Help with an AMX Landmark System - Page 2

Just becuse you copied a save file does not mean that everything important was saved, Some settings may not have been copied. Is there any chance you could toss a power supply in the old machine so that you can verify the original IP settings, as that sounds like it could be your problem?

I think you may be able to install landmark on the new machine and open the project file. Do you have the landmark software setup file? Or only the "save file" you captured from the original PC?

IP settings aren't really an issue with Phast/landmark because theres only a single connection between the MCU card and a PC.

Check your Private Messages here at AVSForum. Then..

Close landmark on the PC that is working right now. The one with the VM save. Locate the .ppj and .ppd file and copy them to a thumb drive.

Install landmark software on the new PC that you would like to use for the Phast system. Connect the ethernet cable and add ipx/spx protocol.

Copy/paste the ppj and ppd to the new pc. Open the .ppj with landmark. See if you can connect.

Hello All. I am another Landmark sufferer here in the Seattle area.

I am now on my 4th PC with this system. For the most part, I have had good luck simply installing the Landmark designer S/W along with my project files. As others have mentioned, it is necessary to install the IPX/SPX Netware protocol as well.

This week, having some time off I decided to experiment with the system. It has always bothered me that I needed to have a full blown PC consuming 90-100 watts of power running so I installed Landmark onto a Toshiba netbook computer (Atom 230 CPU, 1 GB Ram, 160GB HD, Win XP Home SP3... consumes less than 20 watts of power at full load). I connected it to the Landmark system and it worked flawlessly. This emboldened me to go out and buy an Acer AspireREVO Nettop machine. If you haven't seen one they are pretty cool... About the size of a hardback novel, atom 230 cpu, 1GB Ram, 160Gb HD, WinXP Home SP3, NVidia ION graphics chipset capable of full 1080p resolution, consumes 18-20 watts. $199 at either Best Buy or Frys.

I installed the Landmark SW along with the IPX/SPX protocol and connected to the system. Bummer, no connection. Reconnected the Toshiba and again it worked perfectly. I compared the net settings between the two and could not find any differences. The only thing I could come up with was the fact the Toshiba uses a RealTek network chipset while the Acer uses one from NVidia. I fiddled with it a bit and then, somewhat out of desperation, I tried adding a Trendnet USB to Ethernet adapter I had laying around. It uses an ASIX A88772 chip. Connected everything up and it all works. All I can conclude is that the different chipsets implement the ipx/spx protocol differently. It seems that the older chipsets work better than the newer ones. This sort of makes sense since the IPX/SPX protocol was originally a Novell Netware standard that has seen very little use in the past decade.

Next adventure... trying to find a third party IPX/SPX solution that runs under Win7. I am not optimistic.

I recently built a house, and had a complete AMX HAST Audio & Lighting system that used Landmark wand was installed in 2002 to support 14 different zones. Unfortunately as a few
years went by, my computer which had the Landmark program on it crashed, and the dealer I originally worked with, no longer serviced any PHAST support. With the recent changes in television switchover, I have not only changed out all my televisions, but the complete audio and lighting system. Besides the Denon receivers and Sony 200 CD disc player, I also have DVD and several PHAST components, that I don't need any more. I understand from the dealer that installed the new
equipment that they are no longer making PHAST light switches or keypads, and was told that there are people out there in forums, that maybe could use them. Does anyone have any recommendations for someone who could use this type of equipment? The PHAST system components are as follows:
.
1) PLBCF10 Card Frame
1) MCU Main Control Processor Card
2) IR Output Cards
1) Contact Closure Card
1) IR Input Card
1) PLB AS16 Audio Switch
1) PLB-HUB Network Hub Frame
2) Network Hubs
13) PLK-DMS Direct Menu Select Keypads with Intercom
1) MRF-350 RF Basestation
52) PLL-MCL (various single & 3-way) Dimmers

If someone is interested in this equipment to help people in a forum such as yours, my e-mail address is conrardy.paul@juno.com
Thanks
Paul

Good feedback. Thanks for posting.

Those dimmers are probably worth some money to the right person.

