Seeking help from any Nuvo installers out there..

As part of a semi finished DIY project to install the Nuvo essentia -

My setup is as follows:

Nuvo essentia
MRF-300 receiver
MX-950 universal remote
3 zones that I programmed using the Keypad dip switches

Early on I realized what a pain it is to install these keypads in various rooms and another reason why we should be all grateful to the installers. Anyway, I installed one of them after spending half a day in the crawl space and cutting the holes in the drywall, patching the vapor barrier, drilling hole in the cross members etc etc. To circumvent all this trouble and also getting sufficient utility out of having a distributed audio system in my house, I placed the remaining 2 keypads (for the 2 zones) in my closet and I used to open the closet and operate these keypads manually every time I wanted to control the distributed audio system

I wanted the ability to operate the distributed audio from anywhere in the house so I purchased the MRF-300 and stuck the IR emitter directly in front of the volume button on the Nuvo keypad I have in the closet. The Nuvo manual does state that the IR receiver for the keypads is directly behind the Volume buttons.

After installing this, I noticed that the keypads respond to the IR signal from the IR base station only 50% of the time. I have assigned different IR outs to each of the keypads and reduced the intensity of the IR to the minimum to eliminate interference, but could not improve the reliability of the command receipt by the Nuvo keypads. Signal for one keypad appears to effect the other and so on

Here is a picture of my closet where I placed these keypads. I know its messy but if I can get it to work, it remains hidden and serves my purpose. When I can afford it, I will probably hire a professional installer to clean up the mess but for now, I would be happy to just get this setup working. Any suggestions? thanks in advance.

http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?i28001_IMG0790.jpg
http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?i28014_IMG0791.jpg
http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?i28013_IMG0792.jpg

Since the Nuvo Essentia has a bidirectional rs232 port on it, I would be more inclined to control it through this port. It is cleaner and is less likely to fail.

Since you are using Universal, you may want to look at a MCS-400. If you are already using a PC as a music server, you could use that PC's serial port to control the Essentia as well.

obviously opinions will vary however I think sticking a blaster on the keypad is a disaster/ long term headache waiting to happen.

Since the Nuvo Essentia has a bidirectional rs232 port on it, I would be more inclined to control it through this port. It is cleaner and is less likely to fail.

Since you are using Universal, you may want to look at a MCS-400. If you are already using a PC as a music server, you could use that PC's serial port to control the Essentia as well.

obviously opinions will vary however I think sticking a blaster on the keypad is a disaster/ long term headache waiting to happen.

Thanks for your reply.

1. could you explain "I think sticking a blaster on the keypad is a disaster/ long term headache waiting to happen"

2. I like the idea of using the MSC-400 to control the Essentia, however I am not sure how I can go about doing this. What additional software do I need? Is there software to control MSC-400 or is it like any other lower end base stations (Eg: MRF-350). I also presume I can get rid of the MRF-350 if I start using the MSC-400.
Please keep in mind that my most important need is that I be able to control the Nuvo using my remote (currently universal MX-950)

Thanks for your reply.

1. could you explain "I think sticking a blaster on the keypad is a disaster/ long term headache waiting to happen"

2. I like the idea of using the MSC-400 to control the Essentia, however I am not sure how I can go about doing this. What additional software do I need? Is there software to control MSC-400 or is it like any other lower end base stations (Eg: MRF-350). I also presume I can get rid of the MRF-350 if I start using the MSC-400.
Please keep in mind that my most important need is that I be able to control the Nuvo using my remote (currently universal MX-950)

1) First off, I'm biased towards using RS232 when it is available and documented(the Essentia is). The initial setup can take a bit more work, however after it is setup, it will just work. The same can't be said about IR Blasters, they fall off, can have interference problems and are only cable of one way communication. I prefer to spend a little more time and money upfront if I know it will save me "TIME and frustration " in the future.

