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Thread: Idratek and warmup 3ie (or similar)

  1. #1
    Automated Home Sr Member
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    Default Idratek and warmup 3ie (or similar)

    Hi guys,

    Newbie warning! We're trundling through a house renovation (the house was stripped back to four walls and a roof, so not sure renovatiion is really the right word). First fix is due to start in late January. Our requirements are pretty simple and we had intended to fit a Niko homecontrol lighting system and a heatwiser network thermostat in each room.

    Niko (a Belgian company) have pulled out of the UK which has prompted a last minute rethink.

    I'm thinking about Idratek (although it does loads more than we need), but want to have room controllers which match the rest of the house. I'm sure that Jung push switches can be interfaced using digital inputs and have the look we're after.

    A long intro. Reading around has got me to thinking about integrating the thermostats into the system. I'd guess that heatmiser can be integrated using RS485, but ideally I'd like one box on the wall to do everyting (I love the look of the Basalte Deseo, but not at £750 per unit). The warmup 3ie looks like just the job with buttons, screen and thermostat. Is there any chance of integrating this into Idratek or is there a similar device? Could the DFP be repackaged?

    Thanks,

    Peter.

  2. #2
    Automated Home Legend chris_j_hunter's Avatar
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    we looked at this (having bought some Warmup cable etc), but decided to do without the 3ei, as essentially superfluous - ie: Idratek Cortex and one each of their QAO & DRB modules, plus a temperature sensor from Rapid or RS, could do the control very well on its own ...

    we've just laid the cable & sensor, tested it, and are on with the tiling ...

  3. #3
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    Thanks Chris,

    I was less after the control aspects of the 3ie more the aesthetics. I was hoping to take the innards out of a QBI and use the 3ie as the pretty bit! I imagine that somewhere under the hood the 3ie must run something standard-ish, but it's almost certainly beyond me to find out.

    Peter

  4. #4
    Automated Home Legend chris_j_hunter's Avatar
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    must say we find the Idratek modules look good (*) but the QAI could be put out of sight if preferred ...

    another option might be the Aubetech units toscal enthused about a while back, that we also looked-into using the way you have in-mind :

    http://www.aubetech.com/products/pro...=37&noLangue=2

    http://www.aubetech.com/manuel/2/TH132-A-F-AF-230.pdf

    http://www.aubetech.com/manuel/2/TH134.pdf


    (*) we're more than happy to have them visible ... it's all the other stuff we have problems with - power & data & aerial sockets etc !
    Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 12th June 2012 at 11:52 PM.

  5. #5
    Automated Home Guru neilhooper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chris_j_hunter View Post
    ie: Idratek Cortex and one each of their QAO & DRB modules, plus a temperature sensor from Rapid or RS, could do the control very well on its own ...

    we've just laid the cable & sensor, tested it, and are on with the tiling ...
    Hi Chris,

    Have you bought a suitable temperature sensor from either Rapid or RS, if so which one did you go for ?

    Neil

  6. #6
    Automated Home Legend chris_j_hunter's Avatar
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    we've just written ours off (*) but we fitted this one :

    http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...th-lead-122892

    there's a longer cable version here :

    http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/pro...003&sku=645424

    and for pipes, we've used these :

    http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...-sensors-76422

    (*) it all tested OK before we started tiling but now, half-way through the tiling, the heating element is dead - no-one was careful enough (our place is still a building site), and we can't afford to lift the tiles & re-do ... so kit, sensor, controller, labour, all wasted ! We've tried using a stud-finder sensor to find the break, with the power on, but the tiles are too dense ...

  7. #7
    Automated Home Guru neilhooper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chris_j_hunter View Post
    we've just written ours off (*) but we fitted this one :

    http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...th-lead-122892

    there's a longer cable version here :

    http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/pro...003&sku=645424

    and for pipes, we've used these :

    http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...-sensors-76422

    (*) it all tested OK before we started tiling but now, half-way through the tiling, the heating element is dead - no-one was careful enough (our place is still a building site), and we can't afford to lift the tiles & re-do ... so kit, sensor, controller, labour, all wasted ! We've tried using a stud-finder sensor to find the break, with the power on, but the tiles are too dense ...
    Chris,

    Thanks for that. One question, the sensors are two wire. I'm assuming they would be connected to a QAI, if so the data sheet shows a three wire connection. How would they be connected?

    Just a note about your now 'dead' underfloor heating. We had a similar problem with some that we installed for a customer. I'm assuming that you now have no resistance through the cable when you check it with multimeter. If this is the case then you have no current flowing hence you won't find it with stud-finder device.

    Have you considered contacting the manufacturer of the kit? They are experienced in sorting out this sort of thing and can usually fix it a lot cheaper than you think and will also guarantee the repair. It might save you from being left with nothing at the end.

    Neil

  8. #8
    Automated Home Legend chris_j_hunter's Avatar
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    Neil -

    yep, QAI - two wire sensor connected to 3.3V & return, and a good 10kohm resistor connected between 0V & return ... unused returns shorted to 0V ...

    thanks for thoughts on dead element - we'll not give-up just yet !

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