I am right here in the Seattle area, if you decide to upgrade the old beast we have a pretty cost effective upgrade solution.

:-)

I have been going over some notes provided to me by a Phast wiz friend of mine Jim R. that may be of use to keep the Phast running a bit longer for you.

check to see that no Phastlink and Ethernet connectors are mixed up anywhere, otherwise they will cancel each other out

Routers usualy will not pass IPX protocol, only TCP/IP.
With IPX, it needs to either be direct, hub, or switch -

Under win XP local area connection properties- Select IPX/SPX and click the Properties button, then click the
Advanced button. Change Frame Type to 802.2 and change the Network number to 0. Click OK and RESTART THE COMPUTER.


In the Landmark software, Make sure the following box is checked- File->Spec Hardware: [x] a computer is attached to this system

In the Landmark software, check File->MCU Configuration. Make sure this is set to Computer Only.
if this option is greyed out then you have an eithernet problem.

Looking for Landmark Designer Software (version 4.1 build 53 or later).

Anyone able to help?

Thanks,
- Rob

You need more posts so that someone can send you a private message.

I've got Landmark Designer 4.1 build 3. My system was installed in 1999/2000 so it's pretty disappointing by today's standards. I'm trying to write some iPod Touch apps to control things instead of using the DMS keypads (two of which have died over the years) but the closed nature of the system makes it hard. By turning on logging in Landmark, my app can figure out most of what's going on (audio zones, statnet thermostat values, etc.) so I can update a web page, and using the RS-232 interface to Phast I can send some rudimentary commands to Phast (e.g. turn on audio zone).

Would love to replace with something like Crestron but don't have the appetite to dump a bunch of money again.

I have run into a similar issue and it is the PC, not the Phast system (worked fine on Dell with XP s3, not on Toshiba with XP s3). The recommendation to use the USB adaptor seems to help in most cases, but it seems to depend on the chip set.

And, as for the off topic Phast-bashing...

It is too bad this thread becomes a Phast-bashing party, their systems worked, were a great value at the time, and have lasted longer than most. AMX has certainly done some dumb things, the biggest of which is not developing Phast (they had an issue with the 'not created here' ego delema), but they continue to support as they can given parts availability, etc. They have done much better, I have found, than many companies with old legacy product, including Crestron... Try telling a customer his system is not Y2K compliant (that is the year 2000 bug for the youngsters out there...) and that they should just buy a new Crestron system!!

Doing a crestron system 'back in the day' when Phast was current wouldn't have saved anyone, they have updated to newer equipment also, so it would be just as painful an upgrade, and unlike AMX, they won't service the old stuff (we were told last week to just buy a new part on e-bay because they didn't want to fix an old touch panel!!!). AMX has continued to repair almost all of the Phast equipment, and is very willing to help a dealer figure out a reasonable upgrade path when needed (as mentioned, Lutron lighting, etc.).

The biggest issue is that people bought systems from dealers that are either gone or have decided that they make more money selling a replacement system, so it is really the dealer that you work with that is the key. Here in Seattle a company called Home Technologies (which is now gone) was famous for insisting that they couldn't be repaired and then pushed full replacement (and now the scattering of their employees continues this profitable, though not very honest, approach). The fact is, old Phast systems are still maintainable and are as upgradable as much as any 10 year old electronics system can be. We continue to maintain all the systems we installed, upgrading them as needed, either within the system, or changing to AMX Netlinx (which supports the existing keypads, switchers, etc.). We now also service many of the systems installed by other integrators in the Seattle area (since most are gone or can't service them because they have lost access to AMX service).

Sorry for the soap box speech, it just annoys me when people blame the hardware instead of the dealer. If you bought a mercedes 10 years ago and then the dealer you bought it from went out of business, or became a BMW dealer, would you blame the car??? No, you would seek out a new Mercedes dealer. And if he said you had to replace the whole car because the tire was flat, you would tell him to &&*^ off and you would find another dealer that would help. Electronics is no different. Sure, eventually there are parts that are no longer made, so you upgrade parts or all of it and continue to enjoy the experience.

