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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: rustybarnacle on October 20, 2010, 11:40:28 PM

Title: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: rustybarnacle on October 20, 2010, 11:40:28 PM
So i have 3 LM465 modules in my living room, all controlling different lamps, set to A2, A3, and A4.  If I do the following in a macro:

A2 ON
delay 5 sec
A2 DIM 40%

it works great

But, if I do this:

A2 ON
delay 5 sec
A3 ON
delay 5 sec
A2 DIM 40%
delay 5 sec
A3 DIM 40%

i get wackiness, to include what appears to be dropped commands, or more often it will dim the same unit twice, so i'll have one lamp full blast, and the other nearly off.

Also, for what its worth, i can not use the dim sliders, or the set absolute brightness with any effect on any lm465 unit.  Ideas?

Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: hawk1 on October 21, 2010, 09:27:58 AM
make sure your recycle bin in AHP is empty.  Sometimes even if a macro is in the recycle bin it still plays havoc with a current macro with the same name.   Clear your interface memory and redownload macros and timers.  Also you might want to put a longer delay in between the "dim" commands.  Just some things you could try.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: HA Dave on October 21, 2010, 09:28:22 AM
...... i get wackiness, to include what appears to be dropped commands, or more often it will dim the same unit twice,

That is the way it works... as I understand it. Your results are correct.... its understanding the results. The last module turned ON.. is the one dimmed. A2 ON... A2 dimmed. A3 ON... A3 dimmed.

You could make the dimming process quicker (if that is what your after) by shortening the delay between actions. One second delays work fine and often a delay can even be zero seconds with excellent results. Example:

A2 ON
delay 0 sec
A2 DIM 40%
A3 ON
delay 0 sec
A3 DIM 40%



Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: rustybarnacle on October 21, 2010, 02:23:36 PM
It appears that knowing in which order to turn on and dim is solving at least some of my problems.  So thank you for that.  Any idea why I can't use the dimming sliders in AHP, or use the set absolute settings?  I have to either turn on/off, or do relative dim and brighten.  Ideas?
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Brian H on October 21, 2010, 03:03:45 PM
If they are recent LM465s with soft start. Are you calling them a LM465 or an LM14A?
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/SoftStart

I don't think the latest AHP with new features fixed the soft start thing.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: rustybarnacle on October 21, 2010, 03:42:37 PM
they're lm465s, and that's what i'm calling them in AHP.  and yes, they seem to soft start.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Brian H on October 21, 2010, 06:19:53 PM
You may want to read the link in my last reply.
X10 reccommends calling them LM14As even though they are not two way modules.
I don't know if X10 ever addressed this in updated AHP versions.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Dan Lawrence on October 21, 2010, 08:14:02 PM
AHP through 3.292 have the LM14A Two Way Lamp Module in Lamps and the AM14A two pin Two Way Appliance Module and the AM15A three pin Two Way Appliance Module in Appliances still listed even though X10 hasn't manufactured them for at least 20 years.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Brian H on October 21, 2010, 08:26:26 PM
I was just hoping Dan. That the work around had been corrected in the later AHP, but since there was no part number change. I guess it would need two entries. LM465 and LM465SS  rofl
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Dan Lawrence on October 21, 2010, 10:51:47 PM
That's been the bug with Soft-Start.   X10 did not change the part numbers for Soft-Start modules, so purchasers of Lamp Modules and Appliance Modules had no idea what were Soft-Start and what were not, so users only found out when a lamp controlled acted "funny" when turned on that it was a Soft-Start one.  I had gotten an order from Automated Outlet for 6 Lamp Modules 4 were normal and 2 were Soft Start.  The 2 Soft-Starts got "SS" in indelible ink in the case and went in the spare box.  The order included 3 Appliance Modules, I have no idea if they are Soft-Start or standard. 
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Knightrider on October 22, 2010, 10:20:51 PM
Soft start appliance modules? Sounds like just the thing to plug my computer into.  ;)



 B:(
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: Brian H on October 23, 2010, 06:03:23 AM
Maybe it is more like CFL friendly new one or the older version.
The new ones don't have local control and much less current on the outlet when Off.
Title: Re: LM465's - alone they work as intended, but together in a macro, madness ensues
Post by: dave w on October 23, 2010, 12:20:23 PM
Soft start appliance modules? Sounds like just the thing to plug my computer into.  ;)
Use one on your old CRT style TV...makes the picture tube last much longer.  -:)