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Flow help

Tim_BrassTim_Brass Member
in Questions & Help

Flow Question:

 

I have a wall switch with a CoCo dimmer behind it.

 

Now I want the lights to go off after 5 min when switched on (no matter if I use the switch or the CoCo).

 

Problem is that the CoCo doesn’t inform Homey when the switch is flipped manually. So Homey doesn’t know if the light is on or off.

 

Anyone with a brilliant idea to fix this? Is this even possible?

 

I’m not so good with the Variable tools, don’t know if that would fix it……

Comments

  • PandaPanda Member
    Use zwave products, kaku/coco is one way traffic, and will not send a response back with its current status

    But if you want to stick with coco then indeed use the better logic app and create a variable current-status and a flow for each wallswitch that it should change the variable.
  • Tim_BrassTim_Brass Member
    Hi Panda, 

    Thanks for your awnser.
    Could someone help me out with this? because I'm fairly new at the better logic app.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated......
  • casedacaseda Member
    Because Kaku has no feedback whatsoever, and is not possible to add easy in software even with Logic app if you are using the receiver Kaku.

    I guess you have 4 options:
    1. Change the Kaku for a Z-wave variant.
    2. Change the Kaku receiver to a sender so you got the sender to send to homey as well, and add a receiver at the lamp
    3. Change the lamp out for a smart bulb which you can be read out for feedback
    4. Add another module behind the switch just for sending feedback to homey, or hack one in at the lamp side

    4th option is a little bit silly but still an option :smile: 
  • JanHJanH Member
    @Tim_Brass Thinking about your question maybe use of the CoCo wallswitch AWST 8800 in combination with your CoCo dimmer could be a solution. The 8800 is a sender so Homey knows when it's on/off. It's an option something like @caseda mentioned at his nr. 2, I presume.
  • ZiglarZiglar Member
    well i kind of disagree.

    i have a wall swith by kaku, and i have a dimmer in my light socket by kaku.
    i registered the lightsocket by clicking a the switch, and let homey use that signal.
    i registered the wall switch to the same toom as the light switch.

    when click the wall switch, i can actually see that homey sees that the light is off.

  • casedacaseda Member
    @Ziglar ;;;
    The OP is using a totally different situation then you: 

    OP is using a normal (non-KaKu) wall switch with a (probably) receiving Kaku module behind it (because OP doesn't state using a receiver at his lamp)
    So he can switch his lamp also from another place (which would be a transmitter)

    But Kaku only uses one way traffic (just receive or just transmit)
    So his normal wall switch does not send any signal, it just receives it from other transmitters

    So if you switch the normal wall switch (which triggers just the internal relay), homey cannot know the relay/lamp was turned on. 
  • PieterpostPieterpost Member

    I follow the forum for a few months but now I finally have my own Homey I want to configure it but I can`t find answers to my questions.
    Maybe because I have no experience and it's child's play and that`s why it`s not mentioned.

    Devices up till now:
    - 6 window / door contacts (COCO)
    - 2 Dimmers (COCO)
    - 6 Switches (COCO)
    - COCO remote

    When creating flows I get stuck on a few points.
    When one of the window / door contacts are triggered, I want all the lights to go on.
    However, there is only one trigger allowed in a flow. Does this mean I have to make 6 different flows for every trigger (window/door contact)?
    I also do not want these flows are always on. I tried to switch off the flow whit a button off the COCO remote but it does not work.
    The flow remains active so all lights continue to go on when you open a door or window.
    The only way to turn off the flow is by editing on pc and unbox the flow.


    I also tried to create a flow that another flow (alarm) should trigger and a flow to deactivate the flow "alarm" again.
    Unfortunately, I have not either been working.

    (and does anyone have a KPN TV remote working ?)

    Sorry voor de spelfoutenJ

  • casedacaseda Member
    Try to use variables (with the better logic app) 

    You will still need 6 flows to trigger the lights though. 

    Make a variable (Boolean, only on or off) with the name "door sensors off" or something similar.

    Then you can stop triggering with the remote like this
    [IF] pushed button on remote
    [THEN]  toggle Boolean value of the variable "door sensors off"
    (switches from "True" to "False" and other way around)
    Or any other method you'ed like, example: speech.

