Myro Control – USCe (Universal Serial Converter w/Ethernet)

There’s not much to look at, but don’t let that fool you.  This little black box is the Swiss Army Knife of connecting systems together.  The platform, based on an ATMEL 1280 microprocessor (Arduino Mega family roots), can be loaded with different firmware that can turn it into a “Russound RNET to Sonos Bridge” or act as a bridge for many other kinds of devices (Apple TV/Windows Media Center, etc).  It features an ethernet port for bridging IP based devices as well as two RS232 (prototype of single RS232 version shown above), one for connecting to the master RS232 device (e.g. Russound) and the other for connecting to a slave device (e.g. Matrix Switcher which only has RS232 control).  The first of many firmware releases is the USCe-RS which is the Russound to Sono’s bridge (you can find out more about that here).     The USCe will be sold under the Myro Control brand and will be soon available for pre-order.

UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback on the name.  It’s not set in stone yet and will probably change when it’s officially released.  This is a “working” name for now and it may end up being named the “Myro Control Bridge”.

Vanco HDMI Over Coaxial (Coax/CATV) Cable Extender

Distributing HDMI signals in a retrofit situation is often a difficult task since the only real cost effective option is to run cat5e/cat6 to a location and use a Cat5e HDMI Extender.  That solution requires you to fish new cables (some cases 2 cat5e runs) as most homes do not have Cat5e cables in locations where you need a display. Vanco has announced a new HDMI extender that uses a single coaxial cable (this is your typical CATV cable). That’s right! It allows both HDMI Audio/Video signals to be transmitted using one coaxial cable. The transmission range for 1080p resolution is up to 328 ft (100m) over RG-6 coaxial cable (dual and quad-shielded) and up to 164 ft (50m) over RG-59 Coaxial Cable. The transmitter and receiver units can connect to two flat panel displays and up to 45 receiver units can be cascaded from one transmitter to connect to additional flat panel displays. This product is a custom installers dream device and a must for any retrofit project that requires HDMI distribution when only Coax cable is available.

For more information and to locate your nearest distributor please visit Vanco’s website.

iPort Control Mount Series – Turns Your iPod Touch/iPad Into An In-Wall Panel

Apple has pretty much killed the wireless touch panel for the home automation market with the iPad and iPod Touch — and if you feel like they haven’t, then let me rephrase the previous sentence with, “Apple will soon kill the wireless touch panel…”. It’s really hard to sell a wireless panel these days that costs more than triple the cost and in most cases, of less quality and has 10x’s less battery life than the Apple devices.

Now, I understand the limitations of using an iPod Touch and iPad for home control and I have heard the argument that a touch panel that is dedicated gives the user quicker access than powering up the i-Device, sliding to unlock, then either launching or resuming the application, wait for a slight delay of the wifi to connect and a few seconds later, controlling the system.

Sure, I agree.

I also agree that some in-wall panels also act as an “embedded” server which needs to be on all the time — something the Apple device isn’t designed to do — those are all valid points. However, for casually controlling your lights, music, security, viewing cameras, adjusting temperature, and so forth, the Apple mobile devices are a home run!

That’s why I got excited to see the NOW SHIPPING touch/iPad in-wall mount system from iPort. The iPort CM-IW100T (CM100) Control Mount for the iPod touch encases an iPod touch in a wall-mounted chassis with a magnetically attached, rectangular bezel, as does the iPort CM-IW2000 (CM2000) for Apple’s iPad, transforming the handheld devices into in-wall touchscreens running apps from any control system over WiFi. The device is powered over CAT5 — audio output is also carried over the Cat5 cable which can be fed as an audio source into a whole house audio system — think Pandora App or even the iPod Player, however, that will require you occasionally pull the iPod/iPad out of the panel to sync as Apple doesn’t offer wifi syncing.

