You probably received an older version. Send an email to sales@simplehomenet requesting an RMA and you will need to send back your module.

It sounds from the description that you may have a signal problem with your network, preventing reliable communications between the PLC and the EZRain. Please check for signal filters, or other signal-attenuating devices such as surge-protected extension cords, etc that may be actually causing signal degradation.

If the unit is defective, then it is best to return it where you purchased it. We added some features to the firmware (version 2.0) to enable linking the EZRain to a controller such as the KeypadLinc. However, the version of firmware that you have works as advertised. Should you wish your unit to be upgraded to 2.0 firmware, you can write to us for an RMA, and then send your unit postage paid for us to upgrade.

Jason,

I also am having communication problems using the EZRain utility. When I attempt to GET or STORE times, it starts downloading the times and then hangs up, usually on the 2nd dot of the progress bar. I spoke with Simplehomenet and they concluded that it was a communication problem caused by filters or noise. I moved my PLC and EZRain unit to other circuits/outlets, set up the software on another computer, and I tried this with both my 2814 and 2414 PLC. I was told that when you first run the utility, it should show the ID of both the PLC and the EZRain units. I always see the EZRain ID, but I have to click the Reconnect Button, before get the PLC ID to show up. I can send commands to manually open and close the valves, but I experience about a 20% failure rate. When I use the Houselinc software to control the EZRain directly, I experience 100% accuracy.

I get the same results with everything I have tried so far. I still have some more testing to do, but as of now I am suspecting that the EZrain Utility Software may be the problem.

One further item: Once I also noticed that the blue led on the EZRain went off. I unplugged the unit, plugged it back in, the led blinked a few times, then went solid and it has not gone off since.

I hope some of this helps.
-George

I uninstalled the current version, downloaded a new copy and installed it. When I run the program it indicates version 110806_A. The program still does not immediately find my PLC, although it does show the EZrain Module Id.

If I click ‘Reconnect to PLC’ it immediately finds my PLC ID.

I entered a ‘1’ in the Zone1/Program1 box and clicked the ‘Store’ Button. Only one time I was able to complete the Store function with the status bar completely going to the right side and the status changing from ‘busy’ to ‘ready’ again. I did this several times and usually it hangs up.

I then put a ‘1’ in the Zone1/Manual box and clicked ‘Store’. This time the I only got to 4 dots on the progress bar with the status stuck showing ‘busy’ and the box shows the ‘1’ on a light blue background. I can press the ‘Stop Diagnostics’ button to bring the status back to ‘ready’ with the edit box now showing the ‘1’ on a white background. At this point I can use the ‘Manual Zone Control’ button to turn Zone 1 on and off, but it only works some of the time.

I shut down the utility and ran it again. Once more I had to click the ‘Reconnect to PLC’ button. I ran the Manual column ‘Get’. It started to run and then hung up. However it did read in the ‘1’ to Zone1/Manual Box so it appears the store I did above worked to some extent. I again had to use the ‘Stop Diagnostic’ button to get the status back to ready. Now I was once again manually control the zone, but only some of the time.

Some additional information:
System OS is XP fully updated
SDM version is 308
Firmware is 2.13
PLC is 2414u Rev 2.0
Testing was done with no other copy of SDM running.
I can manually control zone 1 using the Houselinc Desktop software with 100% accuracy.

Please provide suggestions as what to try next.

Thanks,
George.

Sorry, I am definitely running the older version. It seems that when I use Firefox to download the utility, I get the older version (283kb). When I use IE6 to download here at work, I get the new version (294kb). I repeated this several times and consistently download different versions.

I don’t know why the browser should matter, but I downloaded the new version, installed it on and now see the correct version number (032907).

I will download and install the new version tonight at home, and post the results.

Thanks
George

BLH,
You may have identified some of the problem. I have had a problem in the past running some programs requiring Direct X with the 2414u connected. Consequently, I usually leave the 2414u disconnected from the computer unless I need it. I did not consider the possibility of it affecting things the other way.

Simplehomenet,
After I installed the new version, I did some testing and basically nothing changed from what I described in my earlier post.

However:
If I first load HouseLinc Desktop and then open up EZRain, the PLC id is immediately identified and I can Get and Store times without it hanging up. I can open and close EZRain and it consistently works, although it is a little slow, taking about 10 seconds to process the zones 8 time settings.

I tried to first open just the SDM and then run EZRain. Here the PLC was identified immediately, but I did get hangs when trying to Get or Store. I went back again to first running HouseLinc and once again everything ran fine.

When I run Houselinc the SDM shows 2 connections. When I then run EZRain the SDM then shows 3 connections. If I just run EZRain the SDM shows 1 connection. If I load the SDM first and then run EZRain, the SDM shows 1 connection. I am not sure if this has any significance.

That’s about a far as I got tonight.

Does the SDM3 icon show on you task bar when the utility starts?
Besides starting SDM3 HouseLinc desktop also does a few commands to the PLM like isresponding. Look at the advanced section of the logs tab and you will see what is being sent. Maybe that is waking up or connecting to the PLM so the EZRain Utility can find it.
If you do not have a Direct Input Device; just DirectX 9. The most I have seen is I needed a reconnect to start, but that was the EZIOXX Utility.