Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Next revision		 Previous revision
simulate_sunrise [2009/04/24 21:31] – created jaysimulate_sunrise [2026/04/07 18:27] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
Line 1: Line 1:
 +====== How to simulate sunrise using a dimmable light ======
 +We often get asked how to simulate sunrise by gradually increasing the brightness of a lamp over a longish period of time. There are a bunch of different ways of doing this, some specific to the technology, others requiring AppleScript. The first scenario here will be technology-agnostic and not require AppleScript so that both Pro and Lite customers can use this technique.
 +
 +===== Any technology, no AppleScript Scenario =====
 +This technique has the following components:
 +  * a schedule that, at the appropriate time in the morning, enables the following schedule and sets it to automatically disable after a certain amount of time
 +  * a schedule that repeats every minute, gradually brightening the light
 +  * optionally, a trigger that will cancel the whole shebang by setting disabling the schedule above and turning off the light
 +
 +So, here's our scenario description: at 5:00am, I want my beside lamp to begin brightening gradually over 20 minutes until it reaches 100%. I also have an X10 remote control that, when I push B1 OFF, it turns the light off and cancels the simulation. OK, with that in mind, let's get started.
 +
 +== First, we'll create the Schedule that actually brightens the light ==
 +  - Select **''Schedules''** from the **''View''** menu
 +  - Click the **''New...''** button at the top of the Schedule List
 +  - Name it **''Sunrise Simulation''**
 +  - In the **''Time:''** section, click the radio button beside **''Every''** and change the **''minutes''** text field to 1
 +  - Click on the **''Actions''** tab
 +  - Select **''Device Actions→Light/Appliance Controls→Brighten by %''** from the **''Action:''** popup
 +  - Select your lamp from the **''Device:''** popup
 +  - Enter **''5''** into the **''Amount:''** text field
 +  - Click the **''OK''** button, and then, in the Schedule list, uncheck the checkbox beside the "Sunrise Simulation" to disable it for the moment
 +
 +== Next, let's create the Schedule that will start the simulation at 5:00am ==
 +  - Click the **''New...''** button at the top of the Schedule List
 +  - Name it **''Start Sunrise Simulation''**
 +  - In the **''Time:''** section, change the time in the first box to **''5:00am''**
 +  - Click on the **''Actions''** tab
 +  - Select **''Server Actions->Enable/Disable/Reload Actions->Enable Schedule''** from the **''Type:''** popup
 +  - Select **''Sunrise Simulation''** from the **''Enable:''** popup
 +  - Click on the **''Auto-disable after''** checkbox and enter **''0:20:00''** into the time selector field
 +  - Click the **''OK''** button
 +
 +== Finally, create the trigger so that when we see a B1 OFF, we stop everything ==
 +  - Select **''Trigger Action List''** from the **''View''** menu
 +  - Name it **''Stop Sunrise Simulation''**
 +  - Select **''X10/RF Command Received''** from the **''Type:''** popup
 +  - Select **''Off''** from the **''Received:''** popup
 +  - Click on the **''Address''** radio in the **''From:''** section and select B and 1
 +  - Click on the **''Actions''** tab
 +  - Select **''Server Actions->Enable/Disable/Reload Actions->Disable Schedule''** from the **''Type:''** popup
 +  - Select **''Sunrise Simulation''** from the **''Disable:''** popup
 +  - Click on the **''Add New''** button at the lower left side of the window to add another action
 +  - Select **''Device Actions->Light/Appliance Controls->Turn Off''** from the **''Type:''** popup
 +  - Select your lamp from the **''Device:''** popup
 +  - Click the **''OK''** button
 +\\
 +That's it! Now, every morning at 5:00am, you'll get a simulated sunrise over 20 minutes, and if you hit the B1 OFF button on your X10 remote, it will stop it and turn the light back off. Obviously, there are several things you can adjust about this: the amount of time that it takes, the ramp rate, use a different remote, etc. But you get the general idea.