X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: Topher5000 on February 04, 2007, 12:41:57 PM
-
I hope this makes sense. It's kind of hard to explain.
In my basement, I have 2 sets of 2 pot lights controlled by XPD3 dimmers receiving signals from an IR543 controller. A 14/2 wire goes from a switch at the bottom of the stairs to a junction box, where it splits to the 2 X10 switches. That way I can leave the lights on while I exit the room & then switch them off as I go up the stairs. The problem is that when I go back downstairs & flip the switch back on, the lights don't come on. I have to walk over to the x10 switches & tap them on before I can use my remote to control them. I want the lights to go back on when I flip the switch at the stairs. After some reading, it appears that I need an XPSS slave switch to replace the standard switch at the stairs. Will this solve my problem?
I read the manual for the slave switch & it looks like I'd have to run another wire from it to the junction box, probably to constantly send a low voltage to the X10 switches. Is this correct?
-
Yes you need a companion switch to replace the second three way switch.
No you shouldn't have to pull any extra wires. if the original circuit was a standard 3-way switch arrangement. The companion switch uses the existing wiring.
-
It's not a 3-way switch. I had normal dimmers where the XPD3s are & the switch at the stairs just turned the power on/off.
ELA at remotecentral said I should wire the XPD3s straight to the power at the switch at the bottom of the stairs & pigtail in an X10 transmitter, replacing the switch. It looks like a 4202 or 4203 should work.
-
Well I'm confused, but that's normal. Sounds like you have it under control.
-
Try putting the X=10 electrically in front of the 3-way switches. Their design typically turns on if the load is switched but not the supply.
Gil Shultz