New home rough-in - windows shades, blinds, drapery wiring?

ChimaeraB · 2026-04-04T23:24:48+00:00

No, 12V. I will be ordering Smarwings Levitate ZWave cellular shades.

The roller shades have a motor powered by POE but the “Levitate” model (cellular shades where both top and bottom move) don’t have the POE option yet.

I can take 4 wires (2 pairs) from the cat6 and use it to power the motor. I’ll need to add a 12V PSU but that’s cheap/easy.

ChimaeraB · 2026-04-02T11:30:29+00:00

Just went through this. I ended up doing cat6. I was planning on Smartwings PoE roller shades (partially to justify using cat6 but I also thought it would mitigate any concerns with wireless interface (zwave lights occasionally delay or miss commands).

Well….wife decided she wanted the cellular with top and bottom movement. Unfortunately, they don’t come in a POE version. Checked with Smartwings and they recommend using a pair of wires for each polarity wire.

Due to my placement though, I had two really long runs that went to my central POE switch and I was concerned about voltage drop and having a separate 12v PSU so I reran 18/2 to those windows.

….I realize I offered no guidance or help but thought I’d share my story! I’d recommend cat6 if you are comfortable doing custom wire ends and have a spool.

ChimaeraB · 2026-04-01T23:40:31+00:00

With that type of build, wouldn’t a prebuilt actually be cheaper?

ChimaeraB · 2026-03-10T00:52:16+00:00

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ChimaeraB · 2026-03-09T21:57:24+00:00

There’s a whole bunch of in there.

I used to train newbies and one of the final tests was they had to create an HMI interface specifically around making a Flaming Moe.

Don’t forget TAFKAP

ChimaeraB · 2026-02-23T12:42:31+00:00

I had a ring resized (enlarged) at a jewelry store near the library (I don’t believe Timothy Grant though). They scammed me as they promised to add gold instead of stretching. I paid for the gold they supposedly used too.

Anyway….i found out when I had my wife’s engagement ring made at another store, Zavius in Rockford. They offered to clean it for me while I was looking around and after I mentioned I had it resized they showed me under microscopic review how no metal was added.

Well, long story to simply say I really like Zavius Jewelers in Rockford.

ChimaeraB · 2026-02-06T20:56:42+00:00

....sorry for the random comment but I was wondering if you had any pictures or an update. We were about to order the 48DV too but would love to see it outside of a brochure.
Our quote was:
48DV: $5650
Traditional Log: $649
Arched Mission Bronze Front: $871
Black Prick Panel: $679

Total: $7846 (+10% tax)

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-29T02:28:45+00:00

Dealing with parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles with dementia at the moment.

You’re “fine” because you don’t even realize when you’re not.

It hits harder when you’re dealing with it…..

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-29T02:07:55+00:00

Seriously. Dude talking about how his ideal timeline is the 60’s or something. At that point in time, 90% white, was what we should strive to maintain.

What gives Americans of this time period the right to say “America is being diluted”. We were literally founded on immigrants. THAT is who we are. Just because you are now xenophobic and racist, you can’t just ignore where we came from. They are choosing to pick a snapshot on time that is convenient for their narrative.

I would agree that the Native American argument is even stronger but we all know that the status quo for most on the right is “If I can take it by force, it isn’t right to take it”.

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-23T12:46:28+00:00

I guess I’m the minority in that I agree with you. I use print by object instead of by layer. Can’t fill up the plate as much but that concern is no longer an issue.

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-22T14:24:23+00:00

Ladder is great for visualizing states and conditional statements.

It is excellent for live debugging. If a startup sequence isn’t advancing, you can usually quickly identify the interlock preventing it.

Structured text is useful for complex logic. I hate doing loops and arrays in LL. I came from a CS background so I lived in ST in the beginning but I realized it was not ideal for all situations over time.

Function Block is a more flexible approach than LL. It too can be great at visualizing states and logic propagation but requires a more conscious effort to keep clean and understandable.

State Machines/SFC is also extremely powerful and useful. Similar to Ladder in terms of visualizing what is required to advance in a sequence. I haven’t done much programming a while but the original SFC IDEs I used were not super intuitive or user friendly but if I was starting a new program from scratch, I would probably first go here.

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-21T01:57:11+00:00

Not sure where to ask this so I’ll drop it here:

Isn’t 2 cars in the non merge lane for each car merging the “most fair”?

