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🖥️ActiveHome Pro => ActiveHome Pro General => Help & Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Easttexasdragon on March 17, 2013, 01:35:18 AM

Title: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 17, 2013, 01:35:18 AM
I have the ActiveHome Pro. and its been working Great till this week. Tuesday morning it went through its routine of turning the lights on but when it was time for the routine of turning them off it didn't. Tried to turn them off with the remote and it didn't work ether (on anything)which meant the interface (CM15A) wasn't responding. I opened up the activehome program and tried to run the off routine but nothing happened, so I tried to update the info in the interface, It showed that it was communicating with the interface (flashing icon at bottom of screen) but it never downloaded anything to the interface. I tried to clear the interface, again showed to be communicating but never showed the progress bar. I decided to restart my computer encase it was a software issue and while the computer was restarting I tried to turn all the lights off with a manual controller but when I pressed the all off button the lights would go off then in a few seconds they would come back on, It did this on any off button I pressed for the individual lights. I had to unplug the interface from the wall to be able to turn the lights off. After about 4 hours I plugged the interface back in and was able to update it from the activehome  software. Everything was working again. It went through its functions that night like it had been programed with no problems.

 The next morning it ran its morning on routine and turned all the lights on, but again it didn't turn them off and this time unplugging it hasnet worked. As soon as I plug it back in it turns all the lights on and you cant turn them off from the remote and using the manual controller they wont stay off without unplugging the USB Interface form the wall.

I received this from X10 Customer Support
It sounds like your CM15A is hard locked internally. To correct this, it will need to be unplugged from the wall, have the batteries taken out of it and the
USB disconnected from the PC. Then let it sit for 145 mins so it can fully drain it's capacitors. After the 15 mins wait, plug the CM15A into an outlet
first, then put the batteries into it. Failing to do so after the reset will cause the model to eventually lockup again. After the batteries are in, connect
it to the PC and re-download the timers and macros to the CM15A. At this point, you should no longer have that problem.

Thanks
-Nathan
X10 Customer Support

Well at 11:30 am I removed the Interface (CM15A) from its power source (Wall Terminal), Removed the 4 AAA Batteries and unplugged the USB cable. At 6:30pm I plugged the Interface back to its power source, Put the batteries back in it and plugged the USB cable back into the interface. brought up the activehome program and downloaded the timers and micros into the interface. It showed that everything worked, the progress bar and the communicating icon worked this time. I clicked on one of the lamp modules and it was very slow to react to the command but the lamp never came on then about a minute later the lamp came on.  I tried to turn it off and it was the same results reacted VERY slow. So I decided to try the micros because that seamed to be where the problem was. I clicked on the lights on micro and the lamps came on after a short delay. (Not suppose to be a delay in any of the Micros) I clicked on the lights off Micro, it flashed and in about 60 seconds the lights went off. Then I noticed that the Micro ran again and again, then the lights on Micro ran so I figured this might be the problem so I deleted everything from the MICROS. All the lamps are still reacting very slow. I tried the Remote and again it took about 60 seconds for the light to come on. I clicked on a Appliance Module and It never did come on. I tried to turn on an Appliance Module from the ActiveHome program and it didn't work, Showed to be on but it wasn't. Later that night everything started working right. The next morning nothing worked, even the Manual Controller isn't working.

Things have gotten worse. Now nothing is working but one lamp module and it has a 60 second delay. I have seven x10 modules, (2 lamp Modules and 5 appliance Modules) lets start with the Bedroom, A Lamp Module controls the bedside lamps, A appliance module control a box fan and another Appliance Module controls a Air purifier, There is a Radio Shack plug n Play remote control Command Center Controller on the bedside table. This Controller shows to be working but none of the modules respond when a button is pressed. The Computer/Server has the Active Home Pro installed with a CM15A, OK the Living room has a Lamp Module that controls the lamp next to my recliner, A Appliance module controls two lamps beside the couch and a appliance module controls a wireless printer, I have a palm pad remote control HR12A next to my chair and a Appliance Module controls the porch light and I have a X10 Security Flood light on the end of the house.

Today I spent all day replacing modules, Still no response from the modules, I found a old TM751 and a RR501 so I tried them to, No response from the TM751 but the RR501 did turn on a lamp attached to it. I tested the lamp module next to my chair by plugging both the RR501 and the lamp module into a serge protector, It still took the lamp 60 seconds to respond to a on and off command even with the RR501 plugged in right next to it. Right now the only module that is working is the one plugged into a serge protector that controls the lamp next to my chair.

I'm so confused, Everything had been working great for about two years the last week it started going down hill. ???????????    B:(
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on March 17, 2013, 06:25:28 AM
I tested the lamp module next to my chair by plugging both the RR501 and the lamp module into a serge protector, It still took the lamp 60 seconds to respond to a on and off command even with the RR501 plugged in right next to it.

Is the lamp plugged into the RR501? If so, that is not a good test as the outlet on the RR501 is controlled via the RF signal and does not need the powerline for communicating.

But, the lengthy response time indicates that it may be using the powerline and encountering nearly continuous noise. The RR501 will wait for a clear powerline to transmit.

I would suspect you have either recently added some piece of electrical/electronic gear that is a high amplitude noise source or that some existing piece of gear has gone bad and is now generating noise.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Brian H on March 17, 2013, 09:37:28 AM
http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 18, 2013, 12:14:27 PM
dHouston, A RCA lamp Module (HC10LM) and a X10 Lamp Module (LM465)was plugged into a surge protector and the RR501 was plugged in next to it on the same surge protector. The RR501 had a nightlight plugged into it. using the PalmPad Remote control HR12A, selecting the number 1 (on) would turn the night light on at button press, Both lamp Modules (X10 LM465) and (RCA HC10LM) is set for house code A unit code 7, on the remote when you press 7 (on) it takes up to 60 seconds to turn the lamp on using ether Module. My CM15A was unplugged a the time, but Using the CM15A it still takes up 60 seconds to turn the lamp on. None of the other Modules will respond. I just wonder if the reason these are working is because of the Surge protector, The same Lamp Module (LM465) will not respond plugged in on the porch, Or Kitchen, or other side of livingroom. I havent made any changes in the house but moving a surge protecter strip off the floor and mounting it on the entertainment center but its still plugged into the same outlet, or added anything with a power supply. I have even gone through and unplugged all power supplys looking for one that may be causing powerline noise. I live in a OLD mobile home so its wiring is simple. Havent had any problems in years then Boom everything quit working with in a week.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on March 18, 2013, 12:40:40 PM
The nightlight was being activated as soon as the RF signal was received and decoded - nothing is sent over the powerline until after that. (In fact, that's a very simple way to bridge the phases for a single light/appliance.)