The iPort CM100 retails for $250.00, while the iPad version retails for $499.00. I’ll try to get one in for review soon…

- iPort – CM Series

Russound RNET to Sonos Bridge (Arduino MEGA) – Part 2

While it was possible to use an Arduino duemilanove (Atmel 328 chipset) for this project (See Part 1), I was really limited due to the 2K of RAM. It was fun trying to optimize code to get things to run in that amount of memory, however, it caused me to not be able to expand on functionality and features. I have upgraded the project to an Arduino MEGA (Atmel 1280 chipset). This platform gives me up to 8K of RAM — which should be more than enough memory (famous last words).

A lot of people have asked me to explain what exactly I’m doing with the Arduino. It’s pretty simple. First, I’m using a RS232 shield (not shown) to capture RS232 commands from the Russound Controller. When a key is pressed on the Russound keypads I read the RS232 data and either ignore or react to the events. Currently, I’m looking for +, -, Next, Previous, Play/Pause, Menu events. I plan on using the Menu button to offer deeper content browsing menus (need to sniff the RS232 or wait for Russound to publish protocol). The + & – buttons will allow to scroll playlists and the rest of the transport buttons are self explanatory.

1
2

// Example RNET Next Track Event:
F0 0 7D 7 0 0 7F 5 2 1 0 2 1 0 E 0 0 1 7 0 1 2A F7

Since the Sonos is a uPnP based system there is no IR or way to traditionally control it. Everything needs to be done via HTTP calls. I’m using an Ethernet Shield to translate the RS232 events to uPnP messages. The biggest challenge has been parsing the huge amounts of VERY VERBOSE SOAP-based notification messages. I parse the data real time, looking for strings that I want to store (things like playstate and metadata).

To make matters worse, Sonos is URL encoding XML data inside of an XML structure. So writing a simple XML parser is not possible. You have to look for things like &amp;lt; for a less-than bracket (<). There were times I wanted to scrap the whole project because of this due to the limited RAM and string utilities — it really makes things a lot harder to deal with.

// Example of nested URL encoded XML:
<e:property><LastChange>&lt;Event xmlns=&quot;urn:schemas-upnp-org:metadata-1-
0/AVT/&quot; xmlns:r=&quot;urn:schemas-rinconnetworks-com:metadata-10/&quot;&gt;
&lt;InstanceID val=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;TransportState val=&quot;PLAYING&quot;/ 
...

When I get a notification message, I package it up into the RNET protocol and send it back into the Russound controller, which gets displayed on the keypads and automation systems that use that data (like Myro:Home which is connected to a HAI OmniPro II). Since uPnP uses a subscription model, I also need to keep subscription expiration timing so I can renew the subscription. It’s basically a client (outgoing to the Sonos to send subscription requests) and a server (to receive incoming notification events from Sonos). Then I have to deal with all the HTTP issues, like if it fails to renew or I have connection issues, I have to clean up and start the connection process all over again.

This project is now code complete and any new features will be made in a future revision. I plan on creating a custom PCB — any interest?

If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them in the comments section below!

Russound RNET to Sonos Bridge

Check out PART 2, which goes into more details >

Here’s a sneak peak at my latest project — the RNET to Sonos Bridge. All coded using an Arduino and Ethernet Shield. What this little device allows you to do is control a Sonos device using any Russound whole house audio system that supports RNET sources. It allows next, previous, play, pause and I’m working on playlist access and support. Current track metadata gets sent to these keypads as a multi-field message.

I’m pretty much code complete but I’m running into a few memory issues… The Arduino only has <2K of available RAM that I can work with. I have an Arduino Mega (which offers 8K) on order to see if that solves things.  I think I can still optimize my code to make it work with the 328.

I’ll post more when I get it 100% stable.

