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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => User Modified Devices => Topic started by: toasterking on May 21, 2016, 05:08:38 PM

Title: Modifying AW12 appliance micromodule for US 110V operation
Post by: toasterking on May 21, 2016, 05:08:38 PM

Haibrain (previously Marmitek) makes a single-load appliance micromodule model AW12 that has a low profile and can be tucked into an electrical box, light fixture, or many other places.  Among its convenient features are its small size, retention of last state during a power outage, optional connection to an external momentary or latching switch, and ability to set the house and unit code without physical access to the module.  Unfortunately, it is made for the European market and requires a 220-230V AC power supply.  I am not aware of any X10-compatible products like this made for the US, but I discovered one small tweak that can make this one work on a US 110-120V AC power supply.

I tried this on an AW12 module with date code 15X20, as in the photo.

Caution:  You may kill yourself.  You may break things.  Don't do this, ever.
1. Disassemble the module.  If you can't figure out how to do this, you probably shouldn't be attempting it at all.
2. Replace the unnamed 47Ω 1/2W resistor (under the MOV; circled in yellow in the photo) with a 33Ω 1/2W resistor.
3. Reassemble the module.  The end.

I bought mine at http://x10modules.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=22 (http://x10modules.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=22)
Price break for 3 modules: http://x10modules.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=139 (http://x10modules.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=139)

If you can still find them, the X10-2267 and X10-2268H micromodules also work on 110V without modification.  http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=28949.msg162131#msg162131 (http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=28949.msg162131#msg162131)  Initial setup of these must be done at the module and the state is not retained during power outage when on 110V.  
When I ordered an AMM32 recently from http://x10modules.com (http://x10modules.com), they substituted a X10-2268H (labeled as "PLC-R 2268HE" on the module) for the AMM32.

Edit 5/22/2016: Corrected info: AW12 works with momentary or latching switch.

Title: Re: Modifying AW12 appliance micromodule for US 110V operation
Post by: toasterking on May 21, 2016, 05:16:30 PM

The AW12 module I received may have actually come from BMB Electronics rather than Haibrain.  As to whether that changes the modification required, I know not.

BMB X10 Products: http://www.bmbelectronics.eu/products.php?id=1 (http://www.bmbelectronics.eu/products.php?id=1)
BMB AW12 manual: http://www.bmbelectronics.eu/upl_files/resourcecenter/1_AW12multilingual2010.pdf (http://www.bmbelectronics.eu/upl_files/resourcecenter/1_AW12multilingual2010.pdf)

Title: Re: Modifying AW12 appliance micromodule for US 110V operation
Post by: toasterking on May 22, 2016, 03:21:55 PM

I expect that the Haibrain AW12 is the one I received.  I notice now that while a BMB Electronics AW12 manual came in the box, the module itself has the Haibrain logo on it.  I read the manuals for both and operation appears identical, but I do not know if the same is true for circuit design.