AMX Scheduler - Usage in HVAC

nherc

First off, I wanted to get everyone's impressions on the current version of the AMX Scheduler module.

I got one opinion from someone who hadn't used it in a while (read: years) that it was bloated and slow for simple scheduling. I'd love if someone could give me their opinions on the latest revision.

I plan on using it to add timed events to a fairly simple HVAC module that controls some Tstats. Any thoughts on using the scheduler here? Overkill?

Lastly, any best methodologies on the most intuitive way to set up events for TStats? A start time per preset? Start and end time? Unlimited presets vs. Wake, Day, Evening, Night? Something else all together? Examples?

Thanks so much for your feedback.

nherc

DHawthorne

I've installed the i!-schedule module on just about every project I've done for the last 2-3 years, and all I have ever used it for is the time manager function. It has always seemed like it would be handy to have a scheduling capacity, but in the real world, I have found it not as useful as I may have thought.

TurnipTruck

I use it all the time. If you want end-user access you will have to modify the UI a bit to suit you UI stlye. There is a bug that when you tru to do an event start at 1-59 minutes before sunset, it will add twelve hours onto the before time. I told AMX about it, they verified it, but no changes yet. Hopefully they are too busy making all of the CEDIA products that have been on back order for me since their December due dates.

TurnipTruck

Oh, to further answer your questions, I use at my own house for HVAC setbacks as well as sunset lighting.

Another thing to be aware of. Each schedule entry has a start time which creates a push and an end time that creates a release. However, if you system reboots between the start and stop, the stop will not occur. For that, I only use the start time of an event. The end time of an event is a seperate entry, creating another push.

ericmedley

TurnipTruck wrote: »

Oh, to further answer your questions, I use at my own house for HVAC setbacks as well as sunset lighting.

Another thing to be aware of. Each schedule entry has a start time which creates a push and an end time that creates a release. However, if you system reboots between the start and stop, the stop will not occur. For that, I only use the start time of an event. The end time of an event is a seperate entry, creating another push.

Here's a case where good ole-fashioned DEFINE_PROGRAM works better. If the event sets a persistent varialbe to on or off, you won't have to worry about a reboot messing the thing up.

TurnipTruck

ericmedley wrote: »

Here's a case where good ole-fashioned DEFINE_PROGRAM works better. If the event sets a persistent varialbe to on or off, you won't have to worry about a reboot messing the thing up.

Right, but in the case of i-Schedule, the end time event will never occur in the reboot scenario I described earlier. The persistent variable will remin in the state it was set to at the start time of the event.

nherc

So, to re-cap so far.. No one has had any real problems using i-schedule... just some minor bugs/design flaws which you need to work around. Very good.

Now, any more tips on usage? Also, does anyone have a preferred method/design for HVAC presets/control? This can be done so many ways, I just wonder where to start. I was thinking unlimited modes, with only start times and selectable time and days of the week. A mode will start at it's start time/day and override any current mode. The issue I see with this is if not organized and the modes given good names it will get confusing very fast. If that's the case, then perhaps Modes 1,2,3,4 (morning,day, evening,night effectively) all going in order with selectable changeover times. The problem with this is fitting the days in... i.e. how would you have a seperate weekend schedule? Maybe a Weekdays and Weekend set-up with 4 modes each and selectable changeover times? That seems the simplest while giving you some flexibility.

Thoughts?

TurnipTruck

I have four changeovers during each weekday and another four for the weekends. There is a morning, daytime, evening and overnight setpoint. They are changeable on the same panel page as the maual controls for the stat for each zone.

HARMAN_icraigie

I have used it in every residential project I have done pretty much since it first was released. You really need to sit down and play with it a bit to understand all the nuances but it will all make sense eventually. If you are using the Aprilaire tstats with the AMX module you should invoke some sort of queue to buffer the commands into the module - it doesn't like 1 more than 1 every 3/10sec or so.