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JV Digital Engineering's X10 Troubleshooting Tutorials- Feedback/Input Requested

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JeffVolp:
I plan to write a series of X10 troubleshooting tutorials in the coming weeks.  They can be accessed at:

JV Digital Engineering's X10 Troubleshooting Tutorials Series

* X10 Reliability Overview - 2007-02-19 @ 10:40:48
Feedback Thread: X10 Troubleshooting Tutorials - Feedback & Input Requested


* X10 & Compact Fluorescent Lights - 2007-02-24 @ 21:53:38
Feedback Thread: Re: Use of compact florescent bulbs


* X10, Noise Generators, Signal Suckers, and Filters - 2007-02-27 @ 18:03:13
Feedback Thread: Re: Filter and Phase Coupler Questions


* X10 Passive Couplers & Repeaters - 2007-03-05 @ 9:45:10
Feedback Thread: X10 Signal Couplers


* X10 Powerline Collisions - ?
Feedback Thread: ?


* TBD...


Other tutorials will cover collisions, and go into more detail on compact fluorescents, and filters.  I will only be covering X10 automation devices, but would appreciate feedback and suggestions for other topics in that area.

Jeff


[TTA Edit: Created Table of LINKs to Tutorials Created To-Date; emphasized FEEDBACK & SUGGESTIONS REQUESTED section.]

Dan Lawrence:
Excellent work.

One question:  In your X10 Troubleshooting Tutorials you refer to X10 sending "radio signals" at the top of the AC Sine Wave. I have a 1993 book that refers to digital signals (00001, 10001, etc) being sent.  Which is correct?

The book in question is Approaching Home Automation by Bill Berner and Craig Elliott. Copyright 1993 by Approaching, Inc. The book devotes a lot of pages to the MAC world use of X10 and a small chapter on the IBM computer and X10's DOS software (which I began with in 1993) and the CP290.

JeffVolp:
Actually, I said it sends X10 commands as short bursts of low-frequency radio signals just after the zero crossing.  These are bursts of 120KHz that last for 1mS after either the positive or negative going zero crossing.  The presence of a burst is decoded as a logic "1", and the absence of a burst is a logic "0".  Stringing together the bursts and gaps gives you a sequence of digital bits like you describe.

There is a X10 Tech Note that goes into much greater detail:

http://www.x10pro.com/pro/pdf/technote.pdf

Jeff

Dan Lawrence:
Thanks for the explanation.

I've been using X10 since the DOS days, and now I'm using AHP and the CM15A. Everything X10 in the house works the way I want it to. I've only had two problems, one was a phase problem, easily fixed by a 99 cent 0.1 uF 250 VAC Capacitor in the electric stove's connection box to bridge the phases for X10 signals. The other was two RR501's colliding, easily fixed  by putting the Kitchen/Breakfast Room on a different housecode, which is "F" (for Food). The other 501 stayed on housecode "A".

JeffVolp:
I may go back a little further with X10.  We started with the brown BSR modules and boxy maxicontroller back when they first came out.  Then that "slide switch" timer with the blue clock readout.

The .1uF has a capacitive reactance of 13 ohms at 120KHz.  That can work pretty well if you keep your AC network "X10 friendly".  I used one at our last house.  A downside of the inexpensive capacitor coupler is that it is not a bandpass device.  So it can pass higher frequency noise even better than X10 signals.  That's why I recommend the tuned-circuit coupler.

I plan to cover details like this in future tutorials.

Jeff

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