virtual thermostat

[completelyhis]

I'd like to setup virtual thermostats. I've heard that MCS Temp is able to create them. I'd like to have one that can have the setpoint altered via events, and I'd like to create events that would use hte setpoint. ie, the temp sensor connected to the temp08 in the master bedroom measures 68 degrees. the setpoint in the virtual tstat for the master bedroom is 71. the event will send the call for heat (via the ocelot) and open the damper in the master bedroom (via the ocelot).

I've had the MCS temp config create the virtual tstat, but I don't see the setpoint, how to create multiple tstats, etc.

any clues?

[Michael McSharry]

I can give some general guidance, but there are others that are actually using this feature that should be able to give more detail.

A virtual thermostat is called a Temperature Action that is executed as a Homeseer event. This event will normally be executed once, but there are some workarounds that others are using because the status at shutdown is not availalbe to mcsTemperature during its initialization during the next HS startup. I believe they have something in their startup.txt that turns the thermostat OFF then ON to get it started. There are some recent threads on this subject.

The Temperature Action is setup with a Device to be Controlled, the Device that will determine the need for control, and the Upper and Lower control limits. What is typically done is to enter an expression for the UL and LL that is a function of the virtual thermostat that you had previously created. For example you may have created a virtual tstat at device code ^4 with 1 degree increments from 50 to 80. For the LL of the Temperature Action you will use ^4-1 for LL and ^4+1 for UL to give you a control zone of within 2 degrees of whatever is in the DeviceString of ^4. This Tempeature Action should be set to run until manually turned OFF.

You need to look at the manual to understand the layout of the mcsTemperature Temperature Trigger and Temperature Action becasue HS2 removed the abilty to format these. The layout now with HS2 is totally unusable unless you have such a reference to know what to expect.