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Author Topic: Powerline noise?  (Read 9188 times)

bitman

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Powerline noise?
« on: July 04, 2008, 12:28:56 AM »

Hello again

I had 6 appliance controlers on 6 mini audio mixers in my home basement studio, House code A, units 2 though 7.
I have a TM751, a CM11 and a 16 button remote. 1 Windows XP machine with AH and an audio PC that is only connected to the AH pc via
ethernet but otherwise is unaware of the X10 and is not controlled by it. - Life has been error free for a year.

Recently, Iv'e gone hog wild and put a Motion detector that talks to a lamp controller in the garage on unit code 9, and gave my wife 3 lamp controllers for the bedroom. unit codes 14 though 16 - Great.

Now when my audio PC is shut down alone, mixer at unit code 2 comes on, then goes off, and wife will say "It did it again" as all three of her lights come on full.

While the audio pc is a beast and sucks power i'm sure, buy my that's a good trick and totally repeatable.


:Ron
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Brian H

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2008, 06:36:59 AM »

One thing you may want to think on. Motion sensors have a dusk dawn feature. That sends an ON when it gets  dark and an oOFF when it get light. This is on the motion address +1. So your motion A9 sends on and off with dusk dawn on A10. The motion A14 uses A15; the motion A15 uses A16 and the motion A16 loops back to A1. So if your A14 see dark it will turn on your lamp on A15 :o. Also if by chance the motion sensor sees the light from the lamp on the dusk dawn address . It technically could cycle on and off as it see light and then dark.
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bitman

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2008, 09:37:30 AM »

I'm so sorry to bother all you good people.  I woke up this morning thinking ok this is the day I fix this thing. Just as that thought passed my mind, I remembered that I have powerflash that is set to the same address as the mixer that turns on and off. And furthermore the powerflash is driven my the audio pc. - I am so sorry again, to have posted this. It's a slow board so at least there is fresh reading!

I thought that dusk/dawn featurebug was optional and not enebled by default. It's an MS13A-C. If not I'll have to dig into that sucker and
do some surgury.

I don't know what's up with the bedroom lights but I'll find it. My wife is sleeping right now so I'll have to wait a bit.

Happy 4th X10ers.

:Ron
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HA Dave

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2008, 09:38:36 AM »

............................Recently, Iv'e gone hog wild and put a Motion detector that talks to a lamp controller in the garage on unit code 9, and gave my wife 3 lamp controllers for the bedroom. unit codes 14 though 16 ...........

And as Brian H pointed out... the more crowded your X10 system gets... the greater the chance for error. Separating House Codes can be a great help. Using house code "A" for Audio, "G" for garage, and "B" for bedroom might help.

Of course... that means you will have to do something like add another TM751 or upgrade to a AHP with the CM15A.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2008, 09:42:07 AM by Dave_x10_L »
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Brian H

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2008, 10:56:00 AM »

I am glad you found the culprit and shared it with us.

As Dave_x10_L pointed out; the more we add the better our chances are of stepping on another device.

My Chime module goes off twice with my morning On Routine. I traced it to the time the chime is sounding; it does not listen for more traffic. It misses the next X10 address sent during that time and only see the next X10on signal. Since a different address was not seen; it thinks it is still the address module and Ding Dong again  rofl
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bitman

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2008, 11:18:21 AM »

Strange, I readdressed the power flash and now the mixer does not go on and off when I shut down the PC, but the lights in the bedroom at the same house code but non-conflicting unit codes no longer come on by themselves when that PC is shut off either!

Boy, I'm glad the TCP/IP networks I make my money from daily are not this flakey!

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bitman

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2008, 10:46:52 PM »

So, The dawn/dusk feature is not optional. Friday night my wife and I were watching a netflix streamed video (Mars Attacks!) in the studio on the BIG speakers and POP! went on mixer #1 at the Motion Detector +1 ID.  ::) I took a pair of dykes to it and all is quiet at ID+1 now.

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2008, 01:55:19 AM »

So, The dawn/dusk feature is not optional. Friday night my wife and I were watching a netflix streamed video (Mars Attacks!) in the studio on the BIG speakers and POP! went on mixer #1 at the Motion Detector +1 ID.  ::) I took a pair of dykes to it and all is quiet at ID+1 now.



A simpler and more reversable solution is to place some tape that won't pass light, (like electrical tape or duct tape, etc.), over the dawn / dusk photocell.  ;)
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HA Dave

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2008, 03:59:06 AM »

A simpler and more reversable solution is to place some tape that won't pass light, (like electrical tape or duct tape, etc.), over the dawn / dusk photocell. 

Black Electrical Tape isn't that the same way we used to fix VCR's that blinked 12:00. I've also used tape on the tiny little photo-sensor.... it's a fast, easy, and reliable fix.
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bitman

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Re: Powerline noise?
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2008, 09:29:01 AM »

So, The dawn/dusk feature is not optional. Friday night my wife and I were watching a netflix streamed video (Mars Attacks!) in the studio on the BIG speakers and POP! went on mixer #1 at the Motion Detector +1 ID.  ::) I took a pair of dykes to it and all is quiet at ID+1 now.



A simpler and more reversable solution is to place some tape that won't pass light, (like electrical tape or duct tape, etc.), over the dawn / dusk photocell.  ;)

But not nearly as brutal/fun. 
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