X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => ActiveHome Pro General => Help & Troubleshooting => Topic started by: ttfd1126 on November 04, 2006, 02:59:19 PM
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I have just wired up a couple of new remote switches for my entry light and my porch lights, they are not three way. I have the latest AHP and am controlling kitchen, living room and master bedroom lighting with both switches (3 way and normal) and lamp modules. I can also control another set of outside lights using my remote and a 751. These two new switches are set to house code L (Living room), same as a few other lights, etc. which are all working fine. I have installed and reinstalled the switches into AHP, nothing... I have moved my CM to other outlets throughout the house...nothing. I have just put a Smarthome SignaLinc (Phase Coupler) in a 220V dryer plug. I don't have an electric dryer but I do have the wiring for it so this is where the coupler is installed. The breaker for the 200V circuit in ON. Additionally, I can use the switches to control the new lights normally...just the AHP won't work. Help!
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Are the addresses of your remote switches the same as the lights you are trying to control?
If so, you may not have that Housecode set to Transceive in the CM15A.
If not, do you have a MACRO to turn on & off the lights you want?
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Sorry, I mispoke when I said "remote" switches. I meant that I have WS467 switches that I am trying to manage remotely with my AHP software. One switch is set to L3 and the other to L4. I have configured two new WS467's in my "Living Room" and am simply trying to get them to turn on at this time.
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I have configured two new WS467's in my "Living Room" and am simply trying to get them to turn on at this time.
How are you turning them on?
[edited by Puck: stupid brain... seen the word same in front of time in ttfd1126's statement... removed that part of my response.]
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...I have WS467 switches that I am trying to manage remotely with my AHP software. One switch is set to L3 and the other to L4. I have configured two new WS467's in my "Living Room" and am simply trying to get them to turn on at this time.
- MAP out all the circuit breakers in your home.
. - IDENTIFY the circuit with WS467s L3 and L4
. - Do you own a WIRED CONTROLLER? If so, use that instead of the TM751 in the next step.
. - TEMPORARILY move your TM751 to an outlet on THAT circuit and set it to HouseCode "L".
- Do L3 and L4 work with your remote now?
YES - troubleshoot for NOISE & SIGNAL SUCKERS on OTHER branches
NO - possible WS467s are defective (but 2? unlikely, IMO)
. - If the TM751 experiment worked, TEMPORARILY move your CM15A to the SAME outlet the TM751 was in.
- Do L3 and L4 work with your AHP now?
Without coming off mean and/or uncaring, ONLY *YOU* can properly troubleshoot YOUR problem in YOUR home - we can only guess.
Read my FAQ, my LINKs, the LINKs located INSIDE my LINKs and soon you'll have a good handle on how to work with X10.
Good Luck! :)
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I can only turn the lights on at the switch itself. I have mapped out the circuit breakers and have some WS's on the same and some on the other circuit that are working with AHP. I have a signal coupler installed as well in the dryer plug. I am continuing to try to get these guys working.
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Could you possible have the Line & Load lines backwards on the WS467 switch?
In your switch box do you will see two sets of L/N/G wires, and the switch connecting the two black wires?
Visually, you can't tell which set is going to the light.
If they are swapped, the switch will still work manually (personal experience), but now the X-10 signal from a controller is entering the WS467 on the load line and may not be seen.
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Puck is correct that X10 signal won't work the switch if backwards. One thing to look for but its not a 100% for sure thing is... Inside the switch box if you have a set of wires coming in at the bottom of the box and a set of wires coming in at the top, the top one most likely will go to the light. Not a guarantee. You can get one of those little 110V neon testers to test them to be sure which is hot and which is load.
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Could you possible have the Line & Load lines backwards on the WS467 switch?
In your switch box do you will see two sets of L/N/G wires, and the switch connecting the two black wires?
Visually, you can't tell which set is going to the light.
If they are swapped, the switch will still work manually (personal experience), but now the X-10 signal from a controller is entering the WS467 on the load line and may not be seen.
I'm trying to understand how the direction of the connection could make any difference. This is a series connection of the light bulb and WS467, and the X10 signal is a sequence of AC bursts.
I just purposely wired a WS467 "backwards" and it seems to be working as well with powerline signals that way as when wired in the "forward" direction.
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Could be that in a long switch loop run. A marginal signal would have to go all the way through the load to the switch and maybe lost. I have used them both ways and didn't seem to make a difference.
Now the three wire one that have a neutral [not a traveler for three way] it would make a big difference.
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Charles is right that the switch is in series, and because it's an AC circuit the switch will still work.
But as Brian stated the X-10 signal now has to talk a longer route thru the load to make it to the switch's controller.
