Ds10a, do they report battery status ?

[Rotech]

Anybody know if the x10 ds10a reports in its battery status?

[rmasonjr]

I don't believe so. I don't recall anything in the x10 rf protocol that sends battery status.

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[sparkman]

Yes, the X10 security devices report battery status. In HS2 the ACRF2 plugin reports it and in HS3 the RFXCom plugin reports it. Not sure if any of the other X10 RF plugins also report it. I've had two report low battery status in the last week.

Cheers
Al

[Pete]

Yup; here utilize one DS10A for my rainbird rain sensor. I don't recall when it was I changed the battery. It's still reporting status just fine; thinking maybe its been at least two years.

Current pricing varies but is around $20 per device. I have seen these in bulk purchases for less and some for more.

For monitoring there is a check box relating to status.

Currently Registered RF Security Devices

Enable RF device status / issue monitoring system. This includes security and environmental sensors.

Here is a nice description of what is what from MisterHouse: (nice W800 versus RFXCom description is here)

http://misterhouse.wikispaces.com/X10RFX10SecRFXCOM

BTW now we have a new piece of hardware to look at ....Thank-you Automate!!!

http://board.homeseer.com/showthread...11#post1118311

Here I am starting to play with tiny Zigbee wireless modules. This is the first time for me doing anything with Zigbee. (first test is a wireless PIR and wireless door sensor). Price's and competition relating to the two technologies will push the prices down to probably the DS10A level in a short time (well automation evolution time - dog years).

[Rotech]

Yes, the X10 security devices report battery status. In HS2 the ACRF2 plugin reports it and in HS3 the RFXCom plugin reports it. Not sure if any of the other X10 RF plugins also report it. I've had two report low battery status in the last week.

Cheers
Al

Sparkman, what did you do to restore or return to normal status those two that reported low battery? I am using RFXCOM and I have one that the low battery doent go away, even if I change battery's . I had my dougths about the ds10a reporting battery status, that why I posted the question.

[rmasonjr]

Wow! You learn something new every day! I have the RFXCom in HS2 and never noticed it...

[sparkman]

Sparkman, what did you do to restore or return to normal status those two that reported low battery? I am using RFXCOM and I have one that the low battery doent go away, even if I change battery's . I had my dougths about the ds10a reporting battery status, that why I posted the question.

Hi Hector, I haven't changed the batteries yet. I was waiting to see how long they would last after the ds10 reported the low battery .

Cheers
Al

[Pete]

Yup; much of the wireless automation in the EU today is based on the RFXCom stuff and its been around a very long time.

Personally like to visit this web site in the UK to mostly watch the evolution of automation.

http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/vbulletin/forum.php?

I got involved a bit relating to the xAP automation network protocol stuff relating to weather on that site. I am pete there too.

off on a tangent.....

There was a time a few years back relating to standardizing a network protocol based on xAP and xPL just for automation with a structured and documented automation only type of language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAP_Hom...ation_protocol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPL_Protocol

Personally it was a good idea to standardize automation networking chatting to one standard rather that reinventing the wheel of automation progress "willy-nilly" like today.

Just noticed that the battery on the tiny zigbee sensor is almost bigger than the circuit board with the zigbee radio daughter board tacked on top of it. I have a feeling though it will not last as long as the two tiny batteries in the DS10A.

[Rotech]

Hi Hector, I haven't changed the batteries yet. I was waiting to see how long they would last after the ds10 reported the low battery .

Cheers
Al

Can you let me know your results after putting in new battery's plz.

[Uncle Michael]

I haven't changed the batteries yet. I was waiting to see how long they would last after the ds10 reported the low battery .

My experience is that the DS10's low battery detection circuit is fairly primitive. I assume it is looking at the battery voltage, but they have to 'manufacture' a reference voltage somehow to do that, and I don't think they do it very well.

Alkaline batteries slowly lose voltage as they discharge, but the loss is not linear, so the effective threshold needs to be well controlled for the report to be consistent. I've had DS10s last for a year or more AFTER the ACRF2 plug-in began reporting low battery for them. (The time - based on very limited data - seems to be reasonably consistent for a given DS10, but varies wides from one to another.)

The attached image illustrates the function (I assume for four cells in series).
_

[AshaiRey]

The battery status of a DS10a is defined in the RFXcom plugin. Just select the plugin, goto the configuration screen, select the security tab and find the device that reports the battery status. Here you put in the date and the expected time the battery will last. With this you can also reset the battery status device

[Rotech]

The battery status of a DS10a is defined in the RFXcom plugin. Just select the plugin, goto the configuration screen, select the security tab and find the device that reports the battery status. Here you put in the date and the expected time the battery will last. With this you can also reset the battery status device

Ashairey, are u using RFXCOM in HS3? Or is this in HS2?

[Steve Q]

Ds10a, do they report battery status ?

My experience is the same as Uncle Michael's. The low battery warning from the DS10 is not very useful. Most of the time there is plenty of battery life when the alarm is triggered. Batteries are cheap and easy to change, but every time you change the batteries, you run the risk of the device code changing. For me, this is a huge issue because I use scripts with my DS10s. So I try not to change the batteries until they are dead.

Steve Q


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[Rotech]

I have a ds10 that reporting low battery, even thou I have changed battery and also changed the id, it still report low battery. It looks like it stuck in that state. I am running RFXCOM in HS3.

[langenet]

I have used the battery reporting in the ACRF-2 plugin successfully for years. When I change the batteris, I edit the little note to the left of the device and put in the date the battery was changed. I've had batteries last for almost 3 years. I did this practice because I was curious as to how long they last... and they seem to last a long time.