Long story short, I am trying to plan for my Grafik Eye 3106 installation.

I have decided that I think I want one of my 6 zones to be the area at the bottom of my steps just outside of the theater. I will leave the light in the stairwell going down on its own dimmer/3-way, then have a wall station at the top and bottom of the steps that will connect to the GE 3106.

My thinking is that if I am in the theater and the lights in the hallway area are on, I would want to be able to automatically dim them when I start a movie, as oppesed to having to get up walk over and turn them off or dim them. Instead, I want the light in the stairwell for going down. Then you can turn the lights on for the space at the bottom of the steps by hitting the wall station. I figure this would also activate one of the zones in the theater so that it is lit too when you get there.

I want to put the station at the top of the steps so that it too can activate the same scene, but i also want so that both stations can turn off all theater lights from either the top or bottom of the steps.

Truth is, I have read a bunch on the 3106, but I keep getting confused trying to figure out the wall stations.

I guess essentially what I want is 2 remote wall stations that can both activate a scene (both do the exact same thing, one at the top of the steps, one at the bottom) and then at the same time both can do an all off on the GE3106 to shut it all down when exiting and going upstairs. Thanks for all the help

I think you would be best to search the Difinative Grafik Eye Sticky Thread..... just about everything you need to know has probably already been asked.... plus, you might learn something about the GE that you didn't know.

Best of luck.

This can be done with two wall stations. Clearly the all on/all off would be one button on each wall station. You then need to decide what other scenes you'd want to activate from each wall station...that will determine the number of buttons you'd need when ordering the wall stations. You'll need to get a low voltage wire from the Grafik Eye to the first station then to the second.

The GE thread is a good reference.

Tried doing a search for grafik eye wall station, but most of the result took me to irrelevant pages for what I am looking for. thats the whole reason for starting a new thread, I am hunting for just info on the wall stations. thanks

www.lutron.com/CMS400/page.aspx?id=17555&mn=2011

Dennis,

I need to do domething similar as well. I also have the GE 3106 and when walking up the stairs to the HT I have one hanging light (on a 3-way circuit) then a ceiling mounted light (one-way circuit) in the hall right in front of the bathroom which is 5 feet from the HT door.

What I am looking for is to shutdown the hanging fixture and set a scene in the HT as well from where the 2 switches are (hanging & ceiling near bathroom) and obviously dim the hall one from my 3106 when the movie starts.

Any insight? Sorry to hijack this thread but this may help the op as well. I already have a GRX-IRI installed and low voltage cable.

Thanks,
Bob

Can the wall stations be installed as convenience switches? I want to put some over counter lights as my sixth zone, but if needed, when I go by the counter, I want to install a wall station that would only control the single zone, brightening up the counter area, as opposed to having to do it from the GE3106 that would be clear across the room...

Can the wall stations be installed as convenience switches? I want to put some over counter lights as my sixth zone, but if needed, when I go by the counter, I want to install a wall station that would only control the single zone, brightening up the counter area, as opposed to having to do it from the GE3106 that would be clear across the room...

Generally, you should think of the fixtures as being in "zones". The controllers usually select "scenes". Scenes are logical constructs or presets which set up a combination of the physical zones at preset levels.

For example, in my theatre, I use a 2-button remote at the entry door to simply select scene 1 for "lights on" or to select all-off for "lights out" (when entering or leaving the room.

And yes, you can set up a remote to control a specific scene (which in turn could be set up to control only certain zones, as I recall).

Hope this helps

So does that mean that the programming is in the wall station.

For instance, if I have 2 wall stations, they both connect to the same spot on the GE, one does a scene of all on, while the other might do a scene of just the one on, where that scene is set to control just the single zone.

So does that mean that the programming is in the wall station.

For instance, if I have 2 wall stations, they both connect to the same spot on the GE, one does a scene of all on, while the other might do a scene of just the one on, where that scene is set to control just the single zone.

That is correct. You can program which scene the buttons control. Actually, each remote has an address, and the programming is in the Grafik Eye, as I recall. It's been a while since I did this programming.

OK, so I did some further digging and came up with a few things:

First, http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/lunt120venco.html

I just want to make sure I understand what this thing will do...When they say entrance control, does that mean it will just do an "all on"? Does it also turn things off? Also, I see it wires directly to the hot, incoming line.

If it only does "all on" this is fine because leaving the theater you hit off and the timer counts down and bam you leave and it goes dark, so you would only really need this when entering, so you can have the room lit up as you get there.

Next I found the following:
http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/luntgr2buwaw.html
this does "all on/all off"? and it wires differently to the GE because it is using 18AWG for some of the wiring?

might be useful for turning things on and off from upstairs?

and lastly:
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/electricsupplieson-line_2010_701720717

multiple scenes, but otherwise similar to the 2 button with "all on/all off"

Just want to make sure I am on the right track...the crappy thing is that I want to use one for convenience lighting and am not 100% sure, if the 2 button only does all on/all off then that is bad if I go over to my counter area and want some extra light, but I turn all lights all the way up, this is bad...but if I go with scenes and set all scenes to only control the one light I would be safer...


OH gosh, I am confusing myself, so I hope you guys are able to follow. thanks for all the help.

