Is RCS TR40 RS-485 Supported using HS3 RCS Serial Plugin - Plugin now working!

[cbryan]

Count me in as well for a paid solution.

I had email discussion with Rich mid-March regarding the HS3 non-support of the serial plugin and especially the loss of zone controller function (ZCV4). I have a blended system, two TR40s and a ZCV4 zone controller with four TS40 wall display units (WDU). Early adopted the HS3 software but unable to install without major hardware changes to accommodate the lack of RCS serial support in HS3. In essence would have to replace the existing ZCV4 zone controller with a ZC4 zone controller that supports thermostats rather than WDUs. This would mean the purchase of four zwave stats and the new ZC4 zone controller as well as replacing the two TR40s with two zwave stats (about $1000 worth of new equipment to abandon existing equipment that works fine [well almost] under HS2Pro).

Rich was very upfront that Homeseer did not believe there were enough of us RCS serial users (particularly zone controller users) to justify the development cost of a revamped RCS plugin. He did send the source code but I have not had a chance to look into the project.

The plugin always had difficulty in addressing the zone controller and WDUs behind the controller. RJ reworked the HS2 version several years ago and it did function with the zone controller and WDUs but HSTouch still had several unresolved issues (missing drop down menu options when "designing" a touch thermostat under HSTouch), likely still related to the zone controller addressing issues. Most of the addressing issue was documented in http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=117708.

The solution was ultimately to address the stats and zone controller/WDUs as follows:

A=address
Z=Zone

A1 is TR40 stat
A2 is TR40 stat
A3 is ZCV4 zone controller, Z1 is WDU zone 1
A3 is ZCV4 zone controller, Z2 is WDU zone 2
A3 is ZCV4 zone controller, Z3 is WDU zone 3
A3 is ZCV4 zone controller, Z4 is WDU zone 4

The outside temp is taken from the sensor connected to the ZCV4 and sent to the TR40 thermostats using the following script:

sub main()
dim customtext, RCS
set RCS=hs.plugin("RCS Serial Thermostats")
call RCS.CmdSetOutsideTemp (1, RCS.GetTemp(3,0))
call RCS.CmdSetOutsideTemp (2, RCS.GetTemp(3,0))

end sub




The remaining HSTouch issues were discussed in paid support with no resolution. The jest of the issue was the drop down menus for WDUs behind the zone controller in the HSTouch designer lacked all of the proper fields to control or display all of the features of the WDU. All features would be present on the thermostats (A1 and A2) but missing when working with the WDUs (A3,Z1 and A3, Z2 and A3,Z3 and A3, Z4).

[sdwinkelman]

Thanks for all the great suggestions and continued feedback!... please keep it coming.

My intention is to have this be compatible with as much equipment as I can and am structuring it to be very flexible. I am lacking detailed technical documentation on the zone controllers, so if anyone has copies (or finds links online) please let me know.

I'm posting one last revision for this week to see if resolves the outside temp issue gearyt observed (please let me know!)

Since I'm still getting up to speed on "plug-in basics", I probably won't be making any major changes just yet, but I will likely do additional tweaks as your feedback warrants it and per Uncle Michael's suggestion, I'll create a new thread going forward.

[cbryan]

Here is the link to the RCS ZCV2/4/6 zone controllers:

http://www.rcstechnology.com/oldsite...anels/ZCVx.htm

According to Bruce at RCS these have all been discontinued in favor of the non-serial ZC4 (or presumably 2 or 6) that work directly with zwave stats such as the radio thermostat CT-100 or 101. As you can see this leaves a lot of perfectly good functioning equipment in the obsolete bin, ahhh the dangers of home automation 😁

The link includes the serial protocol but I haven't looked at it in years and sending from phone. Will try to print and review again this weekend.

I plan to set up a stand alone HS3 install with nothing but RCS running to create a test platform. I can give you access once set up if it is any help.

Thanks for the efforts!

[cbryan]

HS3 RCS serial test up and running.

The two downstairs stats and an upstairs ZCV4 zone controller are configured as follows:

South Downstairs Thermostat (A1)
North Downstairs Thermostat (A2)
Upstairs Zone Controller (A3)

There is no provision in the current HS3 RCS plugin to configure the wall display units (WDUs) behind A3 (in my case above) in the plugin. Ideally one could assign WDUs behind any zone controller configured as (An, Zn). In HS2 this was accomplished with drop down menus in the RCS configuration screen but could be as simple as just entering a value for both A and Z in the HS3 RCS configuration screen. (An,Z0) would always be the address of the zone controller itself which does return values under the serial protocol, including fan and mode status and the various damper positions (there was a "reverse damper status" check box to account for normally open or normally closed dampers). More on this below.


Reads the first stat (A1) just fine, including outside temp from stat (remnant data that was originally sent from HS2 running before where the HS2 script reads temp sensor on the zone controller and writes it to the OT variable in the stat itself). The second stat (A2) and zone controller (A3) are not reading the data. (see HS3 Serial Beta screen capture)

Additionally, in order to address any zone controller(s) the plugin will have to deal with the zones (Z1 through Z4 or Zx on 2 or 6 zone controllers) by adding the (A,Z) data format (see RCS ZCVx Screen from HS2 RCS configuration screen and RCS HS2 Devices) where A is set for each stat or zone controller and Z is set for each wall display unit behind the zone controller. (A,Z0) is always the controller itself followed by (A,Z1) through (A,Zn) where n=the number of zones (probably limited to 6 for the ZCV6).

