Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I have a WS4777 3-way wall switch controlling a single incandescent light fixture. Something must have recently changed in my house, because for the last week or so, the switch only responds to ON and OFF about half the time.

I'm still troubleshooting, looking for noise and signal suckers, but haven't had any luck yet. The strange part is that the switch responds to ALL ON and ALL OFF 100% of the time. It only fails when sent its individual code (J3, if it matters).

Anybody recognize this symptom?

[steven r]

...I'm still troubleshooting, looking for noise and signal suckers, but haven't had any luck yet. The strange part is that the switch responds to ALL ON and ALL OFF 100% of the time. It only fails when sent its individual code (J3, if it matters)....

It would be interesting to know if it responds to any of the "J" codes. I'd plug a controller in nearby and test each one. ie. J1 ON, J2 ON... etc followed by J1 OFF, J2 OFF...etc.
Also try setting another nearby wall switch and/or lamp module to J13 also and see how it responds.

[roger1818]

I have a WS4777 3-way wall switch controlling a single incandescent light fixture. Something must have recently changed in my house, because for the last week or so, the switch only responds to ON and OFF about half the time.

I'm still troubleshooting, looking for noise and signal suckers, but haven't had any luck yet. The strange part is that the switch responds to ALL ON and ALL OFF 100% of the time. It only fails when sent its individual code (J3, if it matters).

That is a strange one.  Maybe the unit code dial isn't making good contact.  Try changing it to J13 and see if that makes it work more reliably.

[Brian H]

Try turning the Unit Code dial a few times. It could be making bad contact as roger1818 pointed out.

[Brian H]

More data on the House Unit Codes.
M 13 is the default code if no switches are connected. So if yours responds to the unit code 13 than the Unit Switch is most likely not making a good connection.

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I'm coming to the conclusion that the wall switch itself has gone bad. I have a house full of X10 & Leviton PLC stuff, and everything works fine except this one switch.

The signals are propagating (I can see them in AHP's log and by watching the lights on my coupler/repeater). I've unplugged everything I can on the nearby circuits; noise doesn't seem to be the problem, and neither does there appear to be a signal sucker nearby.

My only problem now (here comes Mr. Murphy, wait for it...) is that this particular wall switch is inaccessible behind the big heavy solid oak wall unit of my bed. (When I moved into this house, I realized the bed would cover up the two wall switches controlling the overhead lights. So I made them both X10 switches so we could control them with bedside mini-timers.) I would need to partially disassemble the bed to get to the switch. Sigh. I may try to get a right-angle screwdriver in there later today, but if that fails, I'll just have to live with it until the next time I need to take apart my bed.

[roger1818]

I'm coming to the conclusion that the wall switch itself has gone bad. I have a house full of X10 & Leviton PLC stuff, and everything works fine except this one switch.
blem, and neither does there appear to be a signal sucker nearby.

I tend to agree with you.  If the AllLightsOn and AllUnitsOff commands were at all unreliable then maybe it could be a signal related issue, but since they both work 100% of the time, I figure it must be something wrong with the switch.

My only problem now (here comes Mr. Murphy, wait for it...) is that this particular wall switch is inaccessible behind the big heavy solid oak wall unit of my bed. (When I moved into this house, I realized the bed would cover up the two wall switches controlling the overhead lights. So I made them both X10 switches so we could control them with bedside mini-timers.) I would need to partially disassemble the bed to get to the switch. Sigh. I may try to get a right-angle screwdriver in there later today, but if that fails, I'll just have to live with it until the next time I need to take apart my bed.

When you do decide to replace it, I would replace it with a good quality switch (such as a Leviton 6343) to minimize the chance of needing to replace it again in the future.  The X10 dimable wall switches (such as the WS467, the WS4777 and the WS12A) are probably the least reliable modules available (of any type and manufacturer).  The reasons for this are:

• 2 wire module requires signal to travel through load, thus reducing signal strength,
• Push button of poor quality and known to malfunction with repeated use,
• Some people have reported phantom on commands (fixed by adding a pull-down resistor),
• Instant on increases the probability of triac being blown when bulb burns out (though seeminly not as common as with a LM465 for some reason),
• Code wheels could oxidize over time and not make good contact (true for any module with code wheels).