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    Looking for 3-4 relay control

    So I've placed my order for a new Pentair SuperFlo VS Variable Speed Pump which has a connector on it for automated control (generally through a Pentair controller). However, in reading the documentation, if I have 3 relays using the supplied 5 volts from the pump, I can select any of 3 operating modes.
    So thinking (with eyes wide open ) that I can control this with HS for remote control. Is there a 3 (min) relay controller I can use to do this? This will give me speed1, speed2 and off.
    I was looking at the Mimolite module but at most it supports 2 relays. Is there another solution?

    I have in my pool shed, eithernet, X-10 and hopefully Z-wave if it will make it - about 55-60 ft.

    Any suggestions?

    Robert
    HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

    #2
    An Arduino with a Relay Shield is cheap and simple.

    How do you like your VS pump? I have a single-speed and would like to switch after this season.
    HS4Pro on a Raspberry Pi4
    54 Z-Wave Nodes / 21 Zigbee Devices / 108 Events / 767 Devices
    Plugins: Z-Wave / Zigbee Plus / EasyTrigger / AK Weather / OMNI

    HSTouch Clients: 1 Android

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks rmasonjr but I haven't ventured into Arduino yet... Can you elaborate on what I need? Aside from the hardware, I'll need to purchase the plugin I guess.

      I was hoping to do that at some point down the road. Not sure if I've got the time right now....

      I haven't received it yet... but the numbers as far as energy usage are amazing compared to the old single speed I have. My trusted pool guy showed me it running...

      The local Hydro utility is taking off $400 right off the top and Pentair is rebating back another $50.

      Robert
      HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

      Comment


        #4
        Maybe a bit overkill..

        Sorry the site is in danish. In short it have 10 outputs and 4 inputs.

        https://youcontrol.dk/moduler-til-z-...g-lhc5020.html

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by langenet View Post
          So I've placed my order for a new Pentair SuperFlo VS Variable Speed Pump which has a connector on it for automated control (generally through a Pentair controller). However, in reading the documentation, if I have 3 relays using the supplied 5 volts from the pump, I can select any of 3 operating modes.
          So thinking (with eyes wide open ) that I can control this with HS for remote control. Is there a 3 (min) relay controller I can use to do this? This will give me speed1, speed2 and off.
          I was looking at the Mimolite module but at most it supports 2 relays. Is there another solution?

          I have in my pool shed, eithernet, X-10 and hopefully Z-wave if it will make it - about 55-60 ft.

          Any suggestions?

          Robert
          Curious what you ended up doing to control this? I'd like to do the same thing with my pump to add some automation around it.

          Comment


            #6
            bubba123 I did proto an Arduino solution with 4-relay shield on it and it works great. That being said, I haven't as of yet (believe it or not) implemented the solution. The reason was that my pool guy told me that the Pentair would loose it's program settings if the power to the unit was cut off. I found that wasn't the case. So I still use my trusty old X-10 solution and just turn off the pump during peak electrical charge time. It still remembers all the settings once power comes back on. This has worked for the last 2 seasons. I use X-10 because I don't think Z-wave will reach inside my pool shed from inside the house especially with the rf noise from the pump. X-10 has always worked well on my electrical and I don't care if it's slow. It just works.
            HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

            Comment


              #7
              Ahh! I wanted to use it to manually trigger certain speeds when the heater was on; normally I’d run it on a schedule which I assume I could just program into my home automation system. I don’t have control of power to my unit, but this seems to be the best way to get remote control of the speeds. Could you share with me what is required to build it out so I can venture down the road? I was thinking rest API calls per relay to allow other things to call it.

              Thanks!!

              Comment


                #8
                The Sonoff 4CH Pro seems like a good fit. About $35. Use WiFi or 433 MHz RF. I use them for irrigation control and for Alexa-controlled lighting. There are others on the board who have other applications such as garage door control. In my opinion it is much cleaner than any Arduino/Pi solution. The DIN RAIL mount also makes for a easy install that is serviceable.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by bubba123 View Post
                  Ahh! I wanted to use it to manually trigger certain speeds when the heater was on; normally I’d run it on a schedule which I assume I could just program into my home automation system. I don’t have control of power to my unit, but this seems to be the best way to get remote control of the speeds. Could you share with me what is required to build it out so I can venture down the road? I was thinking rest API calls per relay to allow other things to call it.

                  Thanks!!
                  I used an Arduino Mega, network shield and a 4 relay shield as well. Using the Arduino plugin, I built a simple sketch which would allow HS to set particular pins to on or off levels which when translated by the Mega controlled the appropriate relay. Of course all available through events. At the time I started looking into this, I didn't know about the Sonoff solution Michael mentioned. Actually, I still don't know much about it other than it appears to be a less expensive option. With mine, I had to purchase the Arduino, network shield, relay shield and plugin. Perhaps Michael can chime in a bit and give more detail about what's required with his. One thing with Sonoff solution is that it is WIFI which wouldn't work for me reliably since my pool shed is about 60-70 feet from my house. Along with the RF noise from the pump, chlorinator, heater, sprinkler controller etc, it would not be reliable. I do have a network switch in there as I run eithernet over the powerline to it reliably. My goal was to also have local control with a number of buttons which would allow me to control the pump locally for backwashing etc. I implemented this on my bench along with a 4 line LCD display which would update which speed the pump was at along with the electricity consumption which I also measure.. I don't know all that much - or rather I haven't spent much time playing with the Arduino, but the plugin is a great adder to HS to have microcontroller functionality added.