That the others were extremely slow when on the same powerstrip and did not work at all when plugged in elsewhere is a very strong indication that you have a noise source. It might be that you have a CFL, cell phone charger, etc. that has gone bad or it might be something added by a neighbor who shares the same power distribution transformer. Noam, for one, has posted about a neighbor's CFL that became noisy, after long use, and blocked his X10.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Noam on March 18, 2013, 01:41:22 PM
... Noam, for one, has posted about a neighbor's CFL that became noisy, after long use, and blocked his X10...
True story. It was my neighbor across the street (and one house over, in fact) which tells you how far the noise can travel. I have to credit my dad with finding the source of the problem, though. He was the one who made the connection between the timing (only happens at night), and the cause (my neighbor's porch lights are only on at night). It turned out to be one of the bulbs next to his front door. It was actually buzzing loud enough to hear from a few feet away. Since both bulbs were already several years old, I bought him a pair of new CFL bug bulbs. My problem went away (along with the bugs taht used to hang out near his front door at night). I'd had a similar thing happen at my house (CFL bulb buzzes loudly, blocks all X10 communication).
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 19, 2013, 05:41:12 PM
The Techs from X10 are also saying its powerline noise. I have gone thru and unplugged every power supply but still have no response from any appliance module and the only lamp module that works is plugged into a surge protector. I have even changed the house code to E on everything which did help on the delay on turning the lamp on but I still have no response on anything plugged directly into the wall. I'm wondering now if its the Dish network receiver, I had a dish tech tell me that the receiver can receive broadband from the power lines if a broadband powerline converter is used. Well it would make sense to me that the receiver sends and receives packet data thru the power cord for that to work. So is my dish receiver causing the noise? I going to test this tomorrow when my wife isnt here, unplugging now would be suicide, if she cant watch her shows...LOL
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 19, 2013, 08:38:51 PM
Power company Smart Meters are known to cause X10 problems also. Do you have a new smart meter? Also if the Dish receiver is not the problem you can use the nuclear annihilation method of testing for noise. Shut off all breakers except circuit that CM15A or TM751 is in. Using the Palm Pad, are things still slow on that circuit? If so, shut that circuit down and move the TM751 to another circuit and retest. You are just looking for noise on a gross breaker by breaker investigation.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 20, 2013, 04:08:04 PM
Dave, I do have the New Smart Meter, Hasnt been a problem till now.... B:(  I tried the test, It was really simple to do because this is a OLD mobile home and only has two bedrooms. So shutting off breakers and testing was simple, I did find out that several breakers didnt control nothing,  ::) Still the same outcome on test the modules with breakers shut off, still didnt find where the noise is coming from. ,  I thought about the neighbor thing but I'm on a Power Pole Transformer all by myself. What ever this is it Started by locking up the CM15A in the mornings. It happened two mornings in a roll. Everything was working Great before then. I had a routine of turning the lights on at 7:15 am and off at 8 am and last Tuesday It didnt run the off routine and I couldnt turn them off with the remote I had to use my RCA remote control Console, so I reset the Interface by unplugging it for several hours. Everything was working again then the next morning it locked up again but this time I couldnt turn anything off or on with the RCA Remote Control Console.  So I'm now wondering what function runs in the mornings from 7am to 8am thats putting the noise in the lines. My wife showers so I thought about the hot water heater because its electric but it doesnt run all the time. I have a ithermostat thats set to turn the heater on at 8 am too and it has a gateway that has a transformer plugged in but unplugging it didnt make a difference.  Oh and unplugging the Dish didnt help.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 20, 2013, 04:37:54 PM
Well your testing seems to be doing a good job of eliminating things, so you are gaining ground in that you know what it isn't. I lean towards the smart meter, but don't know how you test for it without test equipment. You might call the power company and ask if they recently enabled the meters ability to send data back up the line. Also you might search the forum for "smart meter". Duke Energy has them in our area, but the ability to send usage data back up the line isn't being used. 
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 20, 2013, 08:02:20 PM
They are receiving data because noOne reads our meter anymore sense they put it in. Last year during the summer they actually shut the my AC off for an hour to help prevent rolling black outs....I WASN'T HAPPY THAT THEY HAVE THAT KINDA CONTROL. I just had an OLD timer tell me to use an AM radio tuned in between stations and walk around in the house, It will tell you if something is feeding noise in the power lines because it will start humming. I'm going to try it when I find a AM radio.... -:)
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Brian H on March 21, 2013, 06:00:38 AM
You may want to use our search function for "Smart Meter". There are a few threads on them.
This is one of them.
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=26056.0
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on March 21, 2013, 07:46:39 AM
Most smartmeters appear to be using a ZigBee radio link for feedback which does not affect X10. Some are using the powerline and do cause problems for X10.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 21, 2013, 09:58:20 AM
May have found the problem, Last night I was just checking the house code program on ActiveHome program, by going to Tools, Find other computers, It showed the A1 thru A16 in the yellow and now its showing Several E codes in the Yellow, I Had just changed everything to the E code. I will try to post a picture of this later when I have time.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 22, 2013, 10:07:17 PM
The code check and after I moved everything to House code P to get it away from the noise. Noticed how all the stuff turned red.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 29, 2013, 12:05:57 PM
Ok had a friend that came and did something (somekind of meter)to check for line noise, He said all he saw was normal noise...Whatever that is. So I'm ruling out line noise. Still not getting response from anything, X10 tech had me remove AHP and reinstall it. Now I have lost my Registration codes because I didnt have the email they were on, well anyway, Moved the CM15A to the living room and plugged it into my laptop and installed AHP and got everything set up. Plugged the CM15A on the surge protector next to the Lamp module. Tried to turn on the lamp from AHP, didnt work, tried from the remote, didnt work, Cleared the interface and downloaded the timers and micros again, still didnt work, Reset the interface by removing all power, didnt work. moved the interface to a reguler wall plug, still didnt help. so now looking for cheap CM15A on ebay and a TM751. I added some pictures of how the find other computers changed as I went from day to day.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 29, 2013, 12:39:36 PM
Ok had a friend that came and did something (somekind of meter)to check for line noise, He said all he saw was normal noise...Whatever that is. So I'm ruling out line noise.
I would not discount noise unless your friend used a meter specifically designed to look for noise in the same spectrum X10 uses for powerline command modulation (120kHz). I would like to know what "normal noise" is myself.

