HouseBot

How are folks interfacing 1-wire systems to Housebot?

Using native 1-wire drivers and a usb/rs232 adapter?

Or using a more intelligent solution such as "The Link" (rs232) or HA7Net/Openode (ethernet) where the nuances/low-level communication of 1-wire are built in to the hardware interface so you don't need to worry about them.

Pondering about using 1-wire going forward for temp sensing and other applications.

Tim

One way to do this is using xAP. There is a brand new xAP plugin for HouseBot (in beta currently) and it is shaping up really well.

xAP basically places all devices onto a network - typically Ethernet and then every other xAP capable device can see their status and control them. There are lots of free xAP applications and low cost I/O boards and xAP devices can be simple (inputs , outputs) or complex (callerID, weather, news emails, TV listings etc).

There are a couple of xAP 1-wire applications , again some free, the mcs ones for example that run on a PC via a USB/232 adaptor, supports 1-wire hubs too. Also as you mentioned, standalone 1-wire hardware interfaces , one of which is 'OpnOne' that attaches to Ethernet and uses xAP. This has an inbuilt web interface (and telnet /ftp server ) as well as some basic logic interaction for xAP devices. I use one of these with HouseBot and they're great.


Kevin

I've been loosely following xap for a couple of years now. I gather it really unhitches the HA software from the underlying devices. And as long as your HA talks xap, you can use any xap enabled hardware.

I just haven't found a strong driver to go xap yet. As everything I want to do (except 1-wire) is natively supported by HB.

I looked at the Openode stuff back in the fall... Kinda pricey. The HA7Net is less than 1/2 the price and at a glance looks just as versatile.

If I do decide to go ethernet, I might also use the Dallas TINI boards. The dev kit is only $109 and someone has a free webserver for it and some java 1-wire servlets for a few 1-wire devices. But that will be if I'm really in a "hobby mood" when I move to 1-wire.

Thanks
Tim

Yes - xAP networks all your I/O devices essentially so they are no longer tied to one application but available to all. Your control software can be distributed too, so you can augment HouseBot with some embedded control. or even setup scenarios like redundancy. I use this approach so that vital aspects like lighting work 24/7 (embedded) , even should a PC crash. I then implement all my fancier control with more complex devices via HB for example.

The incentive to go xAP may come from the appeal of a distributed architecture or when you want richer data sources appearing in your HB apps , something at some stage will tempt you I hope. I use C-Bus lighting (via xAP) so that allowed my lighting integration into HouseBot, Edward uses Dynalite and Paul DMX the same way.

HouseBot is a great visual interface to xAP as well as a great engine, which is why we have created a xAP plugin for it. xAP allows new devices to be introduced into HouseBot too . Writing a xAP connector is a lot easier than a HB plugin and can even be done in VB using a free OCX.

There is for example a really nice telephone management application called xAP Switchboard that logs all calls, handles popups and caller geographic and name identification (integrates with Outlook etc) and has a web interface that could be included within a HV theme. Several xAP apps interlink this way via a common web view (xAP Intranet). This complements HB really well and HB adds all the niceties of its engine and touch screen interfaces for truly interactive use .

I'll also mention that there is a standalone (<$100) xAP device 'OpnMax' that among other things includes a database for device logging and a graphing application . Using this you can record and display temperature / weather / energy usage data etc. Again these graphs could be embedded within HouseBot themes should you wish. Just started playing but here's a couple of 'in progress' examples showing my heating temps and electric consumption. These are just screengrabs but in the live versions they are updated realtime with each view and you can select areas with the mouse to zoom in on specific data . (Java)

Heating temperatures
http://tinyurl.com/2tvhrp

Gas/Water/Electric
http://tinyurl.com/2vlkcd

(click images to expand if needs be)

Yes, I agree the Opnone is somewhat expensive, but good, and it supports a lot of 1-wire devices. I have heard of the Tini boards being used with xAP as well but not of any published code. The free 1-wire mcs USB/serial solution would seem an attractive option for you though , unless you're angling for a standalone piece of hardware straight into HB ?

Keep us updated as to how you progress. The 1-wire thing - including weather stations seems to be something a lot of people are talking about at the moment - possibly because fuel has got so costly.

Kevin