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How to get started in XAP

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    How to get started in XAP

    I would like to get started in XAP as I purchased MCStemp sometime ago and it is entirely too much overkill for what I want/ need. I am just looking to have 2 DS9097U connected to my Homeseer machine and read temps from both (reason for 2 is my Leaving air temp needs to be fast so I want it by itself). it looks like the xap 1 wire would be just what I need. I dont need any of the other features MCStemp gives me, just the ability to read sensors every several seconds.

    let me know if im on the right track and where to start, or if I should be using something different.
    -Christopher
    PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

    #2
    The xap 1-wire application uses the same DS9097 interface as mcsTemperatue. It will transfer 1-wire sensor data onto the LAN using the xAP Basic Status and Contol schema. xAP gives you LAN-wide visibility of the data. If you objective is simply to get it back into Homeseer you can use the xAP plugin. If you have something else that understands xAP that you want to use to process the 1-Wire data then the xAP 1-wire is a good match. If you simply want another way to get the DS9097U data into Homeseer then you are not gaining anything by going to xAP.

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      #3
      what would be my best solution for getting 1 wire data into homeseer? thats really all I need. data from 2 DS9097U input into homeseer reliably. I bought MCStemp and it works however I find a high overhead with it and also it usually locks my machine up when I try ot exit and restart homeseer even with the later revs of it.


      is there other apps I need or script interface, programs I need to run to get xap data into homeseer? since I know zero about it.

      too bad you dont have a simle 1 wire plug similar to the old garyga plug. that plug works but will stomp on all the memory andcrash the system after a couple weeks.
      -Christopher
      PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

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        #4
        If you install the xAP plugin and run xapmcs1Wire then you have the 1-wire data available in virtual devices. You will also need a hub service that is available from xapframework.net xapmcs1Wire should support multiple ports on the same PC or if you are running on 2 PC's then install a copy on each. xapAutomation.org is an xAP home site from where more general info on xAP can be obtained as well as links to many xAP resources.

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          #5
          Ok I got 1 of my DS9097U up and running and data into Homeseer with it. where do I set the precision I want the DS18b20 to be. I know the sensors can be programmed to use .5 ,.125 degree c resolution etc. they are faster in .5 res.. is there a place in here where you have a spot to set the precision? and also how would I use more than one adapter. it looks like the 1 wire drivers only have a place to set 1 comm port. if I can get these 2 things resolved this will solve my issues and ill be up and running, looks like it will do me better than MCStemp since I only used 1 wire functionality of the MCStemp plug and nothing else.

          -Christopher
          PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

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            #6
            Try to use the same techniques you used for mcsTemperature which is command separated ports. I believe it has logic for multiple adapters, but I'm now running with just one per PC so I cannot be certain there is not some missing logic. The resolution logic will be in xapmcs1Wire if I added it to mcsTemperature prior to splitting it from mcsTemperature, but if not then you will need to run at the default speeds. Another option you have is to use the OWAPI object via script to access the DS9097U and the DS1820's. This way you will be able to streamline it to fit your specific need. Logic to handle the 1-wire parts is realatively easy. Complexity occurs when the software needs to deal with the user interface.

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              #7
              im doinbg Ok now.. I found a way to program each sensor,, multiple adapters looks notto be too bad as im running 2 machines in my setup, so 1 on one and one on the other.. this may be a Q for the xap plugin and not here.. not sure.. I want for my display purposes for my 1 wire temps to be without a decimal point, of course the raw data on the HS gui has deimal.. I was trying to trigger and event to run a script based on device value but it appears no device value is set only device string.. and HS doesnt appear to trigger events based on devicestrings?


              I thought id add a xap variable but my xap viewer doesnt help me too much as xap variable wants source, section, class and item.. all I get for the 1 wire is a source and class in the viewer ..

              I dont like the idea of running a script every 2 seconds to update a virtual device, id rather only update it when the temp changes.
              -Christopher
              PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

              Comment


                #8
                I suggest you use the xapmcsScript ActiveX so you can do exactly what you want. It is located in the same area as the xAP 1-Wire.

