X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: Brandt on December 18, 2009, 12:29:38 PM
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Hi,
I bought a used Signalinc 4826B from ebay.
It worked perfect its first day on the job, the second night on the job, it failed to turn on/off some lights. Now it being used I'm worried about being out of the money.
When triggering a motion sensor in the garage, I see green lights flash on phase B, but nothing else. Its like its not even transmitting it over the other phase...
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Do the Red Signal received LEDs flash on either Phase A or B?
If you didn't get the users manual for it.
http://www.smarthome.com/manuals/4826a.pdf
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Yeah I got the manual thanks..
looking at the device closer, green is transmit, red is receive.
So when the device was working great on the first day, it would blink red, green on one phase and then blink red, green on the other phase.
When it is having problems it would just blink green on one phase and thats it.
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Have you tried a power reset.
Either unplug it for a few minutes or cycle both breakers it is connected to. Then see if it again works.
The no Red received LED doesn't sound correct with a Green LED flashing it sent someting.
I have one sitting in its box as I replaced it with an ACT CR134. That was replaced by an XTB-IIR. :'
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Yeah I unplugged it for a while, and then plugged it back in and it worked for a couple times anyway. I think it has to do with a computer server that i'm' running in the garage where I have this setup that im using to test my signalinc, i should maybe put an XPPF on it when i get a chance
EDIT: I plugged an XPPF into the wall between the receptacle and the computer equipment and it still didnt solve the problem of my flour lights on the bottom outlet not getting the x10 signal.
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I have seen the Red receiving LED flicker with noise sometimes.
It almost sounds like the 4826B maybe flaky as the cool down seemed to fix it for a while.
Did I read correctly? The server is on the same outlet as the lamp module that is intermittent.
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Hi pomprocker,
I saw another thread where you mentioned that you were using soft start modules. These units work best with extended code commands. Unfortunately, the Signalinc doesn't understand extended code commands and will not repeat them. This may be what you are seeing - Signalinc recognizes an X10 command on one phase (lights lamps), but cannot repeat the command on the opposite phase.
If you are using a CM11/CM15a, you could revert to simple on/off commands to verify operation.
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Signalinc recognizes an X10 command on one phase (lights lamps), but cannot repeat the command on the opposite phase.
Boiler means that the repeater cannot repeat the extended code command on the second phase. It will repeat the regular x10 command.
regular command you could revert to simple on/off commands to verify operation.
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Signalinc recognizes an X10 command on one phase (lights lamps), but cannot repeat the command on the opposite phase.
Boiler means that the repeater cannot repeat the extended code command on the second phase. It will repeat the regular x10 command.
regular command you could revert to simple on/off commands to verify operation.
Wow, that sure didn't read the way I had intended it to...
I guess I need to put on another pot of coffee.
Thanks for the assist Mellowmark
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Thanks, I understood that.
The breaker box is outside on the side of the garage.
In the garage I'm using a flour light/night light combo on a 3-pin app module which is plugged into the same receptacle as some computer equipment using an XPPF.
I have an overhead incandescent lamp using a socket rocket plugged into the same receptacle as the garage door opener.
I have an in-wall socket w/ incandescent bulb using a socket rocket, and this is on the same circuit as the sprinkler system.
There is a ms13a mounted on the wall in the garage.
The signalinc is plugged in at the laundry room which is inside the house from the garage.
I use an RR501 to detect the motion sensor. The RR501 was connected to the same socket as the flour light using a splitter, and that way the flour light got the signal, but not the incandescents. Then I moved the RR501 to the laundry room next to the signalinc. Now the incandescents get the signal, but the flour light does not.
I think i've seen it work a couple of times, but I think there must be something noisy on the line somewhere. Even the XPPF on the computer equipment didn't solve it.
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Can you filter the fluorescent light where you have the RR501. Maybe that light gives just enough noise to cancel the signal from any distance. It works when the RR501 is close to it but it cancels the device that is far away. and then the opposite when the RR501 is away from the fluorescent it doesn't work.
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Thats ridiculous to need an appliance module, a nightlight, and an XPPF filter in order to control a flour light. Cmon X-10 put your heads together and come up with a better product. >*<
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If there is a severe noise or signal sucker problem that maybe the case.
Though not quite as sensitive. I have seen Insteon devices also effected by those things. So X10 modules are not the only ones.
Now if you want to spend big bucks. UPB and ZWave may work better.
When you can get eight Lamp or Appliance modules for $49.99 in the Mega Pack Deal running now. You can't expect Plug and Play no matter what X10 says on the sales pages.
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Try putting new lamps or a ballast in the fluorescent. It may be getting old and failing
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Try putting new lamps or a ballast in the fluorescent. It may be getting old and failing
Its new, maybe a year old, and rarely used.
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Are the ballasts the new power saving electronic type?
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Well see if you can controll a resistive load instead of the fluorescent light from both locations, to see if that is it.
This way we will know what the problem is. Then if you can maybe you could try a different approach and use something like an isolation relay and a powerflash to control it. You might be able to get rid of the nightlight and all that.
By the way what kind of fluorescent is it again?
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So the Signalinc has mostly been working fine. It seems now that the mystery is the flourescent fixture. Yesterday It was working perfectly, and today its being bad again?
I wish there was an easy way to troubleshoot x-10 :P
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Lately it seems like I can transmit just fine where my Computer equipment, CM11A, and AM466 are plugged in, but I can't seem to receive on that receptacle. That is why sometimes the AM466 doesn't turn on/off, and the CM11A port monitor only sees signals that itself sends, but doesn't see signals sent by other devices. The Signalinc is working just fine, but the signals don't seem to make it to that receptacle.