The new fan-speed module is completely supported in this version of the software. There is a "ceiling fan" load in the toolbox that should be used to get the HW-RPM-4FSQ-120 fan-speed module to generate in the Panel Wizard. If you enter your loads using the Load Schedule screen, select the load type "FAN-FSQ" for any ceiling fan loads. In the Programming screen, the fans will show up on the "Interfaces" tab.

The new 120V ELV module is completely supported in this version of the software (the 240V version has been supported since 3.8x). There is a list of frequently asked questions on the HW-RPM-4E-120 and HW-RPM-4E-230CE on our webpage. There is a copy of the webpage on every CD that we distribute. In the HWI utility, click on the "Help" drop-down menu and select "View Contents of HWI CD (requires CD)" after you have inserted the CD into your CD-ROM drive.

In the Terminal screen, next to the diagnostics tool button, we have added a light-bulb icon for our new System Control feature. This feature allows you to turn on/off/flash any light in the system. This is a very useful tool for locating a particular load that may have been wired to the wrong dimmer. Reminder - you must first upload the database before this feature can work.

For RS-232 ports that are set up for connection to a modem, the processor will reinitialize the modem once a day at 1:00 AM. This was added to make sure that the modem gets reinitialized if its power is interrupted and the processor's power is not (the processor always reinitializes the modem when the processor's power is interrupted).

We have improved the navigation between control stations in the Programming screen by filtering the list of control stations to only show programmable devices (i.e. a control station that only has a Vareo in it will no longer appear in the list).

We have added new RS-232 messages that will tell you when a time clock or vacation event has occurred.

When security mode is terminated, the lights and CCOs in the home can be returned to their previous light level. This is a much-requested improvement. This can be added to an existing database by checking the checkbox on the security mode tab in the programming screen. Any programming that is on the "Exit Security Mode Preset" will be deleted when this box is checked (you will get a warning from the software). If there are specific lights that you would like to force to a level other than their previous level, you will have to add them back onto the "Exit Security Mode Preset" after the checkbox has been checked.

To simplify the programming of input closures and "on while the button is pressed" functions on keypads, we have added a new programming option to the "Default" button type. In addition to "Toggle" and "Single Action", we now have "Dual Action". This provides two presets for the button, a "Press" preset and a "Release" preset. For contact closure inputs, there will be a "Close" preset and an "Open" preset. This functionality was achievable in the past, but was much more involved than it is now.

We have added another feature to the right-mouse-click menu in the programming screen. If you want to create a new Global Scene from a preset that was not previously a Global Scene, select "Preset" and then "Make New Global Scene" from the right-mouse-click menu. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new global scene. After the name has been entered, the button will have the new Global Scene on it and the scene will be available for assignment to other buttons.

For "Single Action" and "Conditional" button types, we have increased the number of LED options available. We have "Always On", "Momentary On when Pressed", and "via RS-232". The first two are self-explanatory. The "via RS-232" option allows an external system (Crestron, AMX, etc) to control the LED using RS-232 strings sent into the processor's RS-232 port (using the SETLED command). In the past, the only way to do this was with a button that had no Lutron programming on it (otherwise our programming would determine the LED state, regardless of what the external system did).

For the new "Notes" tab on the button programming screen, we have added a blue flag next to the word "Notes" to indicate whether or not the button has some notes associated with it.

For those who use cycle dim, the direction that the lights will go on the first press (i.e. "raise" or "lower") is now programmable on a system-wide basis. This is done on a tab on the "upload project" screen. On the same tab, we have also added an option that allows you to trade off the toggle response time with the cycle dim functionality. If you configure it for "Press" it will activate the preset on the press of the button (like it does today). If you configure it for "Release", the system will wait until you release the button before it activates the preset. In this configuration, the preset will not be activated if the button is held long enough to enter cycle dim. Many people will prefer the "release" configuration, although it does slow down the activation of the preset for any button with cycle dim. However, the "release" configuration is not compatible with double-tap (double-tap and cycle dim cannot be put on the same button).

RPM loads will stay at their current light level after uploads, as long as no addresses have been changed. Otherwise, they will turn off after the upload.

Buttons with conditional logic were previously unaffected by master raise/lower buttons. This has been changed so that the most recent preset executed by the conditional will be raised or lowered if the conditional button was the last button pressed.

The Toolbar has been improved and new icons have been added. Hold your mouse pointer over each icon to get the "tool tip" that tells you what the button does.

We have added a new function called user preferences that will allow you to customize your HWI software for maximum efficiency. We have consolidated the "preferences" that we had on many different screens in the old version of the software into this one new location. If there is something that you are looking for from the old software that you can't find, it is probably now in the user preferences. The new capabilities are listed below.

