Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Jul 22, 2009 12:20 pm Hi everyone I really really want my home cinema room to be automated. Quite basic actually. I want a electric projector screen which falls from the roof, one of those electric projector mounts which falls from the ceiling and down lights all to be controlled from this http://www.clipsal.com/homeowner/products/whats_your_style/technology_range/dynamic_label_technology From my understanding all i need is the relay unit where by my electrical devices (screen, mount and lights) connect to the unit and the unit connect to the above controller via cat5 cable and then needs to be programmed. http://updates.clipsal.com/ClipsalOnline/ProductInformation.aspx?searchMode=group&first=30&skip=14&code=70103&level=4 So is there anything else to this, am I missing something? Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 2Jul 22, 2009 1:56 pm Have you actually spoken to someone with C-Bus installation experience regarding this, or were you thinking of buying the bits yourself and then seeing if someone can connect them all together for you? Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 3Jul 22, 2009 3:41 pm Unfortunately it is a little more complex then just the switch and the relay module. For a start you need to build a small C-Bus network. To do this you will need a CBus power supply, a roll of Cbus cable (or other Cat-5 cable may be sufficient), a system clock for the cbus network, the DLT switch, the 4-channel relay and 4-channel dimmer module. An easy way to get all this (and the way I am going for) is to buy the Clipsal Multi Room Audio Matrix Switcher (includes some of the above things - power supply, burdens and clock) - that is as close as you will get to a 'plug and play' C-Bus home. That would be the basics; you may also want to consider a network interface (so you can program the bits over your normal network) and an IR point if you would like a universal remote control to trigger the 'show'. I recommend going down to your local Clipsal Powerhouse display and having a chat to them about your requirements. I am currently working out my C-Bus design and will post up on the weekend (in my C-Bus thread) so you can see what is involved in mine (I have slightly different requirements though...) What you want isn't hard and should not cost the earth (as it is only one room). Good Luck! If you are really keen on sorting it out yourself (the design only - NOT installation) then I recommend you go to the trade section of the clipsal website and download the installation manuals and training guides (all freely available). You may also want to check out the C-Bus forums. P1T P1T Read about my building experience: http://secondhomebuild.blogspot.com Dale Alcock Homes - 'The Nautilus' in Bletchley Park, Southern River - WA Read about my Clipsal C-BUS Home Automation Project: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=20854 Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 4Jul 22, 2009 5:11 pm Yeah Rod that was what I was planning, buy the hardware and get it installed by my electrician friend. I just want to know what this is going to cost so I can start budgeting for it now. Also I like to know whats going on for my own personal knowledge. First timer I read your thread but it seemed so much more full on than my requirements, that would be a dream to run something like that in my house but it will cost an arm and a leg. My goal is to press a button for three scenarios (normal - all lights on, cinema - projector comes down etc, mood lighting - lights dim). So what your saying is the 4ch relay is for my screen and mount, and maybe two lights and the 4ch dimmer is for 4 lights which are capable to dim. The power supply is for the modules and the system clock I have no idea. Another question, where are these modules installed. Are they installed in the mains box and all wiring run from there to the cinema room or are they installed in the ceiling of the room? hmmm. I think I will go see clipsal dealer Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 5Jul 22, 2009 5:37 pm Hi Kan, The lighting part of your request is easy - as that could be achieved using just 1 x wireless wall switch (saturn style, not DLT). Its the projector and screen movement that requires a wired Cbus network which due to its powered (think similar to POE) design and topology makes it a lot more difficult to just install point-to-point. I believe the equipment can be installed wherever you like as long as there is power. Clipsal reps should be able to sort out your requirements really easily - then you can just choose where to buy from (Electrical wholesaler is probably the best bet). Good Luck! P1T P1T Read about my building experience: http://secondhomebuild.blogspot.com Dale Alcock Homes - 'The Nautilus' in Bletchley Park, Southern River - WA Read about my Clipsal C-BUS Home Automation Project: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=20854 Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 6Jul 23, 2009 9:14 am That's what I was leading to. You need someone with experience with C-Bus systems and the hardware to advise you and help design the system(s) you seem to want. You need to know what sort of control mechanisms the screen and projector lift will have (often an IR or RF remote controlled three-position switch) and what C-Bus components you'd need to be compatible with them. I personally don't use C-Bus because I find it too pricey and it has a bit of an 'all-or-nothing' sort of approach, therefore I cannot advise on this stuff. If you can gain this knowledge yourself by reading the suggested materials then by all means give it a go. Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 7Aug 28, 2009 5:50 pm u dont need all or nothing approach. that is not the intent of c-bus u can do little or do a lot more like P1T and myself. .. Warning its a bug and u want everything once u start. like P1T said u need a small network... cheapest would be to get what u want running: 1. Shutter relay for your screen 2. 4ch Dimmer with power supply for ur light and to have a cbus power supply 3. DLT but u can go for any other key input unit. to controll everything 4. PC interface this has the clock and lets u hook your pc to program it all in... 5. Obviously the cbus cable or cat5 for wiring. just dont look past that till u can afford the rest. that will do your screen up down and dim your lights.u can make a scene so it progresively dimms lights at the press of a button when movie starts. after that u can expand room by room as ur tax return comes in or santa brings u presents. cbus connection is simple... but go through the tutorials on clipsal website if u want to save bit of cash on programing Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 8Aug 30, 2009 9:50 am Rodda it has a bit of an 'all-or-nothing' sort of approach What I meant by this was if you want to use C-bus to control anything you need to get the backbone/back-end installed (wiring, control components), which means once you decide to do this you might as well use that back-end for more than one thing, which gives my previous statement some cred... And I did say "a bit", which means it's not an 'absolute' statement either... Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 9Aug 31, 2009 11:42 am fair enough.... but i do agree its a bug... and u cant stop at one thing. once u start u want the whole thing.... ... seems like you and me are the same .... but i guess depends on individuals all i was saying the system allows to be by itself in one room only or the whole hog. Still makes it a simple and kinda afordable system that u can build on top of it after when funds improve ... even if u place the cabling only initialy its still not that expensive... sure its double work but its adaptable to both systems. also thats where wireless comes into it as well.u dont need wires u can just adapt to standard wiring and still have c-bus through the house pretty much P1T style. Re: Clipsal C-Bus: What hardware do I need 10Aug 31, 2009 12:11 pm All cool. In regards to wireless, I always say go wired where ever you have the choice to and leave the wireless to the devices where you have no other choice. I believe wireless to be a little wanting when it comes to stability (depending on different locations around the house, obstacles between you and the router, etc.) and consistency of maximum speed - you can have issues like older, slower wireless devices brining the speed of your wireless LAN down and flooding of the wireless bandwidth also having a performance impact. I like the constant, reliable 100MB/S (or 1000MB/S if you choose to go Gigabit...) I get with all of my wired connections... Hello It is good to have a planned bathroom reno to suit your budget and design, living for 10 years I think you need a bathtub 4 10374 Looking to start the journey of becoming an owner builder in SA. Feeling pretty (overly) confident on the building and construction details, but really struggling to find… 0 8419 I've just built 3 stairs off a landing out the back and been told by the private certifier I need hand rails sorry tried to attach a pic but couldn't mine don't have sides… 5 5711 |