X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: LT on January 03, 2010, 06:36:04 PM
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Anyone have experience with their lamp modules dimming their lamps compared to directly plugging in to the wall outlet? Any help would be appreciated.
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Yes. The "100% bright" voltage from a X10 Lamp Module will be few volts less than the voltage from the outlet. So a side by side comparision of two identical lamps will show a very, very, slight difference between the lamp brightness.
You are not being bamboozled by X10's "Resume Dim" feature where the light comes back ON at the same level it was turned OFF at?.
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What type of lamps? Incadescent; CFL; Low Voltage?
Could make a big difference in how a lamp module control lights compared to direct connection to the wall outlets.
Like a CFL and Low Voltage Lamp should not be on a lamp module that can be dimmed.
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THanks for prompt responses. I tried with two lamps - both have incandescent bulbs. One is a three way and the other is a simple on-off. The dimming is quite noticeable.
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You have a noticeable difference in brightness. With the Lamp Module Full On and when directly connected to the outlet?
>40 Watts and <300 Watts?
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Maybe a 25% loss in brightness.
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I did not reply fully. The controller is full on and the module is directly plugged into the wall outlet.
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Controller is fully on?
You didn't plug an X10 lamp Module in to an outlet that is controlled by a dimmer did you or a lamp that also has a dimming local switch on it?
The lamp module should not be on any circuit controlled by another dimmer or controlling a lamp that also has a built in dimmer switch.
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No. I'm plugged directly onto an outlet that does not have a dimmer and I've had the same result with other outlets. Is this unusual?
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I'm experiencing similar problems as referenced in this thread:
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=19436.msg108749#msg108749
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Well it is not normal for my year old soft start Lamp Modules or older lamp modules.
Since you and Knightrider seem to have similar findings. I can not say if this is normal for the new ones. IMHO it should not be normal for any lamp module to not go to almost 100%. I hope it is NOT Normal!
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Thanks. I guess I'll be on the phone with tech support tomorrow.
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OK. Let us know if you get any more details on this subject.
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This may also apply to Knightriders thread.
I tested a one year old soft start Date Code 08A01 and a few year old before soft start Date Code sticker fell off Lamp Modules.
Using a 40 watt incandescent bulb.
At the full on state. Both had between 3.5 and 4.0 volts difference on the wall outlet and the modules outlet.
At minimum dim the soft start went to a 20 volts on the modules outlet.
At minimum dim the older one was at 1.95 volts on the outlet.
When off the older ones local sensing had about 0.040 AC volts and 0.0045 DC volts on the modules outlet. There is a diode in the older ones.
When off the soft start one had 0.010 AC volts on the modules outlet.
So I would say if you can't get almost 100% brightness when ON. Either there is a problem with a run of the modules or X10 again has changed things. ??? ::)
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Wow. What a thorough and thoughtful reply. Thanks for your efforts. Right now I am looking at a lamp with a 60 watt bulb that looks like a night light. I hope tech can be of some help.
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If it is full On and looks like a night light. That is not good.
Hope Customer Service has an answer. Even if it is just an exchange as they may not know of a problem or are not saying anything.
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Oh gee whiz, and here I just told Stoney, that X10 had great quality. Yummy, crow pie is getting tastier all the time.
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To add insult to injury I have been on hold with tech support for 30 minutes listening to their cheesy music. Online chat doesn't respond other then to say this is routine. I may give up and return the entire order. I'll keep you posted.
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40 minutes later and I get a recording asking me to leave a message. Not a good sign.
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By chance while you are listening to the cheesy music. What is the Date Code {small round sticker on back of module} of the modules?
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The date code is 09j44. I just received an e-mail offering replacement of all three lamp modules. Hopefully the replacements will be from a different lot.
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Knightrider reported in his thread. Date Code 09K47.
Maybe you will get a 2010 date code.