2) You would replace the MRF-350 with a MCS-400. I suggested the MCS-400 because you mentioned the MX-950. All of your programming (macros,etc) are done in the MCS-400 via software(CCP). Then in software, you would configure the MX-950 to look at the MCS-400 for commands. The beauty really starts to show if/when you add a second remote. Since all the programming is located on the MCS-400 you will have very little to setup on the new remote and not have to worry about logic errors. The downside is the expense and initial setup. Another Downside is the MCS-400 cannot be controlled by anything other than a Universal remote.(A separate home automation controller can't send commands to it).

IR Blasters should work; it's just not something I would personally ever do if RS232 control is available. Just something to think about. If you have a PC anywhere in the mix, you may also want to take a look at a Global Cache GC-100.

1) First off, I'm biased towards using RS232 when it is available and documented(the Essentia is). The initial setup can take a bit more work, however after it is setup, it will just work. The same can't be said about IR Blasters, they fall off, can have interference problems and are only cable of one way communication. I prefer to spend a little more time and money upfront if I know it will save me "TIME and frustration " in the future.

2) You would replace the MRF-350 with a MCS-400. I suggested the MCS-400 because you mentioned the MX-950. All of your programming (macros,etc) are done in the MCS-400 via software(CCP). Then in software, you would configure the MX-950 to look at the MCS-400 for commands. The beauty really starts to show if/when you add a second remote. Since all the programming is located on the MCS-400 you will have very little to setup on the new remote and not have to worry about logic errors. The downside is the expense and initial setup. Another Downside is the MCS-400 cannot be controlled by anything other than a Universal remote.(A separate home automation controller can't send commands to it).

IR Blasters should work; it's just not something I would personally ever do if RS232 control is available. Just something to think about. If you have a PC anywhere in the mix, you may also want to take a look at a Global Cache GC-100.

I would prefer not to use a PC as part of my HT for now and would like to stay with the Universal components (MX-950, MX-900 etc) but I really liked your idea of the MSC-400.

I was able to find and buy a MSC-400 from a person via Craigslist for $300 this afternoon. He said he bought it off of a real estate liquidation sale and didnt have any accessories or software. Could you tell me where or how to get the software and the required accessories for it? thanks in advance.

Never mind about that request for software. I got that resolved.

I wonder if I can connect a PS3 to the MSC-400, probably not.
I do have a Dell Studio Hybrid PC that I could place near the a/v equipment (my wife will resist for sure) what I am confused about is this .. according to the manual, you could potentially send commands to the PC using a remote through the MSC-400..
what sort of commands could we possibly send? are there any examples of how this was done and how it is beneficial?
thanks.

A PS3 is just another device, like a dvd player, a mediaserver,etc. The MSC-400 is a master controller. The sky is the limit on what you can control with it.

I wish I could use one because it is a nice device. Unfortunately not being able to communicate with it outside of a actual universal remote makes it useless in my setup. I have a seperate home automation controller(Mcontrol) that I use to control my house(Lights,HVAC,Irrigation,etc) as well as manage all my devices(Matrix switch,tv's,etc). It is impossible to manage states in a setup that uses more than just their remotes.(I use PC Software, basic Microsoft MCE remotes, along with a MX-980 and KP-900 to control my home)


Universal does a great job with their software though.. I wish they would be a little more friendly about working with other controllers. I guess that would break their motto of wanting to control the universe though. :)

One thing that baffles me is why Nuvo decided not to place a IR receiver directly on the Essentia component unit. They left them on individual keypads and in order for me to control It remotely using IR, I need to go to a room where there is a keypad. If they had a IR receiver directly on the Essentia component unit, I wouldnt even need the darn keypads(for my need ofcourse), I could just integrate it with a Universal controller and be done. Instead, I either have to control the Essentia via RS232 (not as easy as 123) or keep IR blasters on the keypads in my closet (ugh! I never did like that) or place key pads near all my zones and include CAT5 wiring along with speaker wire to all the zones and lose the ability to control them all atonce from anywhere in the house. That is based on my need ofcourse (my house is ~ 3000 sq feet with only 4 defined zones and I am the only person who would control sound to the zones)

A Multizone audio controller would need to use discrete IR codes to have a IR receiver on the front. I haven't seen one yet that does. Fortunately most of them have a 2 way RS232 port on them, to help them better integrate into a home automation environment.

