2010-11-09

Sun rising over NetHomeServer


A couple of weeks ago I, started thinking about finally adding a timer that is controlled by the sunrise/sunset, but I realized I just did not have the time. The day after(!) Peter called and said he had found a Java API for getting sunrise/sunset, and that he wanted to write a HomeItem for this.

I guess it is the shorter days that made us think about this at the same time. After a short design session about how to specify the times Peter started working – and now he has finished the coolest HomeItem in a long time: DayLiteTimer!

For each day of the week, you can specify multiple times when the connected lamp shall be activated like: 08:00-10:00,17:00-21:00.

You can also refer to sunrise [R] or sunset [S] like: 08:00-[R],[S-00:30]-21:00, where [S-00:30] means 30 minutes before sunset.

It is also possible to specify a time interval, where the timer will take a random time within the interval: <15:00-17:00>-<23:00-00:20> meaning the lamp will turn on sometime between 15:00 and 17:00 and turn off sometime between 23:00 and 00:20.

It is also possible to combine all: <06:30-07:00>-<08:00-09:00>/[R+01:00] meaning that the lamp will turn on between 06:30 and 07:00 and turn off between 08:00 and 09:00 or at one hour after sunrise, whichever comes first. If one hour after sunrise occurs before the start time, the lamp will not turn on at all. DayLiteTimer is now available in the Nightly Build. Thanks Peter!!

2010-11-03

NexaFire

So, now I have completed (and refactored) the NexaSmokeAlarm-item. I added the ability to actually trigger the alarm via the NexaSmokeAlarm-item too. I also added a "self learn"-function for the address of the smoke detector. Each detector have its own unique address, and by activating the "learn mode" on the home item and then manually triggering the alarm by pushing the test button on the smoke detector, the NexaSmokeAlarm-item learns the address from the alarm.
The protocol decoder/encoder and the NexaSmokeAlarm-item are available in the nightly build. One cation - never rely on NetHomeServer for performing any real fire alarm functions. The smoke detectors provide the real alarm, the NetHomeServer can simply provide additional features when the alarm goes off.