Re: [mh] need weather webpage & weatherstation info

[Jim S. <js...@sy...>]

Eric,

To be more prescriptive;

And a very simple circuit to turn on the blockheater if it is cold. (you can
use triggers to make this more complex later)

1) Activate the common code module weather_metal.pl and set it for an
airport location near you (this is a very reliable source in Canada and
elsewhere because the source is what is used for aircraft navigation - the
current temperature is updated once an hour and is available in the weather
hash)

2) Then write yourself a simple blockheater.pl code in your local code
directory. In that code you would add the lines to conditionally turn on and
off your blockheater. So if you have defined an appliance module as
$blockheater then these lines of code will change the state for you

Set $blockheater ON if($Weather{TempOutdoor} < -10);
Set $blockheater OFF if($Weather{TempOutdoor} >= -10);

Of course this will be evaluated some 10 to 20 times a second needlessly in
the main loop adding load to the processor- whereas the metar information is
only fetched once an hour - so you can either create a voice command that
does this test and then use a trigger to call it once an hour, or just use a
timed conditional block - which is what I would do - and check it maybe once
every 10 minutes so that a new "on" is sent in case it is missed in the cold
(can anyone confirm that the x10 modules section still sends an on if the
module state is already on in version 2.105?)

So
	if (new_minute 10){
		set $blockheater ON if($Weather{TempOutdoor} < -10);
		set $blockheater OFF if($Weather{TempOutdoor} >= -10);
	}

If you have two block heaters on a long extension you could also get fancy
and alternate between them giving full voltage at the end of the extension
to one at a time ....

Good Luck
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric M. [mailto:va...@sy...] 
Sent: December 21, 2008 8:53 AM
To: The main list for the MisterHouse home automation program
Subject: [mh] need weather webpage & weatherstation info

I want to have misterhouse turn 2 appliance modules off and on.  These 
appliance modules will have a block heater for our vehicles plugged into 
each of them.  If you don't know what a block heater is, it is a heating 
element that is installed in the engine block of your vehicle and can be 
plugged into 110v in cold climates to keep the engine warm to make it 
easier to start on cold mornings.  My vehicles are getting old and they 
need a little warmth in the cold.. :-)

What I am looking for is a script than can take the current temperature 
either off of a weather webpage like theweathernetwork.com here in 
Canada or take data from a weather station and massage it.  Misterhouse 
reads it, and reacts accordingly if the conditions are met.  For 
example, outside temperature drops to -10c, turn on block heaters, 
outside temperature goes above -10c, then they get turned off.

I like the idea of webinfo because there is no interfacing/installation 
of hardware required. 

If you have something that will work with a weather station and can 
recommend a weather station, here are my requirements;

- Temperature, humidity and windspeed
- Prefer wired - RS232
- Already coded for Misterhouse for easier integration (my perl 
programming abilities are next to nil)
- integrate with X10 Appliance modules to turn

Thanks,

Eric.


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