Recent Posts

21

Choosing a home automation system / Controlling multiple motors independently

« Last post by homeblinds on December 07, 2017, 09:49:51 PM »

Hi,

I have 4 (and planning for 3 more) G series motors+blinds. All of them working well with the provided remote.

I also bought the RF transmitter and z-wave trigger module shown here:
http://rollertrol.com/store/en/all/253-zwave-group-control-starter-kit-for-blinds-and-shades.html

Got this working with SmartThings w/ z-wave device type being "Aeon Motor Controller":
https://github.com/bravenel/SmartThings/blob/master/Aeon%20Motor%20Controller

While doing the Z-Wave/SmartThings integration, I realized that the Z-Wave device can only represent ONE channel, and hence one motor (in my setup, as I do want all the motors on different channels, and do not want to group these). This is *severely* limiting my home automation setup Sigh. It seems I need to buy 1 pair of (RF transmitter+Z-Wave trigger module) for EACH of my motors, for independent control. That will be a pretty expensive setup!

I was hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of this list, to come up with a cheaper way to multiplex and control N motors independently.

Any suggestions/ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Abi

ps: fwiw I am fairly hands-on with soft/hardware, so open to any DIY solutions (it just needs to be order of magnitude cheaper than the present alternative of buying N transmitter+z-wave triggers :-)

22

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Tubular dc motor with battery and panel

« Last post by admin on November 27, 2017, 12:31:03 PM »

Hello, is this a unit you purchased from us? If so please contact us directly so we can look up your order history in our database system to see exactly what you have:

http://rollertrol.com/contact-us

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Systems Administrator
RollerTrol Automation Systems

23

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Tubular dc motor with battery and panel

« Last post by Wankel on November 27, 2017, 10:55:52 AM »

Hi. I have a problem with a tubular dc motor with battery inside. It walk a few cms and stop, other comand to walk and other ten cms and stop. When run a few times it run perfectly and with a lot of speed. It ocurrs when motor is stopped much time. It chargued by a solar power panel. Thanks

24

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Existing mounting bracket compatibility

« Last post by GlennR on November 21, 2017, 11:51:09 AM »

I had to trim the tab that slides into the center of the motor to make it narrower and I used a rotary tool with a cutting wheel for that. The modified bracket worked well.

25

Tubular Motors: General Discussion / Re: Existing mounting bracket compatibility

« Last post by Boman on November 20, 2017, 09:44:36 AM »

Hi, I would not expect those brackets to be perfectly compatible with our motors. You may have to drill a few holes and mount our (smaller) brackets inside of those. I would suggest you wait until you have everything at hand to decide the best approach.

Regards, Adrian

I'd be so interested to hear how it went.

26

Choosing a home automation system / Re: Controlling Blind Remotely

« Last post by admin on September 20, 2017, 04:57:17 AM »

Hello @lcsmith62, thanks for your posting.

The feedback we have from our Insteon clients is that the best way to control our blind motors is to use our z-wave control kit:

http://rollertrol.com/store/en/all/253-zwave-group-control-starter-kit-for-blinds-and-shades.html

This would assume that you have whatever Insteon module is required for it to control devices using z-wave.

With regards to Alexa, we're not sure if Insteon has provided the ability to interface with that type of voice control.

We know that it can work with Home Assistant (HASS) running on a Raspberry Pi.

Regards, Adrian

27

Choosing a home automation system / Controlling Blind Remotely

« Last post by lcsmith62 on September 19, 2017, 05:37:14 PM »

I would like to be able to make my roller blinds go up and down when I am away from home.  I have cats and they want the windows unobstructed.  So, if I forget to raise the blinds when I am on the road, I want to be able to.
I have an Insteon Home automation hub, and a broadlink zapper.  I also have an Amazon Echo.  I haven't hooked it up to the roller blind yet, but plan to.
Do I need to get another piece of equipment/software to accomplish my goal?  If not, how do I hook up what I've got to do it.
Appreciate any help you guys can offer.

28

Selecting the right material for your application / Re: DIY Projection Screen Material List

« Last post by admin on September 07, 2017, 11:04:28 AM »

Hello @robzeke, thanks for your questions; here are the answers:

re slotted tubing:

Our motors are made for industry standard Rolease tubing, but the drive adapters can be modified to fit other types. Slotted tubing (internal splines) are good because they lock the motor drive. You can also use tubing or pipe with a smooth interior wall, but we suggest you use a locking screw to prevent slippage.

We have written a series of articles with a lot of detail that can be seen on the main menu at Rollertrol.com (see 'How To' and 'Projects')

Projection material can be heavy, so you may want to use our HD motors that have 24 lb lift capacity. One of the above articles explains how to measure the weight of your shade. You can use any kind of tension bar, as long as the fabric + tension bar weight doesn't exceed the lift capacity. We also have the Maxi, which can lift 45 lbs using a 2.5" tube.

We only supply motors, but you could do a search for screen material and tubing. The metal supermarket is one place to check for tubing. We also use 1.25" EMT steel conduit from any home hardware supply.

Regards, Adrian

Senior Tech
RollerTrol Automation Systems

29

Selecting the right material for your application / DIY Projection Screen Material List

« Last post by robzeke on September 07, 2017, 10:49:34 AM »

I have a couple of questions concerning a DIY projection screen. I can see by the specs of the motor that it fits standard 1.5" aluminum tubing.

Here are my questions:

Can I/Should I use the slotted tubing? and, will the motor fit with the slotted tube? Best place to purchase?

I am looking to use rear projection material and just wanted to make sure that will work, any reason why I shouldn't or couldn't user rear projection material?

And finally, best place to purchase a weight bar for tension, something specifically designed for projection screens would be nice.

So basically I guess I'm looking for a supply list. aluminum tube; screen material; weight bar and motor.

Thanks

30

Pairing remotes to motors and assigning channels / Re: Remote stops working

« Last post by admin on May 27, 2017, 04:40:22 PM »

You are very welcome, and we appreciate your biz! Customer service IS our #1 priority.

Regards, Adrian