IF you plugged the Lamp Module and CM15A in same outlet and the lamp module could not be controlled with computer or RF remote in same room as CM15A then the CM15A may be bad. It is just unusual that most other functions of the CM15A is working.  I think this has been said in this thread, but some surge strips with built in filtering can kill X10 signals.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 29, 2013, 03:33:22 PM
He had a meter that showed waves or jagged lines and any time something was turned on the lines would change..Its hard for me to explain. He also explained normal noise as Fridge, computer, powersupply noise... something about them being in normal range??????  And yes the CM15A was plugged into the same outlet (surge protector and /wall outlet) it it failed to turn on anything and yes its strange thats its still comunacating with the computer its even showing  the RF commands in the activity monitor. Anyway I'm waiting on someone from the Advanced X10 techs to call.  Also just checked the Find other computers again and its showing A1-16 in the yellow again.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: systemdm on March 29, 2013, 03:42:01 PM
Easttexasdragon,   have you tried it without the surge protector?
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 29, 2013, 05:52:22 PM
And yes the CM15A was plugged into the same outlet (surge protector and /wall outlet) it it failed to turn on anything and yes its strange thats its still comunacating with the computer its even showing  the RF commands in the activity monitor. Anyway I'm waiting on someone from the Advanced X10 techs to call. 
I think you are doing a great job of troubleshooting. But, have you tried the CM15A without the surge suppressor?
If the CM15A isn't the problem then it seems all that is left is a hideous signal sucker. (you don't have a UPS on same circuit as CM15A do you?)
Good luck, I for one would be interested in a comment back, when you solve the problem, because this seems "one for the books".
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 31, 2013, 02:48:20 AM
Dave, I moved the CM15A to the Wall outlet that the surge protector is plugged into and even unplugged the surge protector and tryied it that way too. A X10 tech told me to plug the CM15A into the Surge protector and then plug a lamp module in next to it on the surge protector and that the surge protector will filter out any line noise, and this would be a great way to test the CM15A and that I should be able to control the lamp module from AHP with them being directly plugged next to each other in a filtered environment. It didnt work at all. So they turned it over to a Advanced X10 tech who was suppose to call me back friday, but never heard from anyone. Got an email from a X10 tech who first said that the CM15A needed to be replaced then he said He thought I was dealing with line noise, I sent him a reply that we tested for line noise, He hasnt replied to me yet.

Thought Today that I might have found the problem, I found a pig tail CFL light in my bedroom ceiling that was having a problem starting so I threw it away.
Then I thought I heard the CM15A click like it use to when it worked. but we were leaving and I didnt get a chance to test it. but tonight it still isnt working.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 31, 2013, 03:20:18 PM
A X10 tech told me to plug the CM15A into the Surge protector and then plug a lamp module in next to it on the surge protector and that the surge protector will filter out any line noise, and this would be a great way to test the CM15A and that I should be able to control the lamp module from AHP with them being directly plugged next to each other in a filtered environment. It didnt work at all.
Well I get the idea, and agree; with CM15A and Lamp Module plugged in to same strip, you should see the Lamp Module being controlled. But I would have preferred a pain jane, non surge, non filtered outlet strip for testing. Regardless that test having failed sure points to a CM15A that is  "poo-poo, pee-pee, caa-caa" (a highly technical term that essentially means "does not meet spec"). Good luck.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on March 31, 2013, 05:09:25 PM
Thanks Dave, I'm hoping I can get them to replace the Poo-Poo, Pee-Pee, Caa-Caa, CM15A but I'm thinking I will in up buying the whole thing again. I wish I could find someone close by that has a working CM15A that I can try to make sure its the Interface. I wonder if I take my interface to my neighbors with the lamp module if I could test it like that to see if it works by using just the transmitter part because the laptop seams to be communicating with the interface. Heres something new that happened last night. Around 3:30 am the lamp came on, Wasnt anyway to turn it off so had to unplug it. I was just wondering what would be producing 120Khz at 3 in the morning. Tried the remote and AHP and still cant control that Module..  ???   B:(  I feel llike I beating an old horse  >*<
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on March 31, 2013, 05:45:37 PM
I wonder if I take my interface to my neighbors with the lamp module if I could test it like that to see if it works by using just the transmitter part
I was just wondering what would be producing 120Khz at 3 in the morning.
1. Sure you could try that. At least it would confirm the CM15A as good or bad.
2. Same thing that was producing noise at 3:00 PM. Noisey cell phone charger, flat panel TV, control board on your furnace, cordless phone wall wart, etc. etc. etc. But CM15A and Lamp Module in same outlet strip (or simple " 3 way tap" even better as it eliminates any "unknown" in the outlet strip) should indicate a healthy CM15A if the light works. Especially if you tried the test on several differnt outlets on different circuits in the home.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on March 31, 2013, 07:10:01 PM
Heres something new that happened last night. Around 3:30 am the lamp came on, Wasnt anyway to turn it off so had to unplug it. I was just wondering what would be producing 120Khz at 3 in the morning.
The tooth fairy strikes again.  rofl
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 01, 2013, 09:29:49 AM
Heres something new that happened last night. Around 3:30 am the lamp came on, Wasnt anyway to turn it off so had to unplug it. I was just wondering what would be producing 120Khz at 3 in the morning.
The tooth fairy strikes again.  rofl
No, check the date. Could have been the Easter bunny.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 01, 2013, 03:56:25 PM
Ha Ha Ha you two are so funny   :)%   And the CM15A didnt work at neighbors house so I guess it is bad, Thanks Guys for ALL your help. I will let you know if getting a new CM15A helps.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 01, 2013, 05:28:13 PM
Ha Ha Ha you two are so funny   :)%   And the CM15A didnt work at neighbors house so I guess it is bad, Thanks Guys for ALL your help. I will let you know if getting a new CM15A helps.
Sorry about running you down some dead end streets, but the CM15A is actually fairly reliable regarding out and out failure. RF range is a different matter.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Noam on April 03, 2013, 04:23:33 PM
Ha Ha Ha you two are so funny   :)%   And the CM15A didnt work at neighbors house so I guess it is bad, Thanks Guys for ALL your help. I will let you know if getting a new CM15A helps.

