X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: DT_electric on July 10, 2008, 03:18:09 PM

Title: lighting control via timer and contactors
Post by: DT_electric on July 10, 2008, 03:18:09 PM

Hi - I'm new here.  :)

I'm an Electrical Contractor. I'm looking at x10 to add some energy controls in a commercial building. We have a 1200A 120/208V supply. 5 different panels to cover the "house" loads. One panel is connected to a 400A backup generator.


What I want to do is use a single timer with multiple programs to control up to 5 different devices (lighting and HVAC contactors) in different panels in the building. Installing the hard-wiring to accomplish this goal is both daunting an costly; this is a only a 5yo building, and was not built with very much fore-thought.

A few questions that come to mind:
- Can a timer or switch and one sub-panel signal switch a device at another sub-panel? (Both subs are fed from the same 'main' panel.)
- How far is the x10 signal good for before it needs to be boosted?

Any input is welcome!

Title: Re: lighting control via timer and contactors
Post by: dave w on July 12, 2008, 06:19:17 PM

Quote from: DT_electric on July 10, 2008, 03:18:09 PM

Hi - I'm new here.  :)

A few questions that come to mind:
- Can a timer or switch and one sub-panel signal switch a device at another sub-panel? (Both subs are fed from the same 'main' panel.)
- How far is the x10 signal good for before it needs to be boosted?

Any input is welcome!

X10 commands are susceptible to noise - can you live with contactors not activating/deactivating when they are programmed to?

"- Can a timer or switch and one sub-panel signal switch a device at another sub-panel? (Both subs are fed from the same 'main' panel."

You referenced 208V, are all panels on the same phase? Coming from same master panel would imply they are.

"- How far is the x10 signal good for before it needs to be boosted?"
It's totally dependent on how much noise and if "signal suckers" are present. Can be a little as 1 foot if a signal sucker such as a UPS is present.

You might want to Google "Phil Kingery" and read some of his articles about noise, and coupling over multiple phases prior to selecting X10.
http://www.act-solutions.com/PCC/kingery20.htm
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Phase_Coupling
http://www.hometoys.com/article_display.php?displayid=17#X-10%20Technical%20Series%20by%20Phil%20Kingery

Good luck!

Title: Re: lighting control via timer and contactors
Post by: Brian H on July 12, 2008, 07:16:45 PM

I see Dave gave you the link to one of the series. You may want to read all of them for X10 signal problems and how they work.
http://www.act-solutions.com/PCC/uncle.htm

Act Solutions makes special couplers and repeaters for 3 phase and large installs.
http://www.act-solutions.com/

Jeff Volp also has great troubleshooting data here.
http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm