Articles and whitepapers

Product Article: Stardraw Control 2007 and Global Caché - a Cost-Effective Combination for Home Automation (3/8/2007)

By John Turner, COMPUTERLINKS

Over the last two years we have had numerous discussions about control systems with professionals working within the custom install AV and home automation community. A common theme or area of concern for many is the high cost, proprietary nature and inflexibility of existing control systems on the market.

A cost-effective solution for creating integrated control systems is provided by combining Stardraw Control 2007 software with Global Caché GC-100 network adaptors.

Stardraw Control 2007 can control and monitor hardware devices over virtually any protocol including Ethernet, RS232, DMX, EIB, infrared, EtherSound, CobraNet, SNMP, QSC.net and UDP. It allows generation of both standalone and client/server control programs, and its bi-directional nature enables it to monitor, display and react to any feedback given by hardware devices. You can write your own uni- or bi-directional device drivers, and there is a vibrant community of enthusiasts that is constantly adding support drivers to the website.

The Global Caché family of products cost-effectively adds the physical control for the most popular AV products via RS232 or infrared (IR), plus relay triggering for screens or blinds anywhere on an IP network.

Stardraw Control 2007

Think of Stardraw Control as your project creation tool, i.e. an architect might use AutoCAD to create plans that he or she then provides to their client. The custom installer uses Stardraw Control 2007 to create a specific project of executable programs for their customer. The end-user requires client or client/server licences for their specific executables, but not for the authoring package itself.

Stardraw Control 2007 systems can be configured and controlled without having to write a single line of code, since drag and drop drawing dynamically creates code behind the scenes. There are graphical user interface (GUI) templates available from Stardraw, but any kind of graphics file, including PNG, BMP, JPG, GIF etc. can also be used to build bespoke system GUIs. Where drivers do not exist, you can create your own, or companies such as COMPUTERLINKS, can develop them for you using our in house C# programming skills.

Stardraw Control software showing drag and drop editing, and a template used for the ViewSonic V212 wireless tablet.

Global Caché GC-100

The executables created by Stardraw Control 2007 run on Windows-based platforms such as UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) clients and PC servers. A typical home user GUI might provide audio visual, lighting, and multiroom audio control. This is where the interaction with the Global Caché GC-100 comes into play. Stardraw Control 2007 will use the GC-100 to remotely send the RS232 codes, emit IR or trigger low-voltage relays as required. Multiple GC-100s could be situated around an install, or centrally rackmounted (GC-100-18R) as required.

The Global Caché GC-100 Network adapter, available as the GC-100-06 (6" unit),
GC-100-12 (12" unit), and GC-100-18 (18" unit).

Thousands of IR devises are already supported, so creating a specific 'super remote' using a UMPC such as the Samsung Q1 to control all of a client's existing AV equipment is a typical practical example of Stardraw Control and Global Caché working together.

The Global Caché GC-100 connects to a network via a standard RJ45 connector, and an embedded web server allows easy configuration from any browser. Using TCP/IP, the IR, serial and relay communications and sensor inputs can be individually addressed, yet only one power supply is required, thus reducing an installation's AC outlet requirements.

Typical configuration showing remotely controllable devices being controlled via Ethernet, IR, RS232, EIB, DMX, X10 etc, using the Global Caché GC-100-12. This is in turn controlled by a UI programmed using Stardraw Control 2007 and displayed on a PC device such as the TableKiosk eo.

Global Caché supplies a range of IR connectivity options including IR learners, emitters, receivers, extenders, and conversion cables (for Xantech), as well as video sensors and rackmounting kits.

The Global Caché GC-IRL IR Learner is used with a PC to learn the full spectrum, 30KHz to 500KHz, of IR codes that control infrared driven equipment.

The Global Caché GC-IRE IR Extender extends infrared capability by converting IR signals to digital data, which can then be read from any PC or RS232 serial port.

Conclusion

As more and more control systems move away from propriety hardware in favour of standard networking equipment, installers are using the combination of Stardraw Control 2007 and Global Caché to provide a high-quality, yet very flexible and affordable solution for controlling large numbers of devices via a network. The combination also allows legacy devices that were previously 'unconnected' to be fully integrated as part of an IP-based home automation or AV control system.

A fully functioning 30-day demo version of Stardraw Control 2007 is available for free download at www.stardraw.com, and the site contains numerous instructional videos and tutorials. COMPUTERLINKS also conducts regular IP networking training sessions relating to Global Caché and Stardraw Control 2007 in its UK offices near Cambridge.

John Turner is Head of Multimedia Networking for COMPUTERLINKS, a trade distributor of practical networking solutions for the AV installation and home automation sector.

www.computerlinks.co.uk/multimedia