CENTRO-M

General Discussion on DemoPad or related products
cv27
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CENTRO-M: centrally stored numbers, impact on iDevices

Post by cv27 » Mon Oct 31, 2016 11:17 pm

When a centrally stored number's value is changed (by an App on an iDevice or by a Centro-8M macro),
  • is the new value immediately communicated to Apps on all iDevices?
  • if that number has custom actions on an iDevice, will the change propagated by the Centro-8M cause the custom actions on an iDevice to fire?

cv27
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Re: CENTRO-M - 2 way feedback

Post by cv27 » Tue Nov 01, 2016 2:16 am

DemoPad wrote:
cv27 wrote:That I can route commands to a Centro-8M is great. But if I do that, my expectations are that the Centro-8M will also handle 2 way feedback previously handles by the iDevice.

At this time, it seems that 2 way feed back criteria need to be re-entered for the Centro-8M. For some IP devices, I have > 50 conditions each having several actions. I would suggest that whenever "route commands via the processor" is selected, that all 2 way feedback is copied as well to the Centro-8M. There, it could be edited.
We will implement the ability to copy feedback from the app section to the Centro section & vice versa to make this operation easier. Note though, it is not the case that just because something is 'linked to processor' that you always want to perform feedback on the processor, the app may also make an independent connection to it (if 'route commands via processor' is not ticked)
I assume the intention is to copy the conditions and the actions, right?

cv27
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Centro-M: IR folders

Post by cv27 » Tue Nov 01, 2016 6:47 pm

Contrary to all the other devices, the Centro-8M 'pre-defined commands' panel for IR ports does not allow the creation of folders. I also realize now that exporting and re-importing IR command files (dc1) does away with the original folder structure and puts everything in the top folder.

This makes it difficult to find a particular IR code among 200+.

Here's my wish list:
Centro-8M
  • Add the capability to create folders for IR pre-defined commands (my #1 priority)
Devices in general
  • Have a search & search next function for pre-defined commands
  • Have the capability of reordering commands within folders
  • have the capability to move groups of commands from one folder to another (those selected with check box)

cv27
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Centro-8M: migrating IR to the Centro

Post by cv27 » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:11 pm

I was hoping to retire my Global Caché iTach by using the Centro-8M's IR ports.

The good news is that the Centro-8M correctly handles the iTach blaster cable. My Centro-8M kit came with 3 single point emitters (stick on's), no blaster (globe).

The challenge now is to go through my project and manually change references from the iTach device to the Centro-8M. I realize this is a one time task, but it's tedious and error prone.

Any client moving from standalone to Centro would potentially be facing this.

Is there any way DemoPad can do magic to alleviate this?

Edit - A quick review tells me I have, for starters, 150 commands that reference the iTach device for channel selection on a cable box, plus all the usual remote commands. Then there's the Xbox 360s and the Sylvania Mosaic LED controller.
Last edited by cv27 on Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

cv27
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CENTRO-M: 2-way LIRC ?

Post by cv27 » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:14 pm

The Centro-8M feature list mentions "2-way LIRC IR compatible". What does the "2-way" refer to?

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CENTRO-M: IR input port - learning capability?

Post by cv27 » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:17 pm

I suspect the Centro-8M's IR components including the chipset have a strong flavor of Global Caché.

Does the IR input port also have learning capability? If so, when will this capability be exposed?

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Re: CENTRO-M: IR input port - learning capability?

Post by DemoPad » Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:42 am

cv27 wrote:I suspect the Centro-8M's IR components including the chipset have a strong flavor of Global Caché.
No they don't. It is just that the designer software understands the Global Cache IR protocol, and converts beforehand. The Centro-8M uses LIRC.

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Re: Centro-M: IR folders

Post by DemoPad » Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:47 am

cv27 wrote: Here's my wish list:
Centro-8M
  • Add the capability to create folders for IR pre-defined commands (my #1 priority)
The pre-defined folders determine which port the IR command comes out of (if using Global Cache format IR codes, the sendir,x:x section is irrelevant & not used). You should select the IR folder first, then import the commands. We appreciate that some users will want to use the 8M to control many pieces of equipment, but we have a Centro-C with lots of IR ports / folders for that purpose.

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Re: CENTRO-M: 2-way LIRC ?

Post by DemoPad » Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:49 am

cv27 wrote:The Centro-8M feature list mentions "2-way LIRC IR compatible". What does the "2-way" refer to?
The Centro-8M can listen to IR signals from a standard IR remote control, and perform actions when the code is seen - allowing you to, for example, send an IP command to a lighting system using a standard remote control. Please see http://centro8m.docs.demopad.com

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Re: Centro-8M: migrating IR to the Centro

Post by DemoPad » Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:17 am

cv27 wrote: The challenge now is to go through my project and manually change references from the iTach device to the Centro-8M. I realize this is a one time task, but it's tedious and error prone.

