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LETTERS TO HOME TOYS!
If you have comments or questions about the HTINews or Home Toys in general please send them along to me and I'll publish them here (and even try to answer them if I can). Send your letters to bobh@hometoys.com .
To HTI:
I would like to comment on the following article:
NEC RULING AFFECTS THE SAFETY & GROWTH OF THE HOME AUTOMATION INDUSTRY
Paragraph 3 states: "Currently the decision on where to run and connect the
neutral is left up to the Electrician. They have the choice of placing the neutral in the
switch box or in the light fixture. If the light fixture is chosen, then safely installing
modern X-10 or CeBus switches is impossible since the automated type switches require
powered circuits to operate and no return path (neutral) for the power is available."
As an electrician I can say that though it may be true that there is a choice of how to
run the switch circuit, there is not any choice in running the neutral, it must be in the
light fixture as that is where the load is. The choice is in how you run the switch
circuit, that is, power to the switch first and then to the light, or power to the light
box first and then to the switch. If power is run to the light box, two wires are run down
to the switch box to break only the hot leg of the circuit. Inspectors don't like extra
wires in boxes and have been known to require them removed. In new construction it may be
possible to wire switch circuits with power to the switch box first which would include
the neutral, but in old work and even in some new work it may not be feasible.
Electricians first need to be educated in the new technologies of home control so the
homes of the today can be wired for tomorrow.
Regards- Bob Bixler bobbix@pacifier.com
Thanks Bob ... any other comments out there.
Please update your contest archive to identify past winners. It appears that once
you've moved an issue into the archives, it is no longer possible to see who won anything
but the latest contest, since you delete the contest section from the previous issue
archive. The ideal place to include this information would be in the contest archive page.
If this will take you a while to update, I'd like to know the list of previous winning
ideas.
Thanks, John Diamant
Thanks for the suggestion John ... This has been done ... there's a funny little thumbs up beside the winner of each contest.
Bob -
You might want to let people know about the new "Home Automation Trivia Quiz" at
our web site ( www.trainingdept.com ). The
first 20 people to get 15 right will a free copy of my book (CEBus Standard User's Guide).
It is also a fun quiz. Try it. It isn't easy.
Grayson Evans
Yikes ... this is a tough quiz ... I hope Grayson will let us know who wins.
Hello Bob,
>I sent you a mail about a week ago. Then I asked you a question Which you answered
very well. So now when I got more questions I'll ask you again. First, as far as i
Understand there are lot of diffrent standards wanting to be "the standard". X10
is getting to old, so now it's most about CEBus or Lonworks. Am I correct? Second, is
their technical soloutions very diffrent or is the big diffrens that CEBus standard is
public domain while Lonworks isn't?
Thanks a lot, Jakob Fylkner, Sweden. >
Hi Jakob,
I don't think that it's because X-10 is old. It's just limited to
powerline communication only. CEBus and Lonworks protocols cover all communication media
including powerline, infra-red, radio frequency etc. thereby offering a total solution.
I'm not well versed in either protocol as far as the technology. I'll leave that to the
technicians and engineers. The winner will be the one that gets affordable and user
friendly products to market first. One thing to bear in mind though is that CEBus is open
to all and also focused on Home Solutions while Lonworks is a proprietary protocol and
most of their audience is in the commercial sector so far. But ... that might change if
the market opens up.
Lastly, don't throw away X-10. Any solution that is adopted in the future will support the
X-10 protocol via an interface of some sort. There are millions of X-10 devices out there
and the people that own them are the primary consumers that will fuel the expansion of any
new protocol.
With alll these electronics don't forget about fire safety.
Decorative smoke alarms for kid's rooms and nurseeries that may save your life.
RE: Fire Injury Prevention – From Newborns to Seniors
A mother and her two children, ages nine months and two years, are alive today because of
the warning from a smoke alarm. The hospital where her baby was born gave away free smoke
alarms to the parents of newborn babies through a S.A.F.E. (Smoke Alarms For Every) Home
Program.
“I didn’t have a smoke alarm until the hospital gave me one. I was always
meaning to get one.”
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 90% of the children and 75% of the seniors who
die in fires do not have working smoke alarms. Residential fires kill 1,200 children (3
each day) and over 1,300 Americans over 65 each year.
18 lives have been saved through S.A.F.E. Home Programs across the United States. The
National S.A.F.E. Home Foundation is a 501 © (3) public charity, dedicated to helping
fire and public safety educators reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries due
to residential fires.
The S.A.F.E. Home partnerships tie many organizations together, working for the common
cause of protecting lives: fire departments, civic and fraternal organizations, hospitals,
health departments, Red Cross chapters, corporations and local businesses.
Help fire educators teach the importance of smoke alarms and fire safety to the parents of
newborn babies, pre-school and grade school children, handicapped children, corporate
employees, and our Senior Citizens.
Please contact The National S.A.F.E. Home Foundation to learn how we can help you
establish a S.A.F.E. Home Partnership in your community.
Sincerely, Janice Budzinski Public Relations Coordinator
e-mail : safehome@buffnet.net
1-800-877-1250
1333 Strad Ave., N. Tonawanda, NY 14120
My Reply ... Thanks Janice ... I'd like to include your letter in the next issue of the HTINews (April) if that's OK. You've got a very good point about fire protection. There are many ways that Home Electronics can also enhance the bare bones smoke detectors you're talking about as well as many other household dangers including carbon monoxide detection etc.
Bob...Sure it's okay to include the information I sent you concerning fire protection. I am excited that you are interested. Thank you for your attention to the issue. You said in your note that Home Electronics can enhance smoke alarms...could you send me any information or suggestions to this effect? Could you suggest any companies or manufacturers who have interests in this area? I would like to send some more information to you via regular mail. Could you include a mailing address? Thanks for your time.
Best Wishes, Janice
Again from HTI ... Hi Janice ... Many companies offer smoke detectors etc. that can be tied into a home automation or security alarm system. One feature that is quite common is for the system to call the fire department automatically on detecting an alarm etc. Other systems provide touchscreens etc. around the home that have a panic button which allows you to phone fire / police etc. and play a recorded message to them with the touch of a button or alarm from the system. The sky is the limit really ... once you have a sensor (smoke, CO etc.) and a system that can be programmed to react to it. We're presently on the tip of the iceberg as far as home automation systems are concerned and many of these systems will be available at economical prices as time goes by and the market grows.
Have a look around my website to find out more. There are many companies listed in my link library and search directory.