Update: Got it working!  With about 500bytes left of RAM on the 328 chipset… this was a fun little project.  Below is a video:

Also running on E6 Color Keypads:

Russound Sphere KLK-E6 Color Keypads

Russound has been my go to whole house audio solution for many years.  They offer solutions at many different price points and options.  They also integrate nicely with home automation systems like (Crestron, HAI, AMX, and Control4).  Recently, MAVROMEDIA became an Authorized Russound Sphere dealer and have just installed the latest E-Series system with the new KLK-E6 color click wheel keypads.   I’m throughly impressed — it’s like having an iPod in every room!    The E6 keypads bring a full color display that makes it easier to read across the room.

The main E-Series controller is a very beefy unit coming in at 4u high and is packed with options from doorbell chimes to paging to the ability to expand the system to 48 zones.  It also supports up to 12 sources which can be dedicated to specific rooms.  For example, you have an iBridge dock (iPod dock) in a bedroom.  You can reserve and display that iPod as a source for just that room.

If you are in the market for a whole house audio system that “brings an iPod to every room” then check out the Russound Sphere series!

Somfy ILT Control via HAI OmniPro II (wiring diagram)

HAI recently announced native control for Somfy ILT motors with the 3.4 firmware.  This means you no longer need to use RTS or Z-WAVE to control shades via the OmniPro II controller.    Last night I connected up and tested my friends system (also using Myro) and I’m happy to announce that HAI has hit another home run!  You get “real-time” feedback as well as the ability to set to a specific “light level”, like 50% (which is part way).

I have included a wiring diagram on connecting the HAI to the Somfy RS-485 ILT tap (also known as the Somfy SDN).  Then you just need to get the Motor/Group code and enter that into PC Access.  What I thought would be a difficult process of trial and error actually turned out to work on the first try!

Apple iPad Review

I’ve had my iPad for a few days and compiled a Pro’s and Con’s list as part of my review.  I’ll try to be subjective but keep in mind that this device has been hyped a lot and may come across more critical than normal.

PROS

- Sexy, slick device — Apple is great at that.  They always have been.  They, again, have nailed it!

- Fast! — the iPad is very fast and responsive. I would say it feels faster than my 3GS.

- Screen is crisp, bright and vibrant — while the screen is not great for reading books, it is excellent for watching videos and playing games!  The pixel density of the screen is probably the best I have seen to date — as is the viewing angle.

- Bluetooth keyboard support — Apple is finally allowing you to pair a bluetooth keyboard with the iPad. This alone makes it easier to write emails and surf the web than the iPhone.

- Loud Speakers — the speaker on the iPad is LOUD!

- Multitouch Screen — the screen is very accurate and responds well to the touch.

- Amazing Battery Life — this is one of the most impressive aspects of the iPad.  The battery life lives up to what’s advertised!

- Love Native Apps — I find myself using services (Twitter/ABC) more because they offer native iPad apps versus hitting their website via the Safari browser.  I’ll take a nicely designed iPad app over a web page version any day.  However, there are some services that lose functionality in their native app.  This is bad, but not the fault of Apple.

CONS

- Device is too BIG — too big to take with you all the time.  I would have liked a small notepad (7″) sized iPad.

- Device doesn’t feel right in the hands — while it’s solid and looks good, it’s slippery and weird to hold.  The nook is the right size and the arched rubberized back feels soft and “warm” to the hand.  The iPad feels cold and fragile.  Which, I believe, if you drop, will do a lot of damage to the iPad, as well as mar it’s elegant aluminum finish.   I should also mention, the Apple case does change the feel and makes it a lot better to hold.  However, it does add $39 to the price of the unit.

- Screen is too reflective — it makes it unusable at times.  When will Apple make anti-glare glass cool?

- Screen smudges —  when the unit goes to sleep, you can see tons of fingerprints and swipes all across the screen.  Apple doesn’t even provide a cleaning cloth with the iPad like they do with all other devices they sell.

- Poor eBook Reader — screen reflections and brightness doesn’t make reading enjoyable.   I still prefer my nook over the iPad.  Shows you that a good single purpose device can beat a multipurpose device.

