X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: dmackie on August 16, 2006, 04:16:45 PM
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I have two units, one a light controller the other an appliance controller both on the same phase. I control them from an activehomepro controller. The light unit operates flawlessly. The appliance module does not, it often does not switch off. I have changed the module. Any ideas?? Dave
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To see if it is a signal problem like noise or signal sucker. If you have not tried it yet. See if the Appliance module will work in the lamp modules place. Maybe see if the lamp module works in the appliance modules place with a light bulb.
Also what are you switching in the appliance module?
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The light module controls various exterior lights, the appliance module controls a pump in a water feature. They are both pluged into an outdoor 6 socket panel extender fed from a single socket. They are about 1 inch apart. I believe the appliance module is passing more current than the light module.
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Ok that lets out the different branch circuit thing. Standard X10 Modules or the Two-Way ones [AM14A and LM14A] on sale this past week or so? Standard Incadescent lamps?
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Standard x10 modules. Incandescent lights. I switch the lights and pump on and off at different times, Light on dusk to 11:30, pump on at 5:30 off at 7:00.
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As a test, turn lamp module OFF first and see if pump then turns off reliably. You said you control multiple lights with the lamp module, are they out doors? Is there a chance you have moisture in the light circuits? I have had noise problems generated by Christmas light strings in wet environment.
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Try connecting your lights to the appliance module instead of the pump and see if they turn on and off reliably. It may be that the "local control" circuit in the appliance module is being triggered by the pump shutting down (I have had a similar problem with Compact Fluorescent lights) or the pump is generating noise in the appliance module that doesn't let it hear the X10 command to "turn off" (this seems less likely as the lamp module on the same circuit isn't having the same problem when the pump is on).
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Bill Very good point. I have had CFLs turn back on with an appliance module. Maybe the pumps as you said maybe making noise.
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CFLs controlled by an appliance module turn back on because of the sensing circuit in the module. To prevent this, you must remove a diode in the circuity (see http://www.laureanno.com). Also see my complete description at http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9889.15, flickering flourescent lights, page two.
[jrcpvaz: You can create a Direct LINK, Re: Flickering Fluorescent Light (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9889.msg59319#msg59319) by right-clicking on the Subject: LINK of the desired post for it's URL. TTA]
Noise on the line can cause lots of problems. If you have night lights around the house, or timers that turn lamps on and off (not using X10 stuff), these can cause sufficient noise to not only mess up X10 stuff, but also cause visual problems with your TV (noisy image). To clean up your TV viewing, power your TV from a suitable UPS (Tripp-Lite is what I use).
You might also want to consider an X10 filter at the electrical panel to prevent signals from your neighbor's X10 system (if any) from interfering with your system, and vice versa.
Finally, if the controller is sending out too large a signal, it may become distorted (square off at the peaks) and this may cause some problems with a module not clearly identifying the signal. The converse, if the signal is too low, will also cause a module to not recognize the signal. Using an oscilloscope to monitor the signal at the module is the only way to know what your signal level and signal quality is.
Good luck.
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I have never seen a too strong signal being a problem only too weak.
I have see an X10 signal enhancer that I believe gives like a 15V pp signal and no one reported too strong signal problems. The modules have clipping diodes in the input and can take squared off signals.