Homeseer Script to monitor & Control ELV MAX! Thermostats

[simonk1969]

I've just come across this thread whilst looking for TRV's I couyld control from HomeSeer but am already using HS3, as already asked any plans to modify for use with HS3?

Regards
Simon

[raymonvdm]

Today i read about the e3q thermostats on digits blog but he had a lot of issues with it int the past. Is it still a good option to buy this?

I already have an Danfoss Living Connect but it is not working in HS2 / HS3 (yet)

[Digit]

Yes. Don't give my posts too much "weight", cause they're all from the 'early' days.
Some things that don't/didn't work, I didn't need or worked around.
And I'm pretty sure there must have been some firmware updates to solve some things of the past.
For a better understanding of how good the ELV MAX works you should get info from people that are up to date with firmware etcetera, I'm not.
It works as-is over here, so I don't do ELV MAX updates anymore. I'm happy with it now.
So actually, I'm not such a reliable source anymore for an opinion about ELV MAX

Maybe a visit to the ELV MAX! forum @ elv.de is a better source these days.. or maybe someone else can comment on this?

[Bastiaan]

To follow up on Robert:

I had a lot of trouble to even get the new firmware in. Had to send back my valves, force the Cube to recognize the updates etc. Not exactly a smooth experience. On the other hand I don’t think they will update firmware on valves anymore so that was part of the startup issues, related to the wall thermostat.

The valves are all plastic and so are the mounts. If you have kids or cleaners bumping into the valves, they break of very easily and usualy beyond repair.

The signal reach is also limited, in my 40 meter house with a valve roughly every 15 meter I get a lot of issues. Using the wall thermostats helps, because you get a kind of autonome system in each room and you are no longer depending on the remote option soley.

Like Robert, I don’t mess with it anymore. It kinds of runs but I am far from thrilled with the reliability of the cube. I sometimes get different numbers on the remote than I see on the wall thermostat. But it is cheap, it basically works and when you don’t change the settings too often it is worth the money. Indeed iIt would be nice to see a working HS3 plugin.

[Rene]

I use 6 room thermostats and 9 radiator thermostats and are completely satisfied. As Bastiaan mentioned, using room thermostats solve a number of potential problems. For example, the room thermostats keep a copy of the schedule and create independency of the scheduling initiated by the cube or your own software. The only problem I experienced sofar is that the opening of the valve of one of the radiator themostats was completely off compared to other thermostats in the same room. A reset of that thermostat solved the problem.

[Thasanders]

My coding skills are poor so I submitted a post at the homeseer forum to get the script working within HS3. For those who are in the migration process too: http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.ph ... ost1099198

VB scripting has changed since HS3 (Homeseer 3), some of the following changes are affecting the max! script:

AddAction will be missing
AddCondtion will be missing
CAPIHandleStatus will be missing
ClearConditions will be missing
ClearLastX10 will be missing
ControlThermostat will be missing
DeviceStatus will be missing
DeviceString Exists, but parameter changed to REF
DeviceTime Exists, but parameter changed to REF
DeviceValue Exists, but parameter changed to REF
DeviceValuesAdd Exists, but parameters changed
DeviceValuesGraphicsAdd Exists, but parameter changed
DeviceLastChange Needs to change to use REF
DeviceExists Needs to change to use REF
DialInternetConnection will be missing
DisconnectInternetConnection will be missing
ExecX10 will be missing (use CAPI interface instead)
ExecX10ByName will be missing
ExecX10NoLog will be missing
GetDeviceEnumerator Limited support (many device properties changed)
GetDeviceEx Limited support (many device properties changed)
GetDeviceCode Returns technology dependent code
GetEventByRef Issues with accessing events directly.
GetEventEnumerator will be missing
GetEvent will be missing, replaced with GetEventEx (issues with accessing events directly)
GetEventEx Issues with accessing events directly.
GetTVGTData will be missing
GetURLIE only works on Windows, not Linux
InstallScript will be missing
InterfaceVersion changes from 3 to 4
IsDialUpConnected will be missing
IsOff will be missing
IsOn will be missing
keys Windows Only, not Linux
lastx10 will be missing
NewCondition will be missing
NewEventAction will be missing
NewEventEx will be missing
NewEventGetRef will be missing
NewRecurringEvent will change
NewTimeEvent will change
PrintOut will be missing
PrintOutRaw will be missing
RunningAsService will be missing
SetDeviceLastChange will be missing
SetDeviceStatus will be missing
SetDeviceStatusByName will be missing
SetDeviceString parameter changed to REF
SetDeviceTime parameter changed to REF
SetDeviceValue parameter changed to REF
SetDeviceValueEx parameter changed to REF
SetSecurityMode parameter changed to Boolean
Transmit parameters will change
X10InterfaceStatus will be missing

[wmccann]

Hi All,

I have managed to get the script (adjusted version) working in HS3.

