ZoneMinder Forums

Hi,

One thing I have been doing is looking at the home or commerical power, lighting and automation solutions available in the mass market and the most common and definitly strongest in our region is the Clipsal C-Bus solution.

So given that Clipsal have a Linux library available to people who ask and speak to them about their application why not include that in the future plans?

The application could be as simple as being able to control a single 12 x dimmer unit directly from the ZM box with TCP/IP or serial comms connection or allow full scene configuration, management and control by the ZM system allowing it to control everything plugged into a C-bus controlled outlet.

Here x10 just doesn't have a real presence or image to compete.

Regards,

Deano

ZM is designed to be easily extensible to external application. The X.10 scripts are included simply because that's all I have. If CBUS (which I've heard a lot of on the UKHA_d list but never used) can be interfaced to Linux then it should be relatively easy to integrate it. However unless and until I get some CBUS kit, or until someone contributes an implementation, then it probably won't be including in the base release.

Phil

Can you tell me the best way to send the C-Bus libraries to you for linux? I will send them to you and we can start work on them. And prior to release we would notify C-Bus that ZM now has C-Bus support.

The libraries would have to be then removed from the distribution and anyone wanting to use them would have to contact Clipsal and ask for them which they will provide by their secured website or post.

We could probably come to some arrangement with them to distribute the libraries and I will speak to them about that.

What do you think?

Regards,

Deano

Hi Dean,

That would be fine. Just email or PM me for details of how to get them to me. I've considered c-Bus in the past but the hardware isn't cheap and so would be a bit of an extravagance ordinarily. You might be able to correct but isn't c-Bus mainly lighting, curtains etc, I didn't think alarm panels etc ever had a c-Bus interface? The main reasons I put in X10 was because my alarm emitted X10 signals on arming and alarms so I could sync the camera states to that.

Phil

Hi Phil,

Yes you are right in that C-bus is mainly lighting and home automation etc. What we are doing is integrating it so that we can do two things.

1) Control the lighting in and around the protected areas.

2) Respond to user or C-Bus device events.

Another possible final outcome would be...

3) Develop a interface to the DVR system through the C-Bus panels and controllers.

The first option allows the DVR to detect motion and if the filter is set correctly only turn on the lights when the object is large enough (ie close enough) to get a better head shot for instance. Saves power and the annoying of neighbours with a sensor light that switches on and off all night long.

The second one allows the DVR to respond to trigger events from the C-Bus system so that if a user hits a button or panic through the lighting system switches the DVR can go into continuous or alert mode.

We are also central monitoring with a new platform we have been creating so it makes more sense with that in mind.

The optional third part allows us create a interface for the C-bus display units to allow the end user to log into the DVR in a authenticate way and change modes of operation and simple configuration items.

What do you think?

I will PM you on the weekend and get the data to you as I am traveling right now.

Regards,

Deano

zoneminder wrote:Hi Dean,

That would be fine. Just email or PM me for details of how to get them to me. I've considered c-Bus in the past but the hardware isn't cheap and so would be a bit of an extravagance ordinarily. You might be able to correct but isn't c-Bus mainly lighting, curtains etc, I didn't think alarm panels etc ever had a c-Bus interface? The main reasons I put in X10 was because my alarm emitted X10 signals on arming and alarms so I could sync the camera states to that.

Phil

http://www.clipsal.com/cis/CBusDriver.php3

The C-Bus Driver Software is for use by Software Developers writing software to communicate to C-Bus. For more information follow this link: C-Bus Driver Software Download Page

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I'm having a look at this package. It will be a few weeks until I get hold of the CBus kit I wish to automate, but for the interested its a DM Uniplex system (UPX1ED)with DM Advance Telemetry Converter (TAD3) and Series 1 Control Centre (KBU1a).

Whats the usual dongle to use rs232 -> cbus ?

Chris

i thought the dm cbus was basically rs485 but i will investigate further. This would be a great way of getting alarms in and out of zm as dm do a 16 way alarm input mod e and i think they do an output mod aswell.
James

With my DM kit we have a:
1 x DM C-BUS eSupport Module, Model No. DM/CC02A

It facilitiates connecting an external hw modem to the cbus via the serial port. Originally probably remote access by DM for troubleshooting. But the manual (linked below) also suggests with a null-modem cable can be used and a software package for on site work.

http://64.224.175.44/dedicatedmicros/pr ... %202.0.pdf

They speak of:

Local e-support connection
Local connection between an engineers' PC running the e-support package on site can be configured by substituting the modemfor a null modemcable. This is a 25 way D type to 9 wayD type, and the pin connections are given below. The c-bus e-support adapter must have an
address set according to the next available keyboard address in the installation....

I think it would be a simple text protocol to interface with the DM devices. If only i could get the original eSupport software for a quick telnet capture session.... Does anyone have any specs on this?

Should be easy in linux to writing and reading from the comms character device - I think you do this already.

If you interested in the pin out and dissassembly of this device, let me know and i will draw up schematics - probably built with standard parts.

