[OBSOLETE] Remotec ZRC-90 Scene Master - Button Device Supporting 24 Unique Button Commands (see post 177 for 2021 app version)

HI There,
GoControl works great, Thank u! I just recieved my ZRC-90 and it only shows as one button… Detail in Github Issue!

The new smarthings app is only capable of showing one button per device. The “one button” can have multiple button values assigned, like up and down, up_2x, etc. That works on the go control, where even though it has two buttons, actions from the two button are assigned to the devices single button in the app. However, this remotec has too many buttons to use that strategy. Attemptong to create 8 child devices seems to fail as well.

This handler attempts to work around that by using smartlighting or webcore, which still handle buttons the legacy way.

Bottom line is to get all 24 press actions, you can’t just use the smartthings app alone. Let me know if you can get it working with smartlighting or webcore.

I know this is an old thread, but having just bought a ZRC-90, I have found this thread. The FAQs was very helpful up to the point of publishing the device handler. I have created and published the device handler, but I can’t get any further. The instructions refer to the Classic app which is no longer available, and I can’t see any way to progress. I have added the ZRC-90 as a button and it shows in Smartthings, but just as a button, with which I can’t do anything.
If anyone can help me i’d be very grateful. This is the first time I have got involved with device handlers and Smartapps, so I’m a complete novice.

The handler in the top post doesn’t work with the new app. I updated the handler, the link to the updated code with some instructions is up above in this post [RELEASE] Remotec ZRC-90 Scene Master - Button Device Supporting 24 Unique Button Commands - #177 by mwav3

It’s not a thorough FAQ but the process to use custom code through the IDE is still the same and didn’t really change with the new app, so most of the FAQ in @JDRoberts post you replied to still applies.

Unfortunately due to limitations with buttons in the new app, you also need the smartlighting app or webcore to use the new handler.

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Hey Tim - take a look at Kevin’s DTH(s) for the Zooz ZEN32. [RELEASE] Zooz Scene Controller (ZEN32) I think he’s conquered the button issue. I just replaced my Cooper scene controller with one of these and I have to say - the device is nice, but the way Kevin handled the buttons is VERY nice. Button press actions work both in NewApp automations as well as the Groovy IDE.

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Thank you very much for that. I will see what I can do. There is a smartlighting app available through the SmartThings app. Is that what I need to add?

Kind regards,

John

| mwav3 Tim Developer
April 2 |

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The handler in the top post doesn’t work with the new app. I updated the handler, the link to the updated code with some instructions is up above in this post [RELEASE] Remotec ZRC-90 Scene Master - Button Device Supporting 24 Unique Button Commands - #177 by mwav3

It’s not a thorough FAQ but the process to use custom code through the IDE is still the same and didn’t really change with the new app, so most of the FAQ in @JDRoberts post you replied to still applies.

Unfortunately due to limitations with buttons in the new app, you also need the smartlighting app or webcore to use the new handler.

That definitely looks like a cool in wall controller. It looks like he has 5 button actions that can be supported with the supported button values listed in the capabilities documentation- https://smartthings.developer.samsung.com/docs/api-ref/capabilities.html

The problem with this remotech ZRC90 though is it has 8 buttons, with 3 actions a piece, for a total of 24 total button actions. The current supported button list has 22, which would handle most of those but require mapping to the values that might not make sense, and would miss 2 possibilities.

So, since this controller can do so many actions, the current way the app is structured where each device can only have one button, with 22 different actions, falls short of fully supporting it.

This ZRC90 is a bit of an oddball scenario, and there aren’t that many devices capable of so many button actions. But the changes to the way buttons work in the new app has had ripple effects over multiple devices and controllers. Most of the ones I’ve updated have been because of these button issues. Everything pretty much relies on a workaround of some sort. We’ve talked about it on a few other threads here NEW: Tuya ZigBee Smart Battery Switch - #10 by mwav3 here [OBSOLETE] HomeSeer Dimmer and Switch (HS-WD100+ / HS-WS100+) Device Handlers - #179 by mwav3 and here Home Automation mostly broken - #8 by luyer

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Yes if it is there that’s the one that should work. It doesn’t work in all regions though. What country are you in?

