C-Bus Driver for Charmed Quark Controller

Hey, just checking to see if anyone has had a chance to play around with this baby yet, and what you might have thought about it? The date for the new release (of which this driver will be a part) is coming up fast, so it would be nice to get some feedback before then. We can always post patches easily enough (as a 'driver pack' that folks can download and import), but it's always better to get it into an official release if possible.

 

Well here is my first attempt at a C-Bus control screen using CQC.

This was generated using CQC 1.3.9 beta release which is due out in the next day or so.

So if you like the look of it, give it a go.

Any comments welcome.

Rohan

 

It looks nice! BTW, who was the artistic genius who did that background you are using? I'll try to do a better light icon also. That one is ok, but not as good as it could be.

 

Just wanted to show another lighting interface example. This one is from my own personal system. Rohan used the same background I did, but there's nothing magic about this background and I don't want anyone to think that's how they all look. You can choose any type of background you want.



In this case, don't hit me, I'm using another hardware system, but that's irrelevant to the user interface which doesn't have any idea what it's controlling. I'm just showing some of the possibilities for the types of interfaces you can create for controlling C-Bus or whatever else you choose to control.

 

Charmed Quark Systems has announced the upcoming availability of its .Net Interface Viewer, a version of the CQC graphical interface viewer utility based on the Microsoft .Net Framework. This new version of the .Net Viewer allows CQC's graphical interfaces to be deployed on smaller devices, such as PocketPCs, Smart Phones, and other handheld tablet devices.



The .Net Viewer will be available in beta form within the upcoming CQC 1.4 beta time frame. It will become available for general use after the 1.4 CQC release. It will be a new optional component, purchased separately from the core CQC components. It will require the XML Gateway optional component, since it accesses the CQC system via the XML Gateway Server.

This new interface viewer displays standard CQC graphical interfaces, created with the same CQC Interface Designer tool that is used to create all CQC interfaces. It provides full two way control, just as the standard interface viewer does. Since CQC is fully network distributed, access is available anywhere within your wired or wireless network.

It only requires a single IP port to be available on the CQC host providing XML Gateway access, so it will also be an excellent tool for accessing you CQC system remotely via your laptop from the road. It fully supports CQC's security system, and supports encrypted sessions to the XML Gateway, so it will not compromise the security of your CQC automation solution.



The .Net Viewer option will have a price of $35. It will be made available as a free upgrade to all existing CQC customers who have purchased a full system package, or a base package plus XML Gateway option. Others will be able to purchase the new option separately when it becomes available (which will also require a purchase of the XML Gateway if that component is not already licensed.)

As an incentive, Charmed Quark will provide a free .Net Viewer license to new customers who buy a full CQC system license between now and the official release of the new viewer option. Since the full system license already includes a discount, this offer will provide a substantial savings.

* Note that the sample interfaces displayed here are purely arbitrary, created with the CQC Interface Designer. Your own interfaces can have any look and feel you want them to have

 

Some teaser pics showing off some of the upcoming media management stuff. These are from a work in progress on a customer's solution, so they aren't completed, but enough to show what's coming. The quality is pretty low to keep the load times down: