Problem with timers

[harrykausl]

Hello,
I use timers on switches and on setpoint devices. I use after sunset, before sundown and exact timers. I often have the problem (2025.1) that timers don't work. I see it in the protocol of the device. Then I change the timers and perhaps they work again. I also use a time lua script, which works every minute. Perhaps there's a problem between these timers? Any suggestions how to fix this. Perhaps there's something fixed in a beta version of domoticz?

[harrykausl]

I think, the problem is, that a device timer does not start, when a time script is running. Is this correct?

[waltervl]

As the short lua script runs every minute this should not hamper normal timers.
It could perhaps be that when that lua script is running an external command longer than 1 minute and blocking Domoticz for this, it also blocks the device timer.

So in scripts use the asynchronous external commands or openurl functions to prevent that.

[harrykausl]

So I included a print at start and one at the end of the time script, This are only some seconds between. But in some subroutines called by the time script I handle some url's and json outputs. I see in the protocol of the switches, that the timer wasn't startet. May there is a problem, when the timer script and a timer start at the same time?

[waltervl]

Can you see Domoticz doing something else at the time a device timer should have been triggered?

By the way, for testing device timers you should plan those test actions minimum 2 minutes ahead in time to be able to have Domoticz load it into the event system.

[harrykausl]

I have always more than 2 minutes. I see, that some timers don't work (in protocol of the switch). Sometimes they work. As I use timers for some automations this is not good. When I change them or delete them and make new, they sometimes run. I think, there maybe a general problem with timers. Is there something changed in a beta release of domoticz, so I could test it.

There are always a lot of mqtt autodiscovery messages in the protocol, because my shellys are messaging values.

[waltervl]

What is the load on your CPU?
Do you have the Autodiscover main topic (default homeassistant) different than the main shelly state topics, eg shelly?

[harrykausl]

with top I see, that the cpu is not the problem. The mqtt auto discovery topic is homeassistant. For the shellies I used shellyteacher4domo to use autodiscovery.
In my opinnion there's a problem with queuing the time script and the timers because I see nothing in the protocol of the switch and in the main protocol. And sometimes it works. If something runs at the same time a timer should start, there might be a problem.

PS: Most of the devices with timers are dummy-devices.

[harrykausl]

yesterday I deactivated the time script. Now the timers run. But there's one thing. I have a timer on a switch with 1:35 after sunrise. Sunrise was in domoticz declared for 6:03. The switch was triggered on 7:52. Normaly this should have happened on 7:38. Perhaps theres the problem?

[gizmocuz]

Did you enabled a 'randomize' window on the timer? (like 15 before/after) ?

[harrykausl]

Yes, 1:35 after sunrise

[harrykausl]

There are a lot of mqtt messages for my shelly plugs. Temperature, power, voltage. The devices were autmatically createt. Now I deletet this devices which I don't need and deactivatet accept new devices. So I only get messages that there are mqtt messages but accept new hardware is disabled. I hope, this will be easier for domoticz to handle. It would be nice, if I could avoid this messages, but I don't find anything

[gizmocuz]

Domoticz should have no issues handling these messages.
I have lot's of Zigbee devices, and also 2 shellies, lots and lots of MQTT/Domoticz traffic

I assume you run everything on a Raspberry Pi 3 or higher? (CPU wise)


Also note, if you have a timer at 02:03am, the check to start this timer is not 'at' 02:03am', but if the current time equals or is greater then 02:03am
Meaning, even if you have a hiccup somewhere, this timer is still launched

I am pretty sure there are no issues with timers!

Please explain: "I see it in the protocol of the device"

Are you controlling mqtt devices with timers? Are those devices 'sleeping' devices? (like zwave/zigbee thermostats)

[harrykausl]

I am only controlling dummy switches with timers. I see in the protocol of the switch, that the timer didn‘t work, because the switch did not change. The problem is, that they sometimes work and sometimes not.
I am using a pi 4.