Moved in... Starting the Project

We've now moved into the new house, and I'm ready to start working on the home control and entertainment system.

I'm going to start with the whole-house media system. While I really want to incorporate touch panels and PDA controls, that's going to have to be an on-going re-design. Right now, I need something functional. Here are the design specs and system components.

Specifications

1. The entertainment system will be composed of 2 initial Zones, the Living Room Zone ("Den") and the Master Bedroom Zone ("MBR"). The direct display equipment (TV and speakers) will be located in these rooms. All source equipment is located in the basement, and distributed to the zones.
2. Any source must be available and controllable from either zone.
3. Source Equipment
• Denon AVR-3805 multizone receiver
• Philips DSR6000 Series 1 DirectTV receiver with Tivo
• Hughes HNS HDVR-2 Series 2 DirectTV receiver with Tivo
• Sony 5-disc CD carousel
• Sony single disc DVD Player
• Sony Video cassette recorder/player
• Windows XP Pro-based HTPC
4. Den Display Components
• TV - wall-mounted Panasonic 42" Plasma TV
• Speakers - 5.1 channel surround - in-wall Front L& R; in-wall center; in-ceiling rear surround; subwoofer
5. MBR Display Components
• TV - Samsung 30" tube TV
• Speakers - in-ceiling Stereo
6. Control System
   • RF & IR based handheld remotes
   • 2x Universal Remote Osiris MX350 RF+IR remotes
   • MRF-300 addressable base station

Overview of the System

As stated, all of the source equipment is located in the basement, and is distributed via a GreyFox structured wiring system. The 3805 is the distribution point for the audio and video. The speaker ports are wired to the speaker wiring ports, which distribute the sound inependently to the two zones. The big plus here? No visible speaker wires (except the subwoofer in the Den).

The Den Zone

The main video out on the 3805 is a component video output, which is fed into this component video balun from MuxLab, and run via Cat5e cable to a port behind the plasma in the Den Zone. The 3805 utilizes video up-converting, so even though none of my source equipment uses component video (yet), I can still output component video to the plasma display.

The plasma is basically just a monitor. All video displayed on the plasma is transmitted by the 3805.

The MBR Zone

The Zone 2 video output on the 3805 is a composite video signal. Not great, but then, video quality is not so important in the MBR Zone. Using an adapter, I just placed the composite video signal onto an existing RG6 coaxial cable, which is run from the structured wiring box to the master bedroon cable port. From there, I use another adapter to convert back to an RCA plug, and plug the video directly into the Samsung TV's composite video in port. Since the speakers are hard-wired to the Zone 2 audio output of the 3805, there is no audio signal on the RG6 cable or fed into the Samsung's audio ports. Like the plasma in the Den Zone, it's just a display.

Remote Control

The Osiris Mx-350 universal remotes and the MRF-300 base station permit combined RF/IR control of the source equipment and the zone-specific display equipment. The Osiris simultaneously sends out its control signals in both IR and RF format. For display equipment within the zone, the IR signals can control the equipment, while the RF signals are received and interpreted by the base station, translated to IR codes, and distributed to the source equipment via the individual emitters.

I bought the Mx-350 and the MRF-300 because I needed addressable IR distribution, since the two different DirecTV/Tivo models would interfere with each other. Using the Mx-350 and the MRF-300, I can use only RF control, which is then translated to the proper IR codes, and only distributed to the DTivo being controlled. The emitter for the other DTivo ignores the signal.

Pros

This setup has a lot of pluses. First, it's relatively cheap. I spend about $400 for two Mx-350s and the MRF-300. Second, it's fast to set-up. I got this setup working within a day or two. The hardest part is training the remotes. The Mx-350 has a great feature. Once you've trained one remote, you can "clone" it to the other. This saves a lot of time, although you do have to re-train parts of it for any display equipment that differs between zones.

Cons

Although this system is functional, it has a few flaws. First, there's no way to prevent control of a source if it's being used within a zone. For example, if I'm watching Tivo 1 in the Den, and my wife wants to watch TV upstairs in Zone 2, she has no way of knowing which Tivo I'm watching. Already, I've had problems with her switching my channel while I'm trying to watch TV. Granted, all I have to do is switch over to Tivo 2, but it'd be nice to have a "LOCK" feature to prevent control of a source in Zone 2 when it's being used in Zone 1.