    Then with all 6 the sensors in different flows
    [IF] alarm triggered
    [AND] variable "door sensors off" = false
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    Optional, easier if you have lots of lights turning on:

    You could create another variable (Boolean) with "lights on" or something similar.
    And let the sensor change this Boolean to "True" when alarm is triggerd.
    And then create Another flow:
    [IF] Variable "lights on" is changed
    [AND] Variable "lights on" = true (otherwise it will also trigger when going to "False")
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    You can use the variables like this for your alarm "problem" as well.
  • PieterpostPieterpost Member
    caseda said:
    Try to use variables (with the better logic app) 

    You will still need 6 flows to trigger the lights though. 

    Make a variable (Boolean, only on or off) with the name "door sensors off" or something similar.

    Then you can stop triggering with the remote like this
    [IF] pushed button on remote
    [THEN]  toggle Boolean value of the variable "door sensors off"
    (switches from "True" to "False" and other way around)
    Or any other method you'ed like, example: speech.

    Then with all 6 the sensors in different flows
    [IF] alarm triggered
    [AND] variable "door sensors off" = false
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    Optional, easier if you have lots of lights turning on:

    You could create another variable (Boolean) with "lights on" or something similar.
    And let the sensor change this Boolean to "True" when alarm is triggerd.
    And then create Another flow:
    [IF] Variable "lights on" is changed
    [AND] Variable "lights on" = true (otherwise it will also trigger when going to "False")
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    You can use the variables like this for your alarm "problem" as well.
    Wow fast and great reaction! Thanks for helping this noob here.. I defenitly try your way of switching on and off with the better logic app. I knew about the better logic app but don`t know how it works so never looked into it but i will now. Thanks for the different ways, i will try them all! :smile: 
  • PieterpostPieterpost Member
    Pieterpost said:
    caseda said:
    Try to use variables (with the better logic app) 

    You will still need 6 flows to trigger the lights though. 

    Make a variable (Boolean, only on or off) with the name "door sensors off" or something similar.

    Then you can stop triggering with the remote like this
    [IF] pushed button on remote
    [THEN]  toggle Boolean value of the variable "door sensors off"
    (switches from "True" to "False" and other way around)
    Or any other method you'ed like, example: speech.

    Then with all 6 the sensors in different flows
    [IF] alarm triggered
    [AND] variable "door sensors off" = false
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    Optional, easier if you have lots of lights turning on:

    You could create another variable (Boolean) with "lights on" or something similar.
    And let the sensor change this Boolean to "True" when alarm is triggerd.
    And then create Another flow:
    [IF] Variable "lights on" is changed
    [AND] Variable "lights on" = true (otherwise it will also trigger when going to "False")
    [THEN] turn all lights on

    You can use the variables like this for your alarm "problem" as well.
    Wow fast and great reaction! Thanks for helping this noob here.. I defenitly try your way of switching on and off with the better logic app. I knew about the better logic app but don`t know how it works so never looked into it but i will now. Thanks for the different ways, i will try them all! :smile: 
    Works perfect!! Now i will connect my receiver so it can play the sound "intruder alert"  and connect my camera so it will record when the door go`s open. :smiley:  Thanks again for helping
  • casedacaseda Member
    You're welcome, its why we have a forum, to help each other out, good luck with all the flow creating :smiley: 
  • VagabondVagabond Member
    edited April 2016
    I would like to use a Fibaro Sensor to controll my Danfoss thermostats. I just tried to set up a flow but just could find for the Sensor "When the temperatur is changed" to trigger an action. What I want to do is that my Danfoss heating till the Fibaro Sensor is measuring 22°. Is there any possibility to set up a flow accordingly?
  • bvdbosbvdbos Member
    if "time = 22.00" set temperature to 18 and set variable to night
    if "time = 7.00" set temperature to 22 and set variable to day
    if "reset-button" pushed and variable = day then set to 22
    if "reset-button" pushed and variable = night then set to 18

    This way you can adjust your temperature setting by hand but it will always be re-set at 22.00 and 7.00...
  • VagabondVagabond Member
    Thanks. What would be the advise to use the Temperatur measurment of the Fibaro Motion Sensor to controll the Temperatur target?
  • YannickYannick Member
    caseda said:

    [THEN] turn all lights on
    how do you do that without having to add all lights individually?
  • JerryvdvJerryvdv Member
    Yannick said:
    caseda said:

    [THEN] turn all lights on
    how do you do that without having to add all lights individually?
     By creating 2 variables (in better logic) in which you define all the lights to either turn on or off.
  • YannickYannick Member
    yes but how do you define "all the lights"?
  • Fire69Fire69 Member
    Yannick said:
    yes but how do you define "all the lights"?
    You either add all your lights one by one.
    Or you can use the 'Emulate speech' card to use 'Turn on the lights', but Homey will confirm this by speech, so I don't know if you want that.
  • JerryvdvJerryvdv Member
    Example will probably help..

