I am a level C4 quadriplegic and use a box called a Envicom 10
(Environmental Control Unit) It is used to control electrical appliances,
such as a fan or a lamp etc, by use of a single puff switch. It has a row of
red lights along the front, with each light representing each appliance,
plugged into the back. A tube plugs into a puff switch also on the front
panel, the other end of the tube leads over to my bed, so when I am in bed,
I can puff into the tube. When I puff once, the first red light flashes on
for a few seconds then goes off, then the next light, then the next and so
on. There are ten lights and after the last light flashers, it goes back to
the first light and it cycles through the lights about 20 times then stops.
So I can make the lights cycle by one puff and then I puff when one of the
lights is on and that appliance comes on or off. So for example, if I
wanted to turn one the reading lamp, I would puff once, the lights move,
then when the light gets to the reading lamp, I puff and it comes on. On the
back of the unit, there is about 5 places to plug in appliances. Also on the
back there are also places to plug in two bared wires, these are simple
on/off relays for controlling things like triggering alarms, call buzzers
etc. I think they are low voltage relays.

I would like to control my air conditioner, but to turn on the air
conditioner, I need to use the Remote Control which came with the aircon.
So if I could wire the Envicom unit relay to the on/off button on my remote,
I could control my aircon by puffing into the air tube in bed. Is there a
gadget which has a relay input and a IR transmitter? I hope this hasn't
confused people, but I'm wanting to find a solution. Any suggestions would
be very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

brizzy bloke wrote:
I am a level C4 quadriplegic and use a box called a Envicom 10
(Environmental Control Unit) It is used to control electrical appliances,
such as a fan or a lamp etc, by use of a single puff switch. It has a row of
red lights along the front, with each light representing each appliance,
plugged into the back. A tube plugs into a puff switch also on the front
panel, the other end of the tube leads over to my bed, so when I am in bed,
I can puff into the tube. When I puff once, the first red light flashes on
for a few seconds then goes off, then the next light, then the next and so
on. There are ten lights and after the last light flashers, it goes back to
the first light and it cycles through the lights about 20 times then stops.
So I can make the lights cycle by one puff and then I puff when one of the
lights is on and that appliance comes on or off. So for example, if I
wanted to turn one the reading lamp, I would puff once, the lights move,
then when the light gets to the reading lamp, I puff and it comes on. On the
back of the unit, there is about 5 places to plug in appliances. Also on the
back there are also places to plug in two bared wires, these are simple
on/off relays for controlling things like triggering alarms, call buzzers
etc. I think they are low voltage relays.

I would like to control my air conditioner, but to turn on the air
conditioner, I need to use the Remote Control which came with the aircon.
So if I could wire the Envicom unit relay to the on/off button on my remote,
I could control my aircon by puffing into the air tube in bed. Is there a
gadget which has a relay input and a IR transmitter? I hope this hasn't
confused people, but I'm wanting to find a solution. Any suggestions would
be very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

I think an easier solution is take the remote apart and add a couple of
wire to the same traces that the pushputton closes and then connect
those wires to your Envicom Unit.
You would need turn the Envicon relay on and off to simulate the button
being pushed and released

Dan

On 2006-06-15, brizzy bloke wrote:
I am a level C4 quadriplegic and use a box called a Envicom 10
(Environmental Control Unit) It is used to control electrical appliances,
such as a fan or a lamp etc, by use of a single puff switch. It has a row of
red lights along the front, with each light representing each appliance,
plugged into the back. A tube plugs into a puff switch also on the front
panel, the other end of the tube leads over to my bed, so when I am in bed,
I can puff into the tube. When I puff once, the first red light flashes on
for a few seconds then goes off, then the next light, then the next and so
on. There are ten lights and after the last light flashers, it goes back to
the first light and it cycles through the lights about 20 times then stops.
So I can make the lights cycle by one puff and then I puff when one of the
lights is on and that appliance comes on or off. So for example, if I
wanted to turn one the reading lamp, I would puff once, the lights move,
then when the light gets to the reading lamp, I puff and it comes on. On the
back of the unit, there is about 5 places to plug in appliances. Also on the
back there are also places to plug in two bared wires, these are simple
on/off relays for controlling things like triggering alarms, call buzzers
etc. I think they are low voltage relays.


I would like to control my air conditioner, but to turn on the air
conditioner, I need to use the Remote Control which came with the aircon.
So if I could wire the Envicom unit relay to the on/off button on my remote,
I could control my aircon by puffing into the air tube in bed.


Is there a gadget which has a relay input and a IR transmitter?

a relay contacts aren't radically different to push buttons...

get a tv repair dude to do a modification to the remote, adding wires to the
remote where the on/off button is. (this will works best if the Envicom 10
can do momentary switches - on then off from a single puff after selecting
the apropriate output)

I hope this hasn't confused people, but I'm wanting to find a solution.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

find a TV repair dude who does house calls.
all should be good

OTOH google pointed me this way: http://www.tecsol.com.au
they have a unit for TVs, you may want to check them out first.

Bye.
Jasen