That *might* not be a true test. If there is noise from somewhere on the same transformer (perhaps even originating from your neighbor's house), you might not get good results with that test. If you can, you might try testing it at a few different places, (specifically some that are NOT on the same street transformer), and see if the results vary at all. Also, are you connecting the CM15A to a computer when you are testing it? the CM15a might be resetting between tests, and might not be transceiving the codes you think it is.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 03, 2013, 05:51:33 PM

That *might* not be a true test. If there is noise from somewhere on the same transformer (perhaps even originating from your neighbor's house), you might not get good results with that test. If you can, you might try testing it at a few different places, (specifically some that are NOT on the same street transformer), and see if the results vary at all.
"Texas" said in Reply #8 on: March 20, 2013, 12:08:04 PM that he was the only home on his transformer, so trying the CM15A in an outlet strip with a lamp module and a RF remote, at a neighbors home, should confirm if the CM15A is the culprit or not. I'm totally out of help IF the CM15A is good. Although I don't remember "seeing" a CM15A where only the PLC transmitter is bad (output amp?), but that's where I'm at now. Read the thread and see what you think.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Noam on April 03, 2013, 10:02:35 PM
Sorry, my bad. It's been a little busy around here.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 06, 2013, 12:06:48 AM
Hey guys are you ready for this, Its all working again....  :'   The source of all my problems showed its evil head around 3 am this morning..LOL  I woke up with my dogs acting up then I noticed light coming from my livingroom so I got up to investigate, What I found was this flashlight that the power company had sent me several years ago, It plugs into the wall outlet and acts like a night light but when you have a power outage the flash light part comes on automatically to light the way, Well it was on and lighting the way...the only problem was we weren't having a power outage, I had to unplug it from the wall to get it to shut off, then later today I noticed all my X10 stuff was working again... all this because of a nightlight......and it was from the power company......WTH  This was the one thing that I didnt test because it didnt have a power supply,  I'm not quit sure why this thing shut down my WHOLE house but it did, EVERYTHING is working again,  Well Thanks guys for all your help

More info on the night light.
The Eco-i-Lite is multi-function power failure light. It offers a 6 LED illumination during power failures, and a convenient 2 LED night light that automatically turns on when the area gets dark. It is always charging through an induction charging base while plugged in. When it senses a loss of power the LED flashlight automatically comes on to light your way for up to 7 hours. The flashlight may also be removed from the induction charging base. The Eco-i-Lite™ sits in its own electromagnetic induction charging base. A major advantage of inductive charging charging is that there are no exposed conductors.

The flashlight has three 3-position push-button: "on/flash/off". The nightlight has a 3-position switch - auto/on/off. When plugged into an outlet, this emergency light will reach full charge in 24 hours (initial) or less.

    Dimensions: 9.13" long x 3.8 x 3.8" square
    Light Source, Nightlight: (2) .06 watt LEDs
    Light Source, Flashlight: (6) .06 watt LEDs
    Light Output: 30 lumens
    Internal Battery: Lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: gfriedman on April 06, 2013, 04:11:43 AM
Sounds like one giant signal-sucker.   Congrats on finding that.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Brian H on April 06, 2013, 06:09:55 AM
I have seen similar models mentioned here and in a few other automation related forums.
I am glad you found the problem.
Thanks for sharing the fix. I am sure others will find the information a help.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 06, 2013, 01:06:37 PM
Good deal Texas!
The lesson is when looking for noise makers and signal suckers, make no assumtions. The Eco-I-Lite has been a problem for our system also (see first thread). In fact it has been mentioned in several threads:
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=28064.0
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=27717.0
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=27443.0
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=27374.0
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=21628.0
I have two older units that have a large enough base that I could shoe horn a choke in described in the first thread. It sounds like you have a problem with your unit anyway, so stickig in a drawer may be the solution for you. Eco-I-Lites and X10 do not play nice.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 08, 2013, 01:04:06 AM
Well it was one GIANT step forward and a baby step back. Everything was working.... >! then I decided to change all the House codes back to A because all of the sensors are set on A and they are a pain in the Ass to set, I got everything set to A but the Lamp Module behind the couch that controls two lamps and I didnt change it because My wife was sitting on the couch so I decided to wait till she went to bed. But I checked all the others and everything worked like a charm, even when the neighbors Dog came up on my porch the sensors turned on my porch light then turned it off after 3 minutes. I was happy  :)%

My Wife went to bed and I changed the House code to A on the Lamp Module behind the couch. The lamps were on when I unplugged the module but after I changed the house code and plugged it back in the lamps were off. I grabbed the remote and tried to turn the lamps on but they didnt respond. I gave them a few minutes to reset and tried again, still nothing. I brought up AHP and tried with it, Still nothing then I tried to turn on some of the other modules, everything worked but the module behind the couch and the one on the porch. Well It was now around 3 in the morning so I went to bed disappointed.

The next morning I got up and was all ready to tackle the problem again and everything was working, I had to step back and scratch my head. Everything continued to work all weekend, Then tonight (Sunday) the timer didnt turn off the lamps beside the couch, I tried with the remote and it didnt work ether so just for the hell of it I tried the porch light, Didnt respond. So checked some of the others they all worked so I'm thinking what do the ones that arent working have in common?

The wall behind the couch has a wall outlet on each end of the couch, one of the outlets is controlled by a wall switch next to the front door, the Lamp module is plugged in to that outlet and the wall switch stays on. The other wall outlet has a surge protector plugged in with my wifes Laptop and the phones plugged into it.  Ok the light switches on the wall next to the front door, The switch that controls the lamps is next to the switch that controls the porch light so I'm thinking that something is blocking the X10 signal on that wall but the problem with that logic is that I have a floodlight (PR511) thats wired into the Breaker box outside and is set on the same house code as the porch light and its not responding to the remote or the AHP ether but it was earlier.  One step at a time....I'm thinking the Surge protector is Bad... I dont like it anyway because its a pain in the ARSE, When ever the power goes off You have to reset the thing to get the phones and my wifes computer to work again and sometimes it just shuts off all by itself so I'm changing it out tomorrow. Will let you know how that goes.....  Oh and I forgot to tell ya, ever sense I got rid of that night light I havent had any yellow codes on AHP in the find other Computers. ;D
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 08, 2013, 09:17:39 AM
So checked some of the others they all worked so I'm thinking what do the ones that arent working have in common?
Well I'm going to guess: Your two troublesome lights are on the same breaker. Somewhere on that same breaker you have a night time noise maker (CFL bulb?, cell phone charger still charging phone in high current mode? TV? etc.). The noise maker does not *have to be* physically close to the lights, but is likely on the same breaker. (Being *electrically* close and *physically* close, can be two different things.)
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 08, 2013, 04:37:27 PM
Dave, I replaced the Surge protector with a new one, Didnt help. But noticed something else, I can control those lamps with the wired controller in the bedroom.  ??? but not from AHP or remote, So just for fun I plugged the RR501 next to the Lamp Module, I can control the lamps now from the remote,but they have about a 5 second delay.

