Marmitek CK13 User Manual

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Marmitek ActiveHome

Congratulations on your purchase of ActiveHome, the PC based home automation
system!

Make your lights and appliances go to work for you....

GETTING STARTED

Because we know that you are eager to get started, we've kept this introduction as
short as possible, but it contains very valuable information, so you should read
through it very carefully.

The first thing you need to understand is that there are two different devices you
need to control your house; Controllers and Modules. Any light or appliance that you
want to control is plugged into a Module and that Module is then plugged into a
standard AC outlet. Modules receive commands from Controllers.

Controllers are also plugged into standard wall outlets and send commands to the
Modules over your existing electrical wiring in your house without effecting your
electricity in any way. With your ActiveHome Home Automation Interface and
software, your PC becomes a very intelligent Controller for all of your home
automation tasks. Here is how it works:

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The ActiveHome Interface connects to your computer's serial port and then plugs
into a wall outlet. The ActiveHome software tells the Interface what to do. The
Interface then sends digital signals over your existing house wiring to a Module
which receives the signals and executes the command sent by the Controller, in this
case your PC.

Each Module has a specific address made up of a Housecode (red dial on the face
of the Module) and a Unit Code (black dial on the face of the Module). The
Controller first sends an address and then a command on the AC power lines. Only
the Module with a matching address will execute the command. If more than one
Module has the same address, both Modules will execute the command. Addresses
are set on the Module by turning the two dials on the front of the Module to the
desired letter and number (using a small screwdriver or a coin). The Housecode is
selected from the letters A through P, and the Unit Code is selected from the
numbers 1 through 16.