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[roger1818]

Unfortunately the link for the schematic doesn't work so I can't look at the circuit .

I fixed the link.  It was left over from the old forum interface which didn't like long lines.

[TiggerLAS]

So, knowing that the clock circuit has potential problems,
and also knowing that the clock will presumably not register
during a power failure, wouldn't it be easier if someone came
up with a low-power crystal controlled clock that could be
piped into the circuit, in place of the on-board kludge?

That way, it would at least keep time when the power was out. . . .


T

[X10 Pro]

The CM15A will keep time if the power is out as long as it has batteries in it.

I want to emphasize that while some people see potential for problems in the design, the clock works accurately in practice. We have a number of employees, including my boss, who use the CM15A -- not connected to the PC -- to run their homes. If it didn't work right, I would have people on my case. Of course, our customers are plenty vocal as well. If it weren't running well, it certainly would come up here all the time.

I'm not going to say the CM15A always works perfectly, but I feel very confident that you can use it to reliably run your house.

[roger1818]

So, knowing that the clock circuit has potential problems,
and also knowing that the clock will presumably not register
during a power failure, wouldn't it be easier if someone came
up with a low-power crystal controlled clock that could be
piped into the circuit, in place of the on-board kludge?

Some have suggested that a dedicated (low power) clock chip be used instead of the existing circuit.  This would also have the advantage of making the batteries last much longer, however it would increase the construction cost slightly.  Also, now that the CM15A is in production, it would be more difficult (expensive) to make the changes.

[roger1818]

...there are (fairly rare) circumstances where powerline noise can affect the clock.

I want to emphasize that while some people see potential for problems in the design, the clock works accurately in practice.

X10 Pro:  You have admitted yourself that it is more that a "potential" problem.  It might not be a common problem.  It might even be quite rare, but if it has happened even once it is not a "potential" problem.  I had problems with the clock running fast for a short while (about a week) last year and I know of others (through this forum) who have experienced the same thing.  Although I don't know conclusively what was causing the problem in my case, I suspect it was noise from an HP DeskJet power supply (it wasn't plugged into any type of noise filter during that time).

[Steve Nelson]

 :DI just found this forum, and boy am I glad...I'm on my 3rd CM15a, and so far, none of the units have had a stable clock!  It appears that when left on it's own, the CM15a's clock is running too fast (sound familiar?) so my modules start coming on at strange times.

I'm going to start keeping an eye out for any fixes that come along.  Am I correct in understanding that this is a hardware issue on the unit, and not a function of a software bug?

Steve

[roger1818]

:DI just found this forum, and boy am I glad...I'm on my 3rd CM15a, and so far, none of the units have had a stable clock!  It appears that when left on it's own, the CM15a's clock is running too fast (sound familiar?) so my modules start coming on at strange times.

I'm going to start keeping an eye out for any fixes that come along.  Am I correct in understanding that this is a hardware issue on the unit, and not a function of a software bug?

My best guess is that there is some noise on your powerline that is causing the clock to run fast.  I had this for a short while and I think it was power supply for my HP DeskJet that was causing the problem (although I never confirmed this).  I now have it plugged into a  noise filter and haven't had a problem with the clock since (although it may be a co-incidence).  Swapping out the CM15a won't solve the problem as it is a problem with the design (although X10 won't admit it).

[Steve Nelson]

Very Interesting...After 3 CM15s having the same 'problem', I took a look at commonalities.  Same Power, and same softwaer.  I'd tried running one of the CM15s on a surge protector, and it didn't help, so I finally got an update (2.03 I think).  For some reason, my original software would telll me that an update was available, but it'd never get it!  I finally found a link here in these forums for an update.

After installing the update, lo and behold, the timers are working perfectly now!  I don't remember which version of sfotware I was running, but this one is MUCH better  .

I've seen that there appear to be some issues with time delays in macros running too fast in this version, but I don't have any macros right now, so it isn't an issue for me.

Steve