X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Automated Home Showcase => Topic started by: dwarnecke11 on February 22, 2011, 04:45:34 PM

Title: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dwarnecke11 on February 22, 2011, 04:45:34 PM: Hi everyone, I'm new to X10 and new to this forum. I got involved in X10 this past weekend when my brother picked up a package deal of X10 equipment from craigslist - including about 20 lamp/appliance modules, about 10 wall switch/dimmers, adhesive wall switch remotes, cameras, software, etc. Within a few hours we had 6 or so zones working perfectly in his house, very cool indeed.

I persuaded him to let me use a few of his modules (he hadn't even used a third of what he bought). I borrowed:

2 lamp modules
Slimfire fob remote
Slimline adhesive wall switch
Decorator wall switch dimmer

Naturally, I needed a few more things to have a functional X10 system. Yesterday I purchased the following on eBay (all brand new):

2 soft-start lamp modules
2 3-pin appliance modules
RR501 transciever
Palm pad remote

I'm waiting on all four to arrive, but in the mean time, I'll post my plans and progress here.

Here is my master plan:

(http://i55.tinypic.com/25ov4g6.jpg)

A rather simple setup. I have the wall switch installed for the "eyeball" recessed light above the fireplace and the module for the above-cabinet Christmas lights in place in the kitchen. The transceiver will go in the dining room with the halogen floor lamp plugged into it. It has its own dimmer knob so I wanted it on the transceiver's appliance module. The IKEA lamps in the living room will be plugged into a lamp module plugged into a floor outlet under the couch. The lamps in my master bedroom (directly over the living room) will be plugged into the soft start lamp module.

I'll post back with some pictures once the rest of my equipment arrives.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dwarnecke11 on February 26, 2011, 07:11:58 PM: Here is a video demo of my setup. Everything arrived today and works perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQxl9EidPt0
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: Dan Lawrence on February 26, 2011, 07:21:35 PM: Cool!!!!!
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: Brian H on February 26, 2011, 07:25:38 PM: Thank you for the update and video.
Nice to see a setup in action.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: HA Dave on February 26, 2011, 08:19:49 PM: Quote from: dwarnecke11 on February 26, 2011, 07:11:58 PM
Here is a video demo of my setup. Everything arrived today and works perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQxl9EidPt0

Nice video!
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: stoney on March 20, 2011, 04:37:54 PM: Very nice and thanks for sharing your journey into X-10. Keep us posted as your setup grows (you know it will). #:)
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dave w on March 20, 2011, 04:53:22 PM: Yes cool video!

But I am confused. 26 seconds into the video shows one button push on a Palm Pad and two lights coming on sequentially about one second apart. Since you do not show a CM15A running macros...how you do that?
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dwarnecke11 on March 29, 2011, 09:40:38 PM: Quote from: dave w on March 20, 2011, 04:53:22 PM
Yes cool video!

But I am confused. 26 seconds into the video shows one button push on a Palm Pad and two lights coming on sequentially about one second apart. Since you do not show a CM15A running macros...how you do that?

Not sure... The halogen floor lamp is connected to the RR501 outlet and the table lamp is connected to an appliance module. I can't really explain the delay.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: HA Dave on March 29, 2011, 09:57:46 PM: Quote from: dwarnecke11 on March 29, 2011, 09:40:38 PM
..... The halogen floor lamp is connected to the RR501 outlet and the table lamp is connected to an appliance module.

I wonder... does the politeness of the RR501 extend to its plug-in as well as its signaling.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dave w on March 30, 2011, 03:59:22 PM: Quote from: dwarnecke11 on March 29, 2011, 09:40:38 PM
Not sure... The halogen floor lamp is connected to the RR501 outlet and the table lamp is connected to an appliance module. I can't really explain the delay.
That explains it. The RR501 will respond immediately to the RF command, but then has to convert the RF command to PLC and transmit it on the powerlines. Don't know why I didn't consider that...most of brain juice has dried up I guess.

Thanks!

BTW what do you use to edit your video, it does a nice job. I like the focus/defocuse fades/wipes used.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: Dave4720 on March 30, 2011, 05:05:48 PM: Is that a Yamaha I spy?
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: anthonylavado on March 30, 2011, 11:57:51 PM: Quote from: dave w on March 30, 2011, 03:59:22 PM
BTW what do you use to edit your video, it does a nice job. I like the focus/defocuse fades/wipes used.

The font and font style at the title card are both staples of iMovie on a Mac. It's probably the iMac seen in the video!
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dave w on March 31, 2011, 09:25:33 AM: Quote from: anthonylavado on March 30, 2011, 11:57:51 PM
The font and font style at the title card are both staples of iMovie on a Mac. It's probably the iMac seen in the video!
I didn't see the MAC, but undoubtedly thats what did the editing. Thanks.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: dwarnecke11 on April 26, 2011, 10:59:26 PM: I used iMovie on my new iMac, yes!

That Yamaha is my SY77. Yamaha's last synth with the renowned 6-operator FM engine - but it also has PCM samples, wave synthesis, etc and a nice sequencer. Very flexible. The background music is the factory demo.
Title: Re: X10'ing my Townhome (New Member) [w/ Video!]
Post by: Perrymuir on January 26, 2014, 06:02:38 PM: What version of Activehome are you using, x10 or Marmitek? I have a pile of modules in Pa, but they won't work with the software, any suggestions?