How to control Heat and AC via Plug-In

[jpape]

I currently have Michael's plug-in working fine and would like to control one of my heat zones via Temp05 and the plug-in. I'm able to setup a script to turn on the heat at a given temperture, but how to I make it so a variable setpoint can be used dependent on the temperature I want set. I would want to use both a high temperature (to turn off) and a low temperature (to turn on).

And of course all this needs to be done via the web interface of Homeseer.

[Michael McSharry]

The triggers setup in mcsTemperature allow static values to be used for the limits, rate, and dwell. Is the essence of your question on how to make these static values a function of something else, such as another virtual device, or how can they be changed programatically via script, or none of the above?

If it is the first then I can have the plugin recognize a non-numeric value to be a virtual device and use the current string value of the virtual device. If it is the second then I can add methods that allow a script to change these values. If it is the third then I do not understand the question.

[jpape]

I would like to me able to show and set via the web interface of Homeseer, a set temperature (setpoint) of a device I would call Thermostat. This value would be used by your temperature trigger in an event. I would use one for the setpoint of turning on the heat and one for the setpoint on when the heat should be turned off. It would work in a similar way as your current upper and lower limits, except the value would be entered via the web interface of Homeseer (Virtual device?).

Michael, Does your upper and lower limits work like a greater then and less then logic?

[stevene]

Jpape

Not the most scientific but I have been using the dim value
of a virtual device.

The web page allows me to set from 55-75 dim values. and my
heating script reads the dim values and controls the heat.

I also have a lot of events and scripting for error detection.
To prevent any prolbems.

StevenE

[ekuykendall]

jpape,

While using the plugin as an HVAC has a high "cool" factor, it is generally consodered a taboo practice in HA to use X10 or Windows-based computers for automatic control of critical systems. I would hope that you are installing this feature in parallel to your normal Tstat so that you don't wake up with ice on your nose the morning after your HA machine crashed because of the current phase of the moon.

[Michael McSharry]

I believe that capability already exists in the basic plugin and standard homeseer web interface. There are a few ways of doing it using the tools available. A custom web page for your control panel with the thermostat being one element would be sexier.

What I would do, with the standard homeseer web interface, is to define two triggers. One that increases to the upper limit with the device action being to turn the heat source off and a second one that decreases to the lower limit to turn it off. This can all be done using the homeseer web page event links, temperature controls trigger.

With a custom web interface then I would simulate a thermostat with the set points and on/off controls and a display window with the current temperature. The set points and on/off control would each map into a virtual device. The set point virtual devices would be same devices specified in the two trigger events. The on/off could be used as a conditional on the trigger or it may control the device that enables the heat source.

You could also go a little further by creating a text file with lines showing the desired set points at various times of the day and have a script read the file and change the set point values of the virtual devices. I could even put something of this nature in the plugin if it is useful.

When I was confirming that the standard homeseer web interface provided access to the temperature control triggers I noticed that my two time measure suffix lables (minutes, per minute) appear on the web page at odd locations. On the GUI they do not show up at all. It may be best for me to just remove them since their position does not seem to be able to be controlled.

[sponnath]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>While using the plugin as an HVAC has a high "cool" factor, it is generally consodered a taboo practice in HA to use X10 or Windows-based computers for automatic control of critical systems. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think the HAI RCS80 thermostat can run independently well enough that it would avoid this issue.

I would not use X10, I am only considering serial and had to get a reliable watchdog process in place before moving to thermostatic control.

SteveP

[bdickhaus]

I've been using a Stargate to monitor and "manage" an X10 based thermostat for a couple of years now. Early on I did have a few problems, the worst was a logic error in a SG event that was using the wrong value for setpoint when I set "away mode" (was using my heat setpoint instead of cool setpoint). I came home to 65 degrees in the middle of summer. I didn't think my AC system could do it.

Bill