Is this supposed to be a joke? Parts availability is a direct result of them killing the brand and not supporting their dealers. AMX gets no pass on this decision and they did nothing to help the dealers except tell them to ask our clients to buy a new AMX system.

Phast systems "worked" only when you sold them as simple multi-room audio systems. The moment you stepped outside of that box your nightmares began. The problem? Phast (AMX) and their reps told us we could step outside of that box and when we did they couldn't support us and eventually bailed on us. Then they handed us the "not my problem" attitude. Don't sell it as an automation product if its only capable of mutli-room audio.

Their LCD keypads had major design flaws that were never corrected. When installing the keypads the glass would break or the connector would break. Not a huge problem for technicians because after breaking a few we learn what not to do. Now add in the homeowner and the painter and the alarm guy who wants to see whats in the wall and you have a major design flaw. This would have been an easy fix. Build the keypad so that the faceplate is removable leaving the glass and connector intact. You know... like how every other keypad on the face of the planet is built.

Their cardframes & cards were buggy garbage. Their software was a joke. 1/3 of our service calls were moving the cards from one bay to another physically or in software. Thats right... sometimes we could get it to be 'seen' again just by moving it in software. Not ready for prime time.

We only have a few Phast systems left that we service but we had dozens out there. After spending twice as long and replacing most of the hardware 2 or 3 times and giving up on implementing features that reps promised were possible... we did finally get the system stable and it lasted for years. Would have been great if we could have gotten the client or AMX to pay us for the labor we gave away to make those systems work.

And finally... the worst part about dealing with Phast was that every single time you called tech support you heard the same 2 lies.

#1. What build are you running? Oh well thats your problem right there.
#2. We havent heard of that problem before. Are you sure its not your wiring?

Companies don't get away with that crap now because the moment something starts failing everyone hits the forums. Ask RTI about that. All they had to do was say "Yep, those keypads suck. I will overnight some new ones to you. Sorry about that."


Adding....
I can't believe i forgot to mention their garbage lighting that they abandoned forcing us to sell other lighting products at cost to keep the clients from suing us.

This doesn't answer any of the previous threads but am replying because I can't figure out how to post a new message and need some help with installing AMX Landmark software.

I inherited an old Landmark system when I purchased a house about 4 years ago. It is running a lot of stuff including: lighting, HVAC, audio/video equipment and assorted other household devices.

A few components have crapped out which have been repaired and it is still running on all cylinders.

I am concerned about the PC that is running the Landmark software. It is a Dell PC running windows 2000/SP4 and Landmark version 4.1 build-1.

I am trying to build a backup PC. I have an HP PC running Windows XP Home edition/SP3. The only copy of Landmark software I could get is Version 4.1 Build-3 which I have installed on the XP backup machine.

My questions are as follows:

1. Will my backup XP PC even run the Landmark software correctly and be able to communicate with the Phast MCU?

2. What files do I need to copy from my old PC to the new PC? I've heard they are .ppj and .ppd files but am not sure of the exact names and locations of where there are on the old PC and where to restore them to on the new PC.

Is there anyone out there that can help??? The dealer that installed the system is still in existance but charges about $200 an hour for a house call so am trying to muddle through this on my own.

1. As long as it will run the necessary protocols.

2. If I recall correctly the .ppj and .ppd files contain all of the necessary information that need to get moved from one computer to the other. Shouldn't be too hard to test, once you have 4.1 installed on the backup computer move them over and try it.

This is a good time to experiment with the new computer. (while the old one is still running). The ppj and ppd files are all you need. Add the ipx/spx protocol http://www.3drealms.com/tech/ipx.html Install the software, open the file (not sure which one, its been a while) and you should be up and running.

The last 2 landmark systems i serviced... i wasn't able to connect to them with my laptop. I don't know if it was a windows update or a problem on my end. There was a post here or at remotecentral where someone else had the same issue. I think it may have been related to windows firewall or some other security measure. If XP gives you trouble maybe try win2k. Good Luck.

Thanks for the responses... I have installed Landmark V4.1 Build-3 on my backup pc and also installed ipx/spx protocol.

