Private Residence

2000-2001 (David Carroll Associates as a subcontract with The Media Room, Inc)

The Media Room, Inc., headed by Jack Leahy is involved in residential media systems. In January of 2000 Jack came to me regarding a new, high profile project he had for an important silicon valley executive's home. Jack wanted my expertise in rack and cross connect systems to design and install the head end control room and backboard where all building wiring terminates. The job quickly expanded to include a whole house control system and we ended up working on it for almost two years. Although it was the first whole house residential system I had worked on, it had all of the elements of a commercial A/V job and was highly integrated. 

The home control system consists of three distinct control systems working together in a highly integrated manner.

User Interface Controls

• AMX : the overall master control system. User input and status is displayed on 19 mini wall mount color touch panels throughout the home, 2 wireless panels, and 2 fixed 10.4" panels. 
• Litetouch system is an integrated Lighting system with computer control. It is directly in control of lighting and drapery. Users may directly control the Litetouch system at any of the many Litetouch control stations, which offer up to 9 pushbuttons with LED feedback. AMX sends serial control to Litetouch to allow deeper control than possible from the Litetouch control stations. In zones where no AMX touch panels exist, 4 buttons are "borrowed" from Litetouch to control the Central Music System in those zones. 
• Infrared control is used for wireless control of television and video systems in 15 locations throughout the home. Philips Pronto IR remote controls are located in each area and directly control local media equipment such as TV, DVD, VCR, and Satellite receivers. All "media locations" also include an IR repeater which develops a wired-IR signal for repeating to any media equipment located in the head end. A Celadon IR-to Serial protocol converter in the head end allows certain Pronto IR codes to control AMX functions such as music, and zone lighting via relay to Litetouch. 

Controlled Systems

• Central Music SystemLighting
• Climate Control 
• "TV locations" consisting of a television and co-located satellite receiver, DVD, and VHS machines (with some exceptions, although all TV locations include at a minimum a Satellite receiver) 
• "Plasma locations" consisting of a Plasma Display and co-located DVD and VCR, with remotely located satellite receiver and A/V switcher. Plasma subsystems are designed for future upgrade to high definition with a minimum of disturbances. 
• Home Theater 
• Videoconferencing (located in the Office) 
• Pool 
• Security Camera and video source monitoring on touch panels 
• Warnings and enunciators

Customer: The Media Room, Inc.
Project Engineer:  David Carroll, Carlos Raven
Installation supervisor:  Steve Young
Date Started:  
Completed:  
Scope of work: Design Build, turnkey