Shades - Favorites?

TrikinCurt · August 2006

Anyone have favorite or least favorite shades they have worked with? Only I have used is Lutron. I am looking for my house, mostly for a few skylights and a few key rooms. This is an AMX and Vantage house so I didn't want to throw in Lutron blinds. Anyone work with Somfy or any of the other guys out there?

Curt
Trikin

alexanbo · August 2006

I'm pretty partial to the Lutron QED shades, they're dead quiet plus the feedback and control you get over them is great.

vining · August 2006

The problem is getting back that feedback when you don't have a HomeWorks processor. I know Somfy has a new QED imitation but don't know how you woud get levels back from those either or if it's even capable. If your doing a lot of shades it might be beneficial if affordalble (which if your doing a lot of shades indicates it is) of buying a Lutron series 4 processor and a Q96. But that's 2k you would probalby like to keep in your pocket.

You could always just control via IR or use the SVQ-CCI-8 contact closure interface and just forget about true feedback.

TrikinCurt · August 2006

I am definately more interested in Somfy if anyone has much experience? They have an RS232 interface but I don't know much or anything of the protocol (feedback?).

Not sure what to make of it (if anything) but Vantage is showing some new Somfy control products at CEDIA, namely:

Somfy/Vantage ILT Motor Controllers
Somfy RTS Motor Controller

Not sure what sort of control this entails, but if Vantage can get 2-way and pass it on to AMX I am fine with that...

Curt
Trikin

DHawthorne · August 2006

I've had to wrok with a lot of them, and I would say the Lutron Sevoia are my favorite, closely followed by the Somfy. My implemetations never went beyond simple control though - raise, lower, stop. Sevoia's I control through the Homeworks system, so it just becomes a Lutron button press. I thought I had a Somfy RS-232 module, but I can't find it in my archives; I'm guessing the last one I did was back in my Axcent days, and I just fed raw strings to the controller.

B_Clements · August 2006

ESI works pretty good

ESI makes a simple to use interface.

See the link for details.
http://www.elec-solutions.com/docs/automation_accessories/r2d7/index.html

TrikinCurt · October 2006

What have you guys done for the blinds themselves? Do you wire the motors and call in someone to do the fabric work or how is the process? I have only worked with Lutron, since they are roller everything is all handled by them. With Somfy, who do you work with for the actual material? Would like to automate blinds, not install them!

Curt

DHawthorne · October 2006

TrikinCurt wrote:

What have you guys done for the blinds themselves? Do you wire the motors and call in someone to do the fabric work or how is the process? I have only worked with Lutron, since they are roller everything is all handled by them. With Somfy, who do you work with for the actual material? Would like to automate blinds, not install them!

Curt

I've never worked solo on something like this, it has always been in conjunction with the designer. We generally just offer control and recommend the product, then get another contractor to do the mechanical installation (and take care of the service issues).

Shades - Favorites?

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