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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: mary972 on September 21, 2006, 10:07:53 PM

Title: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: mary972 on September 21, 2006, 10:07:53 PM
Does anyone know how to hook up a strobelight to X-10 system?  I saw these strobelights at this site 
       
 http://homesecuritystore.com/ezStore123/DTProductZoom.asp?productID=570

It has 2 wires and i'm wondering how to hook it up.  If you know how, please let me know.  Thanks..
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: KDR on September 22, 2006, 06:05:06 AM
The easy way since they tell you voltage and current draw is to get a small plug-in DC power supply and plug that into a appliance module. There are several ways it could be done depending on your application. If you give us some details of what you have in mind I'm sure me and others will give you some other options.

Depending on the power supply used you may also need a filter in the circuit so it doesn't mess up your system.
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: mary972 on September 22, 2006, 09:58:19 AM
Hmmm i just want to hook it up to my Lamp Module so it will flash whenever my X-10 is triggered.  Where can i get that small Plug-In Power? 
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: Charles Sullivan on September 22, 2006, 11:32:36 AM
Hmmm i just want to hook it up to my Lamp Module so it will flash whenever my X-10 is triggered.  Where can i get that small Plug-In Power? 

Radio Shack sells wall-wart power supplies that will work with this strobelight.  However you MUST use an Appliance Module - a Lamp Module isn't suitable for this application.

Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: Brian H on September 23, 2006, 07:41:56 AM
I agree with Charles. A Lamp Module and a wall wart is not a good combination. Use a Appliance Module.
Guess a UM506 [costs more] Universal Module in series with the 12V would also work.
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: DowNet on September 23, 2006, 12:45:54 PM
The easy way since they tell you voltage and current draw is to get a small plug-in DC power supply and plug that into a appliance module. There are several ways it could be done depending on your application. If you give us some details of what you have in mind I'm sure me and others will give you some other options.

Depending on the power supply used you may also need a filter in the circuit so it doesn't mess up your system.

Can you "switch" a "filtered" device?  Meaning if I have a power supply on a filter and also hooked up to a module, I don't think it will turn on and off, would it?  I thought the purpose of the filter was to filter out X10 PLC so it won't get to that particular device.  Please elaborate if I am incorrect. Thanks.
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: KDR on September 23, 2006, 01:26:56 PM
The filter is to block noise. It will pass the PLC signal.

I just setup a test with a FilterLinc 1626-10    Plugged the filter into the outlet, plugged a lamp module into the filter and a lamp into the lamp module. Lamp turns on fine from AHP and remotes.

Also flipped things around, plugged the module into the power first then the filter into the module then the light into the filter. Again lamp turns on with AHP or remotes.

If the device being controlled is creating the noise you would want the control module plugged into the outlet first, then the filter plugged into the module and then the device into the filter. I don't have a known device making noise that I can test this on but it should work OK.
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: DowNet on September 27, 2006, 03:11:19 PM
The filter is to block noise. It will pass the PLC signal.

I just setup a test with a FilterLinc 1626-10    Plugged the filter into the outlet, plugged a lamp module into the filter and a lamp into the lamp module. Lamp turns on fine from AHP and remotes.

Also flipped things around, plugged the module into the power first then the filter into the module then the light into the filter. Again lamp turns on with AHP or remotes.

If the device being controlled is creating the noise you would want the control module plugged into the outlet first, then the filter plugged into the module and then the device into the filter. I don't have a known device making noise that I can test this on but it should work OK.

Doesn't that filterlinc also to prevent absortion of some X10 PLC to components on your network (i.e. PC power supplies, AV recievers, etc)?  If that is the case, those components should never see a PLC if filtered.  Likewise, then, the filtered unit never gets to "eat" up a PLC; so the filter let's it continue on the AC power line.  Am I right in my thinking here?
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: Brian H on September 27, 2006, 04:17:55 PM
Did on my APC BX1000 UPS. The FilterLinc and other X10 Filters are tuned to not pass the signals in the 120 Khz range. So if the filtered device is making noise it will not get back on the powerline. If the device is absorbing the X10 signals. They don't pass through the filter and the device can't absorb them.
Title: Re: How to hook up a STROBE LIGHT to X-10 system?????
Post by: KDR on September 27, 2006, 08:48:01 PM
So what your saying Brian is that my modules shouldn't work on the other side of the filter right? I have no problems turning on and off units downline from the filter.