X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => ActiveHome Pro General => Help & Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Mace on October 31, 2012, 08:13:14 PM
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I'm banging my head against the wall, to see if any lights will come on. I have a Dell 2.80GHz running XP, with in the last year I'm having issues with the AHP (Ver. 3.318) and CM15A.
I see the AHP program shows the timers and macros working, they are highlighted on, but nothing is coming on in the house. I try clicking the AHP items on and off does not make a difference. It has worked for years, if I load the CM15A and locate it near the panel box then it will sometimes turn on items. But seems like a hit and miss, I have a Transceiver Module which works when using the remotes from X10. When I use my logitech harmony one it's a friggen hit and miss if it will turn on or not. As well using the X10 compatible IR module it's getting frustrating. It's getting close to winter and getting dark earlier, I have used this system for years and not sure where to turn for help... Have read lots but seems like the answer is not what I'm looking for...
Any help or suggestions or anyone having these issues please let me know... Thanks Mace
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1. If you just upgraded AHP, make sure your light controllers are properly identified as "Soft Start" or standard. Lamp Modules and Wall Switches purchased in the last few years are probably soft start (come on slowly, go off slowly, will remember last dim level and come back on at same level, etc). If they are not indentified properly the newer module will not come ON when sent command from CM15A
2. May also have a noise problem. What new gadget did you plug in?
http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
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I'm in a similar boat. My CM15a and Activehome worked fine for years, until this week. I strongly suspect that it has to do with the end of Daylight Savings time. I don't know why, but I had similar problems last year around the same time. Does anyone else see problems occurring at this time?
Tom G.
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I responded to your other post on the subject. Check it out.
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I'm in the same boat. After several years of working fine, my CM15A seems to have "lost power" or something. It isn't turning both appliance and wall switch modules on or off, at least with the program. It started with a few misses and has gone to an absolute zero. Using AHP manually, i.e. going to the screen and switching them on or off, also works sporadically.
The home monitor as well as the "on/off" indicators on the screen tell me that the program is running correctly on the CM15A. And, my very old 16 unit control switches the units on and off when I hit the buttons.
I don't think it's daylight savings at all. It's more likely that the output signal from the CM15A has somehow gotten very weak.
I've tried reloading the macros. I've even pulled the unit from the wall, removed the batteries and reinstalled everything in an effort to reset the unit. All to no avail.
I haven't added any new electrical devices to my home in some time.
I'd love to resolve this. I've been using X10 for more than 25 years and it seems that every few years something like this happens. It's quite frustrating.
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TJH, I have had similar problems to you in the past. I think your CM15A is crapping out. They only seem to last a certain number of years before they start behaving weirdly. I have had to replace units in the past that began to malfunction. Over the years, I think I bought 6-8 units.
I still have 3 units. Two of them known to be working properly, one is questionable. I'm starting to look at an Ocelot or ISY controller but would rather stay with Activehome if I can.
Tom G.
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The ISY controller is a nice unit, but not the best with X10.
Limited by the Smarthome 2413S Power Line Modem it uses for interfacing to the power line.
Smarthome chose to use the older X10 %dim protocol while the later X10 modules use the Extended Messaging.
So modules like a Soft Start Lamp Module will not dim to the %dim being sent.
Some here have used Smarthome X10 and Insteon with an added X10 address with AHP.
They had to be called an old module so it could be sent an On and then a stream of dim commands to lower them back to where you wanted it to be.
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Well, the ISY is pretty expensive and I'm not happy to hear that it has that limitation. What about the Ocelot? Same problems?
I don't understand what your saying about using AHP with Insteon. Can you explain that a bit more? What Insteon unit would work with AHP?
What Insteon, or other brand, would be the best replacement for a CM15A?
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What about the Ocelot?
Unless it has been updated, the Ocelot needs the now extinct TW523/PSC05 to send/receive powerline signals.
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So the Ocelot is out and the ISY is iffy. What else is there to run X10 - nothing?
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JV Digital Engineering makes a replacement for the TW523/PSC05.
So eliminating a controller needing a discontinued TW523/PSC05. Should not be a issue.
http://jvde.us//xtb/XTB-523_description.htm
Their devices are very good.
My XTB-IIR blasts signals all over my home.
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My own home automation system has the Ocelot paired with the XTB-523. One advantage of the Ocelot is that adding their SECU16 I/O gives you the ability to interface with real-world parameters. I use inexpensive thermistors in several locations to monitor temperature to control auxiliary ventilation and adjust irrigation cycles. Some simple math running in the Ocelot converts the thermistor voltage to an actual temperature reading with 1 degree accuracy from 50F to 100F.
FYI: I finally updated the user feedback page.
http://jvde.us/xtb/xtb_reports.htm
Thanks again to all of you who provided email feedback.
(corrected typo)
Jeff
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Thanks, Jeff. It looks like I would need to buy an Ocelot and one of your XTB-232 or XTB-523 units? Does the Ocelot come with software for creating timers and macros?
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Manuals, information and specifications here:
http://www.appdig.com/adicon_new/ocelot.htm
XTB-523 replaces the TW523/PSC05 shown in the manual for X10 interfacing.
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Thanks, Jeff. It looks like I would need to buy an Ocelot and one of your XTB-232 or XTB-523 units? Does the Ocelot come with software for creating timers and macros?
The TW523 or XTB-523 would be used with the Ocelot. The XTB-232 has a RS232 interface, and is designed for automation programs running on a PC or Mac.
The Ocelot uses C-Max software, which is not a graphic tool like ActiveHome. It uses ladder logic like many industrial control systems. It can take some time to get used to, but it is very powerful. It can certainly do timers and macros.