Chris

dm also make a keyboard for their digi sprite maybe this would work with zm:-):) that would be fantastic

James

DM have a document detailng the connection between:
PC -> RS232 -> [DM CC01A] -> CBus (RS485) -> [DM Multiplexers]
(+ telemetry, alarm units)

In summary, you need a null modem cable with two links, and a CC01A adapter.

http://www.dedicatedmicros.com/uk/file. ... CC01A-E1-0 adapter.pdf

Comms settings are "9600 baud, 8 bits, none, 1, Xon/Xoff". After recieveing the ATE0, it is necessary to send the string "READY"<cr>

You then present yourself as a 'remote keyboard' - giving the full range of funcitonality offered by a local keyboard.

eg:
SEND: <esc>M\CBUS LINK\SET\ESUPPORT MODE\PRO<cr>
RECV: P\OK
SEND: <esc>M\CBUS LINK ATTACH\16
(atach as CBUS address #16 - first keyboard, #17 = 2nd keybd...)
RECV: P\OK
RECV: M0860K00040L0000 <- multiplexer welcome (?)
RECV: P\ATTACHMENT\SUCCESS

comands are then fairly simple, but only two(!) are documented in this guide, they are:

<esc>M\SEC_MODE\02<ent> <-- switch monitor to 4-up (quad)
<esc>M\SEC_MODE\01<ent> <-- switch monitor to 1-up (fullscreen)

Although only a simple example, its clear the DM devices are talked to using a simple "key=value" --> "<esc>M\key\value<cr>" protocol, and that every action on a DM keyboard must have correponding code. I just need to enumerate them all.

A company I spoke to who make a (Win32) software control for the DM multiplexer said they had a full list and would consider making them available. Their product is UniPlus, the company is CCTV Software Ltd.
http://www.cctvsoftware.com/uniplus.htm

Basically the multiplexer is the 'brains', and will handle forwarding all your telemetry commands to the right boxes for you.

Anyway, Enough for today! It looks like full control of DM Multiplexers is not far away. Can't wait to play with this. Our cams have a motors for pan, tilt, zoom, heaters, wiper motor and floodlights!

Chris

i am interested in replacing the mux with zm and just using dm peripherels for alarm i/o dm keyboards etc. I am currently playing with a 232 to 485 converter with 0 luck at the moment. I have a dennard (DM now) 2060 dome and am trying to control this with zm. Well to be honest im trying to control it through linux. I want to view what is going on on the 485 line and assume i can get a terminal like progrma to listen and pass commands down via the serial port. Is this possible?? Once i have it running i will 'borrow' an alarm module from work and see what commands it sends when devices open etc. rom memory the modules have address switches on them so i assume they woudl send something like "device 0 input 1 alarm" or probably something with less meaning. Anyway anyone any ideas???

Regards James

James - sounds interesting.

At a guess, you would replicate the procedure above, but assume the "cbus address" of the peripheral you want to capture the log of. You would then see all the data arriving for that unit duplicated.

I know this is possible, as multiplexers and TAD/3 (cbus->dtmf tones) sit on the same base address and the TAD/3 interprets the telemetry commands as well as the multiplexer - only you've wired up the PTZ to just the TAD/3.

I need to keep a multiplexer in the system though as I dont really want to put 16 channels worth of realtime capture in our PC's...

What device are you currently using for your rs232 -> rs 234?

Chris

I have an ebay 10 quid special and i thing that is my problem. I am going to order a proper one and get that working first. Once i have a working 485 line on my test zm box i am going to try and capture streams for cbus and hopefully galaxy. I would love to be able to put keypads and rios and max readers etc into my zm box. I think the cbus idea is more practical but i love a challenge.Assuming i can get 485 working to the point of test and i pass simple commands each way, how do i go about linking this to zm. Do you think i should just gather the info (strings etc) and pass the info to the guru that is Phil or do we fancy this ourselves? I have access to the kit required and can put a bit of time into. Do you want to have a go????

Regards James

I'm a decent PHP and Perl programmer - I'm planning to do the multiplexer stuff myself. Telemetry control looks easy, as you just plug in a perl script to output the commands over the UART based on command line params from ZM. Plus there are some decent examples already.

More of a problem (for me) is that i want to offer more than one camera through a single video input and ZM dosnt look geared up for muxes yet.

Spoke to DM on the phone today. The full MCI command listing is only available under NDA. I'm going to go ahead because i need this for my project, although the specifics wont be able to go back into the project (except the publicly available stuff linked above). Depending on the wording of the NDA, i might be able to come up with a binary module (ie simple c. app) to get it in the product, but i've got to wait and see what they offer.

Chris

PS. Phil any change of forking this thread off - as were now dicussing something (dm cbus 485) different to the thread title (Clipsal C-Bus)

I have put a call into microtech to get the galaxy protocol but i doubt they will let ti public for obvious reasons. Im sorry about the mix up with clipsal and dm i assumed it was dm. Do you have any suggestions on 232 - 485 converters as im gonna have a go at this. I could also do with looking at what is transmitted on the 485 bus when kit is connected do you know any progs?

James