Second, there is often a difficulty in the RF signals getting through to the base station. It seems that the system fails intermittently in that you press a button, and get nothing. It can be frustrating, although it seldom lasts long.

Finally, the system is not particularly intuitive, even given the ability to create macros. If a part of the macro fails, you have to go to the individual source and "fix" the problem. This results in an unfriendly interface, which requires a learning curve. The "wife factor" is very low with this system (although, on the plus side, she doesn't steal the remote that often!! :) ).

Future Plans

I need a system that allows more intuitive programming, functionality and interface. I'm currently looking at using Charmed Quark. It's a windows-based system for setting up control systems for home automation and A/V distribution. It seems to be fairly easy to use for someone with at least limited programming skills. However, it looks like it'll require quite a bit of an investment in time and money in order to get a good, workable system that fits my criteria. However, the monetary cost will likely still be far less than that for a professional Crestron or AMX system.

More to come later.

Home Automation and the New House

So... the new house is nearing completion, and it's time to start thinking about how to outfit it. As this is a brand new home and we've installed a structured wiring plan, we want to deck it out with an audio/video distribution system and home automation system. Cost, however, is a huge concern, because, frankly... I don't want to spend a ton of money on new components or expensive hardware and systems that may be obsolete in a couple of years. Besides, I like doing this stuff, and I'd like to make it as DIY as possible. So... how do I do it?

Below are a listing of and the specifications for each part of the wired house.

Specifications

1. MultiZone A/V distribution
1. Dual Home Theater
2. Central location for all hardware
3. Any source in any zone capability
2. Home Automation (future)
1. Zoned lighting control
2. Thermostat control/monitoring
3. Irrigation control

Main Concerns

1. Low initial cost - pre-built, custom solutions can quickly and easily run into the several thousands of dollars. I don't have the money for that. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of the "professional" look to get a workable, custom, expandable solution.
2. Upgradable - We don't have a lot of really high end stuff. We're not big into HDTV yet, and we just don't have the hardware. But that doesn't mean we won't WANT it. I want the ability to upgrade as we go without replacing the entire system.
3. Expandable - We want to be able to add components for media and home control as needed.
4. Central - I want to be able to control media, irrigation, lights, etc. from a limited number of control panels strategically placed around the house.
5. Mobile - if possible, I'd like to be able to use modile devices (PDA, cell phone, the Internet, etc.) to remotely control features while outside of the home.
6. Looks Nice - While I don't need the "professional" look of a Crestron or AMX system, I'd like the system to look nice and act more or less reliably.

Current Components for the Media System

1. Denon multi-zone receiver
2. DirecTV/Tivo - Series 1
3. DirecTV/Tivo - Series 2
4. Sony DVD Player
5. Sony CD - 5 disc carousel
6. Sony VCR
7. Sony Tape player
8. Windows XP-based media server/HTPC

Subsequent posts will detail the installation of the system.

The Finished Product

The bike is finished!

Here it is:

The Pre-build Build...

I couldn't wait any longer to get started on the bike build. So... I pulled all the equipment out of the garage and started the project.

1. Remove Components from the Trek 2000

Step one was to remove all the Dura Ace/Ultegra components from the Trek 2000 so they could be placed on the new Leader 735TT. I took the wheels off and mounted the Trek 2000 onto my work stand.

1.a. Remove the cabling and housings.

The first thing I did was to remove the shift and brake cabling from the bicycle. This is fairly simple in that all you need to do is snip off the ends of the cables, loosen the nut holding the cable in place, and then pull them out of their housings. Once this was done, I was ready to remove the components.

1.b. Remove the saddle & seatpost

Next, I removed the seatpost and saddle. Since I'm keeping this saddle on this particular seatpost for the Leader 735TT, I just loosened the seatpost binder and slid the seatpost out of the seat tube, leaving the saddle attached to it. Simple.

