iPad control using iTach and 5500PC interface?

Hi

I'm a newbie - quite experienced in frugal home av distribution and control but no experience with serial controls. I don't have a CNI and don't have 600 to buy one so I'm trying to find a cheaper option.

I've searched just everywhere and can't find anyone discussing c-bus control using an iTach unit, so I thought I'd raise it for discussion...

I have a couple of Clipsal c-bus rack dimmers and a crazy idea to remote control them using my 5500PC interface attached via serial cable to an iTach serial wifi gateway for about ?100. The gateway is then driven by numerous different apps such as iRule which sends codes to the serial gateway and then to the c-bus system.

The hardware is connected to the home network and uses RS232 communication protocol on a serial out connection. This is the pin guide...

Pin 2: Receive (Rx)
Pin 3: Transmit (Tx)
Pin 4: Data Terminal Ready (DTR)
Pin 5: Ground
Pin 7: Request To Send (RTS)
Pin 8: Clear To Send (CTS)

http://www.globalcache.com/products/itach/ip2slspecs/


The iRule software then generates generic Serial interface commands for On and Off for Address 000 though 255. These commands can be modified to increase/decrease ramp rates and intensity.

For instance Address 000 with Ramp Rate of 4 seconds (represented with 0A in bold followed by 00 which is the address then followed by the intensity value setting, where FF is full on and 00 is full off).

Off \\053800*0A*0000B9g\x0D
20% \\053800*0A*003386g\x0D
40% \\053800*0A*006653g\x0D
60% \\053800*0A*009920g\x0D
80% \\053800*0A*00CCEDg\x0D
100% \\053800*0A*00FFBAg\x0D

Is there anything glaringly missing or is there a possibility that it might work? I think the logic and connections are sound, but no idea about the protocols.

Any help gratefully accepted and will gladly report back any findings to the forum.

 

In those C-Bus strings, the "0D" at the end of the string is wrong. It is not the characters "0" and "D", but a Carriage Return character (number 0x0D).

 

Thanks for this really prompt reply Darren - I'll follow up with the software support.

In principle, do you think that this might actually work?

I'm going to buy the hardware on a work or return basis and give it a try.

 

I was looking online in Australia and found a used CNI going cheap at a popular auction site.

www._____.com.au

 

You can do what you're after without the iTach.

I use iRule directly communicating with a PC running C-Gate and then connected to the CBus network via a 5500PC. The drawback is that you have to have a PC continuously running, but most of us have this anyhow.

Just set up a network gateway in iRule using the correct ip address (your PC) and port (20023 unluss it has been chaged) and configure C-Gate to accept remote connections. Don't forget to allow communications through windows firewall. Commands are instantaneous.

Since C-Gate allows remote connections from known IP addresses only you'll have to assign a fixed IP address to your iPad.

Cheers
Pat.

 

Hi Pat

This is really encouraging but I really want to run this without having a PC on all of the time. I'm hoping that the iTach will just serve as the middle man instead of the PC but more than a little concerned about configuring the c-bus to take commands from the iTach. Presumably there s a way to configure ports etc once I get the iTach connected to my network - time will tell!

Please share by the way, did iRule work out of the box for you? Are you using the iRule Clipsal lighting 'device' or have you tinkered with the codes in some way (see above comment re carriage returns)

Thank you all for your support so far. Quite excited to see if I can get this to work. (need to get out more) Hardware arrives Thursday

 

Hi,

I'm not using the Clipsal Lighting Device, I just set up the gateway and individual commands. I also haven't played with feedback as yet as the system is located at my holiday and when I am there I tend to want to relax but I will play with it some time soon.

I don't know about communication directly via the comm port, other people here are better placed to comment on that but I do know that C-Gate does a lot of hard work when communicating to Cbus. This would all have to be configured in iRule and I don't think that iRule is flexible enough for that task as it does not allow for any type of logic programming. Another iOS app like CommandFusion may be better suited.

A member here has written some JS that communicates directly via a 5500CN without C-Gate. See this post http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7300 .

Here are some of my comands:
To turn on GA 18
ON //BEACHOUS/254/56/18\x0D
To turn off GA 18
OFF //BEACHOUS/254/56/18\x0D
To ramp GA 18 to 50%
RAMP //BEACHOUS/254/56/18 128 2\x0D
To toggle a shutter relay at GA 40
RAMP //BEACHOUS/254/56/40 250 1\x0D

BEACHOUS is the Toolkit project name.

Cheers
Pat.

 

HowardWall - Any update on your success with this?
I'm considering trying the same idea (Irule communicating with an ITACH RS232 that sends commands to a 5500PC for CBUS Control)

Has anyone else tried this?

 

http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7430&highlight=$100

IT can be done cheaply over LAN. I found many examples of the Lantronix DIN Serial converter, online and some sellers were so glad to get someone interested.