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If it matters - (I still have a Remotec) I NEVER use the multipress on most of the buttons I’d be VERY ok if it supported Press/PressHold on all (that’s what, 16?) then double press on the top row (another 4 for a total of 20) Then, note the limitation in the docs.

Reason being - even though we don’t know the final outcome for groovy based DTH’s we KNOW SmartLighting has a limited life because the Groovy API for smartapps is getting retired (end of year is best current guess) so we need to figure out a way to make the buttons work without requiring SmartLighting.

Sacrificing double press on 4 of the buttons to get something that works inside the app for all other actions sounds favorable to me. Right now as it stands, if SmartLighting goes away the device becomes useless.

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Very good points @nathancu I’ll try and work on an alternate version that stands a chance of being a bit more future proof.

Sacrificing double tap on the bottom row would make it work, or even just the bottom right two buttons, with a good button mapping.

Along those lines, the future of webcore is up in the air with all this too so that may not be an option either. Off topic a bit, but I moved all automations off Webcore to my local server running node red to prep for dooms day. Plus in another thread a smartthings rep said smartlighting is deprecated so that shows where they stand on it. They also (incorrectly) claimed the new automations in the new app can do everything better then Smartlighting.

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But there are some. The Fibaro Keyfob supports 30. :wink:

https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-FGKF-601-ZW5-KeyFob-Controller/dp/B06XZS35YL

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So - the ZEN32 DTH sets ‘isComponent: false’ on child components, where the DTH I’d been working on always had ‘isComponent: true’. When I find some spare time, I’ll try that.

Child devices looks like the “official” way Samsung actually wants to support multibutton devices. I just found it clunky and a bit above what I can figure it out. Very useful information from @nayelyz on this post - NEW: Tuya ZigBee Smart Battery Switch - #11 by nayelyz

I also don’t think its possible to create 23 child devices, and even if you could it would be a huge mess I think.

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I’m in Spain.

| mwav3 Tim Developer
April 2 |

  • | - |

Jinibiza:

There is a smartlighting app available through the SmartThings app. Is that what I need to add?

Yes if it is there that’s the one that should work. It doesn’t work in all regions though. What country are you in?

There are only 8 buttons, if button actions can be made to work correctly. They do work correctly for smaller devices.

So 7 child devices with pushed, held, and double supported button values? Is that possible or is there a limit on number of child devices?

Without having the device physically to test I don’t think I can pull it off though.

Per this post it should work in Spain

If you dont have it already though, there is a clunky work around to get Smartlighting installed mentioned here

But based on what @nathancu wrote above about smartlighting this less then ideal clunky workaround eventually will stop working. The device handler needs to work natively in the app without reliance on any Groovy smartapp. I don’t even know the future of custom code either, which also runs on Groovy. Are we going to have to host it ourselves? If that’s the case, what’s the point of a Smartthings hub?

I’ll try and do a better update but sometimes it feels like patching holes on a sinking ship. We’re told a nice shiny new ship is around the corner. Where is it?

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Be careful what you wish for…

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Thank you.

I have used the Smartlighting app within Smartthings, and have managed to assign buttons on the ZRC-90 to scenes and devices. However, pressing those buttons doesn’t run the scenes or control the devices that I appear to have set up. Also, I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but since setting the Smartlighing app up, a couple of Ikea dimmer/remotes I have, have stopped working. Also, I can’t add them back into Smartthings either. So, I’m in a bit of a mess. I don’t know what to do. Actually getting my Ikea remotes working is more important then getting the ZRC working. Any advice would be much appreciated.

John

Try going into the device’s preferences and toggle "force settings update/refresh "

If it’s still not working can you try and post a screenshot of the device page from the IDE and the live logs from some different button presses?

As for the Ikea remotes, I can’t see how installing the smartlighting app would mess that up. Maybe you have an “unpublished” device handler? Go into the IDE and go to your custom code for smartapps and device handlers, and open each one and save and publish (should be a publish box to check) to make sure all are published.