02.12.2007 — Controlling a massive home theater with a drop-down screen, complicated projector, and a huge collection of movies—been there, done that. A home with 20 audio zones and a dozen sources? Yawn.

In this business, dealers are used to seeing such systems and the elegant interfaces that make them work.

We asked CE Pro readers to send us some of the designs that we haven’t seen before. The response was overwhelming. Several integrators sent us some of the most beautiful touchscreen graphics we’ve ever seen. But that really wasn’t the point of this story. We were going for fresh solutions to unusual problems.

Here we celebrate the quirky and the clever.

Virtual Geiger Counter

Some touchscreen designs simply need no explanation. This one comes from New York City-based EPI Systems Integration, which had a client that lives near a nuclear reactor. "He wanted a way to monitor radiation near his home," explains principal Michael Curtin.

Who wouldn’t?

EPI found an appropriate RS-232-communicating sensor and designed this intuitive interface.
www.episi.com

The Easy Button

Like most programmers, Casey Collins of AS Outsourcing, Inc., Orlando, Fla., aims to provide customers with an "attractive, yet intuitive, interface that puts the power of controlling the most complex equipment back into their hands."

Unlike most integrators, however, Collins believes, "This should include the ability to troubleshoot some of the most common issues that arise in normal day-to-day operation."

With this aim in mind, Collins created his version of the easy button that makes far more sense than Staples’ button of the same name. Collins includes a help button at the bottom of each touchscreen page, which links to a TECH SUPPORT page that lists several of the most common control issues.

The list varies based on the type and the complexity of a customer’s system. From this menu, says Collins, "The customer can easily choose the problem that suits their situation."

The customer is then presented with a clarification of the problem, and if it matches the issue at hand, the user can push the magic fix button. At that point, a macro is implemented to restore the components to their proper state, solving the problem for the customer.

For example, when the customer fixes a cable problem, the macro might instigate a hard reboot of the cable box by switching off a powered outlet, waiting five seconds, then issuing the power on command.

"A wonderful by-product of this fix option is that my customers have increased confidence in their systems, laying the foundation for future upgrades utilizing more ‘technologically advanced’ equipment," says Collins. "In addition, there has been a noticeable decrease in night and weekend tech-support calls generated by these common issues."

Messaging Massages

The trouble with massages (yes, there is one) is that it can be difficult for the masseuse to allocate her time properly, what with all the body parts that need to be kneaded, and the ever-changing length of sessions from 20 to 90 minutes.

Bob Piccirilli of Performance Innovations Corp. (PIC), Genoa, Ill., has solved that nagging problem with a Crestron system that takes the guesswork out of which body parts to massage … when and for how long.

His client has a dedicated massage room, and a Crestron system with a MASSAGE AUTO screen for selecting a 24-, 42-or 60-minute massage. In the 60 minute program, for example, the first screen, BACK, ticks down from 15 minutes, then on to LEFT LEG for 7 minutes, and so on.

The Crestron system in the massage room is tied into a whole-house system, too. From any Crestron touchscreen in the home, the indulger presses the massage setup button to warm up the room and set the lights to the preferred level. When the room is ready, the touchscreens say so, literally: "The massage room is ready," says a recorded voice.

Of course, who wants a dedicated massage room without just the right mood settings? Interfaced with the lighting and sound, the massage room darkens over a period of two minutes in the beginning and turns on soothing music to a very low level.

"At the end," says Piccirilli, "the person receiving the massage is treated to a gradual increasing of light intensity in the massage room over a period of three minutes to avoid eye strain, after which time the sound is turned off and the lights shut off completely, one minute after the sound."

Monitor The Propane Tank

Illinois can get awfully cold in the winter. What homeowner with any sense would want to hike out to the propane tank to check the levels?

For his client, Bob Piccirilli of Performance Innovations Corp. (PIC), Genoa, Ill., devised a system to eliminate those brutal treks to the tank. Piccirilli integrated a Centeron tank-monitoring system with a Crestron control system that allows the customer to view the propane level of the underground take.

The setup now only captures the propane level, but it also conveys the transmission signal strength and battery condition.

