Home automation: BTicino, OpenWebNet, SCS bus

m4rky_m4rk

Copied most of the door entry threads to here:
BTicino MyHome bus: Classe 300x & SFERA video door entry

geoffbs

Hi, Don't know if this is the right place to ask this question? But...

I've got 6*F401 Rolling Shutter Actuators installed but can't get any of them to respond to controls from my MyHome 3.5" touch screen.  I've also followed the configuration procedure by pressing the learn followed by the up button however all that happens is the relay clicks twice and then stops (blind does move but only by a couple of inches). It doesn't move blind up and then down and then up as described in the manual.

Lights controlled by MyHome work fine and I've checked all actuators for conflicting addresses but found none.

Any ideas?

m4rky_m4rk

Sounds like the actuators maybe configured incorrectly. Have you checked the configuration in myhomesuite.

Manual here

In the manual it talks about a calibration procedure to be done and it will not work. But you still can drive the shutters directly on the actuator with the buttons.

geoffbs

I've checked the actuators in MyHome - and all other actuators (lighting) and I've tried both virtual and physical configurations.

As an update one of actuators has now started responding to commands from Touchscreen and atMyHome app (don't know why, maybe the fiddling did something) however I cannot calibrate the blinds using the procedure described - it simply doesn't work. I tried setting the type in the configurator firstly to manual (type=0) then to automatic (type=1). The calibration process say to press the learn button for 3 seconds, which I do followed by the up button. The blind should then go up and when it reaches fully open it either descends automatically (type=0) or you press the down button (type=1) to cause it to close.

However after pressing the up button after two clicks of the relay it stops and the configuration process ends.

Outside of the learn process each press of the up or down button only causes the relay to click once advancing the blinds about one 1cm in either direction. 100 clicks required to close the blinds!

m4rky_m4rk

I guess most here are not familiar with Home automation BUS systems. So.. some explanation follows:

BUS... basically every device is assigned a unique address. In my case the power for each light, blind and some sockets are controlled via BUS connected relays(actuators). A command is sent sent to an address down the BUS and the corresponding device responds accordingly. eg dim light to level x, switch on , switch off. etc. The system can know the state of each address eg on or off, and sensors can be added such as movement sensor, temperature in and out, light level, windy, rainy etc Then it is possible to construct something smart ... eg on event X, if Y is this, then do a,b,c,

By adding a 'brain' to the BUS some scenarios can be built
e.g.
Open blinds in stages at 7am.Close blinds when its dark and turn some lights onClose blinds on south side if room temperature more than 23°COpen garage electric door only if the alarm is offSet mood lighting for movie when Blue ray player is powered on.Set mood lighting for dinner. Bring kitchen light down and dinner lights up slowly.etc etc etc..These scenarios can then be activated automatically and or from a normal switch,or IR controller, or dedicated scenario switches or LCD panels. Or activated remotely from a smart phone or web page.

Maybe you have heard of KNX?  Often used commercially for lighting, blind, heating, access, music and video controls in hotels, businesses etc. KNX can be over complicated and expensive for home users.

For the home BTicino (Legrand is the parent company) have a simpler and cheaper BUS system than KNX;  perhaps more suitable for beginners and home use. If its not installed from the start on a new build it can be integrated alongside traditional switches and uses a simple 2 wire bus cable and or RF control. Zigbee I think.

There are many 'gateways' and interfaces to connect to other systems and smart devices too. eg DALI dimmers

BUS systems for the home are not so well known (x10 anyone?) in the UK but a lot more common in Europe, Australia and many other countries. Mostly a trained electrician would install the system with the more tech minded users building and tweaking from there.

I hope that helps explain a bit about the chatter on the new threads I created. Some basic info from BTicino/Legrand is here too:

MyHome home automation system

General features pdf

Home automation - Legrand UK & Ireland

Approved installers - Legrand UK & Ireland

geoffbs

Thanks m4rky_m4rk. That's a great description and very informative.

What I'd really like to understand is about scenarios but I don't know where to find any information. I understand conceptually what they are but have no idea how to set them up nor what components are required in the system to allow them. (I have the F454   F420 but is that sufficient?)

A guide to scenarios would be really helpful.

gugus24

Hi I'm wondering if a software is available to control my domotic with my computer. (not to install but to turn on lights, up & down blinds, etc.... )
Is there also a Webradio that can be installed on MyHomeSerrver ?

Thx

m4rky_m4rk

Yes, there was something on the BTicino web  site.I use it. No idea about the web radio. Don't have the web server (yet)

Supervision Gadget

m4rky_m4rk

F420 is the simple scenario controller. In combination with the 3680 wall mounted switch panel you set the F420 in learn mode for each button of the 3680 and you then go and turn things on and off, up down, dimmed etc as you want. F420 can learn up to 16 scenarios and just repeats the sequences it learnt in the learn mode. These scenarios then run when you press the button on the 3680 wall mounted switch. Its a bit basic and not really automated.

If you want to get more fancy then you will need the MH202. This sits in your distribution box connected to the BUS and LAN and you can program it with Myhomesuite software. So far for me, it seems to have more than enough capacity for home use. I have over 100 hundred scenarios. These can be programmed with conditional events and call other scenarios. They can run autonomously or with events that trigger them or activated via phone, standard BUS wall switch, LCD panel. eg Triggers could be a date, a hour, sunrise, sunset, IR command, phone app command, light on/off etc etc. They can also be stopped by other events. It can call up other scenarios including those on itself and F420. Its possible to build a quite complex set up. I had an F420 but removed it since the MH202 can do much more. T

User friendly information is hard to find. That's why a community of friendly users and installers is important. And so I am here trying to build some interest and chatter. I am only a beginner myself.

For others that maybe unfamiliar with this stuff but are interested, curious, I think its best to give the product name as well its model number, at least somewhere in the post. Not many will bother to find out what an F454 is.. Its a web server for controlling home automation remotely. I don't have one but for remote control I control everything with a phone app and VPN connection to the MH202 scenario controller. MH202 can can act as gateway but its not officially supported function. It works

I am hoping the Scenario thread I created could act as a sort of guide with contributions from experimenters, meddlers gratefully accepted Please post there for scenario stuff

There is other non BTicino activity else where too
e.g.
MyOmBox (control interface)
Openhab (brings many home automation systems together including MyHome BUS. Open source project)

Hopefully it will become possible, if not already,  to integrate IFTT, Amazon echo, Google Home, Apple 'whatever' etc etc to command items on the MyHome BUS. Some guys that posted here are into that.

Ps if you find some useful information, links etc please post them in the appropriate thread.

joft

Hi all,

another one from the old myopen-forum ("joftr" there) ... haven't really hung around there since they "downgraded" it.