Hello everyone,
I’ve been out of town, so sorry for the delay. Here are some answers for all of you.
dkeefe,
Yes! The PE140 is nothing more than a P4043ME in an outside approved rain tight enclosure. The $200 dollar price tag you found it for may be a bit expensive, but unfortunately I don’t have control over the sales price at both the internet and distributor level. However, there isn’t anyone I’m aware of that offers just an actuator controller with a generic interface. If you think about it, other than building it yourself, the only way you can get actuator control is by purchasing a large control system which is much more than $200 and usually more then what you need.
The ETA on the solar support will be about a year. We need to redesign the P4043ME circuit board to work with the 485 connection on the MultiWave. This will allow us to speak to each individual actuator instead of all three at one time. Once we can assign an address to each actuator, we can then provide the solar programming support to the MultiWave. Anyone who owns a MultiWave now will be able to update their software and purchase the proper circuit board from us and swap it out of the P4043ME they currently have installed. All P4043ME models will come equipped with the new board once the new board is complete.
I will try to setup the email alert when someone posts. Problem is, my IT dept. may have something to say about that! I’ll do what I can.
mcoulter,
Thanks for the welcome. Yes I was aware of the Hayward progress and my best guess on the wireless communication they would be using is most likely propitiatory. As you know, none of the three players have any desire to communicate outside of their control.
Everyone, Keep the questions coming and I will do the best I can to answer more frequently. Our goal is to complete this system and work with Vera as much as possible. The industry needs an open system and we are busy working on the high end system which should bring more power to your finger tips.
Allen