                  Michael can you provide a link to the controller please? What plugin is used?

                  Robert
                  HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Sonoff product line is made by the China company ITEAD. They are typical of most ulta-low cost WiFi products that will use an Espressif 8266 microcontroller mounted on a small circuit card that also contains the WiFi antenna etched into the circuit card. Expressif's dominance in this marketplace is much like Intel's in the PC marketplace. There is a wide following in the Internet Of Things domain which I would consider the next step from RPi and Arduino.

                    Sonoff is popular with the DIY/HA community because they make it easy to modify the firmware. Shelly is another company that is even more end-user friendly but have fewer products and slightly higher prices. If you do not upload new firmware (i.e. a new sketch) then you are tied to the Cloud and the basic apps that come with mass-consumer products.

                    One can write their own sketch like what is typical in the Arduino world, but a much more elegant approach is use third-party firmware that has much capability already built-in. It is kind of like using Windows or Linux as the foundation for applications rather than writing applications that need to worry about the hardware details of the PC. Tasmota, ESPEasy and ESPurina are three that are in wide use. I use Tasmota for most things, but I have also used ESPurina. The second half of http://mcsSprinklers.com/mcsMQTT.pdf is documentation for a collection of projects using Tasmota or ESPurina.

                    For the Sonoff 4CH Pro using Tasmota the user has a browser interface to the Sonoff for configuration, control and status. The analogy here is like HS itself where a browser is used as the default user interface. To talk with Tasmota via HS one uses HTTP or even better with MQTT protocol. A significant departure here from the Arduino plugin that has a close tether between the HS computer and the Arduino hardware. The method by which the two communicate is a custom protocol that does not have the robustness of more standard protocols that are designed for this type of operation.

                    Somewhere on your network you will have a service doing a DNS lookup for internet browsing. If you are using MQTT then somewhere on your network you will have a MQTT broker service. The service will route messages, but beyond that it will guarantee a selected Quality Of Service (QOS). For example, let us take the case where you want to configure some operating mode of your device. When HS delivers the configuration command it does not need to be concerned if the device received it. That is the job of the MQTT broker to monitor the traffic with the device and assure that it waits until the device will be able receive the configuration command. For a different message, such as a periodic temperature reading, it is not important that the specific temperature reading is received since a new update will be coming shortly. In this case the QOS is specified as fire-and-forget.

                    If I was going to do the pump task, I would do the following.
                    1. Use powerline IP interface to get an AP that will be in range of the pool install. I have done this when mounting sensors in the yard that had power outlets, but too far for Wifi. This will then open other options when a WiFi connection is desired such as using iPad when lounging at the pool.
                    2. Use Sonoff 4CH Pro. Sonoff has a built in 120/240 VAC power supply or you can use wallwart for DC level. It has a case with NO & NC relay connectors for each relay. Mounting is with DIN rail or other techniques.
                    3. Install Tasmota in Sonoff. Many YouTube videos on this as well as other Google-search sources. I have done it for other users and would be happy to do it in the future. Depending upon the manufacture date of the Sonoff 4CH Pro the new firmware can be installed via browser or via serial connection. If MQTT service is not yet running on your network then install the free mosquitto broker (Linux or Windows) on some computer on your network. Perhaps the one that is running HS.
                    4. Use mcsMQTT HS plugin to map the 3 relays into 3 HS devices. This involves checking 3 checkboxes on the mcsMQTT browser page.
                    5. Setup HS events to control the HS devices that are mapped to the relays. Depending upon the logic that one desires for the events it may be preferred to let Tasmota execute the logic using its rules. In many cases I have implemented custom logic in Tasmota, but that is not the typical approach taken by most.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      If you want a totally Z-Wave option you can do this with a Z-UNO.
                      4 Channel Relay no problem.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Thank you Michael for your time writing the response. I am now more familiar with the power of these little things. I think it would be a good solution for many applications. The real nice thing about the Sonoff 4CH Pro is that it already has 4 buttons on it for local control.. Nice price on the plugin too!
                        HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          There are so many options. I've used the Global Cache.
                          3 dry contact, N.O.
                          controls by HS plugin
                          Blair

                          HomeSeer: HS3 Pro | Blue-Iris 4 on Windows10Pro
                          | Devices: 832 | Events: 211 |
                          Plug-Ins: Z-Wave | RFXCOM | UltraRachio3 | Sonos
                          BLLAN | BLLOCK | NetCAM | Global Cache Pro | Blue-Iris4

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Which plugin can be used for sonoff?

                            Comment


                              #15
                              If you load the Tasmota firmware on the Sonoff 4 CH Pro - you can use the mcsMQTT plugin to control and get status. See this example for a Garage Door Opener Control. https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/li...myq-gd-openers

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