I have a whole house system with a ZPR and SmartPad3's. Everything works great except I haven't found a way to shut a source off when there are no zones no longer using it. I control "on" with a discrete code. I would have thought the ZPR would "know" when a source is no longer being used and be able to issue an "off" after the last zone that is using it. Is there any simple way to do this (without buying an audio sensing device)?

Probably the least-expensive solution would be to get an Ocelot, and program it to recognize the source selection commands. Then, "flags" could be programmed, to represent the active sources, and trigger the Off command...

I was thinking I could also buy a Xantech AC1 ($70), plug a power strip into that, plug all my sources into that, and plug the DC power driver to the ZPR68. This would not be perfect, since the sources would all turn off when the last zone was shutdown. If someone was listening to a CD and someone was watching a DVD, if the CD zone is shut off 8 hours before the DVD zone, the CD player will sit there playing for 8 hours. Since it is generally unlikely I will be using different sources in different zones, this may not be so bad for a quick and dirty solution (if it would work).

The Ocelot isn't much more money, but will provide MUCH more flexibility. Solving this problem is only one of many things you could do with it...

With the Ocelot, if you count "ons", isn't it easy for it to get confused. For example, if someone presses the source 1 button and then presses it again later (same zone) for whatever reason, the Ocelot would record 2 "ons" and be waiting for 2 "offs" which would never happen. Is there another way of doing this with the Ocelot?

You could program an IR sequence into the Source buttons. The first command (actually, the first two) would be the ZPR68 code, and after that add a unique code for each source, and each keypad. That way, the Ocelot could recognize the same button being pressed multiple times, on the same keypad.

Another, better, solution would be to buy a used Crestron controller on Ebay -- like one of these:
[Link: cgi.ebay.com]
[Link: cgi.ebay.com]
[Link: cgi.ebay.com]
[Link: cgi.ebay.com]

The Crestron could communicate with the ZPR via RS-232 and constantly monitor it's status. Then, it would be trivial for the Crestron to turn on/off equipment as desired. Of course you could do lot's of other cool stuff, too...

I believe the ZPR system has a 12v output that is only ON when any zone is active. You could tie this 12v output to another Xantech box (don't recall the number), that would spit out IR codes when it no longer senses the 12v output of the ZPR68.

I'm sure if you called Xantech and talked to one of the Tech Help guys they could come up with several options for you.

This would probably be the most cost effective way of doing things. ($150 or so in parts, in addition to what you already have.)

You could also have the 12v out of the ZPR trigger some sort of power strip... Might have to beef up the output of the ZPR though. It is ONLY 50ma or so, and most triggers will take more than that to hold them on.

A Crestron or AMX system would be awesome, but those are typically programming intensive, and may well be overkill for your situation.

[email protected]

The original poster had already suggested this very thing -- five messages up the thread.


That's about what an Ocelot (or used Crestron controller) would cost too -- and it could be programmed to provide many more functions, beside what was originally requested. However, it would be more time-consuming to setup.


True, but in this particular instance, it may be a good value. The units in the links above sold for between $150 and $300, which isn't too much more than the other solutions mentioned. Most of them come with two serial ports, 6 IR ports, 8 relays, and 8 contact closure inputs -- quite a bargain :-)

Although the programming *can* become very involved, this specific application would be fairly simple. Crestron has a pre-written (free) software module for the ZPR that would reduce programming time considerably. A "newbie", reasonably familiar with software, could probably pull it off in a few hours, and an experienced Crestron programmer could do it in about 30 minutes.

For now, I ordered a Xantech AC1 which has a DC relay that will switch all the components off when the ZPR no longer has any zones on. It was $62 and requires no programming. The Ocelot is something I might do in the future, but that would require me buying the IR expansion because otherwise it only has 1 IR Output port. This makes the $150 Ocelot really $230. Of course, I've spent $8000 so far, another $200 isn't going to kill me, but the programming is a hassle given that I already have to program all my keypads. Since this is a one-time thing for me, it wasn't really worth it to buy the $400 software for the programming.

The new Xantech 590-10 could trigger an all-off macro when it gets it "all zones off" sense trigger from the ZPR. Even an old 590, which you can find on ebay (in fact I have a couple) would do that simple job.

This idea may seem a little excessive, but it covers all of the possiblities.

Many CD players automatically start playing as soon as they are powered up. For this reason, simply turning the power on and off when a zone is turned on or off creates premature wear on the CD changer. It can be playing for hours without any demand for it.
It is ideal, however, to kill the power to the CD changer when none of the zones are activated. For this purpose alone, I would reccomend connecting each of the status outputs of the ZPR-68 through diodes to a Xantech AC-1 or home-made power relay (very easy to make by installing a 12-volt relay inside a power strip to switch the AC).

Now for the more challenging part... You can use a Xantech CC62, which is a bank of six DPDT relays, with each seperately switching the positive side of a common 12-volt power supply through diodes to a Xantech 599-00 pulse generator, which triggers either an stop or play command for the CD changer. Each of the six relays can be programmed with a seperate on and off command with six different sets of codes. When you push any source button other than CD, an off command (part of the sequence) turns off the relay dedicated to that zone. If the "CD" button is pushed, that same relay switches on. Each zone has a dedicated relay (there are six of them on the CC62), each of which can switch 12 Volts to the 599. If the 599 receives 12 Volts from any of the relays, the CD will get a "Play" command. Likewise, if none of the zones is in the CD mode, none of the relays will feed 12V to the 599, which will then activate an off command for the CD. The "relay off command" will be programmed into each of the function buttons other than CD. The relay off command will also be programmed into the "Off" sequence.

The advantages of this setup are many:
1. The CD will only play if one or more of the zones has had the CD button pushed.
2. The CD will only stop if none of the zones is using the CD.
3. The CD will ignore stop commands created by turning just one zone to another source or off, if another zone is still using the CD.
4. The CD doesn't have to run through another initial "inventory cycle" , as it ordinarily does when power is interrupted every time the CD mode is used.
5. It is not imperative to switch the power of the CD changer off or on, if you want to save money. The most important thing is to stop the mechanism, which this circuit will do.
6. The 590 could also be used for numerous infrared sub-routines triggered by status, dry contact, or any other type of switch.
7. The logic of this circuit cannot be thrown out of sync by people manually operating the CD player or pushing stop or play on the keypad.

I know this idea can be a bit expensive, but it definately solves the problem. If you need more information or you can't visualize this circuit, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

I just reviewed my suggestion from yesterday and I realize that I forgot to mention that the Xantech 599 pulse generator needs to be connected to a Xantech 590 (or equivilent) infrared learner. The stop and play commands of the CD player are stored in the learner.

That's the problem with giving advice late at night-- I get forgetful.

A diagram makes the circuit a lot easier to understand. I is actually very easy to assemble and program this circuit, even though the parts add up fast.

E-mail me if you want a diagram.

Keith