Re:Fw: CBUS & Comfort Questions

[Chris Burn <chris@xxxxxxxx>]

Thanks a lot guys, the comfort <-> cbus makes sense now. I think
I'll=20
stick with cbus relays to keep the lighting all in one system.

I've just downloaded PICED and had a look around the manuals and there=20
is a nice little procedure called "NudgeSceneLevel" which
apparently=20
allows you to adjust a scene by an offset. I was planning on a PAC as=20
well anyway, so I'll keep that in mind.

Chris




> Gareth Cook wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I'm about to start a cbus & comfort install in my house and
I've got a
> > few questions for you clever people.
> >
> > How closely integrated can you get cbus & comfort. For
instance for my
> > lighting setup I need a 12 channel cbus relay costing around
=A3520. If=
I
> > have a ucmcbus module in the comfort box can I replace the cbus
relay
> > with comfort 240v relays, 12 x =A328 =3D =A3336, thus saving
=A3194 to =
pay=20
> for a
> > free ucmcbus?
>
>     > Yes, but you are limited by the number of total comfort
outputs
>     - not so
>     > with cbus.
>     >
>     Also - any Comfort outputs do not become correctly represented on
>     C-Bus
>     as they don't exit there - ie they don't correspond to a true
C-Bus
>     group and therefore don't correctly report status using MMI on
C-Bus,
>     they can be controlled from C-Bus though.
>
> > Will I be able to get exactly the same performance using comfort
relays
> > for lights? Will CBUS scenes work in the same way switching
lights
> > through comfort? I'll still need cbus dimmers, the relays are
just for
> > external lights and utility areas.
>
>     > Yes - using 12v <> 240v relays of course - a few quid.
I have
>     some CBUS
>     > buttons activate comfort relays, and also cbus buttons tell
>     comfort to
>     > activate cbus channels (ie pressing the same light switch
when
>     it's dark -
>     > will only turn the light on to 50% without holding for dim)
>     >
>     I think by 'scenes' you mean groups in this question - otherwise
the
>     next Q is the same isn't it ? This I think works although C-Bus
will
>     not correctly report the states of the outputs present on Comfort
>     - it
>     will see and report them as 'absent' but you can control them ok.
>
> >
> >
> > I will be using scenes in cbus so can comfort relays be a part of
a=20
> cbus
> > scene, having a cbus switch trigger a scene containing cbus
dimmers and
> > comfort relays?
>
>     > Not directly, but comfort could activate a comfort output and
>     then tell a
>     > cbus channel to activate.
>     >
>
>     If you have a scene and divide outputs between C-Bus and Comfort
then
>     (as before) those outputs on Comfort will not maintain correct
>     'group'
>     status on C-Bus and as such you won't be able to use the feature
>     where
>     key indicator lamps remain lit when scenes are valid and go out if
>     broken ( a member changes state) - but this feature isn't too
>     dependable
>     anyway and wouldn't be a great loss.
>
> >
> > Whilst on the subject of scenes, is it possible to dim scenes? If
I=20
> have
> > a 2 button switch with a scene on each switch would it be
possible to
> > turn a scene on with a button press and then dim the whole scene
up and
> > down with press&hold on the switch? Or is dimming only
possible on
> > individual lights?
>
>     > I think so !
>     >
>     Not sure if G is saying yes to 'only individual lights' here or
your
>     wanted dimming ?? AFAIK it is not possible to dim scenes - however
>     you
>     can assign an area to a dimmer pack (and dimmer switches too I
think)
>     which allows you to dim all the area as one ie all channels on one
>     , or
>     several dimmers. You can also put the same group on several dimmer
>     channels too but then they are really just one bigger channel, you
>     can't control them independently. To do what you want I think you
>     need
>     more 'smarts' eg something that will link several different groups
to
>     one as a master dimmer. This could be done with a PAC or C-Bus
>     touchscreen or xAP/xPL. It is possible you may even be able to
>     program
>     Comfort to handle this too - it would take a required dim level
>     and then
>     instruct each dimmer channel (C-Bus Group) individually
>     (sequentially)
>     to go to that level . The result would still appear to be one
>     co-ordinated dim , especially over longer ramp times.
>
> > I'm just specing the system out, so I'm sure I'll have more
questions
> > once I get going.
> > Thanks,
> > Chris
> >
>
>     Scenes on C-Bus are not 'collections of dimmer channels' - they
are a
>     collection of dimmer channels each member of which has a defined
>     final
>     dim level at a specific ramp rate. They are 'triggered' by setting
a
>     certain trigger/action pairing, So as such members of scenes can't
be
>     dimmed as one. without a little 'programming' help. Achieving
complex
>     multifunction (shortpress longpress) scene control is quite
>     awkward on
>     C-Bus switches due to trigger group membership issues, but you can
>     also
>     use standard groups with suitable smarts 'PAC/Touchscreen/
>     xAP' to do
>     the same thing - if not more. Comfort relay outputs will not
maintain
>     correct status on C-Bus so you will need to take care with any
C-Bus
>     'logic' programming that depends on knowing the state of such
>     outputs.
>     eg "If outside floodlights are ON then do this..... (where
outside
>     floods are a Comfort output)
>
>     Kevin
>



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