1.c. Remove the handlebars

Again, I'm using the whole "cockpit" of the old bike on the new one, so I didn't need to remove the aerobars, the bar end shifters, the basebar, or the brake levers. All I did was unscrew the two bolts holding the basebar onto the stem and removed the entire assembly for use on the new bike. Again, very simple.

1.d. Remove the Brake Calipers

Also a very easy step. Once the cables are off, there's no tension on the brake calipers, and all I had to do was loosen the nut attaching the brake calipers to the front and rear brake bridges.

1.e Remove Cranks

Next, I removed the cranks. This is pretty easy with Shimano Octalink cranks. All I did was find the proper hex key size and turn the bolt on the drive side crank counter-clockwise to loosen the bolt. No crank puller is needed, because as the bolt loosens, it pushes the crank off the bottom bracket spindle. Same steps for the non-drive side crank. I left the chainrings on the crankset, since I'm using them on the new bike.

1.f Remove Bottom Bracket

This reqiures a splined bottom bracket tool that fits Shimano cartridge bottom brackets. You just slide the tool onto the bottom bracket splines and then use a wrench to loosen the bottom bracket cups. The drive side is left-hand threaded, so you have to turn clockwise to loosen the cup. Once the cups were removed, I just slid the cartridge out.

1.g Remove Derailleurs

Removing the derailleurs is a fairly simple task. The front derailleur on the Trek 2000 is a braze-on derailleur that attaches to a clamp on the down tube. All I did was remove the bolt holding the derailleur to the clamp, and removed the derailleur from the frame.

For the rear derailleur, there's a bolt that attaches the derailleur to the derailleur hanger. All I had to do was unscrew this bolt, and the derailleur came right off.

2. Clean the Trek 2000 Frame

With all the components removed, all I had was the Trek 2000 frame, fork and headset. I figured the new install warranted a thorough cleaning of the bike, so I scrubbed her down. I usually use generic auto soap, a sponge, citrus degreaser and a toothbrush to clean my bike. Basically, I dip the toothbrush in degreaser and scrub the portions where the grease has really built up. Then, I use the sponge and the auto soap to remove the dirt and grime. After that, I rinse the frame with water from the hose, and let her dry. Aside from the nicks and chips in the paint, this bike has never looked better.

3. Clean 105/Tiagra Components

Some of the components that I'll put on this bike are brand new, and some are fairly old and used. Since it's a new install, I decided to clean the components that aren't brand new. Basically, this involved scrubbing the deraileurs and brake calipers with degreaser, rinsing them, and letting them dry.

4. Install 105/Tiagra Components on the Trek 2000

With the bike and components cleaned, I commenced rebuilding the Trek 2000. I decided to buy a new chain and cabling, which I will do later today. So, by the end of the build last night, the bike had everything except a chain and cabling... oh yeah, and I'm putting new cork on the handlebars, so that still needs to be done.

4.a Install the Bottom Bracket

The bottom bracket assembly slides right into the bottom bracket shell. I first greased the threads of the bottom bracket shell, and then slid the cartridge into the shell. I tightened the drive side cup using the splined bottom bracket tool. Recall that the drive side cup is left-hand threaded, so you have to turn the BB tool counter-clockwise to tighten it. Next, I installed the non-drive side cup, tightening it with the splined BB tool.

4.b. Install the Crankset

Once the bottom bracket was installed, I attached the crankset. This is as simple as placing the crankarm on the bottom bracket spindle, and tightening the bolt. I greased the threads of the bolts before tightening. I believe the bolts on both the drive side and non-drive side are right-hand threaded, so you use the typical "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" convention. The one thing to make sure of is that the opposing crankarms are installed at a 180 degree angle from each other. I'm not sure if it's possible to install them otherwise, but I had a bitch of a time keeping the non-drive side crankarm at a 180 degree angle from the drive side crankarm until the bolt was tightened to a certain amout.

4.c. Install the Derailleurs

Next, I installed the derailleurs, starting with the front derailleur. This was easy. All I did was grease the threads of the attachment bolt, and then thread it into the mounting hole on the clamp.

For the rear derailleur, I did the same. I greased the threads of the mounting bolt and then screwed it into the derailleur hanger.

