Rob Chartier ~ Contemplation...

DIY : CCNET Automation Kit.

So you want to have some sort of funky lights display the status of your builds via CruiseControl.NET.  Here is a quick shopping list of the things you will need to pick up.

The first thing that you need to consider is that if your machine has a (physical) serial port or not.  My laptop doesn’t (I use it for testing the X10 stuff) so I needed to buy a USB to Serial Port adapter.

Next you need to pick up a few X10 Modules.  To review, the signal flow of the X10 signal communication is as follows:

Firecracker (CM17A)->(Radio Frequency)->

      Transceiver (TM751)->(Electrical wires)->

            Modules (AM466, LM15A, etc.)->

                  Lights

Here is your shopping list:

1. Firecracker module (CM17A, Required).  That plugs into the serial port.

2. Transceiver Module (TM751, Required).  The firecracker sends signals via RF to the Transceiver module.  Then the Transceiver will relay those signals out over your house/office electrical wires to all the other devices.  It also allows you to control one device with it, and typically only has the House setting on it; it will default to whatever house code, and device code 1.

3. Appliance Module (AM15A, AM486, AM466, etc.) 

3a.Socket Rocket (LM15A). An alternative to the appliance module.

3b. Any other X10 module for the device/light/whatever you need to control.

So since you need to control 2 or 3 lights, you need at least one extra appliance module or some other module for your additional lights.  Its always good to have a few extra on hand, I have found that out of 10 that there is bound to be one module that is dead.

Also you should consider getting a remote, doesn’t matter which one.  It’s a nice to have when you need to shut that device on or off quickly and for testing purposes.

Be sure to look for a package deal.

Lastly you just need to get a bunch of lamps or funky lights together and plug it all in.  I personally recommend a rotating beacon light for when the build breaks and a soft blue lava lamp/light for when the build is good.

   An Ambient Orb is a cool idea as well

Software is the next big item.  There has been some work put into CCTray which will allow you to control X10 devices and I will be working with the CC team to get my X10 stuff put into the trunk for project, its just a matter of time.  Right now I have a custom solution for our needs at work.  It is essentially CCTray without the remoting (uses HTTP to get the status, etc.); and it has a plug-in architecture based on a few simple events.  

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