OTGW for complete domotica system using Fibaro

[cjelsa]

I am looking to integrate the complete heating system into Fibaro.

To do this I am looking at the following setup:
- ground floor a floor heating system equipped with Honeywell MT4-24-NC actuators per group, 2 or 3 groups create a zone
- every other floor has a distributor to which every radiator is centrally piped, also equipped with the same actuator per radiator, so every radiator can be individually closed/opened
- Fibaro RGBW dimmers using 24V PWM to control and modulate the actuators (1 RGBW dimmer per 4 actuators), in theory the actuators can be modulated (i.e. % opened or closed depending on PWM dimming 24V)
- a Z-wave temp sensor in every room. Maybe even the Fibaro motion sensor that als has thermometer built in, or a different one. Not yet decided.
- Itho Daalderop Comfort Classic boiler with 2 groups (1 OpenTherm group and the other always on because connected to hot water circuit, but controlled through Honeywell Y-VC8615 zone valve)
- the extra group from the Itho Daalderop kettle is connected to the top floor distributor only, so the top floor has a different setup than rest of house

So now the setup is that every radiator or floor heating group can be individually controlled and I know the temp in every room...... The only thing missing is an efficient boiler control for ground and first floor.

What I would like is the following:
- when there is a difference between set temp for a room/zone the Fibaro opens the actuator (and so the water flow to the zone/radiator) and at the same time the OpenTherm control activates and controls the boiler
- when this happens on the top floor, not the OpenTherm control/group starts, but Fibaro just toggles the Y-VC8615 to open and controls the actuators (probably the easy part)

Eventually through scripting (LUA) the Fibaro some intelligence can be created i.e. when room temps approaches set temp, start modulating the boiler, and/or start modulating the actuators etc etc. Also this can be done per room/zone so the boiler modulation depends on the zone that has the biggest diference in current and desired temp.......

Can this setup be achieved by using the OTGW and how would the OTGW communicate with Fibaro HC2?

Thanks in advance!

[Digit]

It should be possible to create a Fibaro Plugin for the OTGW.

Just recently Fibaro released a new firmware (4.x beta) for the HC2 with Plugin support.
See http://forum.fibaro.com/viewtopic.php?t=5013
I installed this fw on my HC2 last week but I haven't had the time to really explore the new features yet, but it looks good from what I've seen so far.
I've installed an Onkyo Plugin (because I have the hardware) and have plans to play with that later this week.

First thing is that I think you need your OTGW Ethernet enabled so the HC2 can connect to it; from what I know all other options (RS232, USB) are useless.
2nd thing to do is find out what's the best way & location to 'decipher' the OTGW frames - doing it all on the HC2 or limit the load on the HC2 with an intermediate device like an Arduino. I'm not that comfortable yet with lua and error handling, so it might be a good thing to validate the data before it's being sent to the HC2.

3rd thing to do is to learn lua and register on Fibaro's developer website

[cjelsa]

Ok, first step already lost me

How do I make OTGW ethernet enabled? Has that been done already?

[Digit]

Yes that has been done
You can even buy complete kits:
http://www.opentherm-gateway.com/compon ... t-lan.html
Or the DIY way with some Serial to Ethernet converter.

[cjelsa]

Ok, so that problem seems tackled...

I would only need a thermometer in every room and a lot of very intelligent LUA code to make things work, right ?

What does the OTGW exactly do. Can I enter the room temp and the desired temp and does it automatically modulate to achieve the desired result? Or do I have to iterate some code to do the modulation form LUA?

[Digit]

Yep.. looking at the setup in your 1st post you'll need more than just a slider and a few lines of of code to communicate a setpoint with the OTGW
But it doesn't have to be a Plugin coded in lua.. I think it should also be possible to develop your code 'externally', in your favorite programming language and get/set values of sensors/actors with http calls to the HC2. I played with that some time ago, seemed like a nice alternative.
That approach could make your life a lot easier

[cjelsa]

Ok, before I pursue this further, I have a brand new Itho Daalderop Comfort Classic 38/80 CW6 kettle. Does the OTGW work on this kettle?
What do I actually need to send to the OTGW if I'm not using any other thermostats (I will have approx 10 zones in the house, it doesn't seem smart to have 1 thermostat somewhere.....). Is it just setpoint for water temp and max modulation? That sounds doable? I could write a script that measures the room temp and while the difference between actual and desired room temp decreases I would decrease modulation and/or water temp setpoint? Trial and error could help me find all algoritms for the different rooms...... Even more trial and error could have me learn what happens when more zones are contemporarily warmed.....

As for the HC2, what is the plugin option the latest software has? What would it mean to write a plugin? How would the HC2 communicate with the OTGW?

[Digit]

Itho Daalderop Comfort Classic 38/80 CW6. Does the OTGW work on this kettle?

Oops, can't answer that. Check if it can talk Opentherm, check the forum, check http://otgw.tclcode.com/matrix.cgi#boilers, etc ...

What do I actually need to send to the OTGW if I'm not using any other thermostats (I will have approx 10 zones in the house, it doesn't seem smart to have 1 thermostat somewhere.....). Is it just setpoint for water temp and max modulation?
That sounds doable?

Yes, but now you're in fact asking me(/us) to judge on whether your plan will work - I won't do that. Too many unknown variables.

I could write a script that measures the room temp and while the difference between actual and desired room temp decreases I would decrease modulation and/or water temp setpoint?

Yes, something like that. Actually I think you mean the room setpoint.

As for the HC2, what is the plugin option the latest software has? What would it mean to write a plugin? How would the HC2 communicate with the OTGW?
Check http://forum.fibaro.com/viewtopic.php?t=5013 and http://developer.fibaro.com/, there you'll get your answers.
Communication can be done with a TCP socket - I've seen AV Receiver Plugins asking for an IP address & port number, so it should be doable.
(but to be honest, Fibaro has just begun with the "Plugin feature" and it's not that mature yet - for example, I'm still figuring out how to remove a Plugin from the HC2.. maybe in the next release Keep that in mind.