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maskas

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Posts posted by maskas

    Placement issue for Audio Matrix Switch and Amplifier

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 8/13/2021 at 3:06 AM, lippavisual said:

    I do a lot of commercial work, so I'm typically working with DSP's that are Dante capable.  Extron, Clearone, Symetrix, QSC, Biamp are all solid products.

    For what you're looking to do, this can get pretty costly.  Pro Audio gear doesn't typically have rca pairs for stereo audio on the equipment.  They use phoenix terminals with +, - and ground.  The channel count is for a single line/mic signal, so in order to have 8 stereo inputs, you would need something with 16 inputs and obviously the same for the outputs.

    If it was me, I'd do a Symetrix Edge with (4) 4-Line Input cards at the headend (where audio needs to get on the network).  Then use (1) xOut 12 and (1) xOut 4 where your amp is located.  This would give you your total of 8x8 stereo.  You'd also need to have a managed network switch/es to make things easier, but it isn't necessary as there's ways around that.

    Let me know if you need any more info.

    @lippavisual thanks for the recommendation can you give me any idea on what this would cost? I'm trying to keep costs minimal here as its only going to be sporadically used and the AMPS are powering in ceiling speakers. Nothing too fancy.

    VideoStorm as a solution - any current users that can help?

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, videostorm said:

    (for the audio delay devices)

    3 is the limit.  If you need more than that, you can add another manager (2nd unit is less since you don't need the included license).

    Audio can be feed directly from the source OR from the output of your audio matrix before going into the power amp  (basically either delaying the input to a matrix or the output of a matrix).

    If the source doesn't have an audio output, you would use a HDMI audio extractor (which you would need for the matrix anyway).  

     

     

    @videostorm how much would the 2nd (and 3rd unit) cost? I can't seem to see an option to buy the hardware without the license? Thanks.

    Matrix Switch and Amplifier Placement

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Hi. I have a setup where I have a audio matrix switch in the basement AV closet and would like to place the amplifiers for the distributed audio closer to where the speakers will be. Around 20 zones are in the same building on different floors, and 6 zones are in another building next door. They need to play music from the same source in sync. Is there some way I could transport the output from the matrix switch to the amplifiers over ethernet or any other similar solution? Thanks.

    More FREE Drivers

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 11/9/2015 at 10:32 AM, alanchow said:

    Both of these drivers can be downloaded from our website (http://www.chowmain.co.nz).  Note as free drivers they come as is and without support.  Enjoy

     

     

    Arduino Nano
     

    This FREE arduino nano driver provides 12 dry contact inputs to your Control4 system through serial based communication.  This is useful for connecting input based devices such as doorbells, motion sensors, door/window contacts, garage/gate sensors and more to Control4.

     

    A basic understanding of electronics is required to build this extremely cheap solution to expand your Control4 system.

     

    Parts Required

    • Adruino Nano (or 3rd party chinese copy) - $6
    • Serial to TTL converter (eg Max232) - $5
    • Misc cable/connectors ($4)

    Sky MySky Box

     

    Sky TV is  New Zealand Pay TV service provider.  Chowmain is providing a free Control4 driver that will control the MySky (Kaon NS1120) box with discrete infra red IR codes.

    @alanchow is there anyway one could have these dry contacts interface with control4 over IP instead of serial? I know its a free driver but would appreciate any help you could give.

    Chapest way to connect 5v sensors to controller and trigger events?

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 1/4/2019 at 5:36 PM, Unsocialtoaster said:

    From the V2 IO Extender data sheet (here https://www.control4.com/docs/product/io-extender-v2/data-sheet/english/latest/io-extender-v2-data-sheet-rev-a.pdf)

    Contact 8 contact sensors—30VDC maximum input 12VDC 1.25A maximum output

    Will be the same or very similar for the V1.

     

    EDIT: Just re-read your original post, are you trying to do different things based on different voltages ,like a dimmer controller for example? If so, a contact sensor is not what you want, they are simple open/closed circuit detectors, any voltage will give the same trigger into the Control4 system.

     

    Would anyone happen to know what the contact sensor voltage range is on the Z2IO's? They have 4 contact sensors but the voltage range is not mentioned. I wanted to connect a PIR sensor with 3.3V and was wondering if it would work.

    Control for Wardrobe Lights

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Hi. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas as to how I could control the internal wardrobe/cupboard lights via Control4. I would like the internal lights to come on whenever someone opens any of the cupboard doors, also I would like to manually turn the lights on via keypad/Control4 app, as the cupboard doors have glass fronts and the cupboard lights will also be used for ambient lights. Lastly the lights themselves will be powered by DALI drivers. 

