Re: [DIY-Zoning-general] Sensors: What and where to buy?

[Vadim T. <vt...@fr...>]

Hello Tim,

>Once the wiring is worked out, the next issue will be purchasing a series 
>of sensors and an adapter.
>
I'd suggest the other way around :) Unless you model the network and see 
if it's good or not, you may spend unnecessary money and efforts on 
something that is not required.

>The information on the website does not seem to have been modified in quite some time.
>
That's because the status quo didn't change. Except for USB 1-Wire 
adapter (which I'm not supporting directly yet), Dallas and LINK 
adapters are the only available - to the best of my knowledge.

>Is the iButton LINK still the best adapter?
>
It works better in my conditions, but Dallas adapter was never that bad 
either.

>I'm planning on using a VIA EPIA-based system for data acquisition (and hopefully, zone control) and I 
>have no problem with the system running either Linux or Windows.
>
CS: Hello, this is customer service
U: Hi, I have Windows
CS: OK
U: I have a problem
CS: You've already told me that

One more,

http://diy-zoning.sourceforge.net/Advanced/faq.html#windows

>Also, which sensors will I need?  The parts list is kind of vague on which 
>ones do what.  For example, it lists both the DS18B20 and the DS18S20. Not 
>being a temperature sensor expert, I can't really see the difference 
>between them.  Why would I want one over the other?
>
Doesn't really matter. Availabilty matters more than individual 
differences between the sensors. Take a look at data sheets and see the 
difference for yourself. I have both running on the same network with no 
problems.

>Quantity I think I can figure out:  1 per zone, plus 2 for the coil.  For 
>me, that's 7:  3 bedrooms, one family room, and one for the kitchen/living 
>room.  This assumes that the two bathrooms do not need to be monitored,
>
That's correct - not really.

>and the living room and kitchen, which are mostly one large area, make up 
>a single zone.
>  
>
Unless you have more than one register there, then you'd consider them 
to be separate zones - zone per register. Of course, it makes sense only 
if the registers are far enough away from each other.

>I don't think I will worry about humidity and pressure sensors right now: 
>it seems that they are most important for zone control, and I seem to be a 
>long way away from this right now.
>  
>
And the zoning logic doesn't support them for now anyway. Coil sensors 
are not yet supported either, but I have them installed on my HVAC and 
this is a top priority item.

>Finally, from where should I buy this stuff?  It seems that the choices 
>boil down to either Maxim or ibuttonlink.com.  Am I missing something? 
>Where is the best place to go when you just want to buy a handful of this 
>stuff?
>  
>
Can't say. Places that have the devices available on a short notice 
generally charge more. Dallas is the cheapest, but lead times kill.

>Thank you all very much for your help.  This sure seems like an FAQ, 
>especially as I've already gotten most of the answers to this stuff from 
>the website.  However, while the website has lots of random information, 
>it's pretty vague.
>
Well, it's as precise as it gets... Without feedback, I won't know 
what's important and what's not.

>It lists a bunch of sensors, for example, but doesn't 
>really explain why you'd want a certain sensor over another.
>
I will put a notice in shortly.

>And to an amateur, they all look pretty much the same...
>
And indeed, they are :)

>Tim Massey
>  
>
--vt