4.d. Install the Brake Calipers

Once again, this was easy. For each set of calipers, I greased the threads of the bolt, and then slid the bolt into the brake bridge. The brakes come with a nut that anchors the bolt into the bridge from behind. Just slid it into the bridge and tighten with a hex key.

4.e. Install the Drop Bars

I didn't have to install the STI shift/brake levers, because I had left them on the old drop bar when I swapped it out for the bullhorns and aerobars. All I had to do was bolt the drop bars to the stem, which involved tightening two hex nuts. Again, I just greased the threads and then tightened the hex nuts to the clamp holding the base bar.

4.f. Install Seatpost and Saddle

My seatpost binder is a quick release system. So, installing a seatpost involves just sliding the seatpost into the seat tube, adjusting the height, and then closing the quick release lever.

Attaching the saddle involves bolting the saddle rails to the seatpost clamp. Nothing spectacular about that.

And that was it. As I said, I still need to install the cabling, chain and cork wrap. I'll buy that stuff today, and probably do it tonight. What I'm REALLY looking forward to, though, is building the Leader 735TT.

Step 1 in the new bike build is done!

I took the the LD806 fork to my LBS this afternoon to have the crown race installed. I don't own the tool, and I was afraid I'd bend it if I tried to jury rig something. It took the guy about 5 seconds. I should have done it myself.

I thought about having them install the headset, too, but since it's an integrated headset, it doesn't need to be pressed into the head tube. I think this is going to be a really easy first build.

Tip

If you're building a bike from scratch, you should have your LBS install the headset. Non-integrated headsets need to be pressed into the head tube with a special tool. Unless you build a lot of bikes, it's probably not necessary to buy this tool.

Building my new Leader 735TT

Ever since I've become a triathlete, I've really had a fascination with bicycles. I've learned to do a lot of maintenance-type work, but I really want to learn how to assemble a bike from scratch. As you miay have gleaned from my last post, the opportunity has arrived with my new Leader 735TT frame, LD-806 carbon fork and Cane Creek IS-6 headset.

This will be my first ever bike building experience, and I wanted to follow my progress in my blog. So, this is the first in a series of posts chronicaling my first bike build. Here are the parameters.

I have an older road bike, a 2002 Trek 2000, which I've been using as my triathlon bike for the last two years. The bike came stock with a mix of Shimano Tiagra and 105 triple ring components. I upgraded to Ultegra and Dura Ace double, but I kept the old components (and some Dura Ace triple components I had purchased but never used).

In order to get "permission" from the wife (or as I like to call her, the voice of sanity) I agreed to buy only a new frameset and move the higher end 9 speed components over to the new bike, and put the older 9 speed equipment back on the old bike. So, here's how the bikes will be re-built:

Components	Trek 2000	Leader 735TT
Fork	OCLV Carbon Classic	Leader I806 Carbon
Headset	STR Aheadset	Cane Creek IS6
Bottom Bracket	Dura Ace Triple	Dura Ace Double
Front Derailleur	Tiagra Triple	Dura Ace Double
Rear Derailleur	105 Triple	Dura Ace Double
Crank Set	Dura Ace 52/42/30	Dura Ace 53/39
Brakes	Alloy dual pivot	Ultegra
Pedals	105 SPD	Ultegra SPD-SL
Shifters	105 Triple	Dura Ace Bar End
Brake Levers	Shimano 105	Dia Compe 188
Seatpost	Bontrager Sport	Aerus Composites Aero

So, what I will do is remove the DA/Ultegra components from the Trek 2000 and replace them with the Tiagra/105 parts listed in the table. Then, I'll clean the DA/Ultegra components and install them on the Leader 735TT.

My Bike Frame Has Arrived!!

My new Leader 735TT bike frame, I806 carbon fork and Cane Creek IS-6 headset came in yesterday. I can't wait to assemble this stuff. Pictures of the frame and fork are at the right of this page.

