X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: bruiser on September 14, 2007, 05:47:01 AM
-
Hi all,
I'm fairly new to x10 and have a quick question...
is it possible to change the RF from american 110V to Australian 240V, I understand that US use 300ish and Aus uses 433??? I figure i don't quite understand this enough but was wandering if a shortcut would b to use both the cm19e and the cm19a. one to recieve at 300 and one to send at 433.
Just to fill u in a little i currently have a number of transiever units, lamp modules and appliance modules which i am controlling via homeseer. But i bought a bunch of remotes, switches and sensors from US without thinking :) I'm sure this has been done b4... and without going the whole hack on the remotes i wandered if this would b an option. Cheers
Bruiser
-
We do have members form the different parts of the world which have different standards then North America.
I have read post where they mentioned using products from North America with modules from their own country! Perhaps one will chime in with some suggestions.
I don't think you can connect 2 CM19s to your PC and have them both recognized.
If so you would need 2 programs running as most I've seen will only Utilize one PC interface at a time!
I do remember users stating they used the CM15A in the UK plugged into a power adaptor and it worked! ;) So seems you can get past the voltage hurtle!
-
hmmmm so the cm15 might work with a transformer...that could b good. I hear what ur saying about using 2 cm19 on the one pc...i had thought of that an was thinking either network to another pc or virtual desktop or something. I use girder for backend control which can do just about anything...i suppose I'm really trying to figure out if it is possible to receive x10 commands from US remotes at 300 Mhz and then transmit them at 300 Mhz to control Australian modules etc....thanx for the help so far...eill wait and see if there are any other Aussies around or maybe some Europeans who can help...
-
X10 modules do not receive or send 310MHz or 433 MHz signals on the powerline. Once the remotes signal is received the powerline signal is 120KHz. So after remotes signal is received it will be sent back over the powerline to all the modules by the transceiver.
Using a step down transformer on a CM15A may or may not work. Voltage wise you are most likely covered. The problem could be can the X10 120 KHz powerline signal get through the transformer to the powerline.
-
X10 modules do not receive or send 310MHz or 433 MHz signals on the powerline. Once the remotes signal is received the powerline signal is 120KHz. So after remotes signal is received it will be sent back over the powerline to all the modules by the transceiver.
Using a step down transformer on a CM15A may or may not work. Voltage wise you are most likely covered. The problem could be can the X10 120 KHz powerline signal get through the transformer to the powerline.
all true Brian H the transformer could end up being a noise generator or power sucker! ::)
bruiser will no doubt have to do some experimenting. I'll see if I can't dig up the names of some of the users in the UK or Europe !
-
bruiser:
Doing an Advanced Search for UK I was abble to pull up a number of pages with posts frome various UK users the best was Re: 120v to 220v (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=4697.msg51771#msg51771) where mnazmi (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=3978) explained his CM15A conversions and hints that he has done others!
Also found coco3004 (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=5863) from Australia
Hope this helps!
-
One more tidbit. X10 did the OEM Black&Decker Freewire Automation products. They used 418 MHz for their RF communications but after the signals where received and processed. The powerline signals where X10. So you could control X10 modules with the Freewire remotes and receivers. Just could not use a X10 remote with a Freewire receiver.
-
Using a step down transformer on a CM15A may or may not work. Voltage wise you are most likely covered. The problem could be can the X10 120 KHz powerline signal get through the transformer to the powerline.
It's usually necessary to connect a capacitor between primary and secondary to couple the X10 signal back to the powerline.
Warning: If you try this, make sure the stepdown appliance is a true transformer (an autotransformer is OK), not some sort of switching power converter. The very low power (30-50W) travel converters are usually transformers; the high power ones for hair dryers and irons are usually switching converters.
-
thanx heaps all. I will checkout those posts u recommended tuicemen. Cheers
I didn't think it was as simple as using a transformer...I have looked into the 240V 110V conversion and found plenty of sites with hacks for each module etc but requires serious electrical work which I certainly aint qualified for...so this is why I'm thinking just go RF and not use power lines (or very minimal use over power lines) The key here is to use the pc to recieve Rf at 310 and then resend the signal with possible macros etc at 433. So far all I am looking to control is lighting in various rooms and i have plenty or trancsiever modules and light socket rockets. I am using some lamp modules over power for dimming. Although I'm sure this will grow to a lot more :) Anyhoo i will read some more and get back to you guys. Thanx again. and all this just 2 save a few bucks :)
-
so what about using a serial type reciever based on US standards at 310 and then resending with me cm19e at 433...would this work or would the computer try and send exactly what it recieved?? ie 310. I would think that the cm19 determines the frequency and not the computer...is this correct? If so my theory could work???
Exactly what i want to do is control Australian receivers and modules with american remotes via a pc without hacking the modules. I might be dreaming...
-
so what about using a serial type reciever based on US standards at 310 and then resending with me cm19e at 433...would this work or would the computer try and send exactly what it recieved?? ie 310. I would think that the cm19 determines the frequency and not the computer...is this correct? If so my theory could work???
You are correct that the particular CM19 determines the frequency and there's no question that this is possible. The big problem is finding software to do it. (I know nothing of Homeseer's capabilities.)
Exactly what i want to do is control Australian receivers and modules with american remotes via a pc without hacking the modules. I might be dreaming...
I think your best bet is probably to forget the 310 MHz to 433 MHz RF link and go for a 310 MHz transceiver - North American and International modules all respond to the same powerline code. One approach is to modify a stepdown transformer with a coupling capacitor to work with a TM751 Transceiver. Another you might consider is a WGL V572A (North American model) all-housecode transceiver (http://www.wgldesigns.com) in conjunction with an XM10 (240V) powerline interface. (However the cost of this latter option may well exceed your investment in North American X10 components.)
-
I generally don't try to resurrect old threads And I'm sure the OP has possibly given up on this.
I happened on this old thread as I usually watch what users are viewing in the forum here.
Sleeping on this it dawned on me (http://www.tuicemen.com/forum)! ::) :' rofl
There may now be away that this can be accomplished! ::) :'
The user would need a CM19a on a PC conected to a homenetwork Using X10Relayer use it to repeat the signal to another PC capable of receiving the info like PcCompanion. (http://www.angelfire.com/in2/ontkoi/X10AHP/PcCompanion.html)On the PC running the receiving program have a European CM15Pro or Cm19E this could convert the signal to the European standards.
Humm ??? anyone wish to test this?
>!