Jeff
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I'm going to wait to see what/if X10 releases as far as the new CM15A.
Thanks for the info and help.
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TJH, I have had similar problems to you in the past. I think your CM15A is crapping out. They only seem to last a certain number of years before they start behaving weirdly. I have had to replace units in the past that began to malfunction. Over the years, I think I bought 6-8 units.
I still have 3 units. Two of them known to be working properly, one is questionable. I'm starting to look at an Ocelot or ISY controller but would rather stay with Activehome if I can.
Tom G.
I was noticing a similar thing with my own CM15A skipping a few timers over the past few weeks. I added a few extra timers in there to cover the most important things, but I was wondering what was going on. It had also tried clearing the interface and re-downloading. This morning, I went in to look at the Dusk/Dawn settings (unrelated to the other issue), and I noticed that the battery life was showing as "red," but 48 hours. Resetting it didn't help at all.
So, I unplugged the CM15A, and opened the battery compartment. The batteries had leaked (I don't think they were all that old - I thought I'd changed them over the summer after our extended power outage). I cleaned off the contacts and replaced the batteries, but AHP didn't reset the indicator to "green."
I pulled out one of my spare units (I have about 5 total), and it also had a little corrosion on the battery terminals. Cleaning it didn't make a difference, it also showed "red." I tried a third unit, and it was fine (it showed up "green). That told me the software seemed to be okay.
Next, I went back and scraped the contacts in that second unit again, and it decided to work, too. Finally, I gave the contacts in my original unit one more cleaning, and it finally worked. I can't say the two are related, but perhaps the battery status was interfering with the timer operation in some way. With dirty contacts, the CM15A wasn't seeing the batteries at all.
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perhaps the battery status was interfering with the timer operation in some way.
This could be true only with X10 software. :'
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The schematic of the CM15A does show a transistor and three resistors in the battery circuit.
With a signal into the microcontroller. So it does look like it can sense the battery voltage.
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It was never clear to me what that transistor circuit does. Nor what the batteries do.
Pin 15 of the CY7C63723 is a digital IO port so it cannot sense voltage levels, merely presence or absence. I think it only senses when line voltage is lost/restored. And timers/macros are stored in a non-volatile EEPROM. So, I tend to agree with dave w. The X10 programmers are definitely not from Vulcan. ;)
About the only thing the battery could be used for is to maintain an RTC but I don't recall whether the CM15A did so during power failures - a search of the CY7C63723 datasheet does not find "RTC". Despite having a battery, the CM11A had to have the time/date updated after a power failure. My guess is they maintain a software RTC which needs resetting after a power failure.
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As I recall, the batteries were there specifically to keep the stored timers/macros/etc during a power failure, AND to keep the clock running so events kept going after power was restored. I don't think it required re-syncing the clock after power was restored (as long as the batteries were good), because then what is the point of keeping the timers/macros stored, if you still need to connect the PC to get any of it working afterward?
We know that the CM15A knows (or is supposed to know) how long it has been running on batteries, that's why there is a countdown clock in there. It knows if there are good batteries in it (based on detecting that there is some voltage - presumably more than a "known weak" battery level). I guess the engineers calculated that 48 hours was a pretty safe bet to run the CM15a on a set of batteries, which is why they recommend changing them after 48 hours of battery (no AC power) use.
In my case, even a fresh set of batteries wasn't working, because the corrosion on the battery contacts was preventing a good connection.
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Well, the CM11A also stored macros/timers and would do nothing beyond asking for the date/time once a second after power-up.
Both the CM11A and CM15A use non-volatile EEPROM storage for macros/timers and, thus, have no need of battery power to maintain them.
So, as I said, about all it could possibly be for is to maintain a software RTC when line power is lost. The CY7C63723 datasheet does mention an...
- Internal low-power wake-up timer during suspend mode
- ❐ Periodic wake-up with no external components
so maybe they maintain the time/date as well as count the time on battery power. (The accuracy of the time/date would be questionable.)
But, it's only effect on timers/macros would be that it refuses to use them if it has no idea of the time/date.
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Well, the ISY is pretty expensive and I'm not happy to hear that it has that limitation. What about the Ocelot? Same problems?
I don't understand what your saying about using AHP with Insteon. Can you explain that a bit more? What Insteon unit would work with AHP?
What Insteon, or other brand, would be the best replacement for a CM15A?
I advise against purchasing any thing Insteon, after becoming dissatisfied with the X10 dimmers, I installed over a dozen of the Insteon products,
Over the course of 2 years all but 3 have failed, the remaining 3 don't respond to manual activation, I have to rely on timer set up in AHP software.
While the softstart, scene programming and bidirectional dimming and ramp speed is a nice feature, the products just don't have a very long life span nor do they have much of a warranty and the customer service dept is one of the most uninterested group of people I've ever had the misfortune to deal with. At over 40 bucks ea, I am not impressed with the product.
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The early Switchlincs did have a problem with the tact switches the paddles activated.
Smarthome extended the warranty on them to seven years and would have replaced them for free if you had contacted them and they where in the Date Code Range.
Since Smarthome/Smartlabs chose an older %dim command and X10 used Extended X10 messaging. Modules where not 100% exchangeable in AHP.
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I've had two older (pre-Insteon) SwitchLincs go bad on me (or suspected, at least). Smarthome was really good about replacing them, as they were still within the warranty. Since I had gotten them as they were being phased out, they replaced them with newer Insteon modules.
I haven't had any issues with my Insteon modules (I have 8 of them in my X10 setup).
I just got two additional ones over the summer.
Be careful. They are removing X10 support from some of their Insteon devices.