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UCM CBUS workaround for time-sync issue?
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 Posted: Monday Apr 23rd, 2012 04:59 pm
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Pgordon
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A number of years ago, when I first implemented my CBUS Wiser unit, I experienced problems which took quite some time to track down - initially I believed it was a Comfort problem, but what turned out to be the case was that Comfort's time was being re-set via the UCM-CBUS from the time set in the Wiser.. - the problem was I *could* not get the Wiser to obey DST settings, with the result that it was setting comforts time an hour behind reality. After a week or 2 of investingating this, you provided me with a work-around to prevent the behaviour by making a change to the CBUS UCM if I remember correctly. That has been fine, - right up until the other day when I decided the time had come to upgrade my ancient CBUS UCM (socketed chip) to the newer flash-upgradable model... - I had *totally* forgotten about these time-sync issues, but of course now it is back... I noticed that comforts time is an hour behind, - and then I remembered this issue!
Trouble is, I can't remember what the workaround was, and I can't find the topic in the forums...
Can you remind me what was suggested in order to prevent Comfort from setting its time via CBUS?
Note, that thus far I've just done a UCM hardware swap & panel reset.. apart from the timesync issue, it is working fine.
Obviously I will now re-visit the underlying cause of the problem & see if newer Wiser firmware allows me to force it to keep the correct time, but it would still be useful (in case Wiser still won't play nice), to know how (if) I can prevent the time error from syncing through to Comfort.

TIA

Paul G.



 Posted: Tuesday Apr 24th, 2012 03:14 am
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ident
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What was the workaround supposed to do? Stop Cbus from updating Comfort time?
I cannot find any record of this



 Posted: Tuesday Apr 24th, 2012 08:44 am
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Pgordon
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Yes, that was exactly it... - I actually have found the original post - here: http://www.comfortforums.com/view_topic.php?id=1803&forum_id=77&highlight=wiser
but the "fix" you provided for me isn't mentioned, so I suspect it must have been sent via a PM/email...
I really can't remember the details, - apart from the fact that it's actually CBUS that is at fault, for not honouring DST, but I do recall you were able to suggest a workaround that worked by, as you say, somehow turning off the time-sync ocurring through the UCM...
However, last night, I flashed the latest firmware onto the Wiser, and I *think* I have been able to get it to keep the correct time... - at least it has so far... once I got the time set correctly in the Wiser unit, I observed that Comfort synced with it almost immediately, and it has stayed correct overnight and up to this morning..
Fingers crossed that this will be an end to it!
however, - IF you can remember what the workaround you suggested to me last time was, it might still be useful to know it just in case... :-)

Thanks!

Paul G.



 Posted: Tuesday Apr 24th, 2012 09:32 am
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Pgordon
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Getting closer... - this other thread discusses the same issue in some considerable detail, and mentions the "fix" I am referring to as being implemented in the CBUS Diagnostic utility:
http://www.comfortforums.com/view_topic.php?id=1777&forum_id=11&highlight=wiser
And follow this couple of links in the 8th post there over another detailed discussion of the same issue on the CBUS forums...
Re-reading all this old stuff, it seems that both CBUS and perhaps the (as then) Comfort UCM-CBUS were both partly at fault in the way they were interoperating regarding time sync? comments refer to future upgrades to the UCM rectifying some of the issues with modified behaviour... - would I be right in assuming that this brand new UCM-CBUS that I got just last week would contain aforementioned fixes?
Given that last night I seem to have been able to (with the newset Wiser firmware) get it to look like it has the right time, and that Comfort's time has remained correct overnight, hopefully both sides have implemented updates that have resolved these incompatibilities...

Thanks

Paul G.



 Posted: Tuesday Apr 24th, 2012 12:10 pm
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The UCM/Cbus firmware DST was fixed in firmware 5.235 see  http://www.comfortforums.com/forum85/2293.html


It just happens that the Cbus forum has posts about a similar problem happening with other security panels (the types that are not as good as Comfort;))
http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7489



 Posted: Wednesday Apr 25th, 2012 11:11 am
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Pgordon
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Yup, I'm happy to report, that now after 48 hours or so, my comfort time still appears to be correct, and stable...

I guess the initial repetition of this problem was because the time had *always* been wrong in CBUS - ever since I first experienced the problem all those years ago, so when I replaced my CBUS-UCM - Without the application filter applied to it as was the best workaround back then, of course it allowed the still incorect time to sync through from CBUS into Comfort...

Since flashing the Wiser up to the latest firmware, that does seem to have allowed me to get that unit to behave correctly, and set the right time in CBUS - for the first time ever! - and having done so, CBUS's now correct time is syncing through to Comfort...

Panic over!

I do have one other quick question relating to DST settings though if I may... - can you remind me how the sunrise & sunset times behave through the DST change? - I have a recollection of reading a post years ago that said the times entered in Comfigurator do *NOT* have the DST offset applied to them.. - i.e. all times are in UTC?... - and thus right now, (week 17 I believe) the time entered for sunset should be entered an hour behind current BST??? - i.e. if over my house, sunset is at (say) 19:30BST, I should enter it into comfigurator as 18:30?? - is this correct? (if it is, its darn confusing!) - Or am I totally mistaken here? - should the sunset time be entered in the local time with any DST offset applied? (which is much more logical and easy to work with!)

Thanks

Paul G.



 Posted: Wednesday Apr 25th, 2012 01:14 pm
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The sunrise and sunset times are explained in this post http://www.comfortforums.com/forum92/1004.html

The Sunrise and Sunset times are NOT adjusted for daylight saving, which is only practical otherwise if a place decide to change the start or end date of their DST then the tables would need to be re-done

You can say they are in UTC only for your time zone (ie UK)

So the sunrise and sunset times do not take into account daylight saving

If your sunset tonight is 19:30 (British Summer Time), the sunset time on your table for this week should be 18:30, as this would be the time if not for daylight saving



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