Custom Component: LiteTouch

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61

Hey guys! The integration has been pretty solid, it has been working good. I´ve had a couple of configuration errors that now are fixed. Only issue we had, which was not with the integration really, was with a dimmer which is programmed only as on/off (no dimming) on the keypad, so when you change the dimming in HA, there is no physical way to change the brightness and it stays on the HA brightness setting when toggling the physical switch on/off. just a quirk with the programming. I haven´t been able to test it on the other system yet, because of the virus I haven´t been able to go and install the system yet. Will be looking forward for the new configuration. Keep up the good work and again I really appreciate this! Stay safe.

62

Hey Guys, i´ve been having an issue where sometimes random lights show as on, when they are have been turned off with the physical button. As if HA has not received the off status

63

Are you using v4.0 from HACS or the latest from my github? If not, please update and let me know. If you are please see below.

Mind enabling logging component and then send to me after a light hasn’t been updated? It could be a number of things. Examples: Lost connection to controller (although I haven’t had this problem since the latest update I made)

logger:
  default: critical
  logs:
    custom_components.litetouch: debug
    pylitetouch.pylitetouch: debug
64

I was using the 4.0 version, have updated just now and will let you know

65

HI - total Home Assistant newbie here.
My house has an old LiteTouch system (5000lc based), and I’ve been programming LiteWare for it on and off, expanding functionality. I’m now getting more serious about expanding the system, so this thread is interesting to me, but I don’t know much about Home Assistant. I have done some integration with ISY and Insteon, but I’m limited to using relays and contact closure for information exchange.
I am an ex-C-programmer, so programming isn’t an issue.

It appears you’re connecting to the LiteTouch CCU via its ethernet port. My current CCU is so old it doesn’t have ethernet. Since I’m worried about failures with now LiteTouch support, I have been buying spare components and just got a space CCU, which has ethernet, so I suppose I could reprogram this new CCU and swap it in. (BTW, do you know where to get LiteTouch CCU firmware?)

BTW, I’m happy to help anyone out with LiteWare programming. I’ve setup several custom programs, including things like double-tap switch handling. One thought I had was that it’d be better to drive LiteTouch switches from HA rather than modules like dimmers directly. In LiteWare you can create phantom switches, or you could buy used switches on eBay pretty cheap and just keep them in a closet. While I suspect your first thought is that you’d want to keep your logic in HA, grouping for scenes in LiteWare is easy and probably more controllable for dimming rates and such - and assuming you’re still using your LiteTouch keypads it makes sense to have the same functionality available through the wall keypads.
TIA

66

Welcome! Yes, I’m using the ethernet port. There is a way to use the serial connection, however, not being a real programmer I’m not exactly sure how to start to put that in here.

All available LiteTouch documentation and firmware is located here: https://support.savant.com/help/articles/Support_Article/LiteTouch-and-SavantLighting-Legacy-Support-Documentation-Software-Firmware

I do have all scenes and everything set up as loads and load groups in LiteWare and have pushed updates to the controller. This interface connects to the controller and can interact with load groups or buttons themselves. I’m sure its not a proper way to do the integration but it works perfectly for my use. I built it more as a challenge to myself and figured others may be able to use it as well!

Home Assistant is built using Python which is I believe is built on top of C. It is fairly user friendly, but is much easier for those with some coding/scripting experience. Home Assistant has components and the components then directly interfaces with a library in python. This just means that all interfacing occurs in the library and the component just interfaces with the library.

The component is here:

The Library is here:

Feel free to take a look and ask any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.

67

I swapped my ccu to use pat mans program and it was so worth it. Now controlling Litetouch as I walk through house on Apple Watch or via anything else smart in the house. It is amazing.

Weird but when I swapped my ccu to upload the prg it wouldn’t recognize until I swapped my modem card as well. Very strange but I had an extra so no biggie.

68

@smorgasbord sounds like we had some of the similar issues. I think it has to do with how the switch is programmed in lite ware. I reset some of my scenes to “dimming scenes” in my life ware org and the buttons staying on or led’s staying on seemed to be fixed. I had a temp workaround and only fixed a couple scenes, but yeah I’d give lite ware and changing the scenes to dimming scenes if they control more than 1 load and then the buttons aren’t confused.

