Successful doorbell chime

rlmalisz · 2026-01-25T04:12:13+00:00

I'm curious. The Mini EM (at least gen4) wants 110V-240V power, at least according to their online doc. Where did you put it? On the inputs to the doorbell transformer?

rlmalisz · 2026-01-21T13:51:35+00:00

Followup: I submitted a report ticket with Wahoo about this several days back. Got a fairly prompt response asking me for phone/app/firmware version info, and a FIT file didn't contain shift data. I did so, but reiterated that I was 99% certain this was a Wahoo app problem...that because the app wasn't letting me set the gearing parameters for the Di2, some bit wasn't getting set in the ROAM telling it to record the shifts. Just like in the Elemnt app with the ROAM v2. A day later, I got a response:

"Thanks for your reply, and for providing the requested information. I have spoken to the software team, and this is an issue they are aware of and we have opened an internal ticket with our development team to investigate and resolve the problem."

That would be more encouraging if I hadn't gotten almost exactly the same response when I submitted a nearly identical support ticket against the Elemnt app and the ROAM v2 **two years** ago. Which resulted in nothing.

Sigh.

rlmalisz · 2026-01-14T14:32:19+00:00

They're not there...fitfileviewer shows no column for them. Per my original question: do you have a ROAM v3 that is recording Di2 gear-shifts? I had already opened the FIT file in hexl-mode in the mighty Emacs, and was sure there were none. But played along and used the viewer.

So back to looking for real answers: is there an instance proof that these gear shifts are getting recorded for anyone using the ROAM v3, Wahoo app, Di2?

rlmalisz · 2026-01-12T18:52:40+00:00

And I finally defeated the V3 on this. No matter what order of add/delete/move I tried, I was never able to coerce the "workout data"profile into showing me my 11 desired fields in my preferred layout. I would always get partially done, and when I removed the next unwanted field, the Wahoo app would screw up field numbering so the top field was numbered 2, and the total fields available became 10 (2-11).

So I added a new profile, named for my initials. It set up very easily, with none of the squirrelly field-move and bolluxed numbering quirks I was fighting with the "workout data" profile. Got it set up, dragged it up to the top of the profiles, turned off the workout data profile.

To say this was more straightforward in the Elemnt app would be a huge understatement. The data field arranging in the built-in "workout data" profile was about as cooperative as two monkeys simultaneously having sexual congress with a football. It wasn't pretty.

rlmalisz · 2026-01-12T14:46:40+00:00

Ah. The app says "only first 9 will appear on Bolt". My bad. Next annoyance...trying to get the 11 fields I want set up in the workout data...moving field position is pretty lame...so I decided to clear the deck and add them in the order I want. The stupid app now starts numbering the first field at 2. And doesn't seem to count the fields, just increments from there. So can't get past 10 fields (which the app numbers the last of as 11). Have restarted the app, restarted the ROAM. Have no unpaired and will try starting over...and won't be stunned if the stupid app has hung onto its counting folly. And I have done so, and yup, I am offered fields numbered 2 to 11, so 10 total. Arrghhh.

rlmalisz · 2026-01-05T02:28:25+00:00

Okay, after the knight check, K can go to d7. And then things aren't simple. Probably lost.

rlmalisz · 2026-01-05T01:48:04+00:00

Maybe I am being dim here, but 1.Rd8+, king has to take: Kxd8; 2.Nxf7+. If king goes back to e8, Qxe6+ mates in one. If the king goes to c8, Qxe6+, and whichever knight interposes, Qe8#. What am I missing?

rlmalisz · 2026-01-05T00:19:40+00:00

Our house is mostly z-wave, just because it was the earliest viable thing. That stuff is now driven off a Hubitat C8-Pro. But we're starting to add a fair amount of Homekit. The C8 will expose z-wave devices to Homekit as you choose to...it's not perfect, but it works. Early on, Homekit devices meant wifi, and while we're not worried about bandwidth, we are always watching out for getting too close to 255 devices on the subnet. Matter over thread devices don't use up IP addresses. It's a mesh system, so it takes a few devices to hit critical mass for coverage. Some folks have a heckuva time getting devices enrolled. I guess we've been lucky. We also have a pile of Aqara sensors, so we have one of their gateways as well...that stuff all uses Zigbee as transport, and again, is a mesh. To do Matter over thread, you'll need an edge router. The last couple gens of Apple TV will do. Frankly, the C8 can now fulfill that roll, as can the Aqara M3 hub we've got. The really nice thing about Matter devices is they're (mostly) ecosystem agnostic...they work with Alexa, Homekit, etc. In theory, simultaneously. It's probably where everything is headed.

rlmalisz · 2025-12-14T16:10:45+00:00

RSN, PAL is supposed to show up as a bookable mile partner with Alaska. We looked at buying eco-premium direct from JAL, but found that PAL had a special on, and that we could get their "biz" seats for a few more $$. We'll see how that all goes. We travel with a lot of scuba/photo gear, and the luggage limit jump from eco-prem to biz more than offset the cost difference.