                Write a script that specifies an xAP message filter that captures the 1-wire sourced data. The script will then run each time the data is received. You can then take the data and format any way you like before putting it into a virtual device.

                xapmcsScritpt does contain a sample of how it is used.

                When I receive BSC data in my xap Plugin I put DisplayText into DeviceString, State into DeviceStatus, Level/Text into DeviceValue. It seems based upon your experience this is not done by James. It seems like a reasonable request.

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                  #9
                  where do I get your xap plugin? perhaps I should be using that instead of the other one.. i was thinking they were one in the same.
                  -Christopher
                  PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

                  Comment


                    #10
                    This xap plugin is setup for my environment and is focused on support for system redundancy. Your best chance with an xAP plugin is to understand how to make James' plugin do what you need.

                    An xAP plugin is geared toward making Homeseer plug'n'play within an xAP environment or xAP plug'n'play within a Homeseer environment. Associated with the benefits of minimum setup requirements are the automatic associations made in the plug'n'play mapping. If these auotmatic mappings are not what you want/need then xAPmcsScript provides an easy way to stitch together Homeseer and xAP in any way you want. A setup with the xapmcsScript will give you the most direct and flexible method to deal with xAP data.

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                      #11
                      honestly at this point all im really looking for is a good way to get 1 wire temp and humidity data from 2 separate DS9097-U into my Homeseer. one of those DS9097U is focused on speed and reliability, the other, speed is not an issue.


                      I originally was using the garyga 1 wire plug although from what I can tell it only supports 1 DS9097, and it appeeared to chew up a lot of memory after a few days running and crash my system..

                      so i then bought MCStemp for this purpose but for whatever reason even on the lastest version it would totally hang my system 80% of the time when homeseer was shutdown. my thinking is that the dallas drivers dont like to run 2 DS9097U on the same machine? although this occurs with just one DS9097 installed and connected.

                      ive got some automatic maint that I perform once a week which shuts down homeseer and then restarts the computer after its done. (defragging, disk scanning, virus scanning etc).

                      so I came to the idea of Xap, your xap 1 wire routine never hangs my system when I start and stop it, plus I have the option of my second DS9097U residing on my second server which is my W2k3 that handles my gateway, terminal server, MLserver, and asterisk PBX running in a virtual server 2005 mode.

                      however since for whatever reason there is no way in homeseer to trigger on a device string and james doesnt update device values im kind of sunk on keeping the speed I need for my Leaving Air temp monitor..

                      -Christopher
                      PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Update of the DeviceValue by the xAP plugin seems like a reasonable functionality for which you could request. The xAPmcsScript is a solution. Use of superTrigger plugin to trigger on strings is a solution. I suspect mcsTemperature is never able to complete shutdown at the rates you are running it. I can place some interlocks based upon the shutdown event and this may take care of the lockup problem. Rapid update rates are best suited to direct analog intefaces such as using gameport or ocelot and this is another approach.

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                          #13
                          The shutdown process for mcsTemperature is started when Homeseer demands shutdown. It checks if the 1-Wire data collection cycle is active and if so waits for up to 15 seconds for it to complete. It then ends. I added logic to check after every sensor sample and if shutdown is requested to stop the cycle. I also now prohibit a cycle from starting when the shutdown process is underway. Give it it try if you wish to see if it takes care of your shutdown problem.
                          Attached Files

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                            #14
                            ill give that a shot.. that should do it as if I were to disconnect my 1 wire sensors before shutdown it would always make it, so i suspect that with my quick polling cycle i was pretty much going right back into a sample cycle right after completing one.

                            refresh my memory on how to set resolutions and how to use multiple DS9097 on the same machine in MCStemp, i remember its an INI file setting but dont remember which one. right now with XAP ive got one DS9097u on server1 and the other on server2. ive also put in a request for the xap plugin to support device values.
                            thanks for your help
                            -Christopher
                            PerfecTemp - the Most advanced HVAC system I've ever Built - and its in my House

                            Comment


                              #15
                              The resolution was discussed on the message board and I believe I put it in the manual. I'm on the road so my access to this info is no better than yours and I do not recall any of the specifics. I do know it is an ini file edit and I think it is a number added to the end of the line that describes a sensor. I think 0 is full resolution and 3 is minimum, but dont quote me on it.

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