X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: gcf41 on June 01, 2006, 03:40:25 PM

Title: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: gcf41 on June 01, 2006, 03:40:25 PM
I am new to the forum and have several old BSR x-10 lamp modules, Model #: x 10-014501. They are marked "For use with X 10-014301. 014311 and are 300 watt lamp units, dark brown in color and were sold by Sears in the 60's or 70's.

I have not been able to find the "house code / unit code" sequence to be able to use them with my modern day X-10 units or controllers.  My BSR controllers are lightning damaged, leaving me with several useless lamp modules.

Can anyone help with this non-priority resurrected project, please? ???

GF
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Brian H on June 01, 2006, 04:27:55 PM
Do they have house and unit dials; you can set?
 ::) Long shot here:
If not have you tried setting them like a Socket Rocket? Apply power then with in 30 seconds send the same house/unit code ON signal to program it.
Hope someone with them will reply. I will do some further digging in case more data can be found.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Dan Lawrence on June 01, 2006, 09:48:16 PM
Really Loooonnng Shot. I just did a Google Search of the part number, NOTHING!!!!!.

Those modules are pre-Web models.

Unless the suggestion of Brian H works, you may have a couple of museum pieces on your hands. I would be interested to see if they can be brought back to life.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: billy on June 01, 2006, 10:49:27 PM
gcf41,

I looking at one of my BSR #X10-014611 modules, it's a 15 amp appliance module not the #10-014601 lamp module you have.They still are in use in my system.
My brown modules have the house code, unit codes wheels on the front left and right side at the bottom, that you don't need a screwdriver to change. So much for the new and improved!
I think I remember that the lamp modules also had the same code wheels. I did have those but were replaced with the newer style as they went bad.


Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Brian H on June 02, 2006, 06:49:52 AM
billy; Thanks for that data on the older modules.
If the code wheels are getting poor. Try M13 that is the code for no wheels on and even works if the module is opened and no wheels are contacting the boards contacts.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Dan Lawrence on June 07, 2006, 12:52:05 PM
I would be interested to find out if gcf41 was ever able to get those old BSR Modules to work.

Speaking of old modules, I have a couple of Lamp Modules with the Magavox name on it, model LMT-101 still in service. They control illuminated religious figures that have C7 bulbs in them.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Charles Sullivan on June 24, 2006, 02:35:15 AM
I have an old brown side-thumbwheel lamp module labeled X10-014511 which I acquired in the mid-to-late 1980's.  (The date code sticker is 5I37, which may indicate a 1985 manufacturing date.)  There's no reference to BSR on the label, just X-10(USA) Inc.

I've never observed any difference in gross characteristics between it and a modern LM465 Lamp Module, i.e., they turn On/Off the same and have the same Dim/Bright steps.   It's possible a less visible characteristic like signal sensitivity or working temperature range is different, but I haven't tested these.

Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: steven r on June 25, 2006, 09:13:09 AM
Speaking of antiques... I have an old BSR timer that still works. (I may have fixed it once.)
I can't remember the last working BSR module I had though.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: VIGILANTE on August 17, 2009, 10:42:11 PM
That brought back memories!  When I was little, my best friend's dad had the same system.  It used a plug-in desktop controller, brown with a white lamp cord, and rocker style switches.  He used it to turn on his coffee pot in the morning, and a lamp in the front room, from his nightstand.  Coincidentally, he happened to be in upper management at a Sears department store (where these modules were originally sold).  I couldn't help but to think back to his system when I first got into X-10, and it was probably partially responsible for my passion of home automation as I got older.
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: JeffVolp on August 18, 2009, 12:01:45 AM
We still have several of those old BSR lamp modules that are put in service for the Christmas candles every year.  A couple may also be hiding behind furniture where the brown color isn't so obvious.

The metal contact wipers on several of their codewheels broke loose decades ago and had to be repaired.  If you are careful with a medium temperature soldering iron, you can re-melt the plastic to lock in the contacts again.  I don't recall any of those having to be repaired again since then.  Over the years I also replaced a couple of popped triacs from "flashbulb" incandescent failures, but I haven't had that happen in years.  That's probably because we use mostly CFL in table lamps now (just switched ON/OFF with the lamp modules).

What you may find interesting is that today I ran across the sales slip for the Sears "MaxiController" we bought in 1981 for $44.95.  It's probably the one I still use on my workbench when testing the XTBs.  Considering what the value of the dollar has done in the last 28 years, that was pretty dang expensive!

Jeff
Title: Re: Old Lamp Modules
Post by: Knightrider on August 18, 2009, 12:22:28 AM
 
What you may find interesting is that today I ran across the sales slip for the Sears "MaxiController" we bought in 1981 for $44.95.  It's probably the one I still use on my workbench when testing the XTBs.  Considering what the value of the dollar has done in the last 28 years, that was pretty dang expensive!

Jeff

I still have the box my Radio Shack mini timer came in (has the slider switch on it to select unit number).  $64.49

I think it was on sale.