X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => User Modified Devices => Topic started by: GPL on June 13, 2020, 03:12:01 PM

Title: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: GPL on June 13, 2020, 03:12:01 PM
The X10 security system lacks a strong outdoor siren/strobe device. To overcome this problem I modified a PH508 Power Horn to drive wirelessly one or more outdoor sirens when it is triggered by the X10 security console.
To do so I made a circuit that takes the signal that drives the horn piezo elements. After the signal is rectified and filtered,  it turns on a transistor which acts as a solid state relay and provides power to an RF transmitter module. The module transmits a coded signal, as long as the PH508 is activated, i.e. as long the PH508 is sounding .
In case you would like to use a wired siren, you can connect a relay instead of a TX Module and use its contacts to activate the siren.
A correspondent  relay receiver,  receives the signal and after decoding  turns on a relay that can trigger an outdoor strobe/siren or any other device you would like.
I have installed two of those receiver modules into two sirens in my house and work flawlessly since  some years.
The RF modules are bought from Ebay. The transmitter works with a SAW oscillator and the receiver is a super heterodyne one. The set provides a good range, far better compared to the X10.
Three wires are soldered on the PH508 printed circuit board as shown. The provide power (5V and ground) and the sound signal to the added driver and transmitter circuit.
The driver circuit is made of a small PCB. Some parts are soldered on the other side.
The added boards are mounted in the spare space inside the power horn.
A relay receiver module is mounted inside a strobe/siren.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 16, 2020, 02:18:33 PM
Are there supposed to be photos with this post? I do not see them? ???
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Brian H on June 16, 2020, 06:22:03 PM
There are no photos attached. It looked like the photos where in supposed to be in the middle of the post text.

It does sound like there should have been some.

Not sure if photos in between the text lines is OK.

Newbie status has some limitations. I believe attached photos is one of them or they where too large. I thought you got a warning about that when trying to attach photos and it didn't happen.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: GPL on June 18, 2020, 08:59:41 AM
Are there supposed to be photos with this post? I do not see them? ???
I am sorry for the problem. I have seen the photos in the preview but they were probably available to me but not in public view.
I made a change and now anyone can see them.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 18, 2020, 09:03:27 AM
That is what I thought might have happened. Stumbled upon it once before on a different forum. :) ;)
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Brian H on June 18, 2020, 10:47:26 AM
Where you trying to add the photos in the message, attach the photos or provide links to an external photo hosting site?

I suspect it is a limitation on members with the Newbie status.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 18, 2020, 11:14:11 AM
Where you trying to add the photos in the message, attach the photos or provide links to an external photo hosting site?
Please do not link to an external site. I have found dozens of posts on other forums where the originator retired or the host account dies and the photos are gone.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Brian H on June 18, 2020, 06:02:50 PM
Where you trying to add the photos in the message, attach the photos or provide links to an external photo hosting site?
Please do not link to an external site. I have found dozens of posts on other forums where the originator retired or the host account dies and the photos are gone.
I have also seen the external links. Expire or the host vanishes.
I have seen a forum that only used external links to things like photo hosting sites.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: GPL on June 19, 2020, 06:25:18 AM
Where you trying to add the photos in the message, attach the photos or provide links to an external photo hosting site?
Please do not link to an external site. I have found dozens of posts on other forums where the originator retired or the host account dies and the photos are gone.
I have also seen the external links. Expire or the host vanishes.
I have seen a forum that only used external links to things like photo hosting sites.
When I press  the “Attachments and other options” button on the forum software to expand the options, it does not give me the option to attach a picture by uploading it to the forum  server. So if it is necessary for me, as a newbie, to add a picture in a post, the only option is to provide a link of its location on an external server.
It is obvious that this method will lead in the future  to missing pictures and I  see that the only solution to this is to change the forum rules and give to every member the option to attach pictures.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 19, 2020, 06:56:32 AM
As Brian H said, I think you will be able to post attachments directly when you are no longer a Newbie. That is somewhere between 10 and 20 posts.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: brobin on June 19, 2020, 10:40:28 AM
The reason many forums do this is to prevent spammers/trolls from posting a lot nonsense. Ten posts isn't a lot and they don't have to be profound essays. It looks like you're almost there already...  >!
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 19, 2020, 11:56:26 AM
Interesting.  :' All this discussion, and the photos are gone again.  rofl
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Brian H on June 19, 2020, 01:39:51 PM
Interesting.  :' All this discussion, and the photos are gone again.  rofl

As a Newbie they can not post photos. I seriously doubt they where ever seen here.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 19, 2020, 01:45:02 PM
Are there supposed to be photos with this post? I do not see them? ???
I am sorry for the problem. I have seen the photos in the preview but they were probably available to me but not in public view.
I made a change and now anyone can see them.
The photos were there since GPL made this post. Six almost full page photos.But, they are gone today.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Moose on June 19, 2020, 01:49:38 PM
MOOSE!!
I NEVER saw them did you?????

Yes I did see them. Honest. :angel:
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: GPL on June 25, 2020, 06:58:29 AM
I am sorry the photos are gone again. It seems that Google Photo keeps the links active just for a couple of days.
If and when I become a standard forum member and have the right to attach pictures to a post, I 'll do it the wright way.
Title: Re: PH508 modification to triger wirelessly an outdoor siren
Post by: Brian H on June 25, 2020, 07:03:51 AM
You are now a Jr. Member.
You may want to see if you now can add photos.