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[LittleLarry]

 Well I just recieved my AHP software and CM15A today and I like it, although I have seen some quirkiness (version 3.236) on Windows XP.

What happens is, if I do a Tools and then 'Lights On' and then select a room, I can turn on all the LM465 lamps at the same time.

If I then do Tools and then 'Lights Off', all the lights in that room go off.

Here is the quirkiness.

If I do a Tools and then 'Units On' 1 of the lm465's will not turn on, even though, the very same command is being issued in the Activity Monitor.

Is this a bug in the software that others have seen?

It seems really strange to me that when I issue an All Units On, that one of the LM465's would not respond, but that very same lm465 responds just fine to and All Lights On and All lights Off command.

Here are the commands that are issued in the activity monitor:

1041 9/7/2008 1:55:24 AM Transmit A2 (LAMP_Geisha)
1042 9/7/2008 1:55:25 AM Transmit A On (LAMP_Geisha)
1043 9/7/2008 1:55:25 AM Transmit A3 (LAMP_Samurai)
1044 9/7/2008 1:55:26 AM Transmit A On (LAMP_Samurai)

The Lamp_Samurai responds perfectly to All Units Off, but Lamp_Geisha only reponds to All Lights commands, and the same commands are sent in the log for All Units versus All Lights.

[Brian H]

The X10 All Lights On All Lights off and All Units off are a single command with no address. I don't see those commands in your monitor log.
Like A All Lights Off
A All All Units Off
A All Lights On
A Dim
A Bright
So it could be AHP as you are trying to do the command for one room and not the whole house on House Code A.
Looks like AHP is converting it to the addresses used in that room and may have a problem.
All the LM465's the same type? Like all soft start or older style?

[LittleLarry]

All the Lm465's are the new softstart style.

I ended up solving this issue however.

It turned out to be caused by having another transceiver in the same room as the CM15A.

I still don't undertand why exactly it would cause this issue, but powering off the other Transceiver resolved the issue with the All Lights On working but All Units On not working for 1 lamp, so it must NOT be a software bug as I initially thought, but moreso tied into some strangeness that having 2 tranceivers on the same housecode can cause. (Perhaps this is because I started to notice doubling up of commands in the log due to 2 transceivers or something)

Is this something that is not advised to do? (having 2 transceivers in the same house or on the same house code).

Initially when I set things up, I had thought that some of my lamp modules were not on the same phase in the house because x10 signals were not making it to all devices. This turned out to be not true as well but in the meantime I had set up a workaround of having another transceiver in the house. Now, I realize that all the devices in question were on the same phase, but that they were just having x10 signals blocked by a few items:

1. Laptop powerpack
2. A pair of 3M Air Purifiers in 2 different rooms of the house (model number 3M FAP03-RS).

I really need to unplug everything and find other x10 signal killers in the house one of these days as I am certain there are others, but the ones above are the 2 items I have seen completly destroy x10 signals. In fact, the air purifiers do not even need to be on, only plugged in, although, when they are plugged in, a small led light lets you know that the unit is getting power, but even with the fan blade inside the unit not moving, the x10 signals get killed.

So now, the only other quirkiness with AHP that I have seen is that my purchased plugins did not register properly and I have to resolve that issue. There is a thread here with some info that I am looking into, worse case, I just let x10 know that I didn't get my smart macro and other plugins just yet (they never sent a link with the plugins so I had to do the workaround and enter the -1 after my order number to d/l AHP but that didn't alow me to get my plugins that were supposed to be included with my CM15A so I will be getting around to that soon).

But even without the smart macro's, AHP seems like it has a million features and just going through everything that it can do by itself without the smart macros is amazing. I am pretty impressed with the CM15A and AHP so far (except for not being able to use a surge supressor on the CM15A but that's another thing I need to work out).

The biggest drawback to x10 is the fact that so many items in a standard house can kill x10 signals. They really need a way around that. I still haven't decided on which filter to purchase and if I will still be able to have surge protection on some of my items. I would not want to hook my expensive 3m air purifiers up to AC without surge protection though, so currently I have disconnected them until I find a good x10filter\surge protector combo, if one exists and is reasonably priced. I saw a link before for one but it was not by a company I recognized. I keep hoping APC makes one but I am starting to doubt that they do, and all of their products will probably remove x10 signals from the line thinking its just noise and I don't feel like installing an all house protector just yet.













 

[Brian H]

If the transceivers are the TM751 and not the RR501. Two on the same House Code can be a problem. They are not polite like the RR501 and receiver in the CM15A [ has to be set to transcive the house code] . If both receive the same RF Remote command near the sametime. Both will send and possibly step on each other. The RR501 and CM15A both listen on the power line and if there is traffic will wait before sending. So technically they would not step on each other.
So if the TM751 was first to send the CM15A may wait before sending. If the CM15A was first the TM751 could step on the line signal from the CM15A.

I have checked the X10 protocol sheets. Where did you find the All Units On command? I don't think it was ever a valid command. I sort of remember seeing one called out in an ancient reference; to it but it was not used due to possibility of turning on an appliance type module at the incorrect time.

Can't help with a combo X10 type filter and suppressor. Maybe someone that has paired up a filter and a surge suppressor maybe able to give details.

[Boiler]

I have checked the X10 protocol sheets. Where did you find the All Units On command? I don't think it was ever a valid command. I sort of remember seeing one called out in an ancient reference; to it but it was not used due to possibility of turning on an appliance type module at the incorrect time.

Brian,

I believe the "All Units On" command that Larry is referring to is a "room specific" command generated by the PC.  When selected it sends a series of on commands to each unit in a particular room.  Not at all the same as the "all lights on" or "all units off" commands that are part of the X10 protocol.

[LittleLarry]

I have checked the X10 protocol sheets. Where did you find the All Units On command? I don't think it was ever a valid command. I sort of remember seeing one called out in an ancient reference; to it but it was not used due to possibility of turning on an appliance type module at the incorrect time.

Brian,

I believe the "All Units On" command that Larry is referring to is a "room specific" command generated by the PC.  When selected it sends a series of on commands to each unit in a particular room.  Not at all the same as the "all lights on" or "all units off" commands that are part of the X10 protocol.

Indeed, the All Units On\Off software selection is available in the AHP software itself (near File \ Edit \ View\ Tools -> Units On -> Roomname).

Also, it was a TM751 that was being used with the CM15A simutaneously. I now have the TM751 off.

[dave w]

The biggest drawback to x10 is the fact that so many items in a standard house can kill x10 signals. They really need a way around that.
 

Filters on the worst offenders and Jeff Volps XTB II will take of most common X10 noise/coupling problems. You might try the XTB first since it may boost signal enough that filters would be needed only for your worst offenders (probably your purifiers if they are high voltage precipitator type).