The date and time of the last update are captured and displayed and the owner has the capability of connecting, disconnecting, and clearing at any time.

"The old way of checking the level was to go 200 feet out of the house in the snow to check the gauge or try to calculate the amount of usage by outside-to-inside temperature variation, size of home and projected daily usage," Piccirilli says. "Now they will be able to view it from the Internet tied to Crestron anywhere."

Rich MCE Integration

A client wanted Media Center Edition (MCE) PCs, a high-end touchscreen-oriented control system, and rich integration between the two. The problem is, "Most Media Centers offer one-way RS-232, IR emulation, or a very limited set of two-way commands," says Evan Marty, senior programmer for Paragon Technology Group, Aspen, Colo.

Consequently, he says, there is no simple way to let a Crestron panel do much with media residing on an MCE. Worse, it’s nearly impossible to create macros that span the two systems, for example, a WAKEUP mode that brings up the lights from the Crestron system and plays a specific song from Dad’s MCE-based playlist.

Fortunately, Paragon stumbled upon Autonomic Controls, Inc., which provides software for integrating Media Centers with third-party control systems.

Working with the Autonomic tools, Paragon created an interface that adds unique usability features to MCE and bridges the media/automation gap.

Paragon designed a screen that allows family members to access their own settings—from their MCE-based playlists, to their I’M HOME macros. For example, pressing pete on the Crestron touchscreen brings up Pete’s favorite movies, music, TV shows and photos.

"You can also use this feature to access other users’ individual libraries to share favorites or just to try a taste of something new," says Marty.

"Managing and adding users is a snap and done right from the touchpanel. Since each user is linked to their own media libraries, special guests or frequent visitors can program the touchpanel with their favorite selections, allowing part-time occupants to feel right at home."

Going a step further, family members have their own macro settings as well.

Designer Pete Toborek explains, "Peter comes home and presses his I’m home button, and the house sets itself to his presets. His favorite playlist will begin to play, pathway lights to his room will illuminate (if it’s dark out), etc. The settings would be different for other members of the family."

Toborek credits Autonomic for allowing Paragon to stick with Crestron for control, but still exploit MCE for music, movies, TV, photos and then some.

"It is refreshing to be able to provide a complete Media Center experience on a touchpanel," he says. "Customers don’t want to have to turn on the television and pull up the Media Center interface just to select a song."
www.paragon-usa.com

Remote Gas Tank Monitoring

When you have a vacation home in a cold environment, disaster can strike if the heating system falters, which is what happens if you run out of fuel.

One homeowner asked Residential Systems Design (RSD) to create a monitoring system for a gas tank at a remote home. "Since the home is located in a colder climate, we needed a mechanism to monitor the fuel level to ensure that the home stayed warm even though he [the homeowner] wasn’t there," says RSD’s Kevin Busza.

Exton, Pa.-based RSD, discovered the Series 80000 remote fuel oil indicator from National Magnetic Sensors, Inc. With this system, an oil sensor with a buoy is dropped into the tank. As the buoy rises or falls to certain levels, it trips relays associated with LEDs on a wall-mounted station. RSD inserted AMX into the mix, allowing the system to communicate with a touchpanel miles away.
www.wedoresi.com

Penthouse Windows Shades

EPI Systems Integrations created an elegant interface for controlling window shades in a New York City penthouse. Still one of our favorites, we featured the design in the January 2006 issue.

The challenge was to create an automation interface that was simple enough for guests to use, even if they had no familiarity with the property or the automation system.

"We were thinking of the simplest way a technophobe could control 16 shade motors in one window," says EPI principal Michael Curtin. The solution was an interface that emulates the look of both the interior and exterior spaces—with windows drawn to match the appearance of the real things, and cityscapes that mimic the view from each window.
www.episi.com

Password Protected Panels

There is such a thing as a touchscreen design being too easy to use. For this Electronic House magazine Home of the Year winner, DSI Entertainment, Studio City, Calif., created the ultimate icon-driven, user-friendly interface. "If you can get cash out of an ATM, you can run your house," says DSI’s Josh Christian.

In fact, the system is so easy to use that the client requested a lock-out code because "people kept messing with the music."
www.dsientertainment.com