- Does too many things — really this is a con!  Maybe it’s just me and my A.D.D., but I can’t sit in one single application for a long time because I feel like I should be doing a lot of other things instead like; twitter, email, iPod, youtube, ABC Player, or surf the web.   I make the analogy to reading a book while someone else in the room is watching TV.  Sure, I can continue reading and ignore the TV, but the temptation to watch the TV always wins me over.  If I’m reading an eBook on the iPad, I feel like I should be watching a full episode of Lost instead.

- No accessible file system — you can’t place PDF’s in a folder and sync with your computer.  So you are stuck buying apps that may offer a solution.  In the case of PDF’s, the OS natively support them, however, there is no native reader… one solution is to email the PDF to yourself and access via the mail client.  Hacks like this make the iPad frustrating and unusable.

- Cost too much — at $499 for the low end unit, it’s too costly to justify for what it offers.  It does less than a netbook — $299 is what it should cost.

- Apps are expensive — maybe we got spoiled with FREE and .99-cent apps of the past.  Buying all the apps I’d need adds up quickly.

- Lack of native apps* — using iPhone apps on the iPad are painful.  While compatible, scaling makes them look pixelated and floating in the middle makes it hard to hold the device and navigate.    * This should be a temporary con as more developers release updates to their apps.

- OS was design for the iPhone screen size — you can really tell that the OS was designed for a smaller screen.  When you navigate on the iPad you find placement of the home button too far from the navigation bar.  Your hands are constantly moving around the screen.  The use of screen gestures could solve this problem in the future.  What works great on the iPhone causes UX issues on the iPad.   Apple did an excellent job with the iPhone implementation and designed the interface for that sized device. Refactoring the interface to support the larger real estate feels like an after thought.

- Weak WiFi reception — the signal is not as strong as my iPhone or MacBook Pro. Why?

Overall, I think the iPad is “good”.  The quality of the device is excellent.  Battery life is superb.  There are a handful of apps (ABC Player, Myro Control) which I love using.  I would rate it a 6 out of 10 whereas the iPhone is a 9 out of 10. I’m having a hard time seeing how people will use the iPad daily.   If I didn’t have my home automation control software, Myro Control (iPad version coming soon), I’d probably not use it as much because I always have my iPhone with me and when I’m at work or home I am near my MacBook.

I’d love to hear how you are using your iPad…

TorZo Petrified/Infused Polymer Surfaces

My wife’s blog, frillas, typically covers home decor products, but TorZo’s surfaces has caught my attention.  It’s manufactured in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon) using renewable materials ranging from wheat, wood chips, sugar cane stalk, sunflower seed, and fibers.   I particularly like the look of the Tiikeri line (pictured above) which is composed of 50% sugar cane stalk and  the remaining 50% consists of an inert non-hazardous acrylic polymer.

Check out their complete product line here and if you are looking for some cool surfaces made from renewable materials TorZo’s product line should definitely be considered!  I’m trying to figure out how we can incorporate this product in our home…

- TorZo Surfaces

Powerbuilt Digital Torque Adaptor – My Favorite Tools – March 2010

When I’m changing my brakes I  just tighten to what I think is “tight enough” — not always a good thing.  All automotive bolts and parts have a recommended torque amount that should be followed. Sure, you can get yourself an analog torque wrench, but why would you when you can get the Powerbuilt Digital Torque Adaptor that turns any 1/2″ rachet into a digital one?

This little gadget not only can be used to calibrate analog torque wrenches (which you’d pay about the same as the adapter if taken to someone to calibrate) but you can use it in situations where you need precise torque pressure using a standard rachet wrench.  The feature I really like is that you set the torque amount you want to achieve and then as you tighten you get both visual (LED light & LCD torque amount) and audible indication.

The Powerbuilt Digital Torque Adaptor is Mavromatic’s, “My favorite tools”, for March 2010.  It runs about $50.

- AMAZON.com – Powerbuilt Digital Torque Adaptor