I removed a long time ago the drop down lists etc so it now creates 4 devices for each thermosat (wall and valve).

Devices are:
Temperature (room)
Setpoint
Mode
Status

I then use HS touch to query these and events to trigger the boost function, turn on boiler if boost is detected (i.e. manually etc)

All is working great.

Events are:

1) Detect if the Mode status = "Boost" then turn on boiler
2) Boost event that triggers the wall thermostat to Boost - to do this execute the script with the "S:|x|23|b" as the parameter (x needs to be the room number)

Script (though messy sorry) attached.

Regards,

Walter.

[wmccann]

One last thing, Change the housecode in the ini file to a letter (from ') - HS3 does not like non alpha housecodes - if you open the device to view its values Homeseer will remove the code and the script will create a new device.

Might look into a different method of updating, but for now it works fine.

Also, don't go over 10 rooms, weird things happen if you do

W.

[blb]

Hi Walter,

it looks like you didn't attach the script.

[wmccann]

scripts.zip

(10.85 KiB) Downloaded 1094 times

Not sure what happened anyway hope this works.

W.

[Thasanders]

Hi Walter,

This is so great, thank you very much! Finally I'm able to use HS3. It would be really nice to adjust the setpoint within Homeseer. I use HSTouch and a cheap tablets in every room (for lights, media and climate control) if I'm able to adjust the room setpoint in Homeseer then I can create a HSTouch interface to set the temperature per room.

Great work!

[wmccann]

Hi,

Will see what I can do. The things that I have been thinking of is:

1) Setpoint for each room/valve
2) manual/auto/boost buttons on the mode

Only other thing is setting the actual programs but tbh it his super easy through the original application.

W.

[wmccann]

Hi All,

Have made a few changes - probably messy but it works (think that HS3 is missing various important items e.g. if I change the value from a script the display stays the same although the value/status has changed if the String has been sent - though could be the lack of good documentation/my skill ).

to use,

Delete your devices (at least wall thermostat ones). I have done this around the Wall thermostats rather than the valves but you could adjust the script to add the settings to valves as well (makes no real difference).

to update valves as well search for "if n2(C3)="Mode" and m_d_type(Mref) = "03" then" in the script and replace it with "if n2(C3)="Mode" then"
and "if n2(C3)="Setpoint" and m_d_type(Mref) = "03" then" with "if n2(C3)="Setpoint" then"

This script creates 2 buttons for mode - "boost" and "auto", if you select them, it triggers the script "Maxtriggerchange.vb" which then calls the main script to set boost or auto. Note I have my boiler using a separate (LightwaveRF) switch hence the commented out piece in this script to turn them on/off (2 events, one which switches the boiler on and the off again after 60 minutes, the second one switches the boiler off).


For the setpoint it creates a dropdown list of values from 4.5 degrees to 31 degrees. if you change the value, it again triggers "Maxtriggerchange.vb" which then calls the main script, passing through the setpoint (which remains until the next change in your preset schedule).

If you use the front end to change the mode/setpoint, the main script has to run again to update the displayed status correctly (if run the script every 2 mins then the delay could be 2 minutes!) - when I work out how to fix this I will post an update.

Let me know how you get on,

W.

BLB_Max_monitor_HS3.zip

(12.11 KiB) Downloaded 1074 times

[Thasanders]

Hi Walter,

I just tested your new script and it works like a charm. Thank you very much!

[labtec]

Thanks for this script, nice to control the ELV MAX via HS3, I have the following errors in my log;

feb-10 18:24:24 Database There were errors generated during the save of the database item. Please consult this log for more details and report any data loss to HomeSeer Technologies.

feb-10 18:24:24 Database ERROR, device Max! Heating Timezone failed to be updated or added to the database.

feb-10 18:24:24 Error SQL Exception adding device record to the database: SQL logic error or missing databaseunrecognized token: "'CET", Code=1, Link=

Thanks