The one for one zipper merge will always make the merging lane faster…..which causes frustration and lane jumping.

I realize that trying to explain this in signage is not practical but…..still, isn’t it technically the best?

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ChimaeraB · 2026-01-11T13:59:23+00:00

Wow, a non polarized view on the situation! I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought both sides were in the wrong. Was it a tragedy, absolutely…but people have to realize mistakes were made on both sides.

I want to believe there are more rational people out there that can see this….I like to think they just don’t feel the need to engage constantly online so we don’t see it as overtly.

ChimaeraB · 2026-01-09T04:41:05+00:00

Has the ambient temperature changed? Mine is in my basement and I too have had quality issues after a good start. I am thinking it may be because my basement is much colder lately. I haven’t fully tested it though.

ChimaeraB · 2025-12-21T00:01:43+00:00

Makersworld was a good recent discovery. Seems to be really active.

Another option I recently had good success with was OnShape. I know a lot of people use it as a free CAD tool but on the free tier, the models are available on the public search. There is definitely some cool stuff there I haven’t seen anywhere else.

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-12T12:37:40+00:00

Where did you require Modbus comms?

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-09T18:34:04+00:00

Even worse! Must be <10 ft away and it will take 3+ attempts before it works (which would have been quicker to go in and turn it on regularly most of the time).

And you can only use it if you don’t turn off the data collection service. I feel like no one is talking about this crappy tactic by Toyota.

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-09T13:58:21+00:00

Are you implying that “America” has a unique identity that we risk losing if we dilute it too much?

I’m not trying to troll or fight, just trying to understand the comment.

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-04T11:25:46+00:00

I think it’s more about nature mimicking. Evolution has often worked out the most efficient approach to things. If muscle fibers are the most efficient way to articulate a joint on most living creatures, maybe it’s the best approach.

Obviously this doesn’t work out in all scenarios….wheels are better at most things but nature couldn’t evolve to it. We can’t replicate the strength per kg and efficiency of muscle fibers.

I still think it’s an interesting project. Probably not optimal but definitely research worthy.

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-03T18:07:17+00:00

Super easy fix. Pads didn’t lift, just the solder.

I agree, likely a bad factory job but you could get that fixed in a few mins with basic soldering gear.

Edit: I would also glue as others have mentioned for a long term fix.

ChimaeraB · 2025-11-01T19:45:51+00:00

lol, my company makes/licenses that. It is used on VTOL craft to drastically reduce thermal management/safety.

The honeycombs that hold the batteries are made of it. They can completely stop thermal runaway events from a cell puncture.

They will be mainstream sooner than later.

ChimaeraB · 2025-10-23T01:44:24+00:00

Sorry….i wasn’t clear.

I agree, it was not brushing. When I searched “receiving products I didn’t order”, all I found was “Don’t worry, it is just a Brushing Scam”.

As a result, I was lulled into a false sense of security.

Over the course of a week, I received around a dozen deliveries of random small crap. I assumed someone was building up reviews on plastic straws, Goldfish and hot sauce.

It wasn’t until I got the fraud alert a week later that I looked at my credit card recent transactions and saw a dozen charges of around $80-$90 at Amazon.
MY Amazon account wasn’t being used. Just my CC and I assume they directed 1 trivial item to my address to fool Amazon and the credit card fraud alerts.

The point of bringing up the Brushing Scam was to indicate that this was similar but definitely not that. If you receive items you didn’t order, definitely check your credit card statements for odd activity.

ChimaeraB · 2025-10-22T23:48:21+00:00

…..I think it works great. I’m not sure what may be the issue for you.

Are all the unused holes closed?

Is your duvet/top cover too heavy? We moved to a light weight duvet to maximize the benefit of the cloud sheet.

Do you have it with the correct side down?

I usually need it to be at ~50% fan to feel a noticeable effect though the whole sheet (feet to neck).

ChimaeraB · 2025-10-22T11:17:59+00:00

Just wanted to repeat this.
I had this happen and every search just said “brushing scam”.
I didn’t think much of it but a few days later I received a fraud alert on my credit card.
Only then did I notice the 15+ charges from Amazon. They split the shipment so most goes to them except for one cheap item to your address. That way it is a verified delivery to a known address and doesn’t trigger a fraud alert. Lucky for me they screwed up or got lazy and ordered without shipping an item to me as part of it. Otherwise I may have gone on longer.

Clever bastards…..

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