CBUS installation photos

Tell me about it Phil, I normally don't take photos of other peoples jobs but when I saw this I just had to get some snaps.

Don't worry, this is what the job looked like after it was explained to the electrician that the DIN rail modules need to be in enclosures. I took some photos with my phone when the sparkie had intially completed the job.

So for all those concerned, these are the good photos are after the CBus was tidied up

I will try and find the before photos and post them up.

 

I think you're right Frank

 

PSC - I previously didn't take a good look at those Install Pics...

But having now done so I started to feel a twinge of guilt ! Those look very very similar to a couple of jobs that I have worked on recently.

Then I realised that it's just that a standard "wire-jerker" electrician has
absolutely NO idea how to lay out cabling neatly. It is unlikely that the installations they do comply with AS3000... but then again, in these days of "self-regulation" there is never going to be an Electrical Inspector.

Sheesh, we even specifically requested for one to inspect a particularly dangerous project we found - and the Supply Authority stated that they do not provide that service ! We were told to hire another electrician (a good one?) to do the inspection and report back to us. WTF ??

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On those pics, I love the exposed BP connectors to handle the neutral & earths (what happened to the Neutral and Earth Link bars inside the enclosures?).

But ugly as it is, that's nothing compared to what I experienced a couple of weeks ago... imagine a LOOSE 12 channel relay in a ceiling, with 7.5A F&P connected to the input. Then imagine 12 load cables coning down to that, with the outer insulation stripped back about 300mm.

All the Actives were terminated into the respective Relay channels, and the Neutral and Earths separated up into 2 twisted bunches. The ends of the Neutral and Earth cables were stripped and each "bunch" twisted together... but there was NO connector of any form ! All the cables lay loose on the ceiling, no attempt at a "loom"... it was a complete rat's nest of TPS.

I spent well over a WEEK just trying to make the system (at least somewhat) safe, and to trace the cables and mark each end of them. If I charged it at $90 per hour, that would have been at least $3500 just to try and make sense of what the installer had done. And all the client actually wanted was to get some Homegate programming done... but there was no way I could work out how the existing system worked (it didn't really) until I spent all that time re-organising it.

So... you should definitely make SURE that you inspect some previous wiring jobs before commissioning an Electrician to do your C-Bus !

 

haha

this is my cbus enclosures... i think i might get the double pole rcd/mcb instead of just the mcb! sussing that out now.

http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/CbusEnclosures001.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/CbusEnclosures002.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/CbusNeo001.jpg

That wall with the neo switch isnt painted yet tho! dont worry its not bad paint job just sealer only...

ps none of those power cables r live they just run to the transformers i havent worked out where im putting the enclosures yet so i just left heaps of spare cable...

can u advise me i was going to put these enclusres downstairs above the mains power board... but can i have them up on the top level about 10 meters away instead? is it more important to have the enclosures next to the power board? or next to the alarm,video,phone distribution... i can run spare 2.5mm cables up to the top level expansion for cbus later? or realy should they be next to the power baord?



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ive edited this mssg a couple times heres latest version!

can u check my wiring drawing...

mains coming in from rcd to mcb to 1 dimmer module with a single transformer going to dimoutput 1

photo:
http://www.t666.com/davidd/townhouse/cbus/CbusWiring003.jpg

drawing:
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/cbus/CbusWiring007.jpg

based on the clipsal wiring diagram:
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/cbus/CbusWiring000.jpg


peace

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C-Bus installation

T666
Use a qualified, licensed electrical contractor!!!!!
I Cant help but notice you are using white as a neutral, not illegal, just not industry practice.
To the CIS people reading this forum - I'm glad some of us have wasted plenty of time and money learning your product range, when clearly anyone can access the product, and deliver quality installations like those shown in this thread!!!!!

 

i will b using a licensed electrician to wire the house for all the proper legal resins

but i want to test out the gear
if you see the problem with that wiring setup
let me know whats right and whats wrong
its just a mock up theirs real live power coming in

if white is wrong for nutral... u want me to run a single 2.5mm black and red over to the other side of the dimmer? and a black from the nutral terminal?
ill do that now...

*johnC... in your earlier post u talked about not looping from the lights to the mains side of the dimmer...
i think i did that mistake... instead do i bring a new (rcd/mcb) mains 2.5 black/red down to the dimmer. that makes sense cuz it doesnt look like 2 x 2.5mm cables r spose to fit in the dimmer hole. where does the earth for that lead go tho?

i can rig this up perfect with bit more info.
i would like to swap that mcb for a double pole rcd/mcb like you suggested ill buy one tomomorw

*darrinblake
look man this part cant b that hard
i apreciate that someone goto type alot of stuff to help me tho,
but once done it could be reposted as a proper tech document so everyone can just sus it out 100%
theirs no need for secrecy about which way they spose to go im not going 2 invade newzeeland wit em
and im not looking 2 take yor job im just tryin 2 learn how this works.

peace
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T666
As Darren suggested ,you really should get someone qualified to do your mockup.....I personally would feel very uncomfortable giving someone advice knowing they havent a clue what they are doing......

look man this part cant b that hard
theres a few diff colored wires (2.5 or 1.5) and a few diff places to put them.

Well obviously for you it is hard otherwise you wouldnt be asking...again i repeat get a qualified person to do your mockup...

