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[cragmor]

Trying to get some things set up for halloween, but I have having a lot of issues. Setting it all up the same, over the same wiring circuits. What I am seeing is that when I plug something into any one of my lamp modules, it gets power, but not enough to light up a light. For instance, my power converter, to run a 12v item has a light on it. When I plug it into a module, the light comes on. A strobe will intermittently flicker.
I am controlling all this with my PC, and the USB PC interface. If I manually turn the lamp modules on and off, nothing changes. For instance, the light on my power converter should turn off and on as I toggle the lamp module, but it is not. I have changes room and module settings with no difference.
To clarify my setup, I have a module that my doorbell is connected to (the actual switch). I have another module that connects to the wiring of the doorbell in the house. So, press the button, it triggers the one module, which in turn triggers the other, which causes the bell to ring. Now, when the first module is triggered, it should trigger a macro on the PC which causes the lamp module to trigger. In testing the PC USB interface, I trigger the button, and I can see the software is turning on all room A modules, then turning them off, so it appears that the PC is getting the info.
I find it hard to believe that my lamp modules all have the same problem, even on that I had as a spare, that was never removed from the box.
Can anyone help me with some other troubleshooting tips? Again, identical setup from last year, which worked flawlessly.

[Brian H]

Is the converter setup added this year?

Lamp modules have a local control sensing circuit in them. This current can sometimes keep loads partially on or act flaky.

As a test to see if it is the sensing current. Try a small regular light bulb on the lamp modules outlet along with the converter. If it now works OK. It is the sensing current.

Appliance modules may work better for your kind of load and the new ones have even a smaller sensing current than the older ones.

[cragmor]

What I did was to take my strobe, and plug it into the outlet, and it would work perfectly. Once I disconnected the strobe, and them put the LM465 in between, I might get intermittent flashing, but basically, I would get nothing.

[Brian H]

Lamp modules are not made to control those types of loads. If they ate fairly recent they may also have Soft Start. Does a standard bulb go on instantly or ramp on and off slowly.

Try a bulb and strobe power supply in the modules outlet. If it then acts more normal you have found a clues.

[cragmor]

Ok, putting a simple bulb on the circuit fixed it. The strobe will work fine with the additional load on the circuit. I will concern myself with that later.
Now, I am having issues getting everything to work correctly again. For some reason, when my PF284 is triggered, it will not trigger the macro. I can see that in the log, it says receive a16(pf284), receive A on, receive a16, receive a off.
So, windows is seeing that it is being triggered by pressing the doorbell. The macro has the condition 'if these modules are on A16 run the macro'
The macro is just a simple turn on the LM465, wait 5 seconds, turn it off. I am not seeing any of this in the log. I also have the UM506 set to A8, but obviously it will not trigger it either unless I set it to match the PF284.
Any thoughts?
I should add that manually triggering the lamp modules or the UM506 from windows works fine. THe only issue now is to get the PF284 to trigger the macro.
I would run a motion sensor, but it will not work for my location. To much moving in the wind for false triggers.