X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => ActiveHome Pro General => Topic started by: Billy150 on December 19, 2014, 11:19:47 AM
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I've been using the AHP for 7 years. Lately it's been a little flacky with turning on lamps. I've been using cfl bulbs with the AM486 2 pin appliance module for this reason.
The lamps will work with SH624 remote perfectly (on/off). However, they won't turn on at the indicated time but will turn off at the right time. I just updated my software to ver. 3.318 because I though maybe a software problem. I cannot turn anything on from the pc software but I can turn things off.
I've tried different appliance modules and a second CM15A module to no avail. I can't imagine all these parts went bad at the same time. All setting are correct.
Thanks for any help, Bill
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Hi Bill,
So at some point in time, not too long ago, you were able to turn all lights ON and OFF from the computer but recently that changed and you can only turn the lights OFF? I would unplug / unscrew anything you added (including CFL lights) since the system started to become unreliable, until you find the culprit... You probably saw my post earlier, I had a similar issue except I couldn't do anything at all anymore.
Something in the house is interefering / stealing the X10 signal and it seems that it may be strong enough for the OFF commands but not enough to execute ON commands. It could be that maybe you started switching to CFL bulbs and in the beginning, when you had 1 or 2 it wasn't a big deal, but the more you added the more you noticed stability issues? Personally I have 2 CFL bulbs in the house (not controlled via X10) and most other bulbs are dimmable LEDs. The only issue I noticed with the LEDs is that they are loud(er) than normal bulbs when on and dimming is different; I had to adjust the dim percentages in my macros to have the same intensity as incandescent bulbs.
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I just updated my software to ver. 3.318 because I though maybe a software problem. I cannot turn anything on from the pc software but I can turn things off.
Thanks for any help, Bill
It is most likely a setting in AHP since you just updated to it.
You didn't say what version you had prior.
X10WTI hired some programmers that altered the code affecting everyone with old lamp modules.
If you don't have soft start lights then this is most likely your issue
For each module your having issues with click on edit then make sure they are configured correctly.
For CFL bulbs that you have, try removing them, they are known to get noisy with age and some are that way right from the start. The issue doesn't seem to be brand specific.
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Thanks to both of you for the replies. I only have 2 lamps on the modules. They are not lamp modules but Appliance modules. The old software version was 3.294
I don't think it's the cfl bulbs. I unplugged the lamp chords from both modules and it still will turn off, but not turn on (it shows the switch turning on in the software, but no relay click in the actual module). They will work perfectly from the remote.
Nothing electrically in the house has changed. No new or altered circuits. My wireless N router has been here for a few years, so I don't suspect that.
I do have the X10 security system SC12A and everything worked properly from the start, but I don't have it enabled to change the state of the lamps. So I guess you can consider the AHP to be independent of the security system.
thanks again, Bill
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Are you using CM15a as the transceiver or do you have another transceiver plugged in somewhere else? Sounds like RF commands work but PL commands work only for OFF.
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The CM15a as the only transceiver.
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Had same problem moved same switches from modules column made sure the lights were on, then I deleted the old ones and used the new one and they work fine
bud
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I'm not sure I understand what you meant by "moved same switches from modules column" Could you elaborate on that more?
Thanks
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X10 updated the Lamp and Wall Switch modules to add soft start. They used the extended X10 messaging. The latest versions of AHP has two modules lists. Lamps {newer modules} and Older Lamps (Before Soft Start). If you have the older Lamp or Wall Switch modules. They will not turn On. If you added them from the Lamps menu and not the Old (Before Soft Start). As they do not understand the Extended X10 Messages.
They would turn Off as an X10 Off works for both versions.
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Newer_Wall_Switches_and_Preset_Dim
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/SoftStart
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His original post says they are appliance modules - so I assume he must be using Appliance Modules from the device menu - not using a lamp module for them....right?
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Yes I did mean to pull the modules from the lists, I'm using appliance modules on two of my lamps and they did the same thing so I tried a lot of different options and found that when I went in the edit column and selected add modules made sure the lamps were on then edited them as the same you had before. MAKE SURE you delete the OLD ONES first then go and turn your lights off & back on they should work, mine did !!
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Yes the OP did indicate Appliance Modules.
Somewhere in the thread wall switches where mentioned. Most of those are dimmers.
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Bingo. Having the modules in the on mode from the start (before I even booted the software) made the difference.
budforJC 's technique worked. I never had to do this before. What ever works is good.
thanks to all, and to all a good night!