I unpacked the stuff, and examined it to make sure everything is okay, and that there was no damage cause by UPS. There doesn't appear to be any, except the frame has an indentation on the drive side, directly beneath the part where the front deraileur attaches to the frame. I looked on the Leader Bikes website, and it looks like the frame is supposed to have this indentation, so I'm not going to sweat it. I can't tell if the red & white colored frame (I got the black one) has the same indentation, but it probably does.

So, I read through the stuff that came with the shipment, and it looks like this will be a fairly easy build. That's a good thing, considering I'm a true novice.

The IS-6 headset from Cane Creek is an integrated headset system. Not "pure" or ideal for my tastes, but I'm sure it'll be fine. It does require that the headtube be specially designed to fit Cane Creek integrated headsets. Fortunately, the 735TT has been specifically designed for this type of headset. The head tube comes faced and reamed, and should not require any modification or preparation for installing the headset.

The cool thing about the IS-6 headset is that it doesn't need caps, which means I don't need to use a headset press... good thing, 'cause I don't have one. In addition, the fork crown race looks like it will be installable without a fork crown race tool, because it has a "gap" that should make it possible to seat it properly on the crown of the fork without using the tool. We'll see how that goes.

This should be fun!!!

My New TT Bike

I'm getting a new bike! My wife just approved a the purchase of a new bike frame, a new carbon fork and a headset from Leader Bikes, and will use them to build my first TT bike! The picture to the right is from the Leader Bikes website, and will give you an idea of what the bike will look like.

I can't get my better half to approve all new components, so I'll be moving my 9 speed Shimano Ultegra/Dura Ace components over to this bike, and will put the original Shimano 105 triple components back on my road bike (a year 2002 Trek 2000). When I'm finished, the TT bike will have the following components:

• Bottom Bracket - Dura Ace 9 sp double
• Front Derailleur - Dura Ace 9 sp double
• Rear Derailleur - Dura Ace 9 sp double
• Cranks - Ultegra 9 sp double, 53/39
• Cassette - Ultegra 9 sp 12/25
• Chain - Ulegra 9 sp
• Aero bars - Syntace C2
• Handlebars - Profile Design bullhorns
• Stem - Ritchey 90 mm 0 offset
• Shifters - Dura Ace 9 sp bar end
• Pedals - Dura Ace SPD-SL
• Brake Calipers - Ultegra
• Brake lever - Dia Compe 188
• Headset - Cane Creek IS-6
• Seatpost - Aerus Composites aero carbon
• Saddle - Fiz'ik Arione

I've never fully built up a bicycle before, but I've always wanted to try. This will be a great project for me!!!

2005 5430 Half Race Report

Essentially a repeat of the 2005 HalfMax, only there was an added twist. For some weird reason, I think I had a panic attack on the swim. Got 500 meters in, and suddenly felt like my wetsuit was choking me. I couldn't breathe, and had to swim over to a row boat and hang on for a minute to calm myself down. Really weird. I'm a good swimmer, and this has never happened to me.

The bike was a really fast course... but of course, I only got to see half of it. Once again, I had serious back pains, and had to quit after 28 miles. I think it's my bike fit, as I KNOW I was properly hydrated for this race.

2005 5430 Sprint Race Report

This race was terrific! I needed a good day to get over the fiasco that was the HalfMax this year. I like racing a sprint or two, because it's fun to go out and just blitz the course sometimes.

Swim - 0.5 miles

This was a good, fast swim. The results have me down at 13:44, but I think I was a little faster than that. The timing mat was up a ways from the beach, and I looked at my watch as I came out of the water, and it was closer to 13 minutes.

Bike - 17 miles

Fast, fast fast bike course. The first 4 miles or so is a slight uphill, but when you get past that, it's screaming fast. I averaged nearly 22.5 mph on the bike, and came in with a 46 minute split over the 17 miles. I can't wait to see the course for the 5430 Half.

Run - 5k

This is my weakest leg. I've run a 24 minute 5K leg before, but my run training has been crappy this year. I ended up doing an 8:30 pace, for a 26 and-a-half minute 5K run. Not my best, but certainly not my worst either.

Total: 1:29:15

2005 HalfMax Race Report

This was a majorly disappointing race for me. I'm a huge fan of the long course races, and was looking forward to doing three Half IMs after a terrific first Ironman race last year. I did this race in 2004, and it was my best Half IM race yet. After a really good swim, I was able to hold nearly 22 mph on the bike, and I actually PRed my stand alone half marathon time.

