Is this possible?

[DemonicaEvilius]

hiya,

first off apology in advance if this is a newb question, lol

in my room i have a set of 5 gu10 halogen spotlight type lights arranged like this:

o o
o
o o

but the tricky thing is that they are operated by a (standard) box with 2 switches - ie the middle light is controlled by the right switch and the other 4 operated with the left

i want to know if it is possible to get a remote dimmer for this type of light setup? as i would like to control lighting etc from a universal remote

i have just ordered a Harmony 885 after reading about it in these forums and trying out the online test (seems a brilliant remote!) so ....

a) is this possible with a double switch setup like this?
b) can anyone recommend a IR remote dimmer for a small budget that would work this way?

i have already ordered a new HD set up this week and was at my limit until i saw some of the wicked stuff u lot have achieved and now i think i am goin to go bankrupt

thanks!

[ABC1]

Try here, they have a branch in Cardiff as well

[DemonicaEvilius]

thanks ABC1 ... i have had a look at those, but from reading elsewhere i thought you need a Master AND a slave set for those to work?

i have the 2 switch (which would be a 2gang 1 way? and i dont see those so would it be safe to use a 2 gang 2 way?) and then behind me on the wall is the dimmer to the 4 bathroom lights (same type of gu10 halogens which ive since found out are 240v from another post here)

if i make the room lights the master set and the bathroom the slave set is that correct? and also would i be able to control all 3 seperately using the harmony 885 or would they all get operated as 1 light set?

i forgot to mention my budget for this is around 100 - 150 so would x10s be worth considering? (such as this dimmer)

if i go the x10 route then i can also get some appliance controllers / lamp controllers BUT it all seems pointless if they arent individually controllable with the 885 ... any one have a similar setup?

any help is very much appreciated!

Kari

[sofa-spud]

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

i forgot to mention my budget for this is around 100 - 150 so would x10s be worth considering? (such as this dimmer)

You would need two of these if you want seperate control over the centre and the outer lights. It will be a struggle to fit 2 of these into a single gang back box.

Possible alternative is
http://www.letsautomate.com/10620.cf...D52E96641A8AD7
But this needs a nuetral connection in the back of the switch(normal connection is a live coming down to the switch and back out to the light[s])

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

if i go the x10 route then i can also get some appliance controllers / lamp controllers BUT it all seems pointless if they arent individually controllable with the 885 ... any one have a similar setup?

I use X10 a lot and find it better as its more suited to retro-fit. I use a Pronto for IR though.
If you want IR control for the X10 stuff then you need something like this:
http://www.letsautomate.com/10512.cf...D52E96641A8AD7
You could then control all the X10 gadgets with IR though this.


John

[DemonicaEvilius]

thanks!

as u seem to know a bit about x10s, are there any x10 solutions that allow a fade? as i have narrowed it down between x10s and varilights

i am also thinking it will be cheaper (and easier) to convert the 2 gang back to a 1 gang, controlling them all at once!

what i want to achieve is fading down the lights when i "watch a DVD" at night thru the activities on a harmony 885 and then have them come back up at the end of the activity/finish the film

the IR reciever box suggestion was great! and if i can achieve a good dim control on the lights then i will be opting for x10s ... however they seem to not be able to dim UPwards, only being able to go Bright and then dim down from ON?

lutron rania are a lil too pricey for my lil project but if they are the only option i might have to dig deeper lol

[sofa-spud]

To get your 'fade' you simply send dim command(s) or better the extended command mentioned below.

I got the following from the instruction sheet(which is not the best I've seen...) available on the suppliers site:

can respond to extended X10 commands:
With these you can tell the unit to fade/brighten to the instructed level(ext command type 31h). It doesnt matter what the current level is, it will go to the level you send. From what you've posted so far this would be good enough?

It can also be programmed for scenes:
This would allow you to program different units to respond differently to the command you send.
eg a single command sent, which multiple units respond to and so have several lights go to different dimming levels to set the mood or 'scene' for the room (which is what I do).
This unit does not appear to have any way to alter the speed of the dim/bright rates.


As for the IR control, this can be done with a modified version of the IR receiver that Laser sell. They supply the IR codes or a prog to create them, but I believe it is for the Pronto, I dont know if the Harmony can use these codes.
It might be worth contacting Laser and asking? I know they sell one of the Harmony remotes.