Frank

 

heh i already edited that bit out i knew it would stir u up

ur point is valid. then again wood u prefer someone to wire it incorectly?
the current drawing is based on wot an elelectrician told me... so......

i debate dat the right way to go about this IS to reveal the corect plans.

this is my LATEST drawing i think it may b rite...

http://www.t666.com/davidd/townhouse/cbus/CbusWiring009.jpg

any tips?

 

For all of our sakes, will someone from Sydney please take one for the team and offer to go and help this guy out. For a reasonable fee of course.

 

Rohan,

I have enough pain and frustration in my life as it is, I don't need any more.

 

lol.. whos the best here

im from bondi beach

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There is no doubt Project Connection is not only the best in Sydney, but the best in Australia - just ask me

 

hehe ok your site looks mad
do u own the company?
what kinda discount rate can i get cuz im a cbus forum member



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This diagram is getting worse.... The neutral bar looks very dodgy. Put the wire through too far and it shorts with the case. (as the case is not earthed so the RCB will not trip either). The electrican who wires it will also require a Stubby screw driver to get the the screws.

PLEASE PLEASE get a licenced electrician to wire your mock up for testing before you stop posting (because you killed your self)


Charles

 

C-Bus Installation

I havent spent the last 15 years as a licensed electrician, 10 years as a qualified security technician and the past 8 as an approved installer / integrator so i can help others in killing themselves or worse still, somebody else.
There is no reason why you would want to wire a "mock-up" unless you were planning on installing it yourself. An electrician would be able to wire up the equipment you have shown in your photos for around $700 - why would you be trying to do it yourself??
To make you aware, what you are doing is illegal, and if you are caught by either the electricity supply authority or your insurance company doing unqualified electrical work, best case your insurance will be null and void, worst case, a gaol term.
Please take the advice of the people on this forum, and engage the expertise of a qualified electrical contractor and Approved Installer / Integrator.
As a collective, we promise we wont burn your house down, blow up your hardware, or charge you a fortune. (Yes I've seen the first two before).
You will find a list of more than qualified people / companies under the approved installers / Integrators section of the CIS web site.
You can also contact the local CIS representative in your area for references.
Many can offer you system design advice, programming, as well as the electrical installation as a turn key solution.

 

look the dood who works for my dads business is a licensed electrician. im prob gona get him to do the job cuz hes a good guy. he put the 3phase in here and he does awesome job. but he hasnt installed cbus before so i was going to get advice from this forum which is wot its spose to b here for? maybe i will choose a company from this site. JOHNC seems the best. if he tells me i shouldnt be even researching this subject then ill leave it at that. but the reason i did made the mock photo was cuz i thought that its going to be the most acurate way for u to advise me. its NOT LIVE DOOD. how am i gona get zapped from dat unless lighting bolt hits it. if u told me which wire was 2 go where, i can do that, take the photo and u can check it. then i can tell my electrician look man this was how it was advised 2 me... what do u think.

but it seems like a couple of u want to keep this sort of information classified at delta level. if all electricians knew how to wire this up their would be no crap instals in this country, so dat leads me to the beleef u arnt realy concered about it people end up wit crap instals, or if cbus gear blows up, but u want to be the 2go2 man to have the job done right. dats fare enough but its not realy the idea of the forum. im not spose to have 2 pay u for da plans here man. were in the same team




ps: da nutral bar is just stting there temporarily like everhting else dood. its a mock up. after u tell me where the wires r spose to go, i mean theirs only about 5 of them, i was gona ask best location for the nutral bar etc.

 

Wot Dood!!!

Delta level, what the hell are you smoking????

To the CIS people monitoring this site - GOOD LUCK.
No wonder C-Bus has a so -so name to it when people of this calibre have access to the product line up.

 

dood CIS will b stoked wit dis cuz this house is gona b killer...
and i designed it all and im not even a builder...
if this all works ill give them props...
check this out...
home cinema wit surround sound (not stereo) setup in every bedroom...

http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/SpeakerWall000.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/SpeakerWall001.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/SpeakerWall002.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/SpeakerWall002Virtual.jpg
http://www.T666.com/davidd/townhouse/Loungeroom000Virtual.jpg



every room will have

-cbus neo style look
-4 light/dim zones per room
-widescreen lcd with hiden personel computer
-surround sound system via computer / movie file, dvd, cd
-computer networked back via router to shared movie and music server and adsl internet modem
-wireless mce2005 keyboard and mouse (glows in dark) + universal remote to control anything including additional lighting scenes
-cable tv, digital tv, security cameras on lcd moniter via tv tuner card in each computer
-phone system with intercom including VOIP setup
-if someone press my door bell (fingerprint reader) it will dial each phone in house... if noone home it will call my mobile. VOIP rates.
-alarm / motion sensors

man i got everything including INbulkhead style daikin split system airconditioning.
thats the only thing im not going to integrate to cbus becasue its 500$ per unit just to talk to cbus or something.
so that will have its own remote.

its gona b awesome
im not rich enough yet to be able to afford a smarthome company to come in and plan all this hence y im doin it myself
u got a prob wit dat?
after im famous ill hire 10 different companies to wire my new island beach house resort 10 different ways


peace
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DavidD,

IMHO you have better things to focus on than learning the principles of mains wiring. Example: have you considered a modern alarm/automation engine to integrate with your C-Bus and sound system. Now is a good time to get all the wires in for that sort of thing. Second, have you considered using a media PC server to deliver all your audiovisuals? If so, have you wired for IR or RF remote control devices (or touchscreens) in each room? IMHO you are better off investing your creativity in those areas that will give you a huge WOW! factor than trying to learn about mains wiring. JMHO.