OK, so I did some further digging and came up with a few things:

First, http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/lunt120venco.html

I just want to make sure I understand what this thing will do...When they say entrance control, does that mean it will just do an "all on"? Does it also turn things off? Also, I see it wires directly to the hot, incoming line.

If it only does "all on" this is fine because leaving the theater you hit off and the timer counts down and bam you leave and it goes dark, so you would only really need this when entering, so you can have the room lit up as you get there.

Next I found the following:
http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/luntgr2buwaw.html
this does "all on/all off"? and it wires differently to the GE because it is using 18AWG for some of the wiring?

might be useful for turning things on and off from upstairs?

and lastly:
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/electricsupplieson-line_2010_701720717

multiple scenes, but otherwise similar to the 2 button with "all on/all off"

Just want to make sure I am on the right track...the crappy thing is that I want to use one for convenience lighting and am not 100% sure, if the 2 button only does all on/all off then that is bad if I go over to my counter area and want some extra light, but I turn all lights all the way up, this is bad...but if I go with scenes and set all scenes to only control the one light I would be safer...


OH gosh, I am confusing myself, so I hope you guys are able to follow. thanks for all the help.

The NTGRX-2B-BL-XX is what I have at the entry door to my theatre. Mine is set up to have the top button select Scene 1, and the bottom button select All Off.

Check out the spec sheet (link from the link you posted). There are 3 DIP switches you set up to configure what the 2 buttons do (described in the table in the spec sheet). For example, you can set it up so that the top button selects Scene 9 and the bottom button selects scene 10 (Remember, you are not limited to the 4 Scenes controlled by the front panel buttons on the Control Unit). You can link at least 16 Wall Stations to a Grafik Eye Control Panel on a serial control bus.

cool, and then I can chain them all together via and stranded 18AWG wire I want thats rated for in wall right? I dont have to use 12 AWG like the one image shows...? I didnt realize there was the plug 12v for the wall stations, does that come with a wall station or is that too a seperate purchase.

Also just taking this site for instance, the 4 scene wall station is 7 bucks cheaper than the 2 button, so does it make any sense not to just get the 4 scene switch instead?

The Wall Stations are powered from the Control Unit.

For the 3000 series Grafik Eye, Lutron recommends 2 pair #18 AWG -- one pair is a twisted-pair for data, and the other is a pair for 12v power. This cable is daisy-chained from the Control Unit to each Wall Station.

OK, yeah I looked at the specs on the 3106 again and saw that I skipped a page that showed them daisy chained with power from the control unit. just to confirm the twisted pair for the data can be 18AWG as well (same as I use for the power)...they are NOT talking about twisted pair CAT5 correct?

thanks a lot for all your input, as it has made things a lot clearer so far...I might even get like a 3102 to add to the system so that it can all be controlled from a single IR point...I hope at least.

Cat5 is against code when using it in conjunction with power. Also, you can chain up 3 devices before going to a 12vdc power supply, this does not include the 3106 as a device since it is the one supplying the power.

Bob

Cat5 is against code when using it in conjunction with power. Also, you can chain up 3 devices before going to a 12vdc power supply, this does not include the 3106 as a device since it is the one supplying the power.

Bob

Are you sure about this? I think that it can be used for low-voltage, low-amperage applications.

CJ

Are you sure about this? I think that it can be used for low-voltage, low-amperage applications.

CJ

Problem begins when you go into the same junction box with high voltage. Code requires for the jacket of the cable to have a high voltage rating. The pelv wire which is used has a rating of 300V I believe.

Problem begins when you go into the same junction box with high voltage. Code requires for the jacket of the cable to have a high voltage rating. The pelv wire which is used has a rating of 300V I believe.

Most jurisdictions allow for a divided box- one side for high-volt and one for low-volt.

CJ

Cat5 is against code when using it in conjunction with power. Also, you can chain up 3 devices before going to a 12vdc power supply, this does not include the 3106 as a device since it is the one supplying the power.

Bob

I was referring to the data portion, I knew I cant use it for the power

I was referring to the data portion, I knew I cant use it for the power

You need #18 AWG -- most Cat 5 I have seen is smaller than #18.

Also, it needs heavier insulation to be used in the same box with high voltage, which is needed in the box where it connects to to the Control Unit.

You need #18 AWG -- most Cat 5 I have seen is smaller than #18.

Also, it needs heavier insulation to be used in the same box with high voltage, which is needed in the box where it connects to to the Control Unit.

OK, this explains why in the one picture they have, the 18AWG connects to 12AWG, which I assume then goes into the box with high voltage and to the control unit

can you put a wall station such as http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/luntgr4wawio.html into the same box (2-gang) as you put a normal rotary dimmer such as http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/roondi.html?

I need to put a wall station at the bottom of my stairs, however, I already have a normal dimmer, so I am trying to figure out if I need a whole new box separated out for the GE wall station or if I could place the two in the same 2-gang box together.

Also, speaking of the wall stations. I have 18/2 twisted pair wire. Do I just use that to connect the wall station to a piece of 12 AWG romex inside the box, then run the romax to the main GE and then make another connection inside the box to more 18/2 and connect everything to the main unit, or can I just run the 18/2 (2 of them making 4 connections) from the wall station to the main unit (3106)?