Current Status of Insteon PLM Integration

[ddamron]

Just a status update..

Progress has been a bit slow as most of advanced functions have been trial and error..

Working on Automatic Linking / Spidering of devices:

I now have routines to:
1.  Read the PLM's ALL-Link database records
2.  Read a remote Device's ALL-Link database record/records
3.  Parse said databases records.

framework is in place to:
4.  Add a database entry to the PLM
5.  Add a database entry to a remote device.

although I have not tested this yet.

Reading the PLM's database was easy..
Reading a Remote device's database was not so easy..  it required PEEKing the device's memory, 1 byte at a time, and then reassembling the record.

Adding records shouldn't be hard, I DOUBT I need to POKE bytes to remote devices, I should be able to use the "assign to Group" command..
As for the PLM, I can use the "Manage All-Link Database Record" to add records...

Dan

[ddamron]

hmm.. It seems as of late, nobody wants to talk to me... 
Did I fart
Do I have bad breath
Am I posting too much?!? 

I'm trying to ENGAGE you guys into suggestions, and possible solutions to my current problems..

They are:
1.  How to save STATE information to a child device (not just ON/OFF)
2.  How to read Scenario configuration information from RUBY
3.  How to INTERCEPT scenario commands in RUBY.

 

[ddamron]

I found where the STATE of a device is stored in the database...
in Pluto_main, Table 'Device', Field 'State'
In the same table, field 'PK_Device' looks like my DeviceID..
now, anyone know how I can change this in Ruby???  (Do I really have to MODIFY the database?)

And, If I modify the database directly, do I have to do anything to 'flush' the data out to the orbiters???
Thanks!

Dan

[Todd]

hmm.. It seems as of late, nobody wants to talk to me... 
Did I fart
Do I have bad breath
Am I posting too much?!? 

I'm trying to ENGAGE you guys into suggestions, and possible solutions to my current problems..

They are:
1.  How to save STATE information to a child device (not just ON/OFF)
2.  How to read Scenario configuration information from RUBY
3.  How to INTERCEPT scenario commands in RUBY.

 

When Orville and Wilbur Wright were trying to accomplish powered flight, they went to a meeting of engineers and scientist to educate themselves on theories of flight.  Upon attending the meeting they discovered that they knew more about it than the other experts.  I suggest that perhaps you are so far in front on this aspect that no one else can give you any suggestions?
Thank you for your work.

[ddamron]

Thanks for your post Todd

I know there are people out there who understand the logistics better than I..  I'm a beginner Ruby programmer at that..
(Not a beginner programmer though, been coding for 20+ years)

I'm more or less fishing to see if anyone can add comments/suggestions that I may not have looked at or know about...

Regards,

Dan

[tschak909]

I'm still trying to get a grip on the code base as a whole. I had to take some time to basically get over the rash of panic attacks that have been happening (which I've found out is because of fluid that had built up in my right inner ear, totally fucking up my bearings.)

I'm also attempting my own build of the 0710 CD, hopefully this will give me what I need to learn to build packages of my stuff...

don't worry, we're on the front lines, it's just that the people that have been here on the front lines are only now starting to talk.

-Thom

[Matthew]

hmm.. It seems as of late, nobody wants to talk to me... 

I think we're all just watching in awe of your progress, your superior expertise. Like kids tracking Santa across the night skies to our chimneys.

I'll talk to you about Insteon, if you want enthusiastic ignorance . I'm Santa's Little Helper!

[Matthew]

And, If I modify the database directly, do I have to do anything to 'flush' the data out to the orbiters???

If you aren't already, you should update the DB and the devices (and Orbiters/etc if necessary) inside a transaction you can rollback/commit atomically. But you probably already knew that. A single function to update a virtual "device state" for any device generically that executes that transaction on whichever device is specified would be a good API if it doesn't already exist.

[ddamron]

Thanks guys, knew you were there...
Matthew,
No, I didn't know about the transaction, but it only makes sense... I would have done it that way..
Still trying to find a way to update that WITHOUT modifying the database..