I'm going to problem solve as I describe the house layout for you.
This is a mobile home so lets say the wall with the couch is the right side wall, The AHP, CM15A is on the left side wall, both are in the living room, The wired controller is on the left wall in the bedroom, The Breaker panel is in the bedroom on the right side wall. I'm Assumeing that you are correct in that the couch lamps, porch, are all on the same breaker and probably the outlet with my wifes computer and landline wireless phones. there is only 8 outlet plugs on the right wall from one end of the trailer to the other. the front door is on the right wall, on the right side of the door is 3 wall switches, first switch is for the porch light, second switch is for the wall outlet behind the leftside of the couch. The third switch is for the ceiling fan.
 The ceiling fan has five lights but non of them are CFLs/LEDs. The only CFLs in the house are in the porch light and in the kitchen light fixtures. But am I wrong in assuming that the lights have to be on for them to cause a problem? one of the light switches on the right wall controls a set of CFLs in the kitchen and next to the switch is a wall outlet that is empty (nothing is plugged in) the other outlets on that wall have the microwave and toaster oven plugged in the last outlet has the fridge plugged in.

But I'm getting off track here, I was going to say that its just at night but I havent been able to control them today until I plugged in the RR501, So I walked through the house looking at all the power outlets on the right wall. in the front bathroom is a hair dryer and a frebreeze air freshener, I unplugged it and checked to see if I could turn on the lamps, Still a delay. The ONLY thing thats was on in my daughters room was a LED night light that changes colors so I unplugged it and ran my check, the lights came on with out a delay, so I tried the porch light and it came on without a delay. so I came into the kitchen and plugged the night light into the outlet so it would be between the problem module and the breaker box. I tried to turn on the lamps, They came on but I couldnt turn them off, I unplugged the night light and they went off with no delay. So I thought I had it fixed but noticed that I still cant control the lights with the CM15A. Just checked the find other computers its now showing house code N all yellow except N12 is red saying it received a code a few minutes ago while I was testing mine. I have nothing on house code N or on unit code 12.

Something is blocking the signal from the CM15A, so what Im trying to figure out is whats between the Interface and the wired controller, but thats not right ether because I can control the fans in the bedroom thats on the same wall as the couch and breaker box. The outlets between the interface and the breaker box, one has a dishwasher and a convection oven plugged in, then another has a chest type freezer, then in the utility room is the washer and dryer, the dryer is wired for 220, the AC is wired in to a breaker outside. two light switches one for the back light porch and the the utility room ceiling light. all have normal bulbs, the next room is the bedroom, light switch that control ceiling fan with normal bulbs, wall outlet with wife's alarm clock plugged in it, then you got the left wall with 2 outlets, one has a lamp module for the night stand lamps (no problems) the other has the wired controller and my alarm clock, the bathroom is last with light switch normal lights and a outlet with a wireless phone and blow dryer. then the closet with a pull chain light and the breaker box on the right wall, We have two more outlets one with two appliance modules (no problems) the next outlet has my computer and wireless landline phone. back to the kitchen wall, I put a appliance module into the empty outlet and could control it without a delay, using the remote has a 3 second delay, the next outlet is the one with my wifes laptop then were back to the problem module.??? I think I'm going to move the problem module to that outlet and see if it makes a difference. I moved it I can control them now with the CM15A but still have no control over the porch light with the CM15A, So I would say that the problem is going to be on the porch, The porch has a appliance module controlling a CFL bulb and 2 video cameras, one with a Ninja and the RR501 is also plugged in on the porch. I would say the RR501 is whats allowing me to control the porch light. looks like I will be going around unplugging camera power supplies and testing. I dont think its the CFL because its not on, I Will let you know what I find.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 08, 2013, 06:31:20 PM
But am I wrong in assuming that the lights have to be on for them to cause a problem?
Nope. If the CFL ain't on, then it is not likely making any noise.
But it is always good to know EXACTLY what each breaker is feeding. There are some early threads about mapping your home on the forum. It really helps in *serious* X10 troubleshooting. The noise source (or signal sucker) will "usually" be on the same breaker as your transceiver or transmitter (CM15A, TM751, RR501, etc.) or on the same breaker as the target module which is not responding. It can be on a totally unrelated breaker, but you have to start somewhere. If you have your fixtures and outlets mapped to the breakers it make trouble shooting easier. 
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 08, 2013, 11:10:39 PM
Well Dave its funny you said that, I got in the fuse panel and started flipping breakers today and putting lables on the breakers. The weird thing is the breaker for the problem module also controls that whole wall and half the kitchen. My daughters bedroom was on the same breaker as the CM15A, My bedroom and the rest of the kitchen and the utility room was on a different breaker. so I'm not sure whats going on, it seams to be the porch, but I have unplugged everything on the porch one at a time and I still cant turn the porch light on from the CM15A. I can put a test module on the same breaker and it works fine.....  B:(  >*<
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on April 09, 2013, 05:33:53 AM
So just for fun I plugged the RR501 next to the Lamp Module, I can control the lamps now from the remote,but they have about a 5 second delay.
That is a very strong indication that there is noise present. The RR501 waits for a clear powerline to transmit. Normally it takes about 1/2 second - that it is taking so long is an indication that it is seeing something on the powerline in the 75-200kHz range. The noise is likely coming from a switching power supply in a CFL, LED, cellphone charger, etc.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 09, 2013, 09:18:35 AM
it seams to be the porch, but I have unplugged everything on the porch one at a time and I still cant turn the porch light on from the CM15A. I can put a test module on the same breaker and it works fine.....  B:(  >*<
Well it doesn't have to be either the CM15A breaker or the porch breaker, but have you completely mapped the porch breaker? And do you have a motion sensor porch light? I agree with dhouston, and have been spouting "noise" from beginning of thread, it's just a matter of finding the booger. Do you have a new high efficiency washer or dryer?
I think we went down this road, but what happens if you click off ALL breakers except the CM15A and the porch? (don't use RR501). This is just breaker isolation where the first step is to find problem breaker circuit, then isolate from there. BTW are you sure daughter doesn't have a cell phone, iPod, TV, etc snuck in somewhere?