The new preferences screen "File I/O " tab allows you to specify the directory that you would like to use for project databases and reports.

The new preferences screen "Load Schedule" tab allows you to specify the Manual Override level and Bypass level that you would like to use as the default for any new loads or projects.

The new preferences screen "Control Station" tab allows you to specify a default for engraving font size, justification, capitalization, and fill color. In conjunction with our engraving report, this should simplify the ordering of engraved wallplates.

The new preferences screen "Programming" tab allows you to specify defaults for a wide range of programming options. For example, you can select your default LED logic (i.e. room, scene, or pathway) for future projects. You can specify that the software should synchronize on every upload, what the timeout should be on security mode, what your default vacation settings should be, whether or not you want cycle dim as a standard on buttons, etc.

The new preferences screen "Keypads" tab allows you to specify that the hold messages for cycle dim should be generated internally by the processor (normally, they are generated by the keypad). This means that keypads like the PHAST DMS keypad (which can't generate a hold message except on the main menu) can now do cycle dimming if this option is selected. The "Keypads" tab also lets you change the flash rates for the LEDs, the speed required for a double-tap (similar to setting the double-click speed for your mouse), etc.

The new preferences screen "Printing" tab allows you to import your company logo for printout on selected reports (Control Station Engraving and Control Station Installation)

We have created a completely new terminal window. It now can be accessed directly from the toolbar, regardless of which screen you are in (floorplan, load schedule, etc.). It can be kept open while other screens are used - it will automatically minimize when you click elsewhere in the software. The many new features are outlined below.

The new terminal window allows the user to access commonly-used RS-232 commands by selecting them out of a tree on the left-hand side of the window. The display of this list of commands can be toggled on and off by clicking on the "232" icon on the toolbar.

The new terminal window puts a timestamp next to every sent and received RS-232 string. The display of this timestamp can be toggled on and off by clicking on the clock icon on the toolbar.

The new terminal window logs all of the incoming and outgoing RS-232 strings to a log file (if that function is turned on). The stoplight icon on the toolbar turns this logging function off and on, and the notepad icon allows you to open the log file to look at the contents. It can be cleared by clicking on the icon on the toolbar that looks like a pencil with an eraser.

The new terminal window will allow you to configure your laptop modem using the information in your Windows registry. This should simplify modem setup.

The modem setup window will also let you put in multiple phone numbers for a particular database.

We have added the new ELV dimming module (HW-RPM-4E-230-CE) to the software tool. It will be automatically selected for any ELV loads that are in your database when you run the panel wizard (220V - 240V only). The 120V version of this product is still in development.

The "Where Programmed" function now has a button in the toolbar so that it can be accessed more easily. It is to the left of the "?" button on the toolbar.

We have added a new wizard that should allow you to test a newly installed system and to get a Certificate of Occupancy significantly faster that you have in the past. It will automatically generate basic programming for all keypads in the system. For each keypad in a room, the lights that are located in that room will be assigned to button 1 with toggle functionality. This wizard allows you to specify which keypads should control loads that are in rooms without keypads (exterior zones, for example). This new function can be found in the "File" menu, and is labeled "Auto-generate Programming". The instructions in the wizard will give you a more complete description of how this automatic programming works. Remember, this should only be used for lighting loads (as specified in the wizard's instructions) - motor loads and other non-lighting loads should NEVER be specified for auto-generated programming.

The delay function on presets formerly had a minimum time of 1 second. To facilitate better integration with systems requiring RS-232 string outputs from the HWI system, we have changed the software to allow .25 second delays. This is particularly useful when multiple strings are to be assigned to a single preset, since it allows 4 strings per second to be sent as opposed to 1 string per second with the old software.

A copy of the database can now be stored in the processor for extraction at a later date. This will only occur when you select the "synchronize" option in the upload screen. The "synchronize" button has replaced the "check all" button since it performs the "check all" function as well as the database storage function. When you are at a site making programming changes, it is not necessary to synchronize after each change. To save time, perform a normal "compile and upload" for each change you make and then do a "synchronize" with your last upload of the day. If you upload a system and forget to synchronize before you close the HWI utility, it will remind you that you need to synchronize. You will not be able to extract a database from a processor until after it has been synchronized once.

For processors that have been synchronized (the synchronization process stores a complete copy of the database in the processor), the database will be extractable. Unlike the previous generation of HomeWorks, the database extracted will contain all attributes, including button engraving. This will make it easier to leave the latest copy of the database on the jobsite for another programmer to use. The "extract" button on the terminal screen allows you to extract the database from the HWI system and save it as a project database. Make sure you write down the filename you save it to because the software doesn’t automatically exit the database that you were in prior to the extraction and open the extracted database.