C-Bus Crestron questions

I am an end user of C-Bus and Crestron Systems (installed in my home). After the initial install of the systems several years ago, I have learnt enough about both systems to do most of the programming myself.

I have two questions that I'm hoping somebody can answer about the capability of the C-Bus to Crestron interface.

1. Is it possible to have Crestron turn indicators on a C-Bus panel on and off? I know that if I use Crestron to turn a relay/dimmer on or off the indicators on any buttons that also respond to that group address will also turn on or off, but I am using several buttons simply to trigger a Crestron function (operating a home/away switch, for example) and the group address associated with the button(s) doesn't directly trigger any relays/dimmers. Provided the button(s) is the only way I trigger the home/away function, the button indicator will be on when I am home and off when I am away. The problem is, though, that I also trigger the home/away Crestron function (and blind and window control plus other things) directly from my Crestron panels (my Crestron program responds to the button on and button off states separately). Therefore if I use the C-Bus button to trigger "away" mode but use one of my Crestron panels to trigger the "home" mode, the indicators on the C-Bus button(s) will remain off even though I am at home.

2. Is it possible to have Crestron trigger a C-Bus scene? I am having a similar problem with the indicators with scenes. For example, I control a 3-speed ceiling fan in one room using C-Bus scenes and equivalent Crestron "scenes" (to get the fans to work correctly, each speed setting users a separate C-Bus relay and to set the fan to, say, medium speed, I have a scene that switches the "low speed" and "high-speed" relays off and the "medium speed" relay on - fan "off" is a scene that switches all three relays off. I use 4 buttons on a C-Bus panel for this - off, low, medium and high. I also have a Crestron routine that does the same thing triggered by buttons on my Crestron panels. Like question 1, though, if I use the C-Bus button to, say, set the fan to low (the button indicator will come on) but use the Crestron panel to turn the fan off, the "low" button indicator on the C-Bus panel will remain on.

By the way, if anybody is interested in any of the Crestron programs or modules I have written over many years (infrared codes for numerous appliances, for example) I am more than happy to provide them.

Mark.

 

1. Can Crestron control C-Bus indicators? Not directly. The indicators on a C-Bus unit follows the status of a group address. By switching on the group address from Crestron the indicator light on the C-Bus unit will light up.
Note though that group addresses not controlling an output can do Strange Things?. A good idea is to map these to unused outputs or to logic (but then disable that logic).

2. Can you trigger C-Bus scenes from Crestron? Yes. Use trigger application.


Crestron does have a module you can download from their website (if you are a registered dealer) to control C-Bus or you can roll your own using the info from Clipsal's public protocol document.