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Thread: How I recovered my Luton Homeworks 4 Series system from the dead

  1. #11
    Junior Member
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    Mar 2022
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    Quote Originally Posted by randyc View Post
    Glad to hear you got it working!
    The system worked flawlessly until we had a big storm and some power outages last week. I had scrolling keypads so tried resetting the processor in various ways without forcing boot mode like I always did before. Nothing would bring it back online. I was able to connect with HWI and tried to reboot via Terminal... no change. The OS was still there but I had to reload the Project to bring the system back. My onboard battery is new so I am curious if I may have a power supply issue or perhaps another problem with the board.

    A UPS is logical to add but seems difficult with the hardwired DC power supply. Worst case I have to reload the project a couple times a year - really not that bid since I have HWI now and the processor is on my network. Any other thoughts?

  2. #12
    Junior Member
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    Aug 2022
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    I need help, I have the same problem

    Quote Originally Posted by WaarrEagle View Post
    This was such a saga and I want to share for the benefit of others.

    I have a Lutron Homeworks 4 Series H4P5-H48-120 system running only lights. Over time the system became unstable, i believe due to power outages/flickers. It would "crash" and the keypads would scroll / waterfall. Years ago I figured out that you could unplug the power, flip dip switch 1, power cycle, flip dip switch 1 back, and it would come back online. This happened so many times that eventually the 12v prong broke off where I was constantly yanking power.

    It sat for several months before I got around to working on it. After much research, I uncovered the Homeworks Illumination (HWI) software and downloaded 1.65 (the latest). I soldered the 12v power prong back onto the board and got it powered up, but only to boot mode. I bought a serial -> USB cable to connect to my laptop. User randyc was super helpful in walking me through how to get a processor added to a project so I could attempt to connect. Unfortunately my primary laptop is Win 11 and the serial cable would not work. Found a laptop still running Win 10 and was able to connect to the processor in boot mode. I checked and no OS was loaded, likely from the long period of being unplugged and a bad onboard battery.

    I then used HWI 1.65 to load the OS but it still would not boot. Tried several times, hit the internet and found a couple posts on here and elsewhere about low batteries, etc. I bought a replacement battery from Digikey.com - this one, with leads, that exactly matches the original, and had it installed by a local shop for $50. I had to upload the OS again, but still no boot.

    Frustrated, I hit the internet again. I found a post on here saying 1.65 would not restore the OS on certain older processors. So I found a link to 1.64 and paid $10 to access a forum to download it. No change at all. Then I messaged some folks and a different guy told me I would have to use a HWI version above 1.18 and below 1.50. So I went on the hunt for 1.49. Lutron tech support was useless and would not give it to me. Found a guy with access and he shared the software. Uploaded the OS with HWI 1.49 and bam it booted right up. I then moved to 1.65 and uploaded the latest software from it, which worked great.

    So now I had it booted but I did not have a backup of the project file. My original installer was happy to talk system upgrades but went silent when I asked for the project file. Perhaps he lost it, whatever... After much trial and error, and reading the excellent HWI help files, I restored the majority of my project. Everything important works now, and I actually have control over it for the first time which is super nice.

    My only remaining issue is that certain lights do not appear to be connecting to the processor. Oddly, the LED’s on Bus 4 look different from all the others – the RX light is solid bright vs flashing. I suspect an issue with the 12v daisy chain on that bus but have not had time to investigate further.
    I now have copies of HWI 1.16, 1.49, 1.64, and 1.65. I know PM’s are disabled here but find me on Reddit and I am happy to share. There are a handful of knowledgeable folks out there willing to help but they are few.

    Major thanks to:

    User randyc on this forum for his tremendous help. His advice in the beginning enabled the whole thing to play out.

    User floridacommand on this forum for posing about the version issue, tho he totally ghosted me shortly after I made contact via another online communication channel.

    An unnamed Reddit user for providing me the 1.49 software.

    E-Bay user automatedcontrols knows his stuff. I can’t speak for his service, but I would send my processor to him in a heartbeat if I could not DIY the above. Prices sound very reasonable too.

    Hello, I have the same problem and I already checked the battery and it's good, I would like to contact you to see if you can help me solve it, on reddit my name is mascell04, if you could contact me let me know. Greetings.

  3. #13
    Junior Member
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    Sep 2022
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    Help me

    I'm in opelika.
    I can't get anyone to help with my homework's 4
    Had waterfall panels for 2 months. No lights in 4 rooms.
    I'm not savvy enough to do anything other than plug in new transformers. That used to work before.
    The last time the cable co cut the power cable thre or four times it blew my system.

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    2,587
    Quote Originally Posted by Waterfall13 View Post
    I'm in opelika.
    I can't get anyone to help with my homework's 4
    Had waterfall panels for 2 months. No lights in 4 rooms.
    I'm not savvy enough to do anything other than plug in new transformers. That used to work before.
    The last time the cable co cut the power cable thre or four times it blew my system.
    The waterfall leds on the keypad are indicating that they can't communicate with the processor. There are 2 potential issues with that processor.

    It has a separate, plug-in power supply for the keypads. They may register the proper voltage but under load they can not power the keypads. You can try replacing the power supply. It is 15vdc, 900ma. Unless you have a lot of keypads you may not need the full 900ma.

    The processor has an on-board, rechargeable battery that maintains the program if power goes out. Those batteries are well past their end of life. They can be replaced but it is a lithium-ion battery that requires special soldering technique (they don't like heat). You will also need to reload the operating system and program.