The distributer that I work with doesn't carry Nuvo, so I can't get their gear at a realistic price. I'm currently using a Elan Z630 controller that can only be controlled via keypad/IR per each zone. Like your proposed solution, I have 3 separate IR receivers sitting on a shelf in my rack with IR blasters on them. Not ideal, but since it's the only way to control them I don't have a choice.

What baffles me is why all of these multizone audio controllers are so expensive.

will I be able to control individual zones on the Nuvo Essentia via RS-232 and the MSC-400/MX-950? I hope so. I realize now that I can control individual zones (if I point the remote directly to the one and only zone) or via keypad. Also, if I throw a PC in the mix, what can I do with it via the MX-950? could you give some examples (eg: if I could start itunes and navigate to my favorite playlists and start playing OR if It could display contents in my video folder for me to select which video file to play, could I browse folders? emulate mouse control? (probably not) etc)

On another note, the essentia is throwing a small quirk at me.. as I mentioned before, I have these two keypads in close proximity in the closet (appears the IR blaster on any one of them is effecting both) and I need to figure out a way to place some IR opaque material between the two. One of the keypads is not responding to my remote properly (maybe 10% of the time now) I thought the problem may be the keypad so I substituted it with a brand new one but I am still having the same problem. The key pad responds to being operated manually but the IR reception is very flaky (even with the IR blaster removed and the only source being the original Nuvo remote). The other key pad works well and is consistant. I suspect that the problem may be improper scrimping of the cat5 wire but this is in doubt because I am able to operate the keypad well manually

I just found out that the control of the Nuvo via RS-232 is very comprehensive. I could pretty much do anything that I could via individual keypads and more. I am very happy to hear that. I also bought a MSC-400 based on your advice and installed it (IR for now). Once I get the cables I will install the control via RS-232.

I just found out that the control of the Nuvo via RS-232 is very comprehensive. I could pretty much do anything that I could via individual keypads and more. I am very happy to hear that. I also bought a MSC-400 based on your advice and installed it (IR for now). Once I get the cables I will install the control via RS-232.


Thats what I was trying to originally tell you about Nuvo :) After your third or fourth programming attempt, you will be very happy with your setup. It takes awhile to get it all dialed in when you are using a multizone audio controller for multiple rooms.

I bought MSC-400 and the MSC-400 starter kit. I also downloaded the RS-232 protocol for the Nuvo essentia. It appears to be 9600Baud 8N1. I also got a copy of the MSC-400 from my installer, then proceeded to program the MSC-400 and ran into an issue with the RS-232 part.

When I select a command such as turn all zones off or a single zone on.. the essentia just does not respond. There are several settings and I went through each one step by step, yet the Nuvo does not respond. All other components respond when I use the test function from within the MSC-400 editor.

I spent over 8hours trying to fix this, and almost at the point of giving up. Appreciate any input to identify the issue. I can email the config documents if that would help.

thanks

Adding pictures of my config settings on the MSC-400 below..

http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?t28412_M1.jpg
http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?t28413_M2.jpg
http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?t28414_M3.jpg

I was able to test control the Nuvo Essentia using the mSC-400 editor software from a PC interface. However, when I try to use the MX-950 remote, I get no response from the Nuvo. I get expected response from all devices controlled via IR but just not RS-232. I suspect the problem may be with the way the MX-950 is communicating with the MSC-400. i got an error when I tried to update the configuration file of the MSC-400 as follows:

http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?t28417_M4.jpg

I was able to fix the problem by doing a liveupdate on the MX-950 software..
I am now live with RS-232 and the Nuvo responds smoothly.. with my MX-950 and MSC-400 combo via RS-232
Only issue I am facing is that when I click on Volume+ button in any zone, it is cranking up the volume to the max.. instead of doing it in small increments.

Nice job figuring everything out. Unfortunately, I dont get to work with Nuvo gear, so I'm not familar enough with their equipment to help you out. I bet its a parameter that your not passing in to tell it how much to increment the volume or a repeat issue in the 400.