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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: chuchorifico on August 25, 2006, 04:50:41 PM

Title: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: chuchorifico on August 25, 2006, 04:50:41 PM: Can someone help? I'm about to give up. I know a little but not enough about installing the switch to make it work to control a fan.

I am replacing just a regular on/off button. This button has two black wires and one neutral connected to it.

The XPS3 has connections for Control, Load, Neutral, and Line.

Ok, I know the Neutral.

Which wires do I connect to the other places. There are white wires currently in the box. They are twisted together and capped. I know I'll need one of those.

Help? :-[
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: Dan Lawrence on August 25, 2006, 05:28:03 PM: Go to http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/X10Pro-Receiver-Switches/Item/XPS3-WI All the instructions are there.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: chuchorifico on August 26, 2006, 06:04:02 PM: Thanks Dan,

My problem is that I actually don't know what each color is. For example, what's line, what's control, etc.?
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: Brian H on August 27, 2006, 10:29:39 AM: What are the other colors in the box. On the original switch? Also and only two wires on the switch?
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM: Warning, Warning - DANGER Will Robinson!

Quote from: chuchorifico on August 25, 2006, 04:50:41 PM
I am replacing just a regular on/off button. This button has two black wires and one neutral connected to it.

The XPS3 has connections for Control, Load, Neutral, and Line.

Ok, I know the Neutral.

Which wires do I connect to the other places. There are white wires currently in the box. They are twisted together and capped. I know I'll need one of those.

Quote from: chuchorifico on August 26, 2006, 06:04:02 PM
My problem is that I actually don't know what each color is. For example, what's line, what's control, etc.?

My opinion is that ANYONE who doesn't know the difference between the BLACK / WHITE / GREEN / RED wires used in Residential Wiring SHOULD NOT be touching it - PERIOD! >:(

That said, take a look at the new STICKY ACT X-10 Troubleshooting Flowchart (courtesy of 'Uncle' Phil Kingery) (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9899.msg57828#msg57828) that I posted here today and read *ALL* of "Uncle Phil's" excellent articles. They are FULL of COLOR diagrams. Then, come back and tell us what you learned. ;)
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: KDR on August 27, 2006, 06:42:38 PM: Well since we can't see your box you need to tells us a couple of things.

The wires in your switch box... are there 2 blacks coming in and 2 whites? You already said that there were whites connected together. Again just 2 whites?

Can you tell me if the wires coming into the work box both come in from the top, the bottom or one set top and the other bottom? Once we know that we might be able to make an educated guess what you have. To be 100% sure which wires are the feed you would need to power them up and test it with a meter.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: Duck69 on August 31, 2006, 10:54:04 AM: Sounds as though you have an older house and as KDR said you need to provide more detailed information.
If at all possible draw a picture of it.
FYI: White wires are normally Neutral. If it's been painted black or have black tape on it then it's probably being used as a hot.
Black wires are Hot.
Red wires are Travellers or Switch.
Green wires are Ground.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: steven r on August 31, 2006, 12:33:25 PM: Quote from: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM
...My opinion is that ANYONE who doesn't know the difference between the BLACK / WHITE / GREEN / RED wires used in Residential Wiring SHOULD NOT be touching it - PERIOD!...
It's an easy bit of knowledge to pick up. I wouldn't feel that was hard to learn. You're scaring him away.
Now what happens again when you twist them all together? ;)

Quote from: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM
...That said, take a look at the new STICKY ACT X-10 Troubleshooting Flowchart (courtesy of 'Uncle' Phil Kingery)...
That link is giving me the message "The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you."
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: TakeTheActive on August 31, 2006, 01:21:04 PM: Quote from: steven r on August 31, 2006, 12:33:25 PM
Quote from: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM
...That said, take a look at the new STICKY ACT X-10 Troubleshooting Flowchart (courtesy of 'Uncle' Phil Kingery)...
That link is giving me the message "The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you."

Thanks steven r! :) I didn't realize that changing the SUBJECT would break the LINK. :o

Quote from: steven r on August 31, 2006, 12:33:25 PM
Quote from: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM
...My opinion is that ANYONE who doesn't know the difference between the BLACK / WHITE / GREEN / RED wires used in Residential Wiring SHOULD NOT be touching it - PERIOD!...

