By using a Windows PC and task planner, the Web-IO Digital becomes a timer switch

Timer switches are used for a variety of tasks such as turning on courtyard or entrance lighting or neon signs, opening and closing rollup blinds or activating a break announcer. The applications for time controlled switching processes are innumerable. Typically a separate timer is used for each individual task, which needs to be configured and set individually.

In most companies there are centralized file servers which are running 24/7/365 anyway. A server running under Windows can easily assume the tasks of a central timer (of course this is also possible using Linux servers and Linux PCs).

With the Windows task planner, you can use the network to control the outputs on Web-IO Digital boxes. The task planner opens a small VSCript and batch file at the desired time. In this way you have combined the switching tasks in one central location but can still switch decentrally.

The example described below shows you how this can work.

• with power,
• configured the inputs and outputs,
• connected it to your network,
• assigned it an IP address - which with WuTility is no problem.

To be able to directly switch from within the task planner or a batch file, you can use the VBScript setoutputs.vbs, which is available for downloading from www.wut.de. Detailed descriptions for this VBScript are located on the associated application page.

When the script is invoked the necessary parameters are passed by means of which you determine which Web-IO is supposed to execute which switching action.

The script invocation looks as follows:

setoutput.vbs IP=<IP address> [PORT=<portno.>] [PASSWORD=<password>] [MASK=<hex value>] STATE=<hex value>

Example: You want to turn Output 1 on Web-IO 10.40.22.101 ON. But Output 0 should remain unchanged. "XYZ" was assigned as the password for the Web-IO:

To turn Output 1 OFF, setoutputs.vbs must be parameterized as follows:

You could save both script invocations for example as a batch job under the name lighton.bat and lightoff.bat.

Depending on which Windows version is used, the procedure may vary slightly from the example shown here.

Switching task: You want to turn on the courtyard lighting at a company on each day at 5:00 p.m.

Output 1 on the Web-IO 10.40.22.101 controls a relay which powers the lighting. For this you can use the batch file lighton.bat.

To create a new task, first select Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> Scheduled Tasks.

Double-click on Add Scheduled Task

Click on Next

Click on Browse

and select the file lighton.bat

Select Daily and click on Next

Enter 5:00 p.m. as the time of day

and indicate under which user account you want to run the batch file

Then finish by clicking on Apply.

Turn off the courtyard lighting in the same manner by using the batch file lightoff.bat and setting the time for example to 8:00 a.m.

An alternative to the Windows task planner is provided by the tool Z-CRON, which is available as a free download from the Web site of IMU Hard- und Softwareservice. Commercial users may acquire a license for Z-CRON in exchange for a small fee.

Z-CRON allows direct invoking of the VBScript with the necessary parameters without having to go through a batch file. In addition, the tasks can be managed and created in much more organized fashion.

A detailed description of VBScript used together with the Web-IO can be found on the corresponding application page

To sample orders

Download VBSCript