john@birtch.UUCP (John Pipkins x257) (11/08/85)
I want to start playing with automating the homestead. I would greatly appreciate any info on computer interfaces for controlling BSR type home control systems. I seem to recall these where available for the apple and s100 systems, but a recent search (scanning a back issue of Byte) hasn't turned up anything. Thanx John Pipkins
don@pecnos.UUCP (Don Hopkins) (11/11/85)
> > I want to start playing with automating the homestead. I would > greatly appreciate any info on computer interfaces for controlling BSR > type home control systems. I seem to recall these where available for > the apple and s100 systems, but a recent search (scanning a back issue > of Byte) hasn't turned up anything. > > Thanx > John Pipkins Heathkit sells a 'universal' RS-232/C to BSR X-10 Interface kit for about $90. You can control 256 groups of modules with unlimited timing patterns. Some programming examples are included. Name........: Donald F. Hopkins Company.....: Perkin-Elmer Data Systems Group US Mail.....: 106 Apple St., Tinton Falls, N.J. 07724 Phone.......: 201-758-7268 UUCP..(work): ...!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!pecnos!don (home): ...!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!pecnos!buslog!don
slerner@sesame.UUCP (Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner) (11/13/85)
> > I want to start playing with automating the homestead. I would > greatly appreciate any info on computer interfaces for controlling BSR > type home control systems. I seem to recall these where available for > the apple and s100 systems, but a recent search (scanning a back issue > of Byte) hasn't turned up anything. > > Thanx > John Pipkins I suggest you look at back issues of Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar. He has done several articles on interfacing to the BSR system. -- Opinions expressed are public domain, and do not belong to Lotus Development Corp. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner {genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!slerner {cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!slerner talcott!sesame!slerner@harvard.ARPA
LENOIL@mit-xx.arpa (Robert S. Lenoil) (11/13/85)
A while back myself and a former company I was involved with created a gadget to allow a Commodore 64 to control a home's BSR devices. The software was quite revolutionary at the time, as it provided a "hot key" (similar to Sidekick) that would allow you to suspend any running program on the C64, control some devices, check on their status, enqueue commands for later execution, and then return to your program. It included a nice interrupt-driven queueing mechanism that could send a command to a BSR device, execute any arbitrary machine code program, and even requeue the command, all without disturbing the currently executing application. Unfortunately the product was developed for HES, which went bankrupt before the product ever saw the light of day. Oh well, I still have my working prototype (and that's all I have for 10 months of hard work). Life goes on... -------
dmimi@ecsvax.UUCP (Miriam Clifford) (11/18/85)
I just found that there is a program for Home Control Systems available in the public domain for Zenith z-100 users. This may run on z-150 and other ibmpc compatibles also. It is a basic program called HMCNTL, probably available from HUG (Heath User's Group). I know the Raleigh (NC) User's Group has it in their library and suppose other Heath User's Groups and BBSs and, perhaps, Compuserve has it also. Mimi Clifford (ecsvax!dmimi)