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1. This generates a lot of traffic (Not sure why this is an issue, but PLCBUSGuru claims it is so we should believe him)
When you have a small test environment and only the interface communicates with the modules you will have no problem, you can poll as much you want.
BUT!!
If you have a really PLC-BUS installation with scene modules or other controllers they are control the modules - e.g. a group of shutter must going up or down at the same time than you will get a problem.
All these controllers and your interface/program must share the bus!
An example:
Your program polls the home code A as PlcBuster wrote:
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You can use the "GET_ONLY_ON_ID" message to get status of up to 16 units in apx. 2 seconds (all units for a specific home code)
To get nearly a “live system” you do this every 10 seconds.
So every 10 seconds the bus is occupied for 2 seconds. No other controller can send at this time any command!!
What can happen? You playing with your software and pooling the states. Maybe every 10s four home codes. Now you have occupied 80% of bus bandwidth.
At same time your wife comes in and want to switch on a light scene by an other controller.
Now - she must wait 8s.before the lights go on, or your wife stays in the darkness because the bus is occupied and the command can not reach the modules!! - Have a nice day
You must learn to handle the limited bandwidth of PLC-BUS. It is not at real time system.
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2. Sending commands too frequent causes the interface to get very hot, thus it will stop working for a relatively long period of time until it cools down. There is no indication for heat inside the interface module so you can't measure this unless you implement your own temperature sensor separately.
I can not help you. I am not the manufacturer. I am also a user with a long time experience of PLC-BUS!!
What I know is:
Inside each module there is a capacitor and a inductor. A switch (I think a TRIAC) discharge this energy storages suddenly and generate the impulse. A lot of energy must flow through the inductor at a short time. The inductor is also a resistor and produce heat on each impulse. That’s the problem I think.
Maybe a larger inductor with same induction and smaller resistor value can solve the problem. I have never tested!
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I think this is pure marketing decision, as all non scenario micro modules have a cheaper version of the chip (red) which can only respond a simple ack upon receiving a command.
That’s not right. Red chip module can also send whole commands.
If you send a request like STATUSREQ or GET SIGNAL STRENGTH you will get more than an ACK.
PLCBUSguru