Anyone know if pushing the “manual on/off” button on the GE 45605 Duplex Receptacle Outlet returns an output that can be used by Vera2 to start a timed event.
I currently have an application that uses an old style mechanical intermatic wind up timer. When we want to power the 110VAC outlet that the timer controls- we just crank the timer to the three hour mark on the timer faceplate and when it’s done it shuts off the outlet’s power.
The timer contacts are starting to go bad- and I have a extra GE 45605 Duplex Receptacle Outlet sitting around doing nothing. If I can use it for this application I’d like to press it’s “manual on/off” button to fire off a scene in IU4 that turns off the outlets power after three hours.
Additional info- this application powers a set of toothbrush sanitizer and can’t run on a fixed set hour of the day timer as sometimes we may sleep late on weekends and not brush our teeth till a later time than we do on workdays. It also powers the sanitizer at night when we go to bed, so again- can’t use a fixed time of day schedule timed event cause we go to bed at different times every night. The scene has to fire off the pushing of the receptacle’s “manual on/off” button.
I think it should work - at one point I had one of these wired up in a box. I was watching Vera, and it would report that it was getting on/off messages whenever I toggled the button. I didn’t take the extra step of triggering a scene on it, though.
If you want to try it and report back, you could hook one up like I did. I just used an old-work HV box from Home Depot, sacrificed a power cord, and wired it up with wire nuts. Worked fine, and was safe enough for testing.
Guess I can just run a scene to check the “status” output or the receptacle then do something with that if the status returns “1” - power on?
Just trying to wrap my head around the part where a press of the receptacle’s “manual on/off” button starts the countdown timer to turn itself off a few hours later. It hurts to think about it… ;D
Maybe someone is already doing something similar and can provide an example… I hope!
What you want to do does work. Simply set an event to the outlet as “a device is turned on or off”, set the event to on. Then in the command, set the outlet to “unchanged” (i.e. it will be on if you pressed the button to turn it on). Then after the specified time period, set the outlet to off.
Note that if this time period is long and you make changes on your Vera (or reboot), the scheduled turn off might be lost.
[quote=“wscannell, post:5, topic:168612”]What you want to do does work.
Simply set an event to the outlet as “a device is turned on or off”, set the event to on. Then in the command, set the outlet to “unchanged” (i.e. it will be on if you pressed the button to turn it on). Then after the specified time period, set the outlet to off.[/quote]
Thanks wscannell,
Very simple solution… and it works perfectly!
Tested it with a 30 second run time instead of 3 hrs and it worked every time- the outlet shut itself off 30 sec after pressing it’s “manual on/off” button.
Our toothbrushes thank you! ;D
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