John

[DemonicaEvilius]

cheers john

i took a testdrive of the harmony 885 but it didnt seem to have any functions for "dimming" or prolonged presses for the IR7243 ... so im not sure how id be able to get the dimming as id like

BUT if it can be programmed for scenes and can be used with a harmony 885 then yep sounds like itll do the job! lol

i am still unsure of which dimmer i need to get for the "scenes" function:

LM10U, HDM1 or this one?

as the behind the socket dimmers are confusing me somewhat (which isnt hard hehe)!

would i be ok with this IR Reciever? ... as this one is a lil expensive! lol

(i think these are the UK version of the one you recommended, yeh?)

thanks for ur replys they are really helping!

kari

[neilball]

I'd give a call to Mode Lighting. They have a new product coming out - Scenemaster 2 - a 2 zone dimmer unit that fits a standard deep single gang box and does not require neutrals so should be a direct replacement for your switch. It will have IR control so could be the ideal unit for you. The Scenemaster 4 is similar, fits a double box and controls 4 circuits, and also does not need a neutral.

[sofa-spud]

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

i took a testdrive of the harmony 885 but it didnt seem to have any functions for "dimming" or prolonged presses for the IR7243 ... so im not sure how id be able to get the dimming as id like

The only effective way with X10 is to use a unit that works with the extended codes.

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

BUT if it can be programmed for scenes and can be used with a harmony 885 then yep sounds like itll do the job! lol

You will still need to use the codes supplied. With your Harmony I suspect you would need to teach it from an existing remote.

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

i am still unsure of which dimmer i need to get for the "scenes" function:

LM10U, HDM1 or this one?

The last two are the same thing, just different 'badges' on the front.
The LW10 does not do extended X10, just basic on/off/bright/dim

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

would i be ok with this IR Reciever? ... as this one is a lil expensive! lol

They both do the basic X10 stuff, it seems the one to do the fancy work is the dearer. They are the same products that Laser sell.

The one mentioned by Neil above sounds interesting.

John

[ntslik]

Check out the new GET smart wireless range, very versitile and can fit right into the installation you are suggesting

[DemonicaEvilius]

looking at the GET lighting it seems around the same price as the lutron tbh, and i have no idea how it would fit into the socket (i dont have any electical experience and was hoping for a simple install lol)

thanks for your suggestion Neil - i have emailled modelighting for pricing and availability etc so just waiting for them to get back to me

John, do you know if the LM12 are easy to wire in behind the sockets as i have NO idea lol? looking at some websites i will also have to purchase some form of PC software to program them to fade? is this right?

it is all gettin quite costly but i think x10 is so versatile that once ive got a few light dimmers i can expand with appliances and stuff, so seems a good investment in the long run

kari

[Pop up Dragon]

Hi
You could look at Rako,one rcp07 and two rdl250 dimming packs. Cost about £300 4 presets master up and down and off keys.Can be expanded to work with other lights in the room(table lamps etc) easy to install.

[sofa-spud]

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

John, do you know if the LM12 are easy to wire in behind the sockets as i have NO idea lol? looking at some websites i will also have to purchase some form of PC software to program them to fade? is this right?

The LM12 is a plug in unit for lamps, its not intended for what you want(although I think there is a version without the 3 pins for fixed mounting, it will not go where you want it) It also only does the basic stuff, no soft start, set to level etc. IMO they are not worth using. If you do use these you will only replace them after a year(I've been down that road...)

Originally Posted by DemonicaEvilius

it is all gettin quite costly but i think x10 is so versatile that once ive got a few light dimmers i can expand with appliances and stuff, so seems a good investment in the long run

If you now want to have a PC running things you will need a CM12 for the PC interface. As you say it starts getting costly...
Even with this you still have the problem of the Harmony seemingly not being able to be programmed with the pronto codes for the IR converter mentioned earlier.

TBH first you need to find out if the Harmony can talk to the IR unit(ie if it could learn from a Pronto for example?), if so then just use the micromodules behind the wall switch you mentioned at the start, along with the IR->X10 unit. This will give you what you wanted, if this works then you can always expand later...
If the Harmony cannot do this then you're left with the option to either use one of the other suggestions in this thread, or buy a Pronto.

John

[Docta teef]

Forgive if ive missed something as i have only scrolled through this thread but if you want to use x10 what is the wattage of the bulb to be used on its own? Im fairly sure if you want dimming the bulb will have to carry a load of 60 watts

[DemonicaEvilius]

Thanks everyone for your help

I have decided to order some varilight dimmers and rewire the 2 gang into a 1 gang to make it simpler for now, then when i have abit more spare cash i will be going the x10 route for the electronics/light automation and probably set up something like Harmony 5.1 or HomeSeer to control it when i have got my media PC.

Its a pity i cant get it all now but this week i have bought so much home cinema equipment that im forcing myself to behave a bit

My next buys will be the x10 stuff and a projector + screen, but that will probably be after i move house in a few months as ill have more space!

I think reading this forum is gonna bankrupt me!