    Allright, so in the following i have created a "scene".
    -  I have done this by creating a variable "Light_Livingroom_Strength" in Betterlogic.
    - After creating the variable I have defined all the lights that should go when the flow is triggered (in this case it is triggered by the number 3 - as I have multiple scenes that I use in the living room). 
    - After I added the trigger, i defined all the light that should go on (right side), in my case slightly dimmed.

    Does that help @Yannick  ?


  • YannickYannick Member
    ok clear. I think @Fire69's suggestion would be easiest. Problem with homey repeating the command could be circumvented by using the Speaker card and set volume to 0 before running the command. Will test that and report back.

  • YannickYannick Member
    Tested it but doesn't work as I want. Light succesfully dim to 20% but also turn on if they are off. I just want to set dimming level based on what time it is but don't want lights that are off to turn on.
  • Fire69Fire69 Member
    Can you show what you did?
  • YannickYannick Member
    I had a simple "emulate speech" card in the 3rd column with this text: "Dim the lights to 50 percent".
  • JerryvdvJerryvdv Member
    Lights will always turn on when you are using the 'dim card' for a lamp in the 3rd column (i.e. the ones I have used in the example above).
    That's one of the reasons why using 'scenes' would be better; you can define the behaviour for selected lamps.

    However, as we don't see what kind of flows you're building it is hard to assess what you are trying to do. Perhaps edit the post and add a screenshot? And/or try to describe what it is you are trying to do (i.e. in the style of Bas above).
  • YannickYannick Member
    @Jerryvdv. What dimmers do you use? I think it is wrong behavior and dimming should be separated from turning a device on. I know for instance that the Qubino dimmers don't turn on when you set dimming level.

    What I'm trying to achieve is the following:
    I want my lights in the whole house to be set to 100% brightness by default (only the ones that I manually turn on). Then starting from 9pm I want them to gradually dim till around 11pm where they would be at their lowest (around 20%). 

    Reason is for melatonin production and better sleep (see lifx blog for more details, they even have an implementation for that alread (lifx schedules)).


  • JerryvdvJerryvdv Member
    @Yannick I use the AWMD250 from KAKU (waiting on the announced Aeotec Nano dimmers). Good to know that other dimmers such as the Qubino act differently, probably due to the 2 way communication.

    In case your lights do not go on with the 'set dim %' it should be quite ease to achieve, mind you could still be a lot of work with the current implementation of the dimmer sliders (in Ideas I posted a suggestion to dim the units using integers, so that an idea/scene like this would be easier).

    So for you case, if your dimmer reacts in a similar way to the Qubino you mentioned, I would suggest to create a couple of scenes, that are triggered with integers (see my example above).
    - Create flow for each scene in which you dim all the lights (as only the lights that are on will actually be dimmed) with an X% - For example 20%  -  This results in 6 scenes (5 is the maximum strength, 1 = minimum, 0 = off). So this leads to 6 flows which are defined as follows:
       * As 'IF' condition you define 'If a variable is set' for the 'Light_Strength' variable.
       * As 'AND' Condition you define if the value = 1 (of any other step)
       * As 'THEN' condition you define the dimmer card for all lights on x%.
    - Create a flow which triggers a timer (using the CountDown app), for example called 'Light_Strength_Timer' .
       * IF Timer empty 'Light_Strength_Timer',
       * AND Light_Strenght is greater than 0.
       * THEN Decrement number variable  'Light_Strength' with 1. AND Start timer 'Light_Strength_Timer' for 24 minutes again.
    (In this example you will let the timer run for 120 mins / 5 scenes = 24 mins (did not count the off scene).
    - Create a flow which initially starts the timer (i.e. by time 9pm or by command) for 24 minutes.
    - Create a flow that resets the strength to scene 5 each day (i.e. around 4 am) or use another flow that turns on the light and sets the dimmer strength to scene 5.

    Some work, but you need to do this just once AND you can always reuse the scenes in other flows as well.

    Hope that helps!
  • YannickYannick Member
    thanks for your suggestions, but the logic is not my challenge at the moment. Challenge is to set dimming level WITHOUT turning lights on (everspring sockets). I reported this as a bug in the Everspring thread already, that might fix my problem.
  • bvdbosbvdbos Member
    This is intended but unwanted behaviour:
    https://github.com/athombv/homey/issues/934
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