RE: Introductory Message

["Mark Harrison (Groups)" <mph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 2005-10-22 at 18:22 +0100, Mike Griffiths wrote:
> I have no experience of Flexidim
> Seen it in shows that's about it
>
> I'm trying to develop a system that isn't PC based for the core
> control

I can relate to that. Like CBus, the Flexidim "core control" is
done by
a hardware controller. Also like CBus, a PC is required to configure
it... after that you have the choice of turning off the PC and walking
away, or leaving it on to allow the lighting to communicate with other
stuff (and if the PC crashes, the lights still work.)

> Which  I now have with the new versions of Cbus kit
> i.e. the stuff which has come out in the past 3-4 years:-)

Undeniably so. I like CBus kit. It works very well, and does 99% of what
I want.

> I think the problem is that you said that Cbus couldn't handle large
> scenes easily
>
> Which was true but now isn't

What I actually said was:

"unless you regularly have a dozen or more lights in a scene, with
some scenes controlling different sets of lights, and some lights
included in some scenes but not others"

It's the "included in some scenes but not others" that I have
difficulty
with in CBus on large scenes. It may be that I'm just being dumb in how
I relate to CGate, but I find this kind of thing way easier to set up in
the Flexidim PC software, and there are some odd things I've never been
able to figure out how to do with CBus...

... stuff like

- when I trigger this input (say, a PIR) then
- if it's between 6am and 10pm, then I'm awake so do XXX
- if it's outside those times, then
- if this switch is on do this
- or if this switch is off do that...

It may be (quite likely) that I'm just too much of an HA nerd for my own
good, and that as Rob Mouser pointed out, that kind of thing is of no
interest whatsoever to the average user. I remember that when I said
(some months ago) that I didn't like the fact that, with Rako stuff, you
couldn't query the state of a switch, there was some bemusement about
why one would ever want to :-)

If the newer CBus controllers (the PAC) solves this, then fair enough,
CBus HAS moved on, and I suspect that I owe both you, Rob and Mark
McCall a pint :-)

> I wish you luck with Flexidim

I'm happy with it so far. I've not seen a product since WebBrick (yes,
which we also sell, dammit) that struck me as so "smart" in terms
of how
it was conceived and implemented.

Of course, if there were a UKHA 2006, then I'd be delighted to bring
along a Flexidim system for a geeky "show and tell" :-) And yes,
Mr.
McCall, that was intended as a big hint :-) :-) :-)

I likewise wish you (and Rob, Mark and Martin if that's the way he
decides to go) every success with CBus.

Regards,

Mark