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[jeremy]

ok i bought the firecracer kit and three
aplaiance modules (AM486). first off the
Firewcracker module itself hardly works, It
on ly occasionally (like once out of 5 times
if i hold the button long enough) the other
thing i noticed is that the modules do NOT
work with florescent lights or sterio
systems. when i plug my desk lamp into this
it blinks when its supposed to be off (like
it would on a really cold day. on my sterio
there is so much current leak that its on
(the led is lit and he clock is shown on the
radio) Whats the deal?! id immagine that this
could be harmful to some appliances and yet i
dont see a warning? help, links or
modifications please

[arf1410]

New to X10? That's the way it is...
its hard to get it to work with flourescent,
though some companies make special
flourescent X10 switches.  I've had some
luck with regular switches controlling
fixtures with multiple bulbs if 1 of the
bulbs is an incandescent, the rest could be
flour.  Also, expect to spend endless hours
resolving interference from stereos and
other electronic devices...

[jeremy]

grr and here i thought this was going to be
easy :smacks head:

[Brian H]

Yup the local control sensing circuit will
blink flourescent and some other types of
lamps. Some actually turn back ON when
turned off. There are unauthorized
modifacations that can remove that circuit
at the loss of local control.

[carmine pacifico]

Jeremy

X10 took the easy way out, instead of
designing a good power supply they steal
power trough the load, making it very
difficult to operate low power lights, and
fluorescent light will flicker when turned
off.
X10 reason is the competitor switches
requires the neutral wire to be connected,
adding wiring cost; well that is true, but
competitor switches work, X10 switches are
flaky, and noise on the power line will
cause them to turn on at random.

[Noam]

I see X10's point in this matter. I have a
40-year old house, and if I had to rewire
each switch to add a neutral, the costs
would be too expensive to make the system
worth it. In new construction, the
additional wiring cost to add a newutral to
each switch is much lower.

[Brian H]

Even with a neutral wire in the box. Low
Voltage & Flourescent Lamps along with
Inductive Loads like motors should NOT be
used with a dimming type switch or module.
The triac used to dim or the load itself can
still be harmed. The Local Sensing for ON
OFF even in relay appliance type modules can
cause them to flicker. I had to remove them
to fix mine.

[Noam]

The instructions that come with the Wall
Switch actually say that they should be used
for Incandescent lights only, and should not
be used for Flourescent lights, motors, or
other inductive loads. There are swichtes
made for those types of loads (I don't know
if X10 makes any of them, but I know that
other companies make switches that are
compatible)

[carmine pacifico]

X10 has wall switches with relay output,
good for any type of load, no dimming. The
switch will require the neutral wire and is
larger.
WS13A , if you need 3 way the companion
switch is WS14a, it’s rated at 120Volts up
to 20Amps.

[X10 Pro]

Take a look at the WS13A and the X10 Pro
modules on this page:

http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/switches.html

The X10 Pro modules include a non-dimming
switch for fluorescents, and an inductive dimmer.

[devros]

could someone send me info on how to make the
modifications so that I wont get flicker with
fluorescent lights?

[ohmarty]

I have a 65 year old home. The wiring is
atrocious. It is filled with X10
transceivers, socket rockets, appliance
modules (both 110 and 220). It has taken me
over 3 years to get everything to work
reasonably well. I am 73 years and the
convenience was well worth the time. I am
still having troubles with recently
installed ActiveHomePro. I had been using
Lighthouse with no trouble. If I have time,
I will gradually get it all together.

[Brian H]

devros;
http://www.idobartana.com/hakb/index.htm

[Brian H]

That site shows two methods on the page. The
jumper stops the local sensing turning on
and off the module. The cut the diode thing
actually stops the current from flowing and
is the one you have to do to stop the
flicker. Remember you kill the warantee and
can damage it if you are not carefull.