mhoner Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Is there any way to trigger Automation Tasks on the Elk from the C4 system? I was looking at the driver and there seems to be just the basic alarm information passed back and forth but nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoner Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 Just to elaborate a little, I know that you can press the F1 through F6 keys, but it would be nice to be able to execute the Automation Tasks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoner Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 Just to elaborate a little, I know that you can press the F1 through F6 keys, but it would be nice to be able to execute the Automation Tasks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I don't know the answer to your question but since you're looking at the driver do you mind telling me how your C4 setup talks to the M1 system? Is it serial or IP? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoner Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 I don't know the answer to your question but since you're looking at the driver do you mind telling me how your C4 setup talks to the M1 system? Is it serial or IP? Thanks!I have an Elk M1 gold at home that is integrated with a Crestron System. I'm considering replacing my GE Concord 4 system at my vacation house with an M1 Gold. I will probably do the integration via RS-232 serial as I already have a dedicated cable run to my GE Concord 4 for serial integration. Also, since I have had problems in the past with renters changing the IP address of the C4 system I don't trust the IP integration for this application. It would be really nice if there was a way to restrict users from going into the system settings via the navigator screen.The major motivation for replacing the GE is that the M1 can take proactive actions such as shutting off the water main and draining all of the pipes if the power goes out for more than an hour or so. I also intend to do a homebrew fire sprinkler system on the outside of the house and have the M1 control the valve to turn this on. I know that I could do this with the C4 system and my Concord 4 but I don't trust the C4 battery backup to keep the system up long enough to take the proper actions. The Elk system can run for 24 hours or more on battery backup and I can add more batteries and an exteral power supply to get much longer if I want. The C4 system can stay up for maybe an hour during a power outage and I'm worried that it might fail in the middle of an operation if the power cuts out. I can write all the code that I need in the Elk M1 system and have it run completely independant of the C4 if the power goes out. I want to monitor the pipe temperature in the crawl space and turn pipe strip heaters on and off. As soon as the alarm is armed (i.e. the cabin is vacant) the M1 will shut off the water main and open a drain down valve to drain the pipes out. If the alarm is not set then the M1 will wait until the temperature falls below a minimum threshold before it shuts off the water main and drains the system to allow guests to still have water. I can program a button to allow the water to be manually restored from the Elk Keypad.I think that the combination of the M1 and the C4 system will be awesome, I just wish there was a better way to activate macros on the M1 system from C4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jberger Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 You really need to consider the code and insurance impacts of a DIY spinkler system intended for fire. It becomes a life/safety system and is subject to a wide range of inspections, maintenance and installation requirements. There is no location in your profile, but if you are in the US or Canada there are no DIY Fire sprinkler systems allowed in any jurisdiction I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 The only problem that I see with integration via rs-232 is that it only allows one application to control it at any given time. if you have to make configuration changes or firmware updates to the M1 it will require some wires to be moved around. My current setup is IP and I have no such limitation. You also end up using another serial port on your controller which could be used for devices that require more control (i.e. receiver, dvd changer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thought I'd update this thread after my system was installed last Sunday. C4 has a serial and IP driver for Elk M1. My installer was insisting that it was only serial but after I read the description of the driver more closely it was apparent that it was capable of doing IP. It requires enabling a couple of global variables in the system (I had those enabled already since I can control the panel from my iPhone using a different app) and from there C4 was able to connect to it. In the words of my installer "That was really easy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Heh. If you'd have asked me (and I was involved in writing the driver), I would have told you the same (RS232 only).If *I* can't remember that the Elk driver has an IP Control option, how is your dealer supposed to, unless he does a lot of ELK? Good catch.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 It was more of me being persistent plus I didn't want to go back to the old serial interface where only one system could talk to it at any given time.My dealer has done ELK before using serial so he has never explored the other side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dans Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Is there any documentation that shows what is available with the IP driver? I would like to integrate my Elk M1 system into my C4 system.My M1 system just has a digiboard Serial to IP converter, do you have something different on yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I have not explored the full capabilities of the driver but you can pretty much do the basic which is arm and disarm. I would think that the programming stuff that is available on the keypad or ELK-RP would not be there.I have an ELK-M1XEP that basically does the same thing as your converter and it gives me the flexibility of updating the settings of the panel via IP network. Aside from C4, you can also control it using an app built for the iPhone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dans Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Ah yea, the EXP is the same thing i have i think.I'd be curious to find out if the driver will allow you to utilize the motion sensors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Ah yea, the EXP is the same thing i have i think.I'd be curious to find out if the driver will allow you to utilize the motion sensors.for executing tasks on the panel or for alarm purposes? Not sure if I follow you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoner Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 You really need to consider the code and insurance impacts of a DIY spinkler system intended for fire. It becomes a life/safety system and is subject to a wide range of inspections, maintenance and installation requirements. There is no location in your profile, but if you are in the US or Canada there are no DIY Fire sprinkler systems allowed in any jurisdiction I can think of.This isn't for life safety at all, it would be installed on the outside of the house to protect the property only. I decided that I'm going to forgo the sprinklers for the foreseeable future for one simple reason. If the entire area around my cabin burns down I'd rather collect the insurance money and buy a cabin somewhere else than be the only properly left standing on a charred hillside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoner Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Heh. If you'd have asked me (and I was involved in writing the driver), I would have told you the same (RS232 only).If *I* can't remember that the Elk driver has an IP Control option, how is your dealer supposed to, unless he does a lot of ELK? Good catch.RyanEI'd rather use RS-232 so that the link stays up in case of a network failure. The M1 allows you to install up to 7 serial expanders in addition to the onboard serial so I won't lose any connectivity. I will have an Ethernet module hooked up to the main board serial, one Ethernet expander dedicated to the C4 integration. I have become proficient at programming and connecting the ELk M1 system so I'll walk the dealer through the setup using very small words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms2bmw Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 You could do that too but I didn't want to expand my M1 system just for C4. I basically fitted C4 to my current setup instead of the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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