managing applications within a crestron 3-series processor

 

the 3-series processor brings a whole new set of console commands and parameters that go with them.

 

in the e-control web interface, you have the ability to register and start applications:

 

appManager

 

register – find the program in app0# and attempt to run anything in it kind of like installing a program. must be registered before starting

 

start – starts the program. must be registered to start. you can only you can unregister a program while it has already started but on won’t start on a startup sequence

 

the loading sequence looks for app01-app10 first starting from locations RM, RM2, then internal memory. RM are the USB removable media slots.

 

 

console commands to manage and control your programs

 

PROGREG :: lists all registered programs

 

PROGREG -p:## :: register program ##

 

PROGREG -p:## -u :: unregister program ##

 

APPSTAT :: allows you find which devices (ethernet, cresNet, IR, RF, et al) are being used by which program

 

STOPPROG :: stops all programs in the processor

 

PROGRESET :: starts all registered programs

 

2012
01/06
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hardware
processors
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New weather module at www.customcodecrafters.com

hi guys,

in response to my last post: http://waltyao.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/new-module-i-created-weather-with-favorite-cities/

 

i have updated it since and my weather module full with graphics is now available on the Custom Code Crafters website at:

http://www.customcodecrafters.com/section/11/1/crestron_modules

please let me know if you require more information on this if you are deciding if this is a good buy.

 

 

 

2011
11/07
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Dirty South and Thomas Gold – Alive (Yaoza remix)

 

i’ve released my version of

Dirty South and Thomas Gold – Alive (Yaoza remix)

hope you all enjoy it. it’s for the Dirty South & Thomas Gold Alive contest for EMM 2011.

 

 

 

 

2011
11/07
CATEGORY
Music
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SMTP: Emailing through your crestron processor

The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is required in order to use crestron’s ‘send mail’ module.

 

Click here for a list of SMTP servers by ISP in USA

Click here for a list of SMTP servers by ISP in UK

 

 

Click here for sample code from Crestron on how to send email from a crestron touchpanel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011
09/21
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simpl
simpl+
software
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web-enabled widgets for crestron touch panels.

here are some simple examples of what i’ve been up to:

it’s timeout screen that the touch panel always falls back to after a timeout specified in the custom settings i’ve created.


2011
09/21
CATEGORY
software
touch panels
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crestron’s mc3 vs av2

Crestron’s 3-series processors have been on the market for a few months now.  This is the first look at the 3-series from my perspective.  i will be pushing the limits of what the processor can do and answering the age old question:

is it worth it to upgrade?

only if the price is right. so let’s check it out and see what it’s got.

i will summarize the details of the MC3:

AV2 MC3
Memory
SDRAM 64MB 256MB
Flash 4MB 2GB (expandable to 1TB)
CompactFlash 2GB (support to 2GB) N/A
NVRAM 256KB N/A
Operating System FAT32 file system withreal-time multitasking Extended FAT file system withCore 3 OS and support for up to10 simultaneous programs
Communications
Ethernet 10/100BaseT, SSL, TCP/IPUDP/IP, CIP, SMTP, SNMP,Webserver support 10/100BaseT, SSL, TCP/IPUDP/IP, CIP, SMTP, SNMP,IIS v6.0 Webserver,

IPv4 or IPv6 compatible
Cresnet Yes Yes
USB No Yes x 2 rear (HID, Mass Storage)1 x front (console port)on front panel
IR/Serial Yes x 8 Yes x 5 with 1 input to receive
Relay Yes x 8 Yes x 2
Digital I/O Yes x 8 Yes x 2
RF No Yes (infinet EX, MTX-3/MLX-3)
A/V ports
Audio N/A 1 x RCA L/R in1 x TCA L/R out(passthrough with auto mute for playing wav, mp3, or wma files)
Video N/A 4 x out (Component and composite)*Currently not enabled

Toolbox System Info

The real advantage in the MC3 is in the program management.  It can load up to 10 simultaneous programs as opposed to one for the AV2.  Here’s the system info windows shown in crestron toolbox:

as you can see in the second image, there’s two programs in there.  you can load up to 10.

Debugging

Using simpl debugger you can still debug your programs individually.  when you select the ip of the MC3 or usb to connect to the processor, a popup will ask you which program you want to debug. then everything loads up just like normal.

Uploading programs

Be careful with your debugging windows while uploading.  I noticed a consistent problem in loading new code (abort modem-x) to the MC3 when 2 or more debugging windows are open.  this was all via usb so i’m not sure if the same problem persists via tcp.  it’s hard to define where the problem is exactly. sometimes no debugging window is open and the error comes up.  i would have to open a new debugging window and close it and seems to let me fully upload the program like that.

Controlling multiple programs

You cannot control multiple programs with the same ipid.  you will have to use EISC (ethernet intersystem communications) to talk between programs as you did before in multiple processors.  the only difference with the EISC method before and now is that the ip address used is 127.0.0.2 to refer back to itself.

