An installer friend of mine recently sold me a Niles system and programmer. Does anyone know of a support board such as this for these?
Any tips on where I could get configuration files for these units?

Niles was ment to be programmed by expert installers that have gone through the 1 day tranning course. Only offered to niles dealers. As I have programmed about 100 of these in my life time, I have come to hate intellicontrols. The concept is good, the system is very short comming in features, very slow to react to input, always seems to have equipment out of sync in power. I have talked to a lot of other installers on remote central that also program intellicontrol and don't speak very highly of it. Pronto remots are cool, they work-not like intellicontrol though. If you want a really cool, bitchen RF remote system talk to a local High End AV store, chances are they sell PANJA (AMX) remotes or the Crestron Landmark system. Both systems can be IR or RF Depending on how much $$$ you want to spend. I feel the Panja can do more than Crestron, but Crestron is easer to set up and program. Plan on spending $1300.00 to around 50K for full house automation. Just for fun these systems make that X10 system look like a childs play toy or something. Again both of these systems need to be programmed by professionals. I have heard of people programming these, but unless you understand computer lingo line code writting like C++ for get it.

Thats for the comments Larry but after programming 2 systems for myself and once for a friend, I really do not think that you have to an expert to program these. Perhaps the Custom Installers who want to make a lot of money on programming would suggest that but if you can program a Pronto or RTI system, the Niles system will be relatively easy.

I agree with some of your comments about syncing and it being slow on inputs. The toughest challenge I have faced was with a Toshiba Big Screen. It does not have an IR in jack, and the manufacturer advised that if I take off the screen to place an IR flasher inside it, I will void the warranty, so I have am using a stick flasher for the time being until the authorized tech from Toshiba installs a Xantech mouse emmitter for me. Its quite annoying that IR in jacks are not provided on these type of sets. Other than that I have had no technical problems or issues.

The Niles training videos and manual made programming it much easier than that of programming the Pronto I used to own. I am going to get a Pronto again and use it in conjuction with the Niles (gotta love the ability to overlay the Niles IR set) to avoid the Sync. problems that the Pronto had with Power toggles and some other minor issues (like the spouce hated the Pronto, but loves the IntelliControl)!

Yes, I have coded in C++ but I do not feel that I have the budget for a full blown Panja or Crestron system, nor the time to invest in learning how to get them set-up and programmed.

Bill thankyou for your comments. I am happy to hear that you have done 3 now. And have had sort of good luck with it. Does it not sound silly to buy something as expensive as Intellicontrol is and not have it going to work 100% of the time they way it should and still buy a pronto to overlay commands. As an 11 year custom programmer I have done 100's of Intellicontrol's and maybe 500+ Prontos, I've failed to see the reasoning behind having both to control the system. Bill I can give you, for free, a method, if money is no object, a way that you can make Intellicontrol work 100% of the time and always be nsync, Providing no IR receivers are hooked into it, no one is using a cell phone or you live with in 100 yards of a cell phone or short wave radio repeater site and, that a next door neighbor does not have Intellicontrol. Niles makes all the parts but they fail to mention it any any of their paper work because it is a vey expensive way to do it.
Here is a hent!!! don't use video sync, or light sensor sync, unless your room has no windows, lights or video projection systems in it. even at that only about 95% of the time it will work correctly

Good luck

Well,

My experience so far has been favourable. The Niles light sensors I installed worked great. I do not know what your issue with using the video sync inputs on the MSU are but I have had no problems there.

So far, using Niles parts (yes they are expensive) and following the Niles Training Videos has produced sucessful results for me.

I have actually added a Pronto to my system now because I like to see the labelled keys for control and and it is also very lightweight and a lot easier to hold. You cannot put labels on the Niles M G E P keys and have to know what each represents for each device controlled. By using the Pronto, these problems are avoided and I use the remote that I like. My spouce loves the Niles remote -- one touch operation and away she goes! -- She has nevor liked the Pronto and still will not use it. I have had no problems with the Xantech IR receivor that I have connected.

I would still be interested in knowing why you would not use video syncing unless the room has no lights or windows -- that does not make any sense to me.

