Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Ademco / Honeywell Vista Alarm to Computer interface for home automation.
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mathewss
04-29-09, 01:22 AM
Fun DIY Project.
I have spent the past few years trying to expose my Ademco alarm to my home automation system.
I have designed a device called AD2USB that will allow you to log messages as well as arm/disarm etc an Ademco alarm via a USB connection to a computer.
Now I should be able to integrate my alarms sensors into my home automation system. (http://www.f34r.com/projects/kitchen/)
http://www.nutech.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/AD2USB_Adapter_49f218c784580.jpg
I also built a GUI application that you can use with the device to give a graphical user interface to the alarm.
http://www.nutech.com/images/stories/ademco/ad2usb_mono.jpg
The device is even capable of sending messages to other keypads.
http://www.nutech.com/images/stories/ademco/dsc04522.jpg
Re
Sean M
I have spent the past few years trying to expose my Ademco alarm to my home automation system.
I have designed a device called AD2USB that will allow you to log messages as well as arm/disarm etc an Ademco alarm via a USB connection to a computer.
Now I should be able to integrate my alarms sensors into my home automation system. (http://www.f34r.com/projects/kitchen/)
http://www.nutech.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/AD2USB_Adapter_49f218c784580.jpg
I also built a GUI application that you can use with the device to give a graphical user interface to the alarm.
http://www.nutech.com/images/stories/ademco/ad2usb_mono.jpg
The device is even capable of sending messages to other keypads.
http://www.nutech.com/images/stories/ademco/dsc04522.jpg
Re
Sean M
ffresh
04-29-09, 09:52 AM
VERY NEAT!!
How do you ventilate that compartment - it must produce quite a bit of heat? Or did I miss it?:)
How do you ventilate that compartment - it must produce quite a bit of heat? Or did I miss it?:)
mathewss
04-29-09, 10:13 AM
VERY NEAT!!
How do you ventilate that compartment - it must produce quite a bit of heat? Or did I miss it?:)
Hay ffresh.. Thanks for the feedback : c )
Yes heat was and still is on my mind.
This was a challenge. At first I was ducting heat out the side of the cabinet where it touched the wall. I removed some decorative molding that hid this transition and exposed a 1" gap that I put ducted fan that would normaly fit in a PCI slot on the back of a PC.
That didnt work :wall:
I ended up using a STF-B01-E1-GP if you look at the top of the pic you will see a SLOT I cut in the cabinet to mount this fan. At the bottom i have a fan tha draws air in. This may go at some point and I may draw air from through the bottom of the cabinet into the crawl space. The problem with the lower fan is that it collects garbage. I am running the main fan at only 1/2 speed and I dont have any noticeable fan noise.
The heat is not too bad with the 24v supply and the DC Automotive PC power supplies as they are very efficient.
My total power usage runs around 250watts. It does peak at 300 when I have a game going.
Thats not bad considering I am running a quad core and a pent 4 2.4ghz.
I have a friend who is into water cooling and I have considered moving toward that at some point putting the radiator in the crawlspace below the cabinet to get the heat out of the house. This would help in cooling in the summer but in the winter I do not mind the extra heat.
Re
Sean M
How do you ventilate that compartment - it must produce quite a bit of heat? Or did I miss it?:)
Hay ffresh.. Thanks for the feedback : c )
Yes heat was and still is on my mind.
This was a challenge. At first I was ducting heat out the side of the cabinet where it touched the wall. I removed some decorative molding that hid this transition and exposed a 1" gap that I put ducted fan that would normaly fit in a PCI slot on the back of a PC.
That didnt work :wall:
I ended up using a STF-B01-E1-GP if you look at the top of the pic you will see a SLOT I cut in the cabinet to mount this fan. At the bottom i have a fan tha draws air in. This may go at some point and I may draw air from through the bottom of the cabinet into the crawl space. The problem with the lower fan is that it collects garbage. I am running the main fan at only 1/2 speed and I dont have any noticeable fan noise.
The heat is not too bad with the 24v supply and the DC Automotive PC power supplies as they are very efficient.
My total power usage runs around 250watts. It does peak at 300 when I have a game going.
Thats not bad considering I am running a quad core and a pent 4 2.4ghz.