69

Does anyone else have issues with LED light bulbs flickering on a litetouch system?

70

Yeah, the cheaper ones. I bought some of these:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/your-account/order-history/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search?opt=ab&search=led

and

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B077DNH27P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No flickering with these.

I did have a dimmer module’s line that was going that caused some flickering. I moved some lights off of a load to a another dimmer, remapped the load in LiteWare and that resolved the flickering issue.

71

@PaulyBoy888 @xtian47

Pull the latest manifest.json from the github. Otherwise next month upgrade won’t load litetouch.

72

There he is!! Thanks @patmann03
Curious. I turned off my updating. Any reason it wouldn’t worth off my hass is set to not update?

73

If you’re not updating, it won’t impact it. But it also wouldn’t impact it if you just put this file in there.

74

Thanks! I just updated

75

Hi Guys,
I am completely new to this forum. As a matter of fact I just signed up in to Home Assistant. I was looking for any solutions to my existing LiteTouch system which is very old. I think it was installed in 1993. This is prior to LC5000. This is CCU 2000 which is a plug-in board in to a 386 PC with ISA bus. There is a modem module but it is not installed and there are no ethernet ports. I would appreciate it if some one can guide me how I can integrate Hass and through what interface. Thanks.

76

Hi, welcome. Unfortunately I have no experience with that controller nor integrating without the modem. The integration I built relies on TCP/IP connectivity to interact with the controller. It would need to be modified to work with a serial port which I don’t have experience with.

The integration I wrote I’m pretty certain only works with the 5000LC & the later Savant SSL-P018 (which is actually what I have).

77

Hi Patmann03 for the quick response. Let me see if I can get more specifics and If I have an option to convert to LC5000 at this point. Thanks again.

78

I am trying to help my dad remotely with his LiteTouch 5000LC. It took an electrical hit and it seems that the CCU is shot. The status lights just go around in a serpentine pattern and every time he cycles the power the house lighting does something different (some on, some off, some pads work, some don’t). I was hoping to connect to the system with the serial cable and “export” the current configuration so that he can by new CCU cards and we can just push it back. Candidly i’m not sure if the laptop with Liteware 4.0 is even “connecting to the system”… (Is there a way i will know)? Once connected can I export, then open the programming files to see if they seem to have the switch panel data? He’s old and has parkinsons so I’m doing all I can remotely through “teamviewer” on an old Windows 7 laptop I sent… USB to Serial connector.

79

  1. Serpentine pattern is the “up and running” pattern, so that should mean everything’s cool as far as the CPU goes. So I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that one of cards is bad based on that.

  2. That at startup things behave differently, is, however, not right. It would be good to see the Startup program to be sure it’s not doing something random on purpose though.

  3. In addition to the LiteWare4.1 program there’s also a LiteTouch program called “Control Panel.” Yeah, not a great name. But it’s good for communicating with the LiteTouch 5000LC. Start it up and then try the “Get” button under “Computer Clock.” If it’s properly connected and configure the LiteTouch time will show in the panel in the window. If it’s not connected you’ll get a message like “Serial Port Exception: The port is closed.”

If it’s not working, then you need to choose the right Serial Port (one of the COMX) and then a baud rate. Might as well make sure the “Connection Type” is “Serial” as well unless you’re connecting through the ethernet port or Modem card. If the USB to Serial connector is plugged in BEFORE starting up LiteWare, you should find that Control Panel will find it and automatically populate things.

Anyway, once Control Panel is talking to the 5000LC (getting time works), you can then go to the Diagnostics tab and run Module Tests and Keypad Tests. You can run these in loops in case you have something intermittent.

That should get you started. Let m know how that part goes.

80

This is great info. I will see if I can ensure there is connectivity, because it sounds like, if there is, once LiteWare loads it will populate the current info on the configuration screens. Interestingly, when i go to export, one error does popup and says “no startup program found”… But it sounds like i may not even be connected. It does create a file on my PC though instead of erroring out. Is there a programming manual? I have the install manual but that’s more for the wiriring.