Help with Christmas Lights Setup

[ingramd]

Hi. New to forum and new to X10. My plan was to install around 10 Appliance Modules attached to different strings of lights. I wanted to control them using Active Pro. I wanted to be able to do a simple program of turning them on at 5:00pm and off at 10:00pm. I'm not sure if it wise to have them all come on at the same time . So I was going to have around a 2 sec delay between strings. What are options of other users who might have done this and what would be the easiest way ? Thanks for the help and look forward to many posts.

[JeffVolp]

Unless you have an enormous number of lights where the turn on surge could pop a breaker, there is no problem having them all come on at the same time.  Set them all to the same house and unit codes.  We've been doing that since the 80's with lamp modules.  It may take a few cycles to desensitize yourself to a 10 appliance module KLACK.

If you want to stretch them out, I would use a macro triggered by a timed event, and set the delay between each command in the macro.  Obviously, all the modules have to be on different codes if you do that.  Klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...

Jeff

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

Unless you have an enormous number of lights where the turn on surge could pop a breaker, there is no problem having them all come on at the same time.  Set them all to the same house and unit codes.  We've been doing that since the 80's with lamp modules.  It may take a few cycles to desensitize yourself to a 10 appliance module KLACK.

If you want to stretch them out, I would use a macro triggered by a timed event, and set the delay between each command in the macro.  Obviously, all the modules have to be on different codes if you do that.  Klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...klack...

Jeff

I put one of my bedroom lamps on a socket rocket and darned if I don't miss the "Klack" when it turns on and off.   

[HA Dave]

The macro would look something like this [see attached]

[ingramd]

Thanks for the help. You guys are quick. The macro looks kind of simple. If I wanted it to come on and shut off At certain time how is that done ?

[HA Dave]

If I wanted it to come on and shut off At certain time how is that done ?

Yep! You just add a timer to turn things on... or to trigger the macro. It's all pretty simple. And of course off can be done the same way.

[dave w]

I put one of my bedroom lamps on a socket rocket and darned if I don't miss the "Klack" when it turns on and off.   

Allow me to help, Bill.

I find the "crack" when my wife throws down the toilet seat after I leave it up, to have a similar sound with approximatly the same SPL.