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Need help setting up Rain8Net in mcsSprinklers

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    Need help setting up Rain8Net in mcsSprinklers

    After completing Rain8 Setup (successfully as near as I can tell), I'm trying to do the Wiring Setup. However, there are no drop-downs in the Control Valve column. Obviously, I'm not doing something right in the Rain8 Setup, but have no clue as to what I'm missing. Any ideas?

    Do I have to install the software driver that comes with Rain8Net, or is the driver already part of mcsSprinklers?

    Thanks for any help!

    #2
    The scenario for a Rain8-Net setup is to press the button to have it find the Rain8-Net units that are attached to the specified com port. A little box will appear to the left of the button and will starting counting upward looking for a unit at that address. When this number is greater than the highest rain8 address that you have programmed then you can hit the same button (now renamed for abort) to stop the polling.

    Under the button will be a line showing all the units that it found. 8 valves from each unit will then be available in the pulldown on the Wiring page.

    Prior to looking for attached Rain8-Net units, each Rain8-Net needs to be programmed with an address in the 1 to 255 range. This is done from the same Rain8 Devices page at the bottom. In this case each Rain8 needs to be disconnected from the valves and individually programmed.

    mcsSprinklers contains all the functionally to fully manage the programming and operation of the Rain8 controllers. If you prefer you can program the EPROM using WGL software, but it is not necessary to run two software packages.

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks for the quick reply. When I request a search, the little box appears, but no numbers appear. The Rain8Net socket is detached, so no power or wiring is attached when I do this. The unit has been assigned a number (1). After several minutes of letting it search with no numbers appearing in the little box, I abort it. Does it take longer, or is something else happening here?

      I will be sending an HS log shortly when this is happening. Perhaps it will give a clue.

      Thanks.

      Comment


        #4
        HS log of problem

        Here is the HS log while I'm trying to setup the Rain8Net.

        5/4/2005 4:46:36 PM~!~mcsSprinklers~!~OpenRain8NetPort 1 Line 100 Port already open
        5/4/2005 4:46:36 PM~!~mcsSprinklers~!~Rain8 Timers must be in range 1-255, invalid are: 0=,1=,2=,3=,4=,5=,6=,7=
        5/4/2005 4:46:44 PM~!~mcsSprinklers~!~OpenRain8NetPort 1 Line 100 Port already open
        5/4/2005 4:47:09 PM~!~mcsSprinklers~!~OpenRain8NetPort 1 Line 100 Port already open
        5/4/2005 4:47:10 PM~!~Error~!~Web Server Error 404, cannot serve file: D:\Program Files\HomeSeer\html/poll
        5/4/2005 4:47:42 PM~!~mcsSprinklers~!~OpenRain8NetPort 1 Line 100 Port already open

        Thanks for your help!

        Comment


          #5
          assigning number

          Have you assigned a moduale address to each rain8net module you own?
          If not, you will need to hook it up to the computer, put '1' into the programming port and hit 'write eprom.'
          If you have 2 modules to activate, you need to keep them from being connected simuletaneously and write the eprom individually (assign a diff number to each).
          After you write the eprom(s) your good to go.

          Do you have two rain8net modules?

          Comment


            #6
            I only have one Rain8Net module and I did enter a 1 for the module address before writing to eprom. The max times in the Rain8 Timers were blanked out, so could not enter any values there. When I wrote to eprom, it seemed to go fine and when I tried reading eprom, it seemed to extract what I wrote. Please see the error messages in the previous post. Although all connections seem solid, it seems like I'm not connecting to the Rain8Net module. Maybe it's a bad module? Any other ideas? Thanks, all.

            Comment


              #7
              other plug-ins

              Have you had any other Rain8net plug-ins installed previously?
              Going to bed, so I will look again in the am.

              jbc

              Comment


                #8
                No, this is the first. I've had HS installed for about a week.

                Comment


                  #9
                  The message indicates that COM 1 is open at the time it was trying to be used. This may be a conflict between the programming and the operarational port which can both be defined to be COM 1 and the software should handle it. It could also be that another application is using it.

                  If it is an internal conflict then the work-around is to not assign a Rain8-Net port at the top of the page, but only the programming one, when the device is being programmed and then only the Rain8-Net Com port and not the programming one after it is programmed.

                  If it is another application, then it must be identified and shutdown, or another serial port other than COM 1 used for mcsSprinkklers.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks for the help. It's working now. I found another program using COM1, so I used the serial-to-usb cable from WGL with their usb driver and assigned the new USB/COM port to the Rain8Net. That solved the problem. If others are using Rain8Net with limited serial ports, they might want to try the usb approach from WGL.

                    Now to get to the actual use of mcsSprinklers!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Good that you found it. Double good that I did not need to fix something.

                      There are several enhancements / fixes for which file updates are posted at the top of the sub-forum. Best to get the latest.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Rain8Net support seems to be working fine...now have several related questions.

                        1. I initially installed mcsSprinklers on trial. Have now purchased license from HS. When I try to update license with permanent code, HS tells me no code is necessary. This is in View->Options->Interfaces->Plugins->mcsSprinklers->License. I get a message saying "No license required for this plugin". How do I enter the permanent license code to keep mcsSprinklers running without interruption?

                        2. How are your updates posted on the Message Board installed? Just replace the old files with the new files? Will my setup info be overwritten? Or use Updater?

                        Thanks for your help!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Rich contacted me and told me I need to give him a version that requires a trial or purchased code. I was trying to give free access until July, but looks like the rules require me to make it a Level 2 plugin to allow it to be included in the HS store.

                          I've got a wave of activity right now with the HS2 and Metric conversions. When this stabilizes I will put a new version in the updater. I will also post a licensable version here so you will be able to initialize the license.

                          The updater/installer does not include a mcsSprinklers.ini file or a mcsSprinklers.mdb database and that is where all the user information is contained. It should be safe to install from the updater and not loose anything. After the initial install, however, the files posted in this subformum can be installed to keep current with latest feature/fixes until the next updater submit is made. You expand the zip file, with settings to maintain folder names, into the Homeseer root folder to capture the updates posted on this board.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Attached is a Level 2 update. Expand this file into HS folder, enter your code, and then you should be able to use either Level 1 or Level 2 from this point forward.
                            Attached Files

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