X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: hobbyist on February 23, 2008, 07:27:47 PM

Title: Anyone here doing this?
Post by: hobbyist on February 23, 2008, 07:27:47 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm a hobbyist pic microprocessor programmer & electronics enthusiast and have just recently started a project that utilizes remote control over the telephone. My son purchased a telephone experimenter's board which he gave me this Christmas, I now have the experimenter's board communicating with a microprocessor that I have programmed to interface with an older X10 firecracker module for turning On/Off various X10 receiver modules through-out my house and shop. Here is the URL that got me started using X10 http://www.awce.com/firecracker.htm

Now I'm wondering if anyone else here is doing this?

Thanks
jessey
Title: Re: Anyone here doing this?
Post by: Oldtimer on February 23, 2008, 09:27:23 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm a hobbyist pic microprocessor programmer & electronics enthusiast and have just recently started a project that utilizes remote control over the telephone. My son purchased a telephone experimenter's board which he gave me this Christmas, I now have the experimenter's board communicating with a microprocessor that I have programmed to interface with an older X10 firecracker module for turning On/Off various X10 receiver modules through-out my house and shop. Here is the URL that got me started using X10 http://www.awce.com/firecracker.htm

Now I'm wondering if anyone else here is doing this?

Thanks
jessey

I'm not since I'm quite satisfied with AHP and the CM15A, but others might be.  Thanks for the URL.  The link is very interesting and shows a lot of ingenuity. Hope your efforts pan out.  Please keep us posted.
Title: Re: Anyone here doing this?
Post by: dave w on February 25, 2008, 12:04:54 PM

I'm not since I'm quite satisfied with AHP and the CM15A,

Oldtimer - have you ever looked at "Homeseer" ?
Title: Re: Anyone here doing this?
Post by: Tuicemen on February 25, 2008, 12:54:33 PM
hobbyist:
The answer to your question is Yes others are or have been doing this!
Remote control over the phone line isn't new many have been doing it for years!
I've even created a program (AlertDialer (http://www.angelfire.com/in2/ontkoi/X10AHP/Alertdialer.html)) that can do it via voice or key presses and works with AHP (CM15A)!
It even goes one farther and will call you, and speaks or plays a sound file as an alert!

dave w:
If Oldtimer is satisfied with AHP why would he wish to look at Homeseer?
What would he benefit from it? ???
Hobbyist may wish to look at it since it has used phone control for years only you need the phone plug-in for it! :( $$,$$
Title: Re: Anyone here doing this?
Post by: Oldtimer on February 25, 2008, 04:34:25 PM

I'm not since I'm quite satisfied with AHP and the CM15A,


Oldtimer - have you ever looked at "Homeseer" ?

dave w:
If Oldtimer is satisfied with AHP why would he wish to look at Homeseer?
What would he benefit from it? ???


dave w Thanks for the heads up.  I haven't looked at HomeSeer in years so I researched it again.  It was impressive then and it's even more impressive now but it has two fatal flaws as far as my using it.  First,  I couldn't afford anywhere near as complex a system as I have now if I used it.  Second, it requires a dedicated PC which the CM15A does not.

I have been using X10 for over 35 years and have learned the hard way how to MAKE it do what I want it to.  It's a time consuming but very rewarding HOBBY for me.   However, I can appreciate why someone who doesn't have  my skills and experience, such as they are, not to mention deeper pockets, would be very attracted to HomeSeer and ZWave.

Tuicemen said it all for me, BUT I have to admit that with the coming of CFLs, LED lighting and switching power supplies for home electronics and wall warts it takes more chewing gum and baling wire every year to keep an X10 system working properly.