End of the Day

Definitely not worth upgrading for the sake of it, especially if you’ve got a perfectly running system in 2-series.  but it will save you loads of cash to use one mc3 in place of multiple 2-series processors.

2011
03/22
CATEGORY
Crestron
hardware
processors
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thecomportal.com – monitoring anything from the outside world in

thecomportal.com is a nifty free service that allows you, or your clients the ability to monitor anything via your web browser.

i haven’t completely gotten into using it but it’s handy to give to your client as an added bonus.  everyone wants to be able to monitor things remotely and by using thecomportal’s simpl modules in your program you can basically monitor any digital, analog, or serial signal and then you can display this accumulated data in a form of a graph.  this entire interface is on thecomportal.com website so you can probably view it from any computer or smartphone.

2011
03/16
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Crestron
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second encounter of the vpanel kind, ip addressing and why you need it

i’ve managed to get my hands on a test unit V15 Crestron V-panel that i’m using to test a system for a multi-million dollar 30+ touch panel home.

Probably one of if not the biggest crestron residential project in north america its gonna be insane!

I commented on the vpanel from my post ,”first-encounters-of-the-v-panel-kind/“, since then the only thing that’s changed was the firmware for the dge-1, they have a new one (1.00.01.242).

the combo is a bit clunky and i doubt you could ever pull off a proper retrofit with these panels unless you can rip out whole walls.  you limited to 200 feet (61 meters) for the dm-cable, the one that connects the dge-1 graphics processor to the v-panel touch panel.

On the other hand, for newly constructed buildings and big renovations for both residential or commercial uses, this panel offers a nice upgrade to their tps series of touch panels.

It does take a bit of reading and know-how to get all the firmware up to date.  Remember the dge-1′s ip address info can be set within toolbox initially via cresnet or ethernet.

But the ip address for the vpanel is a little more tricky and has to be done through the setup page of the touch panel.

 

 

 

 

 

In the setup menu you have to press the “VPG Config” button:

 

There you can set to dhcp or static ip address.  be prepared to then wait a few more minutes as it restarts.  you’ll be accompanied with various isys and dge-1 splash screens.

so why do we need to set these ip addresses?

obviously you can go ol skool by using cresnet to the dge-1, but ethernet on is average 4-6 times quicker than cresnet.  so it’s a pretty obvious choice there. but why do we need to set the vpanel’s ip address?  this is the power that is shared by other older crestron touch panel models that offer microsoft widgets.  in order for these to work you will need to allow the panel have direct access to the internet.

 

the next post i will put will explain the details behind getting a v-panel to access the outside web.

2011
01/15
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Crestron
hardware
touch panels
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new module: press, hold, double press module

hi all,

i’m developed a new module that is released on my company’s website.

allows different kinds of gestures to select a button.  press and hold, double press, and a basic single press.

it’s a very straight forward module with a single input and three outputs for the different types of gestures.  you can set the time it takes to invoke the hold output, and you can set the time required for two presses between each other to register a double press.  .5s and .35s are the default values for these fields.

get it at

http://www.customcodecrafters.com/shop/section/11/1/crestron_modules

we’re hoping to release many more modules soon!

2011
01/13
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Crestron
software
Work
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my own crestron system

hi all,

so it’s been a while since i made an appearance on here.  i’ve been pretty busy doing the same old large home integration systems as i always have. not much to comment on there.  i want to write a little about what i’ve done in my own home since it’s more of a hobby and probably more fun to write about.

let’s start with the equipment i have.  it’s all av equipment as i don’t have the $$ to get lighting or thermostat control (maybe one day with prodigy i can do that):

a yamaha htr-6130 hdmi receiver, the cheapest of the bunch but it does the job for what i have.

a sharp 42″ lcd tv, the module doesn’t matter since the rs-232 protocols are all the same, thank goodness.

a computer running winamp that is playing music off a d-link dns-323

a ps3

and that’s pretty much it.  i used to have a motorola dvr for my hd tv but it fried on me and i don’t really care enough for tv to get a new one.  where i live, they don’t have rentals for these kind of things so it’s pretty lame.

an ipod though for control

a crestron qm-rmc

most of the equipment is based on IR with the exception of the tv being controlled through rs-232.

the idea behind it is being able to control all my devices with a single remote and with a touch of one button.  many universal remotes can do this, but none can serve the functionality that i can provide with a crestron processor.

a qm-rmc will run you around 500 bucks depending where you get it from.  crestron tends to sell for pretty high but it’s only because they can.  none can compare to the amount of flexibility that it can handle.

next post i will put some screenshots of what i’ve done and maybe a video to demo it.  it’s pretty cool and i’ve completed it already so expect to see it very soon!

2010
12/28
CATEGORY
Crestron
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