Finally does the home have GFIs or Arc Fault breakers or outlets. I have had older GFI outlets stop X10 cold. It is not a big problem unless the GFI outlet is used as feed through protection, then every outlet past the GFI outlet is X10 dead also. I don't have any Arc Fault breakers or outlets, but there are threads on the forum identifying them as big X10 stoppers. 
At this point in time, start suspecting everything, even the wired in stuff like wired smoke detectors, HVAC, etc. Only to find them is breaker isolation.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 09, 2013, 07:20:40 PM
I have mapped the breakers, There is not a porch breaker to say. You might say its a little Aggie engineering, A wire ran to 4 junction boxes from the porch light. there is a junction box/power outlet on each end of the porch and in the middle, A Wireless color Day/Night Camera plugged into both end outlets and one of those has a NINJA. As I said earlier this is a mobile Home, there is only 16 outlets in the whole house, I have only one place to charge Cell phones and thats next to my recliner and they are plugged into a surge protector also in that surge protector is a LM465 and I dont have any problem controlling it from the remote or AHP. My Daughters room only has two outlets and a clock Radio is in one and the other is empty now because I removed a LED night light from it last Week. Today I shut off every breaker but the one with the CM15A and the Wall behind the couch. Still couldnt turn on the lamps. Then after I turned everything back on My Lamps came on because of the timer in the CM15A and I have control again. Something is running and shutting off or turning everything off for a while reset something but I'm still looking.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 09, 2013, 09:16:54 PM
There is not a porch breaker to say. You might say its a little Aggie engineering, A wire ran to 4 junction boxes from the porch light. there is a junction box/power outlet on each end of the porch and in the middle, A Wireless color Day/Night Camera plugged into both end outlets and one of those has a NINJA.

Today I shut off every breaker but the one with the CM15A and the Wall behind the couch. Still couldnt turn on the lamps.
1. sure there is, it's the breaker the porch light is fed from. Did you unplug the cameras and check for the porch light operation?
2. so the porch light is on the same breaker as the wall behind the couch, correct? Only two breakers on, the X10 source breaker (CM15A ) and the target breaker (porch light). and the porch light did not work(?). If all other breakers are off, then the problem is on one of those two circuits all other circuits are disconnected.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 09, 2013, 11:41:19 PM
I wonder if its possible to have a Breaker making the line noise? Today when I was mapping the breakers and had everything off but two breakers, I unplugged everything on the porch and And still couldnt turn on the lamps or the porch light with AHP.   -:) Something else that I just thought of Dave is the X10  PR511A Security flood lights thats mounted to the utility pole and hard wired into the main breaker.... Seams like I read some where those cause noise. I didnt have anyway of shutting the floodlights off because of them being hard wired.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 10, 2013, 09:51:40 AM
I have not heard of the PR511 causing noise, but who know(?). I had a synapse fire this morning. You said in OP that everything worked fine for two years, so I never considered a phase coupling problem, but now not so sure. You do not have a phase coupler, correct? So, have you made any changes in your 220V appliances? In other words I'm wonder if what ever WAS coupling signal between your two 120V lines is not now, for some reason.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 10, 2013, 01:16:27 PM
Hey Dave, The 2 year thing was wrong, X10 tech said that it was 2007 when I bought the AHP so its been 5 to 6 years, Man Time flys...... Well I origanally thought it was the CM15A that had gone out because it locked up on me the day after Daylight savings changed but after a reset it was working fine again. Then that morning around 2 am the bedroom lights came on and I just turned them off with the wired controller and went back to sleep thinking it was just the batteries going out on a outside sensor because the bedside lamps are on A-1 and the sensors default is A-1, thought that something had triggered the sensor. then that morning the CM15A hung again in the same mode.

What was weird was when I would turn the lights off with the wired controller they would come back on in a few seconds and the CM15A wasnt responding at all. I had to unplug the CM15A to get it to stop. The X10 tech had me do another hard reset and said that should fix it. It didnt, this time I never got it to respond to any functions. Then the remote and wired Controller stopped responding also. So I knew I had something going BAD and causing line noise but I just couldnt find it, plus I thought that maybe that was also causing the CM15A to act up. Then found the eco-i-light was bad and sucking up signal so I canned it but this is all old news.

No I havent made any changes in the 220 appliances and no I dont have a phase coupler, But I diffidently have an interment line noise that seams to be located or affecting the couch breaker as I labeled it in the breaker box. Last night at midnight the timer didnt turn off the couch lamps but it did turn off the lamp next to my recliner I had to use the remote to turn them off. Then This morning I had a break thru... When I got home the couch lamps were still on and they were suppose to have gone off at 8am. I turned them off with the remote, Then I got to thinking the timers are set to turn the bedroom lamps on at 10pm and the couch and recliner lamps off at 11pm, at midnight the couch lamps were still on so were the bedroom lamps, then this morning the timers are suppose to turn on the couch and bedroom lights at 7am and off at 8am but the couch lamps were still on...  -:)  so I just checked and found that the bedroom lamps have CFL blubs in them so as soon as I can I will replace them and see if it makes a difference.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 11, 2013, 02:20:25 PM
Well changing out the CFL bulbs in the bedroom helped with the couch Lamp modules, Last night and this morning the lights came on and went off just like planned, But I still cant control the porch light from AHP, But I can with the remote so I can live with that, As long as the outside motion sensors can turn the porch light off and on thats why I put the TM751 on the porch. But I also noticed last night the appliance module in the livingroom that controls my wireless printer has quit responding to the timer but I can still turn it off and on with the remote. So I have now removed the CFL bulbs from all light fixtures except the kitchen lights because they stay off most of the time. I still have noise in the lines because I still have a delay when using the remote. So I am giving up and will use things the way they are until I figure whats causing the noise.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on April 11, 2013, 02:39:23 PM
A couple of points to note. The RR501 (and older TM751) output about 10Vpp PLC while the CM15A only outputs about 6Vpp. The difference in signal strength might explain why the remote works better than AHP.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 11, 2013, 10:17:55 PM
Well i just figured the line noise was slowing or sucking up the signal coming from the CM15A. so I figured if I put the TM571 close to the module that would cut down on the noise,

So which is better the TM571 or the RR501?
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Brian H on April 12, 2013, 06:14:36 AM
If you can find one. An RR501 or X10Pro PAT01.
They have a power line receiver in them and its internal appliance module feature. Can be controlled by both an X10 RF or power line signal.
Also listens to the power line and tries to be polite and not step on a X10 command being sent by another X10 controller.

