From: Grant Hutchinson (grant_at_splorp.com)
Date: Mon Mar 31 2003 - 07:46:10 PST
In a previous message, Nathan Turnage typed vigorously:
>But it would be cool to control the apartment with my Mac. BTW, what
>exactly is a "CM-11A-compatible controller"?
From http://home.att.net/~ASchw/x10parts.html
2. CM11A Controller
The CM11A is a two-way controller, it detects external X10 events and
reports them to the computer. This enables to log the events to a file,
provided the computer is running. Unfortunately, not all modules report
when they are activated. This device is a fully featured programmable
logic controller. It's designed for stand-alone or interactive operation.
You must use a computer to program timers but once programmed, it can run
stand-alone. The CM11A contains an internal clock (HH:MM:SS format) and a
day-of-the-year counter. This allows you to pre-program timers for a full
year before the events are repeated. During power failures, the clock is
backed up with two AAA size batteries and an internal counter keeps track
of the battery life. The CM11A is connected to the computer with a serial
cable. Programming is done by defining timer on/off times and date
ranges. This unit also allows to execute macros. Macros are events that
are triggered by other X10 events, so for example when the CM11A detects
a A1 ON, you could automatically execute A2 OFF, wait 5 minutes, then do
B10 DIM 50% etc. Depending on complexity of events, you can program up to
115 timers into the CM11A. This is limited by the 1024 bytes of erasable
memory the controller offers, only one of two short-comings of this
controller. (The other short-coming is the latch-up problem. See the
HOUSE/2 and X10 FAQ at the link listed at the start of this document.)=A0
g.
......................................................................
Grant Hutchinson
Interface Considerations & Toys
Weblog > http://www.splorp.com/
Newton > http://www.newted.org/
Design > http://www.veer.com/
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