How about controlling drapes?

Post by **MindBender** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 5:59 pm

Does anybody know about a system to open and close drapes by an X10 system? The CM80 is fairly priced, but it's fairly crap too:
http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/modules. ... nt&sid=836

Post by **Bwired** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 6:10 pm

Hi,
That's right that one is not working at all, I have seen I it work at a friends place. it is very noisy you need to adjust very often. Then the drapes don't close for 100%.
The G-rail electrical drapes from Goelst http://www.goelst.nl is very good but also much higher in price, but then again you a very good product!

Any other good stuff out there??
regards Pieter

www.bwired.nl Online Domotica, Home Automation house.

Post by **Han** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:03 pm

I bought vertical blinds with a motordrive (GAMMA). These blinds can be controled by an infrared handheld. I modified the electronics, and connected the 4 blinds by a 6 wire bus to an X10 controller.
Advantages:
1) the blinds can be opened/closed by means of X10 commands(one after another).
2) they can still be operated by the remote control
3) they are now powered from the mains insted of bateries
The system works for more then 2 years now.

Han Alink

Post by **Bwired** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:42 pm

Hi Han,
That's what I said...Gamma! [:D]
I heard about the electrical blinds from the GAMMA. But they don't sell them anymore, I have been looking for them for a while now. Do you know the brand of the blinds?
Regards
Pieter

Post by **Han** » Mon May 01, 2006 11:10 am

Hello Pieter,
The company is called B&C. From their "normal" website it's not clear that they sell electrically controlable blinds. But if you look at the project website, you will find it.
http://www.bece.com/nl/projects/product ... 1_25_0.xml

Han Alink

Post by **Henk** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:02 pm

Praxis heeft weer electrische gordijn sluiters in de aanbieding ca. Euro 120 .... zowel wandschakelaar als afstandsbediening. Met een relais op een appliance module is dit apparaat aan X10 te koppelen.
Verwacht er niet te veel van - het is dan ook 1/8 van de prijs van een high end systeem.

H.

Post by **MindBender** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:41 am

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Henk
 
Praxis heeft weer electrische gordijn sluiters in de aanbieding ca. Euro 120 .... zowel wandschakelaar als afstandsbediening. Met een relais op een appliance module is dit apparaat aan X10 te koppelen.
Verwacht er niet te veel van - het is dan ook 1/8 van de prijs van een high end systeem.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Before it does any more damage: Avoid this one like the plague! Man, what a crap! I was at the Praxis this evening and the price of 100 Euro was a bit suspicious. They didn't have one on demo, but the lady at the service desk was very helpful showing me the contents. I still had some doubts, but I decided to try it anyway.

Assembles on the floor it worked pretty neat. You can hear the motor running, but that doesn't bother me: It's not like opening a tin of Whiskas. My cats confirmed that by not getting excited at the sound.

Installing it on the ceiling is a tough job but after a little more that an hour I had it installed in my master bedroom. I wanted to install it in my living room, but the bedroom seemed a better testing ground because everything is easier to reach. And I figured I would just buy a second set if it worked well.

But it didn't. The four pieces of rail, together 4.2 meters long, don't connect very well. Even without any drapes the motor is unable to pull the rollers over these barriers. Besides that, when opening the drapes, the leading roller wedges the other rollers locked in the rail and everyhing is stuck right away. The final disappointment was that the motor didn't stop at the end of the rail; It just keeps on spinning. The box states it shuts off within 2 seconds but it doesn't. It doesn't come with a manual so you're all on your own there too.

I will wrap mine up again and take it back tomorrow. The thing that bothers me the most is the two hours of time I've wasted and the job still waiting for me: putting my old rails back. I hope I didn't damage them too much while removing them...

Yes, what you pay is what you get, but this thing just doesn't work. And anything it too expensive for that.

Post by **Bwired** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:33 am

Hi Robert,
Thanks for trying[;)]
I almost went to Praxis today to see/buy it myself, thanks to you I can save myself the trouble! I agree what you pay is what you get[:D]
For me saving some more money for the Goelst system, I still have not found any sponsors who want to put a rail system on Bwired.

www.bwired.nl Online Domotica, Home Automation house.

