All Off Serial Command

Hi,

I am working with an AMX system and was wanting to issue an All Off command via PCI to C-Bus and was wondering if via PCI I could send a string which will turn all 255 groups of an application off.

P.S: I want to avoid creating a scene.

 

If all C-bus units share the same area address, then a command to turn that group off is the 'all off' command you are looking for.
To use this you must have configured the area address.
Note that an off command sent to the unconfigured group (255) will work if all units have unconfigured area address, but use of this group is not recommended.

 

I always thought the use of area addressing was discouraged.

I don't remember why, but I'm sure at one point it was considered a bad thing. Something to do with units getting out of sync perhaps?

Cheers

Rohan

 

Area addressing is by far the best way to turn off all groups - to consider listing every single group that needs to be turned off is ridiculous and time consuming.

If you [Clipsal] think there is a problem with it then fix it and make it work properly as its the only real way to get a large nuber off groups off at once.

I would suspect that most domestic dwellings that use areas only use one area address and this would cover evey output used in the system.

Scenes are fine for a small number of groups but un-realistic for large numbers of groups - hence areas are great for this.

I have been using areas since I started with C-Bus and find them so much easier to use then having to remember to go to multiple places when I add a group and need it under a group off control.

Mick

 

Single Channel C-Bus relay -----> three phase contactor

off ---- CLICK

works perfectly


well almost

 

Hi CS,

but in all seriousness, if you don't like the Area addressing and don't like scenes,

that sort of just leaves you logic or logic groups.

Logic:- write a logic module into a unit with logic (CTC, Wiser etc), using a group follow or trigger that then sets all the GAs off in one logic module. You could use a while - do / for - do loop with a SetCBusLevel to save writing out all the lines individually.

Relay and Dimmer Logic Groups:- AND several output channels with a 'Master On' logic group and set min level logic on dimmers for a similar effect to area. If you split up into zones using the logic groups eg house south master, house north master, upstairs master etc, you can then have a scene that triggers all the zones off by just setting the 'masters' off.

Of course, the downside to this concept is that you need to set the master back on before the groups work normally which can be very frustrating and potentially dangerous in a fire etc.

options, options, anyway good luck.

Brad

 

Just tested this logic on the workbench. Worked fine:

[noparse]
once GetLightingLevel("AllGroupsOff") = 255 then { Watch this group address and execute on it going ON }
begin
for GroupAdd := 10 to 55 do { Enter Group Addresses to get changed here }
SetLightingLevel(GroupAdd, 0%, "8s"); { Add variable GroupAdd to Global Variables as an integer }
end
[/noparse]