Velux Integra Roof Windows

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  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    #16
    a relative of ours lived in a top floor apartment of a converted mill, had Velux windows, and a problem with flies, which seemed to be attracted to them in worrying numbers ...

    not sure where they all came from, but opening the windows certainly brought more into the room, and they seemed unable to find the way out - meaning lots on the glass, not many finding the way out via the gap of the open window, at least when normally open ...

    no idea if this is a common problem ...

    with Cortex, of course, it would be easy to implement an automated flies-release sequence (open wide briefly, in response to some suitable trigger) ...
    Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 15 June 2015, 12:51 PM.
    Our self-build - going further with HA...

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    • Karam
      Automated Home Legend
      • Mar 2005
      • 863

      #17
      A rain sensor would also be a good idea unless somehow integral (but how would you then know state of window?) ...

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      • chris_j_hunter
        Automated Home Legend
        • Dec 2007
        • 1713

        #18
        with our garage doors (sectional, motorised), we put reed switches at each end of travel - Cortex can then work-out if they are closed, opening, open, or closing, even deduce if they're stuck somewhere between ... maybe a similar approach with the Velux windows would work, too, perhaps with the addition of extra reed switches, one for each intermediate position ...

        did look, long ago, for rain sensors - ISTR some were available that could be interfaced to Cortex, but can't recall details (eg: analogue or digital interface) ...

        having reed-switches would also allow Cortex to give warnings - eg: if windows left open or open too-much when going out ...
        Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 16 June 2015, 11:01 PM.
        Our self-build - going further with HA...

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        • Nad
          Automated Home Guru
          • Jul 2008
          • 145

          #19
          I was either going to go down the reed switch route or alternatively see if i can do anything with the motor module and an analogue input so I can have the exact position of each window. As for the rain sensor, I'm going to look into weather stations but thought I may be able to use/ hack one of these ... http://www.loftsolutions.co.uk/shop/...ux-rain-sensor

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          • chris_j_hunter
            Automated Home Legend
            • Dec 2007
            • 1713

            #20
            looks good value, and neat ...

            had a look just now for others - found this, which has a 12V option that might work (might need some care with current consumption) :

            B+B Sensors - CON-REGME 24 V - B+B Sensors CON-REGME 24V Rain Detector - The sensor surface responds to rain or snow. Adjustable switching polarity and




            we went with a MiniClikII, wired to a nearby digital input - seemed simpler, perhaps more reliable, but not quite so responsive ...

            this does freezing, too, if that's useful (!) :

            Most rain-sensing devices work by accumulating a set amount of rainfall before a switch is activated that interrupts the circuit from the controller and shuts off the system. In that “accumulation time”, the system will unnecessarily continue to water. This can look especially bad for conservation-conscious municipalities, businesses, and residences. With built-in Quick Response technology, the Hunter Rain-Clik and Wireless Rain-Clik can command a controller to shut off right when it starts to rain. The Rain-Clik can be mounted on an eave or any flat vertical surface like a wall or fence.



            PS: same company now offers flow sensors, too :

            Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 18 June 2015, 11:36 AM.
            Our self-build - going further with HA...

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            • Karam
              Automated Home Legend
              • Mar 2005
              • 863

              #21
              Interesting to note that the Rain-Clik from Hunter industries quotes a range of up to 244m. Seems pretty precise for a wireless technology :-). Just amused me, that's all. Probably a result of the more rounded 800ft I suppose.

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              • Nad
                Automated Home Guru
                • Jul 2008
                • 145

                #22
                I quite like the unit from Rapid with the built in heater. Not keen on the idea that the system will think it's raining for 3 days if it's not sunny and warm enough out side to dry it out/ reset it ... lol

                Any thoughts on the optical sensors found on car windscreens?
                Not sure how it would work with no wiper clearing the area and residue left from evaporated rain water. May be able to use some sort of glass treatment to stop the water from settling there but that's additional maintenance that I could do without
                Last edited by Nad; 18 June 2015, 04:23 PM.

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                • chris_j_hunter
                  Automated Home Legend
                  • Dec 2007
                  • 1713

                  #23
                  yep, couldn’t work-out how sophisticated the Velux sensor was - could find no details, but the price seemed to suggest it would be fairly basic …

                  before we did our build & install, we knew having lots of sensors would be helpful, indeed the more the better - ie: better accuracy, fewer blind-spots, better context-sensitivity, more development potential ...

                  getting the cost-benefit balance right was bound to be tricky, and we soon found we’d economised too much - we had to add sensors even before we’d finished & we still have blind spots, so we’ve more to add ...

                  adding them afterwards is messy & expensive, in time & money, so ...
                  Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 25 June 2015, 10:35 PM.
                  Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                  • Nad
                    Automated Home Guru
                    • Jul 2008
                    • 145

                    #24
                    It looks like the motor is not designed to handle the weight of the windows that I am planning to install (PK10 940x1600). So much for that idea!
                    Probably go back to hacking a basic wireless controller

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                    • Karam
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Mar 2005
                      • 863

                      #25
                      Hacking a wireless handset is not out of the question - I had to do this myself for one application of large blinds, where I used a bunch of optoisolators between an ODO and the button pads on the pcb of the spare handset. The downside is no easy feedback unless you can fit some kind of sensor as suggested eariler in this thread. In this case I didn't have the option, so just used macros to send the signal out several times since none were toggles. There was a possibility of proxy feedback in the form of light level change and Cortex verifier object but I never got around to trying that out to see how reliable it might be.

                      That just reminded me of an anecdotal tip .. though really just for the case of blinds .. and that is to watch out for triggering of PIRs when operating something that effectively looks like a moving heat signal (e.g occluding or letting in bright sunlight as blinds move - glass is not quite so opaque to this as I found out ..). So in this case the tip is to temporarily inhibit (in Cortex) any potentially affected PIRs during blind operation.
                      Last edited by Karam; 26 June 2015, 10:10 AM.

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                      • marcuslee
                        Automated Home Ninja
                        • Dec 2009
                        • 279

                        #26
                        Old thread now, but FYI I've got a KLF100 in use for Velux roof windows, and prior to this I'd hacked the Velux LCD remote KLR 100. All linked to QRH relay for simple switching.

                        FYI the KLR worked fine, except for one scenario, and that is, because io-Homecontrol is a 2 way protocol, if any of the windows (or in this case blinds) failed to close or open (in this case because of fault battery), then the LCD remote finishes operation with an error message to let you know 'so and so blind' had an error. And it then needed a soft button press to exit.

                        Therefore the simple dumb wire up to the QRH + cortex macro would then fail next time it ran.

                        The KLR 100 thankfully was built to overcome this and doesn't just dump out to an error message.

                        Not terribly sophisticated use, but I have added magnetic reed sensors to know when the veluxes are open or part open.


                        Also they're solar powered Veluxes, so have built in rain sensors which is quite neat.

                        (I've also hacked Somfy blind remotes also for integration with Idratek)

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