X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: Brandt on March 11, 2010, 06:15:13 PM
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I have a floor lamp (that shines up toward the ceiling) with a built in lava lamp. I usually turn it to the lava lamp at night (manually) before bed, but in the evening when i get home from work and its getting dark I go to turn the lamp on (connected to lamp module) and its still on the lava lamp setting so I have to turn the lamp switch manually.
when twisting the lamp switch it does: all off, main lamp on, lava lamp on, both on.
If there was a way to hack this (i would only really need either the main lamp or the lava lamp, not both at the same time) so that switching between the two can be done with x10 that would be cool.
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You should be able to take the stem apart and put an additional cord on, bypass the switch, and have both the light and lava lamp on separate cords plugged into separate lamp modules. Or a lamp module and an appliance module if you wanted to skip dimming of the lava lamp. You can buy lamp cord from most hardware stores along with snap on AC plugs.
Dan B.
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I figured that would be the easy way to go but I was thinking more along the lines of:
[ Receptacle ] -> [ Lamp Module ] -> [ X10 SPDT relay to switch between the two lights (hidden somewhere inside the lamp) ]
That way I could use a macro [on lava lamp] command would turn on the lamp module and switch the relay appropriately, an [on main lamp] would turn on the lamp module and switch the relay to the main lamp, and an [off X] would just turn off the lamp module. That way the dimming would still work for both.
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Now all you need is someone to invent an X10 SPDT relay module. ;D
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I figured that would be the easy way to go but I was thinking more along the lines of:
[ Receptacle ] -> [ Lamp Module ] -> [ X10 SPDT relay to switch between the two lights (hidden somewhere inside the lamp) ]
That way I could use a macro [on lava lamp] command would turn on the lamp module and switch the relay appropriately, an [on main lamp] would turn on the lamp module and switch the relay to the main lamp, and an [off X] would just turn off the lamp module. That way the dimming would still work for both.
Not sure I understand your description, but:
The moment the relay (120v coil driven by an Appliance Module?) switches from one lamp to the other, the Lamp Module will go to the OFF state, and will have to be sent a new ON command. If it is an old lamp module the "Local Control" feature might turn the module back on, but at 100%. What it won't do is maintain the same dim level when switched from one lamp to the other.
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might as well do two cords and two wall-warts i mean lamp modules to keep it simple :P
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pomp, If you have the room in the base of your lamp, you could hack the two lamp modules by removing the circuit boards from them, unsolder the wall plugs and jacks and hard wiring your cords to them. Removing the plug tabs from them may give you some extra room to mount them in the base of your lamp.
Just a thought.
Dan
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If you have the room in the base of your lamp, you could hack the two lamp modules by removing the circuit boards from them, unsolder the wall plugs and jacks and hard wiring your cords to them. Removing the plug tabs from them may give you some extra room to mount them in the base of your lamp.
Dan
That's a good idea.
Although this isn't an answer for Pom since he needs two lamp modules for control. But I tired of the looks of a wall outlet with two or more Lamp Modules plugged in, the top module being extended over the bottom module via a grounding adaptor. So I removed prongs and socket from Lamp Modules and and spliced them in the middle of extension cords. The wall outlet looks neater and the extension cord allows the bulky module to be tucked behind furniture.
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That's a good idea.
Although this isn't an answer for Pom since he needs two lamp modules for control. But I tired of the looks of a wall outlet with two or more Lamp Modules plugged in, the top module being extended over the bottom module via a grounding adaptor. So I removed prongs and socket from Lamp Modules and and spliced them in the middle of extension cords. The wall outlet looks neater and the extension cord allows the bulky module to be tucked behind furniture.
I think I've seen modules made that way for sale on Ebay...
Aaahhh... Here it is - The XPFM Inline Module:
http://cgi.ebay.com/X10-PRO-Home-Automation-Inline-Appliance-Module-XPFM_W0QQitemZ380211642697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5886614149 (http://cgi.ebay.com/X10-PRO-Home-Automation-Inline-Appliance-Module-XPFM_W0QQitemZ380211642697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5886614149)
Same thing you accomplished, only neater... ;D
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Just check the size of the XPFM to make sure you have enough room to mount them where you want to.
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It might be just as easy to remove the lamp switch altogether. Then add a cord and cap for the second lamp and use two plug in modules.
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I removed prongs and socket from Lamp Modules and and spliced them in the middle of extension cords. The wall outlet looks neater and the extension cord allows the bulky module to be tucked behind furniture.
Aaahhh... Here it is - The XPFM Inline Module:
http://cgi.ebay.com/X10-PRO-Home-Automation-Inline-Appliance-Module-XPFM_W0QQitemZ380211642697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5886614149 (http://cgi.ebay.com/X10-PRO-Home-Automation-Inline-Appliance-Module-XPFM_W0QQitemZ380211642697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5886614149)
Same thing you accomplished, only neater... ;D
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No it does not have the plug and socket.