TM751 has only an RF receiver in it. No polite feature or power line control of its appliance module feature. Also the old and real new TM751's have the appliance module feature. There was a time when the TM751 did not have that feature and the outlet on the bottom was hard wired ON.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 12, 2013, 10:38:10 AM
Thanks Brian H, I have both, a TM571 (new) and a RR501, I'm not using the RR501 anymore, I just got the TM571 because I wasnt sure the RR501 was working right because for a while I could only control what was plugged into it from the remote.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: PK on April 14, 2013, 04:10:44 PM
I have a similar issue… I purchased a CM15A to replace one that I thought was defective.  It stopped working around the change to daylight savings time.  Both the new and old units do not work correctly.  They will not turn the lights on but will turn them off later that evening per the timer schedule.  I can turn the lights on and off using a HR12A via the CM15A.  So the signals are being transmitted via the power-lines.  I cannot turn the lights on or off via ActiveHome Pro when my PC is connected to the CM15A.  The USB drivers and ActiveHome software appear to be correctly loaded.  I’ve reset the CM15A a few times by unplugging it and removing the batteries for 15 minutes.  I removed the ActiveHome software and installed it on another computer, no difference.  Any thoughts?

A little more info... I can turn the lights on using a HR12A.  I can turn them off using the HR12A or ActiveHome Pro via the CM15A.  ActiveHome Pro will not turn the lights on via timer or manually.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 14, 2013, 06:29:26 PM
Don't know what version AHP you are using, but do you have yourLamp and Wall Switch modules configured as  "SoftStart" and old lamp modules correctly?
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=27671.0
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=24615.0
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: PK on April 15, 2013, 09:27:52 AM
I haven't changed my timer types or settings over the last couple of years but I recently upgraded to the latest version of ActiveHome software.  All my modules are more than a few years old.  I will reconfigure them for the older non-softstart version and post the results.  Thanks for your reply.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 15, 2013, 09:57:26 AM
10 cents says that will fix it.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 15, 2013, 11:48:32 AM
PK, Dave w is right, with all the trouble shooting I have done, I deleted AHP and downloaded the New version and set EVERYTHING up New, Had the same problems as you could turn stuff off but not on, In AHP got to the top right hand corner click turn all lights on and they came on but I couldnt turn them on one at a time, I like to have went crazy trying to figure it out, while in AHP, if you look on the left under the Modules Tab it says Lamps then under that it says older lamps (not soft start) I had to use the older lamp modules (LM465) then everything worked. (till the line noise came back)
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 15, 2013, 12:05:59 PM
Well the %##%&* line noise is back,  B:( I cant access the couch lamps now from AHP, but still can from the remote but just takes several seconds for them to respond, still cant control the porch light ether but the outside sensors and remote can, So I'm going over every plug and light fixture looking for whats causing it this time.  -:) About 6 months ago the power company's Transformer got hit by lightening and blew right behind my house, I'm wondering if it might have started the chain of events I am now going through?
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 15, 2013, 12:32:44 PM
About 6 months ago the power company's Transformer got hit by lightening and blew right behind my house, I'm wondering if it might have started the chain of events I am now going through?
Anything is possible, but a new transformer *shouldn't* be the problem.
 
Review:The CM15A can't control coach lights at certain times of day. The TM751 or RR501 can (on a different circuit) control the lights. RF can control the porch light, so is the RF being picked up by the TM751 (RR501) or the CM15A? Finding which transceiver is actually doing the controlling of the porch light may help you troubleshoot. Unplug the CM15A and see if porch light still works.

I guess phase coupling problem has been eliminated so it still points to a "intermitant" or periodic noise problem. (Signal suckers usually can not be intermitant, other than when unplugged).
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 15, 2013, 01:36:57 PM
Dave W, Wasnt thinking about the NEW Transformer, Was thinking of the lightening strike that blew the Transformer and sent a surge through my wiring, Well anyway just looking at motives, because everything had been working fine until a few weeks ago and so far I have found the eco-i-light had gone bad and was sucking x10 signal, then found a led night light in my daughters bedroom that was also blocking signal, moved CFL blubs around trying to get them off the troubled circuits, unplugged cell phone transformers that weren't being used, etc. etc.

I'm not using the RR501 anymore, But put a TM751 on the same circuit as the couch lamps and the porch lights and thats the reason I can control the couch/porch lights with an RF signal but for some reason something is still sucking up the signal via the CM15A, I thought it was the CFL bulbs in the bedroom lamps so I removed them and I had control of the couch lamps again with the timers, then last night and today the timers didnt turn on or off the couch lamps, as far as I know nothing has been changed or added this weekend that would be blocking the x10 signal so I guess just like eco-i- light its getting worse day by day so I'm just waiting for it to go out....
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 15, 2013, 02:36:41 PM
Dave W, Wasnt thinking about the NEW Transformer, Was thinking of the lightening strike that blew the Transformer and sent a surge through my wiring, But put a TM751 on the same circuit as the couch lamps and the porch lights and thats the reason I can control the couch/porch lights with an RF signal but for some reason something is still sucking up the signal via the CM15A,
RE: "The Surge" (sounds like a hollywood disaster movie). My WAG would be no, mainly because if I am reading this thread correctly, you have gotten everything to work (intermitantly). I *think* a surge would cause permanent damage, not something that comes and goes. But as stated prior, nothing is certain.

The CM15A is on a different breaker than the couach lights, correct? (daughters room?). So when CM15A can not control coach lights, did you try turning off all breakers except coach circuit and CM15A circuit and retest with a remote?
 
Also, did you try the CM15A in same outlet as TM751 to see if it could get to the coach lights then? Remember dhouston said the CM15A outputs a weaker signal than the TM751. Maybe you have got it to the point a XPCR repeater can get a signal through.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on April 15, 2013, 02:44:16 PM
Remember dhouston said the CM15A outputs a weaker signal than the TM751.
I believe he said his TM751 is new. That may mean it has a slightly lower signal (5Vpp) than the CM15A (6Vpp).
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: PK on April 15, 2013, 08:01:16 PM
Thanks dave w and Easttexasdragon.  I reconfigured my timers as non-softstart and downloaded them to the CM15A.  I can now control them from ActiveHome Pro!  My next step is to wait and see if they turn on and off automatically.  I should have my answer in a couple of days.  I'll post the results.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 16, 2013, 11:36:29 AM
Dave and Dhouston, The TM751 is not brand new, I sold it to a friend with some X10 cameras several months ago, and I have had it several years, I had my friend bring it back to me a few days ago so I could use it to test with. But it also has "Tested To Comply With FCC Standards" on label so thats makes it a 5Vpp anyway.

