TECHLINE by Jim Youngquist

So you wanna control the world with your computer, eh?

[JUNE 27, 2000]  There’s a certain special kind of boredom that ultimately comes with owning a computer system. Perhaps you have experienced it. When you get your new system, you are excited, can’t wait to learn more, spend evenings, weekends, every moment you are awake learning about every program, every button. And then the newness wears off; you have mastered almost every program. The boredom creeps up on you, and when it finally overtakes you, the result is that you leave your computer system off and spend your time doing something else. After a week or so, you return to the computer again, this time with less excitement, hoping to be enticed by something undiscovered. But you own every program on Wal-Mart’s rack, and nothing looks good enough at Staples.

How about something new to rekindle your computer interest? Something to do while you are inside this summer avoiding the heat? Wouldn’t it be great if you could actually control something with your computer? How about the ability to control all the lights, the temperature in your house, the pump on your pool, the TV-antennae rotator, your security system, your entire entertainment system and even the bathroom ventilation fan. All these things are possible, and you can start at affordable prices.

I began dreaming of being able to control lights and other devices back in 1977 when I got my first computer. I worked hard to utilize the digital-to-analog circuit in my Commodore Pet to build an interface that would allow me to switch lights and motors on and off, but my first attempts back then were impractical and flawed. After I got my first PC system in 1981, my desire to control my universe was greater than ever, but the elements to take control were still un-invented and beyond my ability to design. Today the system to take control exists, and you can buy elements of it locally or over the internet.

 

 

The system is called X-10. It involves a communication device that you attach to your computer, a controller that you attach to whatever you want to control, and a software program that interfaces you to this remarkable system. Based on your choice of communication devices, you either send a radio signal through the air to the device being controlled, or a radio signal through the wiring in your house, allowing you to control it completely.

 

 

I started with a kit that I ordered from a catalog. In this kit I received a controller that I plugged into my computer and into an outlet in my house, several controllers that I placed on various lighting circuits throughout the house, and a software program that not only allowed me to turn lights on and off, but allowed me to dim them as well. The software program was aware of the current status of the device it was controlling, so that I could look at the screen and tell whether the lights on the other side of house had been left on, and I could turn them off (saving electricity) without leaving my chair.

 

 

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There are device modules for controlling lights, light appliances, heavy appliances, and even light and heavy electrical motors. The lighting modules allow you to turn lights off and on, and dim them on command. The software allows you to write macros to control the devices, based on time of day or other conditions.

Ceiling fans can be turned on and off based on the temperature of the room. X-10 devices are even available to control your thermostat, and with the free software that comes with that device, can program your home to be more energy efficient by changing the temperature during the day to reflect times when people are there and when the home is uninhabited.

 

 

Home security has never been as efficient as when you leave your computer in charge. Security devices to monitor and react to intrusion can be completely controlled by X-10, and coupling security with the ability to control every lighting circuit in your house could make for some interesting and entertaining security effects. Remote radio cameras, microphones and phone controls will allow your system to sense what is happening at your home even when you aren’t there. The result can be a customized system which entertains the burglar and alerts you and the police to their presence.

 

 

X-10 has products in several price ranges, and is a system that can grow with your desires and your budget. Hand-held control devices supplement your system by allowing you control over your environment as you walk. You can even integrate voice control into your X-10 system with the voice-control modules that can be added at any time. I recommend starting slow and planning ahead. X-10 can be very practical, very entertaining and allow you to start being in complete control of the universe (hopefully they will soon come out with a control module for the kids, the wife and the neighbor’s dog).

You can obtain X-10 devices locally at your Radio Shack store, and on the web at http://www.x10.com/products/products.htm and http://www.smarthome.com/. Search for the keyword x-10 to find other x-10 related sites.

 

[Jim Youngquist]