I need to add some Hunter Douglas shades to my control setup. What’s the fastest and easiest way?
Thanks in advance!
Anyone?
If you want to control them via Z-Wave then you’ll need a controller like one of these:
http://www.asihome.com/ASIshop/index.php?cPath=564_565&osCsid=f95cae67812678bca31bc7d9070b3ed1
For a hunter Douglas product, chances are the motors are low voltage so you’d choose the DBMZ and make sure to get standard motors with you shades.
Yes, thank you. The DBMZ works like a charm. Easy installation and setup, but if you want to hide them, about the only place is behind some large trim of some sort.
The vera system again showed it’s usefulness. After setup everything worked like a charm.
What Hunter Douglas shades worked so well for you? (part # please).
I am considering doing the same.
Many thanks!
@jkw
It seems that any of the Hunter-Douglas shades that are motorized can be controlled this way. There are two different controllers offered by the Hunter Douglas division Elec-Solutions. Here’s a link to the dbmz:
And the abmz:
You can always double check with a great guy named Floyd at Hunter-Douglas for your exact needs, including DC power and controllers.
I won’t post a phone number here, but if you send me an email to: mikemarkov[at]yahoo.com I’ll be happy to give you that phone number.
-mikemark
[quote=“mikemark, post:4, topic:167064”]Yes, thank you. The DBMZ works like a charm. Easy installation and setup, but if you want to hide them, about the only place is behind some large trim of some sort.
The vera system again showed it’s usefulness. After setup everything worked like a charm.[/quote]
Glad to hear it worked out for you. I didn’t know what stage of shade shopping you were in, but it sounds like you already had the shades and controllers. Were you able to buy direct from Hunter, or did they recommend a dealer?
In this case you would call me a subcontractor working for a contractor on a homeowner’s project. The Interior Decorator specified the materials and I specified the control system & controllers. The contractor performed the physical installation, the electrician made the electrical installation, I made the soft control installation. This is the first extensive one we’ve done with a vera. The installation includes a solar controller which required some connective Luup software and modifications to the Phone User Interface software for custom monitoring of the home’s power systems. The home is a very remote retreat for the homeowner and family.
Again, I was pleased with the ease of installation and operation of standard equipment like these shades.
Oh yea, the Interior Decorator handled the purchase and logistics. I think that really answers your question. I believe that they purchase direct from Hunter-Douglas.
The control equipment itself seems flawless, but Hunter-Douglas really needs to find a way to hide it in their shade instead of having a fairly bulky control without a place to hide. In this installation, the contractor decided to hide all these controls behind trim that’s around the window. I’d guess they realize that and are probably working on solution with a higher degree of integration.
Unfortunately Hunter isn’t going to be integrating Z-Wave into its motors. Techniku has a smaller Z-Wave add-on for their motors (recently they went out of business in the US they have been “bought” back to life by Wayne-Dalton (aka SALT)).
I’m glad you were able to get motors from them that are considered standard motors (no IR, no Radio, no internal controller) so that the DBMZ would work. FYI, Lagotek bought a line of Z-Wave controls that compete with Elec-Solutions and their boxes are a little smaller (at least the AC version is), plus they have a sensor input (for temp, etc).
Good to know. I just think it would be nice as an add-on that has a designed place to hide inside the shade itself instead of simply “screwed to the wall beside,” or hidden in some creative way.
For hiding the controller, I mentioned in another thread that you could have the controller reside behind an open-hole data wall plate somehwere away from the window. If you’re pulling power from an outlet below the window, you could have it hidden down there near the baseboard or if coming in from the ceiling with power you could hide the controller in the attic. Just some thoughts, more thoughts at this post:
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=4811.msg27642#msg27642
Yes, all good suggestions. The contractor decided to hide these behind a large casing trim around the window, between the window and the wall framing. The only problem with any of these hiding places is access. If a problem occurs or when replacement is required, this just means some extra tear-down and repair (as well as a hunt for the control location).
Can we get some pictures of the finished install?
JOD.
[quote=“mikemark, post:13, topic:167064”]Yes, all good suggestions. The contractor decided to hide these behind a large casing trim around the window, between the window and the wall framing. The only problem with any of these hiding places is access. If a problem occurs or when replacement is required, this just means some extra tear-down and repair (as well as a hunt for the control location).[/quote]Also sounds like a nightmare If you had to exclude and re-include for any reason!
I would really like to make something like this my next project too, but wouldn’t do it unless I could hide it all without too much effort and I guess I would go the battery route!
Photo attached as requested. Doesn’t show much except that nothing shows and that it’s a drop dead gorgeous home. You are looking at South facing windows with the shades on the lower row. The floor is tile with hydronic in-floor heat.
I know this is an old form but I have a question and hope someone can help.
I have 3 older Hunter Douglas powerrise shades I replaced the battery tube with the power adapter taht plugs in the wall. I was able to get the blindea up but now they won’t come back down, I unplugged the motors and applied power and the motors work so I know they are good I 7sed a meeter and tested the limit switch and it seems to be working so now I’m down to the satellite relay and I have no idea how to test that it has a button and I have pressed it and tried to test each of the four wires but I got nothing. I would find it very odd that all three of them just died at the same time so I’m thinking maybe the power adapter may have blown them I don’t know so I wonder if anyone has the wireing diagram for them or have an idea how to test them. Has anyone converted them to use a zwave really which would be nice since I have the DC motors and they work maybe there is a zwave relay that has multi direction support so I can open and close the shades. Thanks Jim…
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