It's an easy bit of knowledge to pick up. I wouldn't feel that was hard to learn. You're scaring him away.

Like I stated, it's my opinion, and that's why I pointed him to Uncle Phil's excellent articles and diagrams. You know, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words " 8)

I didn't feel that little bits-n-pieces from a non-electrican's forum, no matter how well intended, would substitute for some good, solid reading material with color diagrams. ;)
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: TakeTheActive on August 31, 2006, 02:04:22 PM: Quote from: Otis69 on August 31, 2006, 01:33:09 PM
Quote from: TakeTheActive on August 27, 2006, 06:29:51 PM
...That said, take a look at the new STICKY ACT X-10 Troubleshooting Flowchart (courtesy of 'Uncle' Phil Kingery)...

Quote
That link is giving me the message "The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you."

I get the same message.

Still? ??? I fixed it. :o

Try a CNTL-F5 Refresh. If that doesn't help, maybe there's a COOKIE set? I got the same message as you guys before I edited the LINK, but it's working fine for me now.

Hover over this: ACT X-10 Troubleshooting Flowchart (courtesy of 'Uncle' Phil Kingery)... (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9899.msg57828#msg57828)

and see if they point to the same address in the Status Bar.

What about this: TTA's X10 Troubleshooting Tips Thread (Read 113 times) (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9899.0)
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: KDR on August 31, 2006, 08:06:16 PM: chuchorifico...

Here is a simple drawing of how the switch would wire into a switchbox. This drawing is for a standard hookup without a slave switch. (Not a 3-way switch application).

You still need to identify which wire coming into the switchbox is hot and then the other one will be load. The one puzzling thing you wrote is that the pushbutton has 2 black wires hooked to it and a white? Does the pushbutton have a indicator light built into it? I'm not sure why a simple on off switch would have a neutral hooked to it. Can the fan be turned on and off from more then one location? One other thing that might help is can you tell us if the workbox that the fan is mounted to has only 1 black wire and 1 white wire in it?

(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/xps3.gif)

On a XPD3 switch which has no neutral wire I think the rest of the wiring colors are the same... The XPS3 should be...
BLACK = Line
RED = Control
BLUE = Load
WHITE = Neutral

Are there any other diferances between the XPD3 and the XPS3?
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: Dan Lawrence on August 31, 2006, 09:01:56 PM: One thing. Radio Shack sells a small voltage tester for a small amount of money. Get one. It's worth the expense when you are trying to find out which wire in a box is which.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: KDR on August 31, 2006, 09:09:34 PM: Oh one thing i noticed... since I don't have a XPS3 I'm not sure if the switch has screw terminals for the wires or pigtails for the connection. If its screw connections then nothing goes on the CONTROL terminal.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: KDR on August 31, 2006, 09:40:47 PM: D'oh! Brain Freeze... The XPD3 is dimable and the XPS3 is not.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: chuchorifico on September 04, 2006, 01:21:38 AM: Thanks to all. Success at last. All useful comments including the appropriate warnings.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: triplet on March 16, 2007, 12:24:45 AM: I am posting to this thread since it seems relevant and someone else who has my same problem may find this helpful along the way.

Scenario:
I have an XPS3 that needs to be installed to control florescent lights with a slave switch. I have a few spare WS14A decor companion switches, so I am trying to use that. Please confirm that is ok or what part I need.

My wires on both ends of the three-way are black, white, and red. Black is my hot wire, white is my neutral, and red is my control (all tested and confirmed).

From what I read here, it seems I need two sets of wires (black, white, red) at my control switch and one set of (black, white red) at the slave. I don't have this, I only have what I listed above.

In case it matters, at both ends of the three-way there are multiple switches in each box.

Please tell me how to wire this thing up right. I'm losing my mind. An hour of reading has gotten me know where. I appreciate any help I can get, and I appreciate you for taking the time to read this.
Title: Re: Installing XPS3 (help)
Post by: dave w on March 16, 2007, 12:35:47 PM: Based on your description of what color wires are present in your switch boxes, are you positive the white is neutral and the black is hot? Unscrew the light bulb and remeasure.