I am now trying to copy the .ppd and .ppj project files from the old PC to my new PC.
I tried using the transfer projects function off of the file menu and just couldn't get it to work.

What is the easiest way? Is it possible just to copy them onto a CD and restore them onto the new PC?

Also, the landmark software I installed on my new PC looks different... it doesn't have the icons for the functions like floors, rooms, design, etc. Anyone have a clue about what's going on there? Do those functions not show up until you have created projects?

Thanks,
Die Hard Landmark User

I will not give up

Just close landmark. Copy/paste the files to a flash drive/cd whatever. Or email them to yourself. Get them to the new computer and open the file with landmarks file menu. You should be good to go immediately.

I don't know what you mean about the icons. Could be something like file menu option only showing text instead of icons and text. Could be that you need to open the project file first. Or maybe you have the wrong build? You have to have your current build or a new version. Never try and open the file with an older version of the software.

Well once I understood how to find the projects through the file menu open function, I copied the projects onto a flash drive, copied them onto the new backup PC. I then opened the one I needed and it showed up nicely in the landmark software.

Had a few problems getting the backup PC to communicate with the MCU. I finally connected the ethernet cable directly from the MCU to the PC instead of going through a router switch and it connected. Later, I got it to work through the router.

So that's it... the eagle has landed. You can only learn about software if you have problems or make changes but would still be pulling my hair out if I hadn't gotten some good tips and pointers through this website forum. Thanks to those who responded to my posts!

One last post mortum comment on building my backup PC to run the Landmark software.

Once I got into working with the system, I discovered that a project can be copied to flash memory in the MCU (master control unit) and run without the PC being linked to the system.

This made me both happy and also sad that I wasted so much time building a backup PC that I will probably never need since I run the system now with the PC turned off and it will probably never wear out.

At least I did it all at no dollar cost and learned a lot about my old legacy home automation system in the process. My wife wants me to rip it all out and take it to the dumps so she can get some more closet space. This may happen some day but right now I'm still truckin' on!

I havnt read this whole post, so this may be way off base. But I purchased a new windows 7 laptop and loaded software on it and took it to a job site 3 hours away. It was a nightmare cause it was a Friday, sat job and the manuf were closed sat. I had issue after issue, and it turned out there was something in my user settings maybe, or security settings I had to change on windows 7 before loading software. I can't remember what it was now, but can look up the notes on it later if you need. Point being windows 7 is different than xp and I wasn't familiar with it enough to know before hand. And this messed up a couple of my programs. This particular job was a g! Job and I couldn't set it up at all. Nothing worked right in g! Connect pro. Prob not your issue, but just thought I'd throw it out.

to jmaxbrod: go back and review my post from December 2009. Windows 7 will never work with a Landmark system. Landmark requires the use of the IPX/SPX protocol. AMX designed Landmark during the early/mid 90s when Novell Netware and its IPX/SPX protocol held a much wider percentage of the general networking market. The IPX/SPX protocol was supported by Win XP but by the time Win7 came out IPX/SPX was pretty much obsolete. There was/is no reason for Microsoft to support it. I spent some time looking for an IPX/SPX protocol driver for win7 but eventually gave up.

On another note, I have finally pulled the plug on my Landmark system and as a result have a bunch of components available for sale (cheap). If you are in the Seattle area and looking to pick up some functioning PLK DMS panels, PLL-MLC dimmers, or even the major components (Card Frame, PLB-AS16) then send me a private message.

I have the Cf10 now where can i get the landmark software?

I have a similar IPX network issue.

My hard drive crashed in the computer hooked up to the Landmark CF10. I've got my ppd and ppj files and the install disk. Reinstalled everything but can't seem to get the computer to recognize the MCU.

It's the exact same machine, exact same crossover cable.

It's got two ethernet ports so I've turned off IPX on one and then left only NW netbios and IPX on on the other. I've tried selecting 802.2 and setting network to 00000. Can't figure out what's going on. I've switched slots on the CF10. I've uninstalled and reinstalled IPX. HELP!

Any tips or troubleshooting steps would be greatly apprecitated!

Thanks,

Anthony