    I was thinking of using Reed switches hooked upto a relay in series and whenever a door opens the relay could trigger a response in Control4 to turn the lights on. If anyone has other ideas, or has done this before, would be great to hear. Thanks.

    What Did You Automate Today?

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said:

    The Victron solar system is on the same network as Control4.  So all we had to do was turn on Modbus on the Victron control panel and use the Yatun Modbus TCP IP driver which communicates over the lan.  Yatun has an other native Modbus driver which (I think) communicates over a serial connection but I have not used it.

    Thanks, I'll look into the serial driver.

    What Did You Automate Today?

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 10/10/2020 at 11:19 PM, South Africa C4 user said:

    Today I completed the linking of my Victron solar system to Control4.  A big thank you to a couple of Victron experts who helped me.

    This was done with Yatun’s Modbus driver (which required significant learning on my part as I had not really heard of Modbus until recently).

    The most important part of the automation is that I have a macro in Control4 which increases my grid usage when the battery starts to get depleted and reduces the grid usage as the battery builds up towards full capacity.  The reason this is needed is that without this, the settings on the Victron system either keep the battery full but then don’t use the full benefits of the solar panels when solar power created exceeds demand for power, or the settings allow the battery to deplete to a setpoint after which the house relies on grid only (in, say, bad weather).  This would work for most cases, but in my instance, my potential power draw (if I have the sauna, Aircons, steam room, jacuzzi and chiller all running at the same time- which is often the case as this is a holiday home) is about 30% greater than what the grid can supply.  Thus, I always need some capacity (above the minimum setpoint)  on the battery to draw on when power utilisation is high. I have a fairly complicated algorithm (which probably needs fine tuning) which (I think) will keep the battery between 60% and 80% in almost all scenarios and thus maximize the use of solar at the same time as leaving capacity for hours with lots of utilisation.  The algorithm uses the battery level as well as whether certain heavy equipment (sauna / steam room) is on to determine how much grid power to use. The algorithm also turns off the pool heaters in the event of the battery dropping below 50%...

    Other, ancillary benefits and automation include:

    1. A voice announcement if there is a power cut and when power returns;

    2. the backlights of all the dimmers and switches in my public areas turn red for the duration of a power cut (batteries and solar can keep my critical systems - including all Control4 equipment - up for days - probably ad-infinitude barring a solid month of really bad weather).

    3. I have a thermostat which displays the battery backup level as a percentage (as it is a 100KWh battery, this also displays the number of kWhs remaining in the battery).

     

    @South Africa C4 userThat's very interesting! Could you let me know how you physically connected the Modbus of the solar system to Control4. 

    Forthcoming Berto IoT Production Release

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 6/1/2020 at 1:28 PM, Zuhair said:

    When I decided to install smart light switches, dimmers, and relays for my home, Control4 switches cost was a barrier. My house is 3.5 stories with 11,000 square feet, not counting the landscape. Control4 switches cost was as follows:

    • 65 Switches X $200 = $13,000 (goal is 100 switch $20,000) Lutron was around that price.

    So I decided to go with Berto's MQTT driver and to use Sonoff TX wall switches. The number of switches dropped from 65 to 50 because Sonoff had three gangs' switches.

    Cost as follows:

    • 50 Switches X $18 = $900 (goal is 100 switch $1,800) I even bought ten backup switches that I didn't use.
    • Raspberry Pi Hub = $80

    Now, after 18 months, it's working with 50 Sonoff wall switches 1/2/3 gangs, a total of 100+ gang. Work is going on to install another 50. I also have 15 Shelly's relays & dimmers, and 8 Sonoff light strips. I haven't had any issue with the drivers since Jan 2019. Lights response is immediate.

    In the beginning, I was reluctant, but MQTT has proven to be a reliable protocol which is being used in more sophisticated industrial fields. Thanks to Berto's drivers, the protocol is bi-directional with Control4. 

    The driver is also compatible with Advanced Lighting agent, accessible via programming to add timers for exhausts and program the lights with motion and timer.

    The beauty about MQTT is that switches and dimmers will continue to function even if the controller or LAN is down. And by using Sonoff Mini or Shelly relays, you can even convert any mechanical dummy switch to a smart switch which will continue to work even if everything is down (except electricity!).

    My next project is to add:

    I also believe that David is working on Zigbee to MQTT driver, which will allow adding more devices.

    Other drivers that are on my list to test:

    • Flic buttons driver
    • IFTTT
    • OwnTracks location service

    Thanks to David for his help, support, and patient! Without his support, I wouldn't be able to reach the current automation level.

    @Zuhair if you use the shelly relay or sonoff mini is there two way feedback when the light is turned on using the mechanical switch? E.g. if someone turns the light on via the mechanical switch and we use the app/control4, will control4 know the current state of light? Or will it just be able to do a toggle?

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