I have a friend who is into water cooling and I have considered moving toward that at some point putting the radiator in the crawlspace below the cabinet to get the heat out of the house. This would help in cooling in the summer but in the winter I do not mind the extra heat.
Re
Sean M
ffresh
04-29-09, 10:49 AM
Where did you get the expertise for all of this integration? Do you have a background in electrical engineering (or what)
mathewss
04-29-09, 03:41 PM
Where did you get the expertise for all of this
integration? Do you have a background in electrical engineering (or
what)
Yes I do have EE,SE,ME experience and I used all of that to get this
done, but I don't think that is a requirement. I made plenty of mistakes
along the way and use other DIY projects as examples for various parts
of this project.
For example the 12V DC distribution block is a
48212-DCS (http://www.levitonproducts.com/catalog/dept_id_854/model_48212-DCS.htm)
When I was only powering a few things this was fine as it is only rated
at 1.5amps. Well as time went on I kept adding and adding as per my
plan, but at some point I forgot the fact it was rated at 1.5 amps and
it came back to haunt me. Can we say FIRE!!!. well not a fire but the
board was vaporized. I used the frame and replaced the Circuit board
with small copper traces to carry current with a through hole board with
solid core copper wire to carry the current. Should be rated at over 20
amps now.
So the point is that plenty of research and planning is all that is
needed and just plan on some mistakes and learn from them.
One of the biggest questions I had to think about is what voltage do I
want to start with. I am currently running a 24v system but I may have
to scrap that and move to 48v at some point. This is because you need
more voltage than the battery to properly charge it. Also power
transfers with less loss the higher the voltage is.
An opportunity to get that 24v 700watt supply came you see in the photo
from EBay at a unbeatable price forced me to make a decision. I had to
avoid trying to make it perfect and that I would just have deal with any
issues down the road.
So don't be afraid of a few mistakes as long as your moving toward your
goal. Some of the hardest parts of the project was the actual cutting of
the cabinet. That door did not exist. I cut that opening myself and that
was very stressful. Any mistakes would have been disastrous. So another
key part of this and other DIY projects is to just take a deep breath
and do it.
I am publishing my work in order to help other DIY folks gain from
any successes and mistakes. I myself work best from an existing plan or
model as a guide so I hope this will also spark others and provide some
useful templates for other home automation projects.
Re
Sean M
integration? Do you have a background in electrical engineering (or
what)
Yes I do have EE,SE,ME experience and I used all of that to get this
done, but I don't think that is a requirement. I made plenty of mistakes
along the way and use other DIY projects as examples for various parts
of this project.
For example the 12V DC distribution block is a
48212-DCS (http://www.levitonproducts.com/catalog/dept_id_854/model_48212-DCS.htm)
When I was only powering a few things this was fine as it is only rated
at 1.5amps. Well as time went on I kept adding and adding as per my
plan, but at some point I forgot the fact it was rated at 1.5 amps and
it came back to haunt me. Can we say FIRE!!!. well not a fire but the
board was vaporized. I used the frame and replaced the Circuit board
with small copper traces to carry current with a through hole board with
solid core copper wire to carry the current. Should be rated at over 20
amps now.
So the point is that plenty of research and planning is all that is
needed and just plan on some mistakes and learn from them.
One of the biggest questions I had to think about is what voltage do I
want to start with. I am currently running a 24v system but I may have
to scrap that and move to 48v at some point. This is because you need
more voltage than the battery to properly charge it. Also power
transfers with less loss the higher the voltage is.
An opportunity to get that 24v 700watt supply came you see in the photo
from EBay at a unbeatable price forced me to make a decision. I had to
avoid trying to make it perfect and that I would just have deal with any
issues down the road.
So don't be afraid of a few mistakes as long as your moving toward your
goal. Some of the hardest parts of the project was the actual cutting of
the cabinet. That door did not exist. I cut that opening myself and that
was very stressful. Any mistakes would have been disastrous. So another
key part of this and other DIY projects is to just take a deep breath
and do it.
I am publishing my work in order to help other DIY folks gain from
any successes and mistakes. I myself work best from an existing plan or
model as a guide so I hope this will also spark others and provide some
useful templates for other home automation projects.
Re
Sean M