Hopefully this description is not confusing and makes sense.

[dzee]

Thanks for all the great suggestions and continued feedback!... please keep it coming.

I installed the lastest plug-in you posted this morning and I'm now seeing two-way updates to setpoints, mode, and run status. This is GREAT! I'm interested in knowing if you see any code in the plugin for updating messages on the TR40. When I had it connected to my StarGate, I was able to send filter replacement reminders, weather details like rainfall, or reminders of other HA activity to the T-Stat. When a new message was posted, the red light on the TR40 blinks and it catches your eye in a dark hallway.

The serial command for that was to send ASCII data A=1 TM="<message data>", so if I wanted a reminder to change the filter it would be A=1 TM="Check HVAC Filter"

I don't have an RCS outside temp sensor, so I was also able to use my weather station data to post the outside temp on the TR40 using the ASCII command A=1 OT=<tempvariable>. It would then appear on the top line of the T-Stat display as Outside Temp 70. The T-Stat is not doing that now, even though the Outside Temp is updating in the plug-in device.

Do you see any of that implemented in the plug-in code?

[dzee]

The outside temp is taken from the sensor connected to the ZCV4 and sent to the TR40 thermostats using the following script:

sub main()
dim customtext, RCS
set RCS=hs.plugin("RCS Serial Thermostats")
call RCS.CmdSetOutsideTemp (1, RCS.GetTemp(3,0))
call RCS.CmdSetOutsideTemp (2, RCS.GetTemp(3,0))

end sub

I have made a script to update outside temp on my TR40 using a variation of your code (thanks for posting!) It appears to be working because every run I've noticed it changing in the plug-in's Outside Temp device as it warms up this morning. Looking around my HS3 installation, I don't see anywhere in my plug-in where it says "RCS Serial Thermostats" and I haven't found documentation, so it seems a bit mysterious how it's working. How did you know to put "RCS Serial Thermostats" into the set RCS = hs.plugin("RCS Serial Thermostats") command to instantiate the plugin?

[gearyt]

you may want to add the capability to switch front ends, IE: choice to be either serial or Z-wave, or X-10 into a single plug-in. When done, it should cover also Trane's which were orig done by RCS

[gearyt]

sorry.. still lost outside temp.. I turned off polling as it seems to start when I set polling to 10 sec.. will have to wait for outside temp to rise to see if it is fixed

[gearyt]

sorry.. nope. Outside temp changed from 86 to 90.. plug-in still -1

[dzee]

I installed the lastest plug-in you posted this morning and I'm now seeing two-way updates to setpoints, mode, and run status. This is GREAT! I'm interested in knowing if you see any code in the plugin for updating messages on the TR40. When I had it connected to my StarGate, I was able to send filter replacement reminders, weather details like rainfall, or reminders of other HA activity to the T-Stat. When a new message was posted, the red light on the TR40 blinks and it catches your eye in a dark hallway.

The serial command for that was to send ASCII data A=1 TM="<message data>", so if I wanted a reminder to change the filter it would be A=1 TM="Check HVAC Filter"

I don't have an RCS outside temp sensor, so I was also able to use my weather station data to post the outside temp on the TR40 using the ASCII command A=1 OT=<tempvariable>. It would then appear on the top line of the T-Stat display as Outside Temp 70. The T-Stat is not doing that now, even though the Outside Temp is updating in the plug-in device.

Do you see any of that implemented in the plug-in code?

I'm answering my own questions today. I just found the action RCSStat Send Command, and I can send messages with Address 1, Zone 0, Command "TM", and the message surrounded in quotes. Haven't figured out how to put a replacement variable in, though.

[sdwinkelman]

sorry.. nope. Outside temp changed from 86 to 90.. plug-in still -1

gearyt, I' have a feeling that the -1 value is set in the string value in your Outside Temp device - can you check and if so clear the string value?

[sdwinkelman]

I'm answering my own questions today. I just found the action RCSStat Send Command, and I can send messages with Address 1, Zone 0, Command "TM", and the message surrounded in quotes. Haven't figured out how to put a replacement variable in, though.

I haven't seen anything specifically for messages (just the approach you already noticed), though I'd like to do something a bit more useful than the way it is presently. I didn't have luck earlier with getting the replacement variables to work in that context either (one of my earlier rants). I am definitely wanting a better way to use them, since I used thermostat messages extensively in HS2.

I am planning on implementing something to address that- hopefully sooner rather than later.

[gearyt]

gearyt, I' have a feeling that the -1 value is set in the string value in your Outside Temp device - can you check and if so clear the string value?

the string looks right to me...

[gearyt]

here is inside HS


... How can I reset it ?

[sdwinkelman]

here is inside HS


... How can I reset it ?

I've attached a script you can run via a manually triggered event. It's simply this:

Sub Main(parms As Object)
Dim StatTemp as String = hs.GetDeviceRefByName("Outside Temp")
hs.SetDeviceString(StatTemp, nothing, TRUE)
End Sub