Video sync has nothing to do with lights and windows. I don't like video sync because even some equipment like satellite receivers still output video voltage even when in standby mode or even if the main power button is depressed. I don't like to hook IR receivers into the MSU for one simple reason. when the sun comes around and hits the IR receiver it CAN cause an input over load or if you have floresent lighting to. After all is not IR light? reason I do not like the LS1's because if it is day time or again to much light in the room and the cabinet doors are open to where light can reach the light sensor, sync problems CAN happen. Its just my findings that if you only use voltage sync and do it right your system can work and work really good. I use to sell Intellicontrols for $2500.00 which included programming and all sensors and installation. For the same amount of money I can sell a Color 6" touch IR screen remote that I can custom make each button and have each button do as many macros as I want. When I, and still do, compare remote to remote when I have customers interested in A/V automation, hands down the AMX/Panja VPXpress wins every time. I don't want you to think that I beleive that the NILES peice is pure junk, because that is not the case. And again I am happy to have learned that you are having good results with yours.

Hi Larry,

You make some very good points. In regards to the light sensor, doesn't the cover block out external light? My system is in my basement rec. room so I do not have much direct sunlight and hence I have no problems with my IR receivor.

I like a touchscreen and would love a Crestron colour touch panel, but my spouce does not really like them (touch panels).

I guess all I was trying to say earlier is that the Niles system is fairly easy to program and set-up. Anyone who can program a Pronto should be up to the task. I just wonder why Niles would not release the programmer to the general public, they would probably sell many more units.

As to the comment about light sensors if they are such a problem, why not use power sensors or use Niles power control centers such as the IPC-6?

From my cost viewpoint, even with all the accessories, the Niles system is still significantly cheaper up here in Canada the the Crestron or AMX or Panja systems. If the cost of the Niles compared to the other systems was the same, I would have considered them but the cost was roughly double.

In my case, the got the Niles system working very well for my applications. The spouce loves it.

Thanks for all your comments, they are giving me some insight in the practical points of view from a custom installer!

Bill, Thank you. You know wat works really cool with the light sensors is if you have equipment with Tos-Link outputs on the back is to paste the light sensor to the Tos-link jack. Don't ever use a LS1 on a rear projecton TV or on the front of a monitor type TV. Niles states that if you use an LS1 and paste it on the picture tube of a TV something about the magnetic field when the TV is on will trip the light sensor on. In almost all of my dealing I found this to not be the case. I also feel that whoever wrote the tech/install manual for this idea may have got lucky and had it work pretty good for him and decided to write about it. Friendly tip their. Also for people out their with DTV-HDTV set not the HDTV ready ones. Who have Intellicontrols and are using the built in HDTV tuners and are using video sync out of the TV to the MSU. I have found that all HiDef TV's do not out put video or voltage when the TV is asked to display a HiDef resolution that is progressive or anything above a 480I picture, HENCH causing SYNC problems. Reasons TV's don't output Progressive or 1080I pictures are because of the added bandwith (i'm talking SVHS or Composit outputs). VCR's, Hard-disc recorders can not handel that much bandwith, And DVD reecorders can, but their cost is pretty step right now.

HAPPY HiDef Hunting!

Use a Pronto with an Ocelot and be done with it!!

EH.............! OK matt, I guess we were all wrong from the get go. Thanks for setting us stright.

Only because it will cost half as much and work twice as well....

Matt

I agree the pronto will work better than intellicontrol. But I don't know about the Ocelet part.

See Ya.

Matt,

The IntelliControl and the Pronto are two different animals. I have read in the Pronto forums that people have difficulties using the Ocelot for syncing with the Pronto. The Niles system takes care of that nicely. If you want a simple to use, one touch operation, the Niles system is better than the Pronto. It may not have a touchpanel but it has more hard keys and it uses RF rather than IR which the Pronto used.

I use both but most of my friends and my spouce perfer the IntelliControl for its intuitive one button automation control.

If you insist on a touch panel system, step-up to the plate and buy a Crestron or AMX/Panja system and you will quickly realize the limitations of the Pronto.

You go Bill, Get a Panja like I got.

You can use the Ocelot and Pronto in unison with each other (some Digital I/O's and IR modules will be necessary also) to have the exact same functionality of the Panja or Crestron control system. The Panja system is very nice, and I have programmed many of these also....But, you can get the same performance for 1/4 the cost. Read the Pronto forum to see how to make the Pronto a RF remote and directly inject the IR commands into the Ocelot from the RF receiver.