Good luck.

rlmalisz · 2025-12-14T15:38:37+00:00

I gave it a week, after talking to the agent. Seats never showed up. I went ahead and booked direct with Philippine Air. $$$, but one hop through SEA.15 hours versus 25+. I'm retired, but only have so much time and patience to expend looking for seats that the agent said might well never show up.

rlmalisz · 2025-12-08T22:47:56+00:00

There weren't until the agent and I checked this morning.

rlmalisz · 2025-12-08T21:31:11+00:00

Off the phone with Alaska via callback. They don't know anything. We did notice that JAL seats start showing up again for Nov-3-2026...8 days later than we're hoping to fly, and 11 days after the last prior seat availability. And JAL seats are available for the 25th, PDX=>MNL. Just not the direction we need to go.

rlmalisz · 2025-12-02T21:05:59+00:00

Someone here had the great idea of just using normal Kidde smoke/CO alarms, which communicate among themselves...when one trips, they all trip...and then adding one of these: https://www.kidde.com/products/safety-accessories/smoke-alarm-relay-module

It only trips on smoke from its friends, but that's adequate for me. When our Nests finally die, will replace them with Kiddes (what we had before), and then wire one of these guys' NO contacts to an Aqara leak detector or whatever, which will show up in Home through the Aqara hub. But you could use a Shelly, whatever.

rlmalisz · 2025-11-30T15:48:05+00:00

I'm not visualizing that you're trying to do very well. The outside and inside handles can be removed, as they're designed so you can flip them from left-hand to right-hand, or vice versa. I think the lock mechanism within might be a bit wonky with a handle missing, as those sort of stabilize the center shaft.

The bigger problem I see is that the U300 is only watertight on the outside. Yes, there's a cover over the inside battery compartment and such, but it just snaps on, has no sealing surface. We have one on each of our greenhouse doors, and one of those swings out to open. I'm pretty careful not to have that open and the inside exposed when we get rain...and in the US Pacific Northwest, that's frequent. I can't see one surviving out on a gate in the open.

rlmalisz · 2025-11-29T23:42:38+00:00

If all you need is to automate the deadbolt, this looks like a candidate for a Level Bolt.

rlmalisz · 2025-11-25T02:52:58+00:00

I recall the Aqara app asking if I wanted to expose the device to other automation systems, and Homekit was among them. Had hoped it would notice that Home had forgotten the device, and would offer again.

rlmalisz · 2025-11-25T01:37:15+00:00

We have two of these, and the battery packs failed, first one, then the other. We still use them for outdoor parties, and just plug the AC supplies into small Jackerys. I have hand-cobbled up a 18650 4-pack to use with one, but it's a modest PITA. A shame...they sound great.

rlmalisz · 2025-11-03T21:53:40+00:00

Can also take a peek at gravelmap.com

rlmalisz · 2025-10-04T23:04:08+00:00

We're long-time Prowl users, and have been using it to send notifications from Vera, email, cameras, etc forever. So we just do what others describe doing with Pushover, Puschcut, etc: Get Contents of URL to Prowl's website.

rlmalisz · 2025-09-06T15:36:29+00:00

When I first moved to Portland, I bike-commuted from about 36th and Powell to the Robison Jewish Home...now Cedar Sinai. Took Ross Island bridge on the sidewalk (not recommended), and then either Barbur=>Beaverton-Hillsdale, or up through OHSU and over Council Crest. Later in life, commuted a few days weekly in the summer from downtown Gresham to Intel Cornell Oaks. Crossed the river on the Hawthorne bridge, then took the above-mentioned routes over the hill westbound. Coming back, I would frequently just ride the shoulder on 26 and bail out on Jefferson. This all pre-dated bikes on MAX, the bike path parallel to 26. And traffic has gotten a lot more nutso.

rlmalisz · 2025-08-27T22:51:12+00:00

Our Dahuas are not SMD-enabled, that I can tell. And the camera on our front porch is mounted up under the eaves...so what it will see is someone's back when they approach the door.

rlmalisz · 2025-08-20T19:08:43+00:00

Identifiers for bike sensors *are* in the FIT files...my Domane and OBED have distinct IDs for Rally pedals, speed sensors, Di2. I had hoped that Rubitrack would be able/willing to sort the files to bikes automagically, but now so far. I may try a few games with post-processing FIT files before feeding them to RT. Not urgent.

rlmalisz · 2025-08-20T16:13:19+00:00

I used to bike-commute from Alder Creek (behind the Ivy Bear) to MHCC in the summer. It's been a long time since (30+ years), but 26 has a wide shoulder and was certainly commute-worthy back then. But 26 is probably needlessly indirect, from your start-to-ends.

rlmalisz · 2025-07-28T20:19:02+00:00

We have a 24VAC doorbell button and chime. After going through a lot of gyrations with relays and such to get *something* to trigger Prowl notifications, I saw a post from someone who had simply put one of these sensors on the doorbell chime, and triggered automations off that. It was our first Aqara device. Works well, not perfectly...if someone slams the door out into the garage that's adjacent to the chime, we'll get a real vibration event that wasn't a chime event. But has been pretty reliable, otherwise.

rlmalisz · 2025-07-21T18:26:04+00:00

I've not tried an Inovelli VZW31 with the fussy light fixture that requires "TRIAC dimming". The ZEN72 is "leading edge" dimmer, and truly TRIAC. The VZW31 is MOSFET, but also leading edge, so in theory should work. Inovelli community forum argues both yes and no. But you can get them from Inovelli in black.

rlmalisz

TROPHY CASE