Hi All,
Radio RA2 version 9.1. How do I create a timed event? for example, turning on exterior lights at dusk. I don't remember and it's not jumping out at me.
Thanks!
Ed
Hi All,
Radio RA2 version 9.1. How do I create a timed event? for example, turning on exterior lights at dusk. I don't remember and it's not jumping out at me.
Thanks!
Ed
The UI hasn't changed much between 9.1 and 10 and the underlying methodology is unchanged. You go into the Program tab and then the Timeclock tab (in 9.x) or pull down the menu next to the Program header on the left (in 10.x). That'll allow selecting keypad, timeclock, thermostat and occupancy. The firmware on a repeater has to be updated to use the latest software.
For lights on/off around dusk you'd set up a timeclock event at a fixed time or before or after sunset with an offset. I find it's appealing to use more than one timeclock event with certain outside lighting. I bring up house accent lights at a reduced dimming level about 45 minutes before sunset, the ramp them up to a higher level at sunset. Then slow fade to off at a later time.
Bear in mind, depending on your latitude, the offset after sunset may end up being much later than you might want. As in, we had a situation with some house down-lighting being left on near enough to a child's room to be distracting for bedtime. During the winter, when sunset was well before bedtime it wasn't an issue. But come Summertime and the lights weren't going off until after bedtime. The fix, to avoid having to change the programming seasonally, was to put in THREE events. One off, set to 2 hours after sunset (for winter) and then a 40% at 8pm and off at 9pm (for summer). This allowed lowering them to a point where they weren't a distraction for bedtime, but still had some outside accent.
As a side note, it's been popular to set up a 3am 'all off' feature that kills everything, in the event 'something' was left lit before bedtime. Just set a few key lights to use a slow fade time, just in case anyone's still up. Same thing with TV's that have a settable off time. Not everything in a scene has to use the same delay or fade time, which is handy to avoid being left in the dark.