Proposed Areas of Improvement and Expansion: The Open Source HCS2/HCS_C

1. Allow XPRESS to define new modules dynamically.
2. Allow the HCS firmware to access more than 32 RS-485 devices. (*)
3. Develop a standard software API that allows interconnection between various types of networks, preferably layered in a network stack type of model.
4. Be able to tell the HCS through Xpress what data should be forwarded to an external system or controller (via HOST or some other means) and the data format.
5. Change the poll/response routine to allow for high priority interrupts, making user-selected higher priority network modules much more responsive when required.
6. Add the ability to sync the HCS's clock to an external RTC, Internet time source, or GPS module.
7. HVAC control.
8. Add a watchdog on the main HCS board. (*)
9. Allow for some sort of (limited) non-volatile variable storage.
10. Add the capability of talking to the Internet (FTP upload to a web server, send E-Mails, control HCS with a Web-based interface from anywhere). (*)
11. Update Host to display a graphical reprensentation of the home's layout.
12. Upgrade the speed of the RS-485 network to 56kbps or 115kbps, keeping a legacy 9.6kbps port for existing modules. Each having a seperate physical interface. (*)
13. Add a Universal-Link that can replace all current modules.
14. Add a network module that supports Dallas 1 wire devices.
15. Add a new voice board that is more natural sounding and allows for multi-lingual messages. (*)
16. Support for wireless link modules.
17. Add support for testing of link modules in Xpress.
18. New DTMF module with vocabulary voice synthesizer, caller ID, and voice mail support.
19. Voice recognition.
20. Support for X-10 CM-11a with new capabilities like PCS micro-dim, etc.
21. Support for slave HCS-II that only handles I/O through BUF-Terms, etc.
22. A GUI-based Xpress editor that allows you to point and click on resources, and then compiles the appropriate code for you.
23. A Java-based Xpress decompiler that will generate source code from an EVENTS.BIN file.
24. Support for communication thermostats from Enerzone and others.
25. LCD-Link module with support for various screen sizes, and a 4x4 keypad.
26. A PIC-based MCIR-link for multi-protocol and multi-carrier support.
27. Add a busy input to the DIO-Link function like the PIC-DIO.
28. Increase HCS system memory for code and logging. (*)
29. Develop a security system/access control link that would work with Dallas I-buttons.
30. Shrink the physical size of the MCIR-link.
31. Add a temperature sensor as part of the LCD-Link for remote temperature reading.

For further info email me at: ncherry@users.sourceforge.net.