Post by **Henk** » Thu May 11, 2006 11:17 pm

http://www.intellihome.be/nederlands/ho ... asp?menu=1

Post by **Henk** » Thu May 11, 2006 11:29 pm

My excuses to mention the Praxis system resulting is disappointed results .....

Previous entry was released to early ... it is a link to the Belgian domotica shop intellihome.be they have also automatic curtain systems it looks like the Praxis system but the price is different Euro 400 ... - please check the enlarge picture of the product .... is it the same ?

My local Praxis shop had 10 units on sales about two years ago - I tried one as a demo - it work but you had to tighten the iron wire/strings very hard - if not the motor was not switched off - but make a strange back/forward movement. It took almost a year to sell and also dumping the price to Euro 60 ....

Professional systems like Grail / Somfy will go to E. 600-700 plus ... but at least it will work - the new generations allows you even to open the curtain by hand ... ... I got a tube-motor (diameter 28mm) to inserted in a "rolgordijn" it works well with X10 (just added a 230V relais) - opening in the morning depending on the wake-up time on my MT10 alarm clock sending X10 signals ....

H.

Post by **MindBender** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:44 am

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Henk 
http://www.intellihome.be/nederlands/ho ... asp?menu=1
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
It's exactly the same unit, at 4 times (!) the Praxis price.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
My excuses to mention the Praxis system resulting is disappointed results .....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
No apologies required; It was my own mistake to buy one.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Previous entry was released to early ... it is a link to the Belgian domotica shop intellihome.be they have also automatic curtain systems it looks like the Praxis system but the price is different Euro 400 ... - please check the enlarge picture of the product .... is it the same ?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Strange; Usually their prices aren't that extraordinary... But 400 Euro for such a louse system, not the mention the flimsy construction, is not only a lot of money but also very expensive.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
My local Praxis shop had 10 units on sales about two years ago - I tried one as a demo - it work but you had to tighten the iron wire/strings very hard - if not the motor was not switched off - but make a strange back/forward movement. It took almost a year to sell and also dumping the price to Euro 60 ....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That would have been a nice extra in your first posting

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Professional systems like Grail / Somfy will go to E. 600-700 plus ... but at least it will work - the new generations allows you even to open the curtain by hand ...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Somfy offers a motor that suits my needs, but at 600 Euro the price is a bit steep for me. But if it works, the price isn't very far from what the Belgian store charges for the crappy Praxis rail. It's worth the extra money because it's completely silent and it has an RF remote control. It'd rather have no remote control at al because I don't use it, because it makes the unit more expensive and because it's an extra security hazard.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
... I got a tube-motor (diameter 28mm) to inserted in a "rolgordijn" it works well with X10 (just added a 230V relais) - opening in the morning depending on the wake-up time on my MT10 alarm clock sending X10 signals ....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Now that's a very slim tube motor! I thought they'd be a lot thicker. I don't have any of those curtains at home. I'm thinking about mounting a pulley on a steppermotor and run a thin rope along my curtains.

Post by **Bwired** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:53 pm

Oke guys,
I am now experimenting in the bwired house with the electric railsystem (Harrison electrische gordijnrail) from Harrison http://www.harrison.nl
This is a professional good working rail which is not so costly as Somfy or G-rail. I'm investigating now what the possibilities are and if easy connection to my home automation system is possible. Bert also a member on this forum offered graciously to help [:)] In the near future I will come with a full report on the Harrison elektrische gordijnrail.
Download Attachment: [img]images/icon_paperclip.gif[/img] harrison.jpg 5.47 KB

Pieter Knuvers
www.bwired.nl Online House in the netherlands. Domotica, Home Automation.

Post by **dammer** » Sun May 13, 2007 2:06 pm

Hi Pieter,

How was your experience with the Harisson rail ? Is the quality comparible with G-rail items [?]

Dammer