Dave I turned all the breakers off except for the one with the CM15A and the breaker with the porch light and couch lamps on it. I can not control the couch lamps or porch light from the CM15A but can with the Remote with a 3 second delay, the TM751 is plugged in on the porch, If I unplug it then the remote doesnt work. What I was wondering about the lightening surge was if it may have started stuff to going bad? Because it fried my CPU that my TV and Dish receiver was plugged into.

Just for giggles I moved the CM15A to the couch wall, so far its working, it turned on the wireless printer at the set time, We will see what it does tonight when its time to turn on the lights and turn them off.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 16, 2013, 12:01:13 PM
Well I give up.....  B:(  Now I cant get my Laptop to see the CM15A, It says the device has malfunctioned, I have tried different USB ports, A New USB cable and restarted the laptop, Now I'm resetting the CM15A....
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 16, 2013, 12:16:35 PM
Dave I turned all the breakers off except for the one with the CM15A and the breaker with the porch light and couch lamps on it. I can not control the couch lamps or porch light from the CM15A but can with the Remote with a 3 second delay, the TM751 is plugged in on the porch, If I unplug it then the remote doesnt work.

What I was wondering about the lightening surge was if it may have started stuff to going bad?
Well that is truely wierd. The TM751 transceives immediatley any RF command to the powerlines. It does not check for powerline traffic before transmitting...so what could be causing the 3 second delay if the CM15A is unplugged? I can't explain that one. Are you sure you don't have a RR501 still connected in the barn, shed, garage, crawlspace, etc? Only thing I can suggest is concemtrate on those two circuits. (if possible) Unplug everything except the CM15A and try the porch light. BTW as a semi off the wall suggestion, go to your breaker panel and gently press on each breaker to reseat (yes, reseat, not reset).

Lightning caused degradation? Anything is possible. My Florida (one of the lightning capitals) experiences with lightning surges was total gizmo death, and not symptoms of "getting a little sick". But I repeat "anything is possible".
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 16, 2013, 12:20:22 PM
Well I give up.....  B:(  Now I cant get my Laptop to see the CM15A, It says the device has malfunctioned, I have tried different USB ports, A New USB cable and restarted the laptop, Now I'm resetting the CM15A....
Texas, I am beginning to think you should not have X10. Or perhaps your supposition is correct and your CM15A is dying slowly. But I'm going with the former.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 16, 2013, 12:43:06 PM
Dave, thanks for your vote of confidence, LOL, Well resetting the CM15A got it fixed, EVERYTHING NOW WORKS  :)%
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Dan Lawrence on April 16, 2013, 07:59:13 PM
Good for you!!   Hope it continues as a good working AHP is a wondrous thing.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 16, 2013, 08:22:02 PM
good working AHP is a wondrous thing.
Dan, no truer words were ever spoken!  rofl
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Easttexasdragon on April 16, 2013, 11:01:21 PM
I agree Dan, I have been using AHP back when the computer interface plugged into the serial port.  :o

Dave and Dhouston thanks for all your words of wisdom, you guys helped me a bunch. So far everything is still working.  >!
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: PK on April 17, 2013, 06:00:09 AM
Congratulations Easttexasdragon.  I loaded my new timers into my old CM15A.  I am able to control via ActiveHome Pro and the USB cable via my computer but the timers (non-softstart) don't work.  They still turn off but not on.  I checked my timers and they appear to be set properly.  Anyway... I've loaded the timers into my new CM15A to eliminate the chance of a hardware failure.  I'll keep you posted.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dave w on April 17, 2013, 09:34:25 AM
Dave and Dhouston thanks for all your words of wisdom, you guys helped me a bunch. So far everything is still working.  >!
Texas, careful or you will re-invoke the curse. <grins>
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Brian H on April 19, 2013, 06:11:20 AM
Using dimmable LED bulbs with Lamp Modules. May depend on the their hardware version.
I have tested Philips, Sylvania, Lighting Science Group and Ecosmart bulbs with varied LM465s.
Most worked fine a few where flaky depending on the vintage LM465.
The Phillips L-Prize bulb pulsed at 100% On with a newer Soft Start model but was fine with the older model.
The original Philips 12.5 watt EnduraLED worked with both while the improved version 12.5 watt EnduraLED was touchy.

None of them worked with the two wire X10 wall switches as expected. As they steal power through the load.

I have seen Home Depot and the well known LED manufacturer CREE. Selling a CREE line of LED bulbs starting at <$10 for the 40 watt equivalent bulb and the 60 watt version at around $12.50 each in a four pack.
I have seen mixed reviews of the CREE bulbs. Maybe early production glitches.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: dhouston on April 19, 2013, 08:06:01 AM
I would expect that LED lights also use switching power supplies and thus may exhibit the same noise signatures of many CFLs. It may only appear after a few months of use as has been the case with some of the CFLs.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: JeffVolp on April 19, 2013, 09:07:26 AM
I have a Lumoform 120V 4W LED light that is the worst noise source I have ever run across, but the Feit PAR30 LED lights we bought from Costco a few months ago register no noise at all on the XTBM.

I wanted to add that the dimmable Feit LED bulbs would not work on a standard (non X10) dimmer switch unless there was an incandescent included in the string.

Jeff
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: PK on April 21, 2013, 03:08:15 PM
Everything now works as expected.  Apparently my original CM15A is defective, it is years old and well out of warranty.  Also, my original lighting program did not work with the latest version of ActiveHome without converting the lamp modules/switches to non-softstart.  Once I made this change and downloaded the program into the new CM15A the lights began to turn on/off automatically.  Many thanks to dave w and Texas for their guidance.
Title: Re: Everything has stopped working, after 2 years of great service.
Post by: Dan Lawrence on April 21, 2013, 06:07:25 PM
Congrats!!  As I posted elsewhere here, X10 did the big boo-boo when they didn't change the part numbers on the soft-start modules( A BIG BOO-BOO), so you can't tell what's what until you use one.  I marked all my soft-start modules with "SS" in indelible ink so when I go in my X10 box I can't whats soft-start or not.  I use a couple of soft-start modules in the attic where they aren't a problem.