Need help figuring out how to integrate a Mr. Steam system

[Thrag]

One thing I have in my home that I've always wanted to bring into my HomeSeer system is my Mr. Steam steam shower. It looks like they now have a product to allow home automation systems to monitor and control the steam generator. It works as a pair of contact closures. One to send a signal to toggle the unit on and off, and another that is either open or closed to indicate the current status of the unit.

I haven't done anything with homeseer and contact closure devices and I have no idea even where to begin. I could use some pointers on how this might be accomplished.

Relevant section from the manual:

Using the supplied connector, connect the signal wires and feedback wires from the Home Automation system to the Home Wizard.

The signal from the Home Automation system must be a momentary contact closure to turn the Steam Generator ON or OFF. A sustained
contact closure or voltage will damage the Home Wizard.

The feedback from the Home Wizard is a sustained contact closure when the steam generator is ON and an open circuit when the steam generator is OFF.

The maximum voltage for the feedback circuit is 2A a t12VDC

[mwaite]

I think there are multiple ways to acomplish this, depending on what you may already have for an HS interace.

One possibility is to use an Insteon I/O Linc (http://www.smarthome.com/2450/IOLinc...-1-Out-/p.aspx)

It can detect an open/closed circuit, as well as handle one. Sounds like something that would work easily enough (if you have an Insteon setup).

[mrhappy]

Possibly could use an X10 relay universal module and a poweflash if you wanted X10, only slight concern being the fact that damage might occur if the controlling contact is kept on. As that is the case I would want some sort of failsafe.

Perhaps a device with instant status may be a bit better and you could handle the problem of it possibly staying on inside HS by way of event/script?

It would be nice to know how long the sustained contact has to be for it to cause damage, is it two seconds or two hours of contact closure that causes problems? I imagine it would be expensive to find out if they don't say. I was thinking whether a one shot timer piece of hardware like this http://www.velleman.eu/downloads/0/m...nual_vm188.pdf might prevent any damage?

The logic in HS might be another thing to look as it seems to me that you are going to want to send an on command then an off command to turn the device on (which in HS will show the X10 relay or whatever as off where in fact the shower is on) then to turn it off another on followed by an off (and this will be correct, the device is off when off).

The feedback from the device should be easy enough to connect up and I doubt it will be a problem.