    This is a long shot but... You can try sending the command "osstart" to the processor using the Lutron software. At one time Lutron was giving it away. Not sure if they still do. You can also send the command via telnet.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  5. #15
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2022
    Posts
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by randyc View Post
    The waterfall leds on the keypad are indicating that they can't communicate with the processor. There are 2 potential issues with that processor.

    It has a separate, plug-in power supply for the keypads. They may register the proper voltage but under load they can not power the keypads. You can try replacing the power supply. It is 15vdc, 900ma. Unless you have a lot of keypads you may not need the full 900ma.

    The processor has an on-board, rechargeable battery that maintains the program if power goes out. Those batteries are well past their end of life. They can be replaced but it is a lithium-ion battery that requires special soldering technique (they don't like heat). You will also need to reload the operating system and program.


    This is a long shot but... You can try sending the command "osstart" to the processor using the Lutron software. At one time Lutron was giving it away. Not sure if they still do. You can also send the command via telnet.
    I do not have the programming to this unit. Was preexisting. Not provided.

  6. #16
    Lutron Technical Support
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Posts
    25
    Hi Waterfall13, we are sorry to hear about the issues occurring with the HomeWorks system. Waterfalling keypads are indicative of a communication problem back to the processor. If all of the keypads are scrolling, there may be an issue with the link on the processor. Depending on the model number of the processor, links 4/5/6 may be used. If you are unsure of which links the keypads are on, start by unplugging the wires on one of those links to see if they power down (assuming there is no external power supply). For the respective link, check the TX/RX lights. If RX is on solid with the wires disconnected from the link, this would indicate a shorted link on the processor.

    If only some of the keypads are behaving like this, while others are fine, try swapping the keypad with a known working one. If the problem follows the keypad, then there is an issue with that piece of hardware. If the issue remains at the location, however, there may be a wiring issue to sort out.

  7. #17
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2023
    Posts
    6
    Have the same waterfall issue on all keypads (H4P5-H48-HLR-120 with multiple STWD-6BRL). No LED activity on the Series 4 Processor and link ports. To orphan a good working product with a boot kill switch that does not allow the system to boot after battery replacement without requiring systems owners to go searching for legacy version 1.49 of your software to reset the battery seal is bad faith and good reason not to use Lutron in he future.

  8. #18
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2023
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    Please let me know the best way to contact you directly.

  9. #19
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2023
    Posts
    6
    Quote Originally Posted by WaarrEagle View Post
    This was such a saga and I want to share for the benefit of others.

    I have a Lutron Homeworks 4 Series H4P5-H48-120 system running only lights. Over time the system became unstable, i believe due to power outages/flickers. It would "crash" and the keypads would scroll / waterfall. Years ago I figured out that you could unplug the power, flip dip switch 1, power cycle, flip dip switch 1 back, and it would come back online. This happened so many times that eventually the 12v prong broke off where I was constantly yanking power.

    It sat for several months before I got around to working on it. After much research, I uncovered the Homeworks Illumination (HWI) software and downloaded 1.65 (the latest). I soldered the 12v power prong back onto the board and got it powered up, but only to boot mode. I bought a serial -> USB cable to connect to my laptop. User randyc was super helpful in walking me through how to get a processor added to a project so I could attempt to connect. Unfortunately my primary laptop is Win 11 and the serial cable would not work. Found a laptop still running Win 10 and was able to connect to the processor in boot mode. I checked and no OS was loaded, likely from the long period of being unplugged and a bad onboard battery.

    I then used HWI 1.65 to load the OS but it still would not boot. Tried several times, hit the internet and found a couple posts on here and elsewhere about low batteries, etc. I bought a replacement battery from Digikey.com - this one, with leads, that exactly matches the original, and had it installed by a local shop for $50. I had to upload the OS again, but still no boot.

    Frustrated, I hit the internet again. I found a post on here saying 1.65 would not restore the OS on certain older processors. So I found a link to 1.64 and paid $10 to access a forum to download it. No change at all. Then I messaged some folks and a different guy told me I would have to use a HWI version above 1.18 and below 1.50. So I went on the hunt for 1.49. Lutron tech support was useless and would not give it to me. Found a guy with access and he shared the software. Uploaded the OS with HWI 1.49 and bam it booted right up. I then moved to 1.65 and uploaded the latest software from it, which worked great.

    So now I had it booted but I did not have a backup of the project file. My original installer was happy to talk system upgrades but went silent when I asked for the project file. Perhaps he lost it, whatever... After much trial and error, and reading the excellent HWI help files, I restored the majority of my project. Everything important works now, and I actually have control over it for the first time which is super nice.

    My only remaining issue is that certain lights do not appear to be connecting to the processor. Oddly, the LED’s on Bus 4 look different from all the others – the RX light is solid bright vs flashing. I suspect an issue with the 12v daisy chain on that bus but have not had time to investigate further.
    I now have copies of HWI 1.16, 1.49, 1.64, and 1.65. I know PM’s are disabled here but find me on Reddit and I am happy to share. There are a handful of knowledgeable folks out there willing to help but they are few.

    Major thanks to:

    User randyc on this forum for his tremendous help. His advice in the beginning enabled the whole thing to play out.

    User floridacommand on this forum for posing about the version issue, tho he totally ghosted me shortly after I made contact via another online communication channel.

    An unnamed Reddit user for providing me the 1.49 software.

    E-Bay user automatedcontrols knows his stuff. I can’t speak for his service, but I would send my processor to him in a heartbeat if I could not DIY the above. Prices sound very reasonable too.
    Sorry, forgot to grab the quote. Please let me know the best way to contact you. Thanks

  10. #20

    Same Issue

    I have the same issue and I’m hoping you could share the softwares you used!

    My Reddit account is Brian-Maranville. This would help me tremendously. Thank you!

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