Any client moving from standalone to Centro would potentially be facing this.

Is there any way DemoPad can do magic to alleviate this?
Yes, Auto-Assign, a pro-only feature, allows you to quickly assign commands to buttons without needing to do each one manually. It requires that the auto-assign text is entered, but then it can go through an entire page of buttons & automatically assign commands, so it is easy to remove all device commands, and then add again from a different device.

cv27
Posts: 233
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:15 pm
Location: Montréal, QC, Canada

Re: CENTRO-M: IR input port - learning capability?

Post by cv27 » Wed Nov 02, 2016 8:28 pm

DemoPad wrote:
cv27 wrote:I suspect the Centro-8M's IR components including the chipset have a strong flavor of Global Caché.
No they don't. It is just that the designer software understands the Global Cache IR protocol, and converts beforehand. The Centro-8M uses LIRC.
As I understand it, LIRC is the software part of it. The focus of my post was more on the hardware side (receiver).

My real question was: does the IR input port also have learning capability? If so, when will this capability be exposed?

cv27
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Re: Centro-M: IR folders

Post by cv27 » Wed Nov 02, 2016 8:32 pm

DemoPad wrote:
cv27 wrote: Here's my wish list:
Centro-8M
  • Add the capability to create folders for IR pre-defined commands (my #1 priority)
The pre-defined folders determine which port the IR command comes out of (if using Global Cache format IR codes, the sendir,x:x section is irrelevant & not used). You should select the IR folder first, then import the commands. We appreciate that some users will want to use the 8M to control many pieces of equipment, but we have a Centro-C with lots of IR ports / folders for that purpose.
I understand the importance of the prefix name to the Centro-8M's IR folders. My question was more about the possibility of creating sub-folders under each of the 3 IR port root folders.

cv27
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Re: Centro-8M: migrating IR to the Centro

Post by cv27 » Wed Nov 02, 2016 8:52 pm

DemoPad wrote:
cv27 wrote: The challenge now is to go through my project and manually change references from the iTach device to the Centro-8M. I realize this is a one time task, but it's tedious and error prone.

Any client moving from standalone to Centro would potentially be facing this.

Is there any way DemoPad can do magic to alleviate this?
Yes, Auto-Assign, a pro-only feature, allows you to quickly assign commands to buttons without needing to do each one manually. It requires that the auto-assign text is entered, but then it can go through an entire page of buttons & automatically assign commands, so it is easy to remove all device commands, and then add again from a different device.
Here's what I see when activating the Auto-Assign button:
snip_20161102154215.png
I assume "auto-assign text" is "Command name must contain". Can you provide a bit more guidance in completing this? What should I enter if I want to replace the device name on every button of a page that has actions against 'device-A' with 'device-B', while the delay, command name and dependent flag remain the same?
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Re: CENTRO-M: formatting issue ?

Post by DemoPad » Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:28 am

cv27 wrote:Minor issue. When I use the Centro-8M's Web interface, there is one label that doesn't resolve correctly:
snip-2_20161031170646.png
... while is should show "31 Oct".
This is a bug in the Centro firmware, and occurs where you use multiple label or number variables in a single action. It has been fixed & will be in the next firmware release.

Note specific issues like this should be sent to support@demopad.com, as this forum is not always monitored by ourselves.

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Re: Centro-8M: migrating IR to the Centro

Post by DemoPad » Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:52 am

cv27 wrote:
DemoPad wrote:
cv27 wrote:
Yes, Auto-Assign, a pro-only feature, allows you to quickly assign commands to buttons without needing to do each one manually. It requires that the auto-assign text is entered, but then it can go through an entire page of buttons & automatically assign commands, so it is easy to remove all device commands, and then add again from a different device.
I assume "auto-assign text" is "Command name must contain". Can you provide a bit more guidance in completing this? What should I enter if I want to replace the device name on every button of a page that has actions against 'device-A' with 'device-B', while the delay, command name and dependent flag remain the same?
Auto-Assign works on objects which have auto-assign text entered. If the command name in the selected folder contains the text entered against the button, (and no other commands contain the text in the same folder), then the command will be assigned - with the selected delay/dependent flag. You can further specify that a command must contain some text, eg TVA_ for situations where you have multiple command sets in a single folder. See below:
Screen Shot 2016-11-03 at 10.55.10.png
To replace an entire set of commands, you remove them all first with the 'remove all device commands' option for the page, then re-assign.
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