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[halmc]

Newbie finally with help from forum got 'puter to recongnize CM15A.  With a lamp in my computer room*, plugged in to house wiring, lamp turns on and off and  dims at my command like nobody's business.  Wife duly impressed.  However, when I move the lamp to an ajoining room with known and tested electrical outlet (lamp works fine with no A/H device) NOTHING.  No control over lamp.  Wife unimpressed.

Sole variable seems to be location of lamp.  In computer room, A/H controls work peachy.  In an adjoining or even distant room, no A/H control whatever.

Lastly, this condition obtains irrespective of whether the lamp is controlled by a LM15A or a LM465, and I have searched for this precise problem to no avail.

Help!

*by 'room' I mean actual, physical room.

[hostilejava]

I would suggest reading through Tuiceman's collection of links and if you still have problems come back and let us know what you've done and what the results were.

http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=7951.msg49167#msg49167

[halmc]

I would suggest reading through Tuiceman's collection of links and if you still have problems come back and let us know what you've done and what the results were.

http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=7951.msg49167#msg49167

I've read the scriptures, oh Holy One, and they were of some help.  With the CM15 powered up from an outlet in my computer room, I can control the LM465 with it plugged in to about half of the electrical outlets in my house.  If I run an extension cord into my computer room, with it plugged into one of the "non-working" outlets, power up the CM15 with the extension cord,, I can control the LM465 with it plugged into the previously "non working" outlets.  Thus I conclude that phase coupling is what I lack.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

I would suggest reading through Tuiceman's collection of links and if you still have problems come back and let us know what you've done and what the results were.

http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=7951.msg49167#msg49167

I've read the scriptures, oh Holy One, and they were of some help.  With the CM15 powered up from an outlet in my computer room, I can control the LM465 with it plugged in to about half of the electrical outlets in my house.  If I run an extension cord into my computer room, with it plugged into one of the "non-working" outlets, power up the CM15 with the extension cord,, I can control the LM465 with it plugged into the previously "non working" outlets.  Thus I conclude that phase coupling is what I lack.

And so begins your journey of 1000 steps "Grasshopper"! 

[Brian H]

Sounds like a powerline noise or phase problem.
Have you tried the unplugged devices to see if you have a signal sucker?
Computers and many electronic devices are known to make powerline noise. My APC BX1000 UPS sucked up over 1/2 of my signal until I added an X10 type filter to the AC Input of it.
Do you have any type of phase coupler. Most likely will be needed.

[robster]

I agree with Brian H and the rest.  Now that I have X10 filters on all of my computers and plasma TVs, a phase coupler installed, and modified my CM15A to add an external antenna, I have great range and reliability.  My wife loves it, and I keep adding more functionality.  Her favorite to show off to company is our motion-activated powder room.  Our cream-colored onyx sink is underlit (I took a set of halogen lights and installed them under the sink) and it turns on automatically when someone goes into the powder room.  We just added an 18 inch high fountain, which also starts with the motion activation, providing a pleasant "tinkling" sound.  My favorite is in the home office, which has a hard-to-reach light switch.  Now, when you walk in, the motion sensor turns the office lights on, and they stay on until you leave.  Very cool.

The attractive entry price point of X10's stuff gets lots of people to try it out.  There's a second investment in X10 filters and phase couplers that you pretty much have to make to get things to work right.  The third investment is when you fall in love and start adding more things.  All in all, I probably have $400 or so invested.  I control five sets of landscape lighting, a waterfall, and a fountain, plus a bunch of interior items.  My wife loves being able to turn things off and on using a Palm remote.  Very convenient.

I have a friend who does custom home automation for HUGE houses (10,000 feet and more), and his systems start at tens of thousands of dollars.  For us average Joes, X10 is pretty sweet.   

robster

[Puck]

There's a second investment in X10 filters and phase couplers that you pretty much have to make to get things to work right.

And that is the reason why you will never see a 4-1 sale on these items.   

[halmc]

All in all, I probably have $400 or so invested.

I think perhaps 'spent' would be a better word than 'invested'.

I have a phase coupler on the way -- a POS that plugs into the 220V clothes drier outlet that probably manages to tie the two phases (RF wise) with a cheap ass capacitor.

I'll report the results.  In the meantime, I'm still trying to figure out why I let a bud talk me into buyring this crap.  So far it's kinda like a kite:  after about an hour of fooling with it, you start thinking about girls again.

[HA Dave]

So far it's kinda like a kite:  after about an hour of fooling with it, you start thinking about girls again.

I always thought about girls while I was flying kites!

[nklght]

Don't worry it only gets easier and more frustrating.
Some changes to your setup will become easy to conquer, while others are still difficult.  We recently re-arranged our living room, and the remotes started acting sporadically, after trying new batteries, and new remotes with new batteries.  I finally determined the culprit, two video cassette cabinets.  Moved them to a different location, and the old remotes with old batteries work just fine.  Don't know why, all I can think of is that all the magnetic tape was capturing the signals, preventing them from reaching the CM 15A.

[JimC]

Quote from: robster on January 08, 2007, 01:27:51 PM
There's a second investment in X10 filters and phase couplers that you pretty much have to make to get things to work right.

And that is the reason why you will never see a 4-1 sale on these items.

   

Excellent point Puck 

[robster]

Every now and then I think that X10 should sell a legit starter package that has a dryer phase coupler or circuit breaker coupler (you get to choose), three X10 filters, a couple of remotes, a couple of 3-pin appliance modules and several lamp modules.  Unfortunately, it would put the entry price up to something like $200, stopping many impulse purchases, which is how they get so many of us hooked in the first place!

Rob

[Brian H]

Other companies do sell starter kits, but as you said. Most impulse purchases would not be made.