Home Automation

[bwheat]

When I built my house I considered putting a PLC in to control HVAC, lights, sprinklers, etc BUT as much as I have moved (never stayed in the same house over 5 years) I thought who would I sell this house to... Yeah, it would be cool but to sell it I would need to do one of three things:

1.Design a completely bullet proof system that never needed any maintenance. Read $$$$.
2. Find a buyer that knew how to work on and with PLC's.
3. Find a buyer dumb enough to buy the house anyway.

As much as I would have liked to install a PLC (and I still might for the sprinklers) I decided to wire the house conventionaly and put in an off the shelf security system. Lots of CAT5, and RG6 for phones, cable, and ethernet but other than that romex in the walls for receptacles and standard switches for lights.
If you are going to stay in your house forever roll-your-own-automation is lots of fun and more flexible. If you look at it as an investment or you move around alot put in some off the shelf components that a local company can service if you sell the place. Not everybody wears a pocket protector.

 

[djbillyd007]

Wow, got alot more of a response that I thought. Guess I'm not the one who sees a use for PLC's everywhere. I am still in the drawing stages and will put up my initial drawings and maybe some of the code I have been playing with this weekend when I have a little more time. What I have decided to do is sort of a wish list in drawing form and then take it step by step and see where I end up. I have been playing with the HVAC control today. It was suggested to me to take an input from the smoke alarm and automatically turn on the exhaust fans in the house and maybe set up the HVAC to also exhaust air. We had a system like this in the textile plant I got the PLC from. ANY IDEAS!!!!!

 

[BOWRIDER]

BOWRIDER what do you want to hear more about specifically.


Basically EVERYTHING!, Lets start with the VAV'S. What are they? some type of dampening system for individual room vents? How are you controlling them? Motors? discrete or analog control?. Where are your thermo couples placed at in your rooms? How are they housed. What type are you using. Is most of your control system plc, or pc based? This one wire bus system, I briefly checked out your link, I understand it to be pc based. could some type of set up like this be done but entirely plc based?. I would also like to know lots more about these lighting switches you found manufacturer or a link would be fine. I am sorry for taking so long to reply but I have been busy. Also I appologize for inundating you with all these questions. But This is right along the lines of what I am wanting to do, but I realy don't have all the technical expertise or past experience.
Thanks again for your reply. If you let be I can keep you busy aswering questions for months!

 

[drewcrew6]

Vav's are Variable Air Valves (dampers) I will have check the brand again but they are replacement motors for "boxed" units. The ones I got have about 270 degrees of rotation and have a signal to report the position. 24vac/vdc driven with 24 v signal back(a couple resistors can give you a 0-10v signal. Use dampers with caution if you retrict to much airflow you run the risk of equipment damage.

The one wire bus is what I use to get the temps from the rooms. I housed them in surface mount telephone jacks,about 5' high, rip the guts out of them and they have a small hole on one end for the wire and a larger square hole on the other. Works nice with the small hole up,and it limits the dirt on the sensor but allows plenty of air for readings. They also have enough room for a one wire bus sensor and a thermocouple. I do that in 1 location (first floor) as a backup temp reading in case the one wire bus gets issues.

The system is completly a plc with only minor data logging on a pc. The important data I store in the plc also.

A friend of mine has setup outputs to control "hubs" for his childrens pc's so he can disconnect them from the internet at certain times. Along with that he controls a small beeper to give them a 5 minute warning. The internet can also not be turned on if chores aren't done. Using a pc connected to the plc and certain buttons have to clicked in rsview(dishes, vacum, etc).
Awesome setup!


Any other ?'s let me know.


Drewcrew6

 

[djbillyd007]

just an update, i got my house on auto cad and starte mapping I/O. i got the relays i am going to use and am now looking for a way to open and close my floor damper on my HVAC. i think i have most everything else i need to get started. i know it's not much yet but i have to work to pay for this thing LOL Next time i will try to have some drawings to post .