Thom,
Take your time... Hope you feel better soon!

Dan

[ddamron]

Status as of Friday, 21-dec-2007
(from below)
1.  DONE.
2.  DONE.
3.  DONE.
4.  DONE.
5.  not done.

In the case where a child device is not 'linked' to the PLM,
I have the driver automagically adding links into the PLM.

I have figured out a way to store configuration data to the child.  I'm not happy with it, but for now, it works.
I'm 2 layers deep in my spider routine.. One layer to go, and it'll be done..

I'm still not sure how I'm going to handle 'new' devices that I find..
I WILL be able to determine what type of device it is, (if it's a dimmable switch, or a sprinkler controller, etc.)

Maybe someone can chime in here and point me in the right direction...  I'm thinking about what to do when I do find new devices...
is there a LIGHTING WIZARD I can fire, or a SECURITY wizard, or anything like that.. to assist the user in setting the device up..
Lighting, I was thinking of possibly blinking the light, and asking the user which room the BLINKING light is in.. LOL

I'll be on for a bit for any comments...

Dan

Just a status update..

Progress has been a bit slow as most of advanced functions have been trial and error..

Working on Automatic Linking / Spidering of devices:

I now have routines to:
1.  Read the PLM's ALL-Link database records
2.  Read a remote Device's ALL-Link database record/records
3.  Parse said databases records.

framework is in place to:
4.  Add a database entry to the PLM
5.  Add a database entry to a remote device.

although I have not tested this yet.

Reading the PLM's database was easy..
Reading a Remote device's database was not so easy..  it required PEEKing the device's memory, 1 byte at a time, and then reassembling the record.

Adding records shouldn't be hard, I DOUBT I need to POKE bytes to remote devices, I should be able to use the "assign to Group" command..
As for the PLM, I can use the "Manage All-Link Database Record" to add records...

Dan

[hari]

Status as of Friday, 21-dec-2007
(from below)
1.  DONE.
2.  DONE.
3.  DONE.
4.  DONE.

you are awesome!

[Matthew]

Reading a Remote device's database was not so easy..  it required PEEKing the device's memory, 1 byte at a time, and then reassembling the record.

Adding records shouldn't be hard, I DOUBT I need to POKE bytes to remote devices, I should be able to use the "assign to Group" command..

PEEK and POKE? Hey, I was kidding when I said:

Personally, the only games I'm interested in are the ones that run under the atari800 emulator (I was an Atari geek in the early 1980s).

I am an old Atari800 hacker from the 1980s, myself.. still am (looking at my Ben Heckendorn Atari 800 Laptop).

Let's reimplement DCE as CIO and run it on an 800XL!

[ddamron]

Matthew,
LOL, Yeah, I know what you mean!

I started on the old TRS-80 Model 1..
still remember POKES for the Color Computer... 65495,0 65496, 0

lol

Dan

[tschak909]

I had a model I as well (along with far too many other machines now in an air conditioned airplane hanger... even a Lisa 1 and an Alto!), it's funny how the system didn't clear its memory until after the display hardware initialized (the garbage screen)... then again, I remember the original Apple I and II had this problem too......

-Thom

[ddamron]

Man, those were the days...
The Coco was the first machine I really learned to 'hack' on...
My Model 1 was 16K BASIC, no disk drives, TAPE only, serial bitbanger port..

I remember being so intrigued when I found specifics on a 'chip' in the coco, and was able to exploit that..
heh, it's been so long, I can't remember what the chips were... I do remember it was 6809 based..
there was a hack to increase the clockspeed from 1Mhz to 2Mhz, but it screwed up the video.. LOL
I remember also, loading the Disk Controller routines into RAM and modifying them so I could get 6ms Track-Track instead of the default 28ms...

I regress...
Those were just the start.. look at what's available now...
i2c, Microcontrollers, Insteon, zwave, LINUXMCE, UIRT, 1-wire..., INTERNET....
These are the days...

Dan