturbing - would you recommend such a system when you know that it hasn't been updated for many years & that current bugs haven't been addresses.... :3

I believe we have a duty of care to our clients so they don't end up with a solution only because it is the only distributed audio system out on the Australian market place which offers wall plate control, mobile device control and a doorbell feature - all the time knowing it is broken, flakey and with a little nous you can deliver all the above and much more for the same price.

One last thing to get back on a doorbell flavour - Everyone seems to be sporting a smartphone these days & most people carry it with them all the time. I now get cbus to shoot an email to a service that has push delivery. I configure a smartphone to see a certain sender as unique (VIP, whatever your android /iphone uses) and make the notification for that user have a unique sound for the doorbell. Clients like the fact that even if they are not home they know someone has rung the bell from afar - and as a bonus you have a record of the doorbell press time and date stamped; you could even add a piccy from your ipcamera should you want to record who's there.

And that, ladies and gentlemen is the beauty about CBUS, why integrate one of these new tech ip doorbells they now sell if you can already use what you have. BUT if CBUS doesn't do the job properly then let your rep/ Clipsal support know, find another solution and don't sweat the small stuff. Move on.

@ Charlie, I feel your pain. If DonB didn't say anything 2.5 years ago I'd be happier being left in the dark.....

@Damaxx - Have you finished your virtual pinny table & if so have you applied a doorbell notification to it ?? .....

 

Great post Ambro with a lot of good points, especially the streaming side of music. While I like the SONOS side of things, I prefer to use Android OS with all the music apps available. Odroid from HardKernel make cheap board that can plug into a touchscreen for an instant wall mounted tablet.




Pinball is done (and another one since along with an arcade cabinet)



And doorbell function is talking to my phone, as well as my Android touchscreens- Ness Smartbell. Cheers for asking.

My personal gripe is that we were told it was going to be fixed and it hasn't.
But if that is the biggest issue I have with a system as good as Cbus.... I am not losing sleep.