When I first put one in a room, and wired it backwards, I could turn the light on remotely, but not off. After I found it was backwards and fixed it, it did work better.... but I still had problems.
Their was a PC on the same circuit that was generating a lot of noise. So with the noise, the extra travel and the higher resistance of the ON bulbs were all contributing to me not being able to turn it OFF remotely.
So how it reacts will depend on the existing line noise level, distance travelled and bulb type & wattage. ;)
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Ok, I wired one of the switches the opposite of what it was...no luck. I thought that we would hit it on the head this time, darn it.
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I still don't see the results of the TM751 experiment or the answer to the WIRED CONTROLLER question. ???
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I just did a test with a spare switch and 50' of wire. Load wire on switch hooked to line. Heres what I came up with
Line voltage = 120 Volts (118 measured)
100 watt bulb = 144 ohms = turned on and off with AHP (15 times)
60 watt bulb = 240 ohms = turned on and off OK (missed turning off once out of 15 times)
40 watt bulb = 360 ohms = turned on not off (did turn off 2 times out of 15)
25 watt bulb = 576 ohms = could not get it to turn on.
I would guess that if the PLC signal voltage was high enough that it would have worked more reliable.
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Another trial; I moved my 751 to an outlet on the same circuit and nothing. However, I tried something else that I thought was interesting...I programmed a new Eagle Eye (it's now dark outside). I kept the 751 (code K) in the same outlet as before, set up a quick macro to activate an also new chime, plugged into another circuit and without fail, the macro worked, activating the chime when motion was detected. I think I now know that the outlets and the 751 are working...but still no lights...Uggh!
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What kind of wire was the 50 foot length and how was it stored during the test? If it was coiled up tightly that could have affected the results.
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What kind of wire was the 50 foot length and how was it stored during the test? If it was coiled up tightly that could have affected the results.
It was #14-2 with ground. It was semi coiled but not tight. (loose 24" coil or there abouts). There are other things that could also effect it in a house setup. Tarnished connections would add to signal drop and/or noise. I don't believe for a minute that my CM15A is tuned to peak performance and output ;D Infact have one outlet out on my porch that NO X10 anything will work in it.. I have to redo the wall its in and will run new wiring in that wall when I do remodel it. I suspect its very dirt. (Its on my list) :o Problem being as a home owner my list is never ending.
And now with the weather turning cold and snow starting to fly... the dogs want to play. They know its sled time! ;D
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Not wishing to Ass-U-Me anything (Thanks Duck69 8) ):
...I moved my 751 to an outlet on the same circuit and nothing... ...I kept the 751 (code K[/b]) in the same outlet as before...
For the experiment, did you change the HouseCode on the TM751 to "L"?
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...I programmed a new Eagle Eye (it's now dark outside)...
EagleEye, PalmPad, Keychain Remote, etc... - no difference (PLC / RF Transmitters, Receivers and Transceivers (Read 1591 times) (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=9899.msg57801#msg57801)).
.- Repeating (3rd request): Do you own a WIRED CONTROLLER? ???
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...I kept the 751 (code K) in the same outlet as before, set up a quick macro to activate an also new chime, plugged into another circuit and without fail, the macro worked, activating the chime when motion was detected. I think I now know that the outlets and the 751 are working...but still no lights...Uggh!
But, you already established that fact on Day #1:
...I can also control another set of outside lights using my remote and a 751...
As unlikely as it seems, your current troubleshooting seems to point to 2 *DEAD* WS467s. :o
Can you bring 1 WS467, the TM751 and ?PalmPad? down to your workshop and wire them up to a 100 Watt incandescent bulb, all on one outlet strip?
IMO, you need to establish whether or not the WS467s are functioning.
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As unlikely as it seems, your current troubleshooting seems to point to 2 *DEAD* WS467s. :o
Along that line of thinking... it's a long shot but an easy test:
In AHP, make the following addressed switches and try them:
L13
M4
M5
M13
(This quick test will make sure your WS467 house & unit code switches aren't open.)
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Along that line of thinking... it's a long shot but an easy test:
In AHP, make the following addressed switches and try them:
L13
M4
M5
M13
(This quick test will make sure your WS467 house & unit code switches aren't open.)
AFAIK, M13 is "all open", so I can understand M13, ?13 and M?? - what's your logic behind M4 and M5? ???
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... what's your logic behind M4 and M5? ???
Just an open house code switch... good unit switch. ;)
Covers all possibilities based on the L3 & L4 settings.
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... what's your logic behind M4 and M5? ???
Just an open house code switch... good unit switch. ;)
Covers all possibilities based on the L3 & L4 settings.
Silly me! :-[ I would have thought to use M3 & M4. ;)