This year was exactly the opposite. After moving to Denver in August 2004, I thought the altitude training would have me ready for another PR. But, after good, dedicated winter training, I pretty much lost interest in my workouts starting in April. Although I did most of them, I think my lackluster attention to detail made them mostly "junk" miles, instead of good, focused training.

St. Louis was really hot this year. Although the race was 3 weeks later last, it was a much cooler day in 2004. After a 33 minute 1.2 mile swim, I had a good transition, and jumped on my bike ready to tackle the new 2 loop, 56 mile bike course.

Everything was great until about 20 miles in. Suddenly, I had terrible spasms in my back, and I lost all power in my legs. I managed another 8 miles, and decided to call it a day. No way would I be able to finish the bike, let alone run a half marathon after that.

So, my day ended early, and I watched the other competitors finish their races. I'm glad I didn't push it, but I REALLY hate DNF'ing a race.

Commuting by Bicycle

Wow... I haven't blogged in a long while. I'll need to work on that.

Last night, the planets were aligned just right, and I got to thinking about how outrageously expebsive it's getting to fill my gas tank. Thoughts of how to conserve gasoline overwhelmed me to the point that I finally decided I can no longer justify driving in to work. With:

• triathlon race season upon us,
• warming temperatures,
• soaring gas prices,
• the fact that I drive an SUV,
• the Cherry Creek trail going almost right past my house and straight to downtown Denver,
• the fact that I live maybe 5 miles from work, and
• my gym having showers and other amenities being in my building...

I finally decided to stop talking about it and, to borrow a phrase from a well-known company, just do it... commute by bicycle, that is.

I have to say that I loved it!

I left the house at 5:30 this morning and rode 2 miles to the Washington Park pool to do a quick 2000 yard swim. After that workout, I just jumped back on the bike and hit the Cherry Creek Trail north straight into dowtown Denver. It was so easy and so invigorating, I can't believe I haven't done it before.

I highly recommend commuting by bicycle, if you can. Of course, it helps to have your gym near work, and it helps when you don't have to carry a lot of stuff back and forth to and from the office. I don't see this happening every day, because sometimes, I have too much stuff... but I will do it as often as I can.

Sometimes I Just Don't Get People

I had and interesting experience yesterday on the trinewbies.com website, a triathlon community and forum that I frequent. Basically, some lady posted about how her husband, a frequent visitor and contributor to the forum, had been cheating on her with "hundreds" of women, and that she knew there were some in the TriNewbies community. She then proceeded to blast the whole community, as well as the sport of triathlon, as the cause of the destruction of her marriage.



All I could think was... "Geez, lady! Get a grip. There are nasty people everywhere. Why blame all of us?"



Anyway... you'd think that'd be the end of it, but no. Some of the morbid freaks on the forum kept after her to name names and tell everyone who the offenders were... It went on all day, and predictably, ended with names named and feeling hurt.



I just don't get why people would do that. Is it morbidly fascinating? Sure. But these are real people, who have real problems that don't need to be aired on the Internet. How cruel can we be?



All right... rant over. Time to go to work.

Back in the office...

Today is my first day back at work after the holidays. I hate coming in after extended time off... It's so hard to get back into it. I do have a lot of work to do today, though... so this will be a very short post.

Got up at 5:30 am today to get in the following workout before work:

• 1 hour and 15 minutes on the spin bike. Mostly at aerobic HR. It's base building time.

After work, I'll hit the weights.

A New Year

Happy New Year to everyone.

I hope to make 2005 a really good year, both professionally and personally. I have many goals this year, and I'm setting them down in writing on this blog site. Maybe we'll look back on December 31, and see how many I've met.

My Goals for 2005

• Bring in 5 new clients to the law firm
• Bill 2000 hours for the year
• Stick to my 2005 triathlon training plan
• Qualify for the Half Ironman Championships in Kansas City

I'm sure there are more... I'll add them as I think of them... unfortunately, I'm a little crunched for time today.