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[kendall]

Is it possible to control only certain lights on a circuit?  I have a switch at the office for example that controls the hallway lights and our demo room lights.  I am not able to do any physical structure changes to the space so I am unable to fix the wiring the way it should have been.  What I want to accomplish is to have the lights in the demo room turn off/on or dim if possible.

There are a total of 8 lights on the circuit, 4 of them are in the demo room.  So if possible I would like to find a device that wires into the lighting fixture portion itself to control the light.

Btw, I am an electrician so wiring isnt new to me, I just am very new to X10.

[Brian H]

X10Pro makes two modules to go into fixtures.
XPFM has a relay in it and does not to dimming, but can be used on low voltage and CFL type lights that do not work [normally] with a dimming module
XPDF is a dimming type of fixture module.
http://www.x10pro.com/

[kendall]

This looks like it would control the whole circuit, not an individual light?

Maybe I am looking at the schematic wrong.

So lets assume I have a light switch with a HOT and switch leg up to my first light.

Lets assume that the 5th light is the one I want to control.

I would take the hot side of the power feeding the light into the XPDF and take another wire out of the XPDF into the light fixture.

This of course would mean that the main lighting switch would have to be powered on for the unit to function since it is getting its hot power from the switch leg off of the switch and not a permenant hot wire.

I hope thats correct.

Looks like its exactly what I am looking for.

[Brian H]

Yes if the main switch for all of them was in the circuit. It would have to be on all the time.
Have you looked at the X10 Socket Rockets? They basically screw into the bulbs socket and then accept X10 On Off signals. Though they don't dim.
You would still need an X10 powerline controller. A small setup could even use a Mini-controller if less then 8 addresses where wanted.

[KDR]

Here's another option on a screw in module that does have dimming capabilities. I use a couple of theses in some basement light sockets. The only set back that I can see is you need a bigger space to use them because of there size.

Click Here

^{----------------KDR}

[kendall]

Well currently the demo room has 120v florescent lighting, but I am swapping them out with new incandescent fixtures and want them to be controlled via X10.  I imagine I would need a XPDF for each fixture to control it via X-10.

I am fairly new to X-10 and i want to do it right the first time.

I would like to use the computer software to control the lights.

Since I have 4 lights in the demo room I would assume I need the following.

4 XPDF's
1 Computer Software

or

4 XPDF's
1 HR12A Palm Pad Controller
1 TM751 Wireless RF Transceiver

Now does the computer have to be plugged into the same circuit that the fixtures are on or can it be plugged into any power circuit?  I assume the X-10 modules talk with the usb device via the computer software using RF signals.

[KDR]

The XPDF does not use any RF. The signal it gets is through the power line.

The AHP software talks to the CM15A controller via the USB connection. This can be plugged in anywhere (provided there isn't a phase coupling issue.) The CM15A then sends commands out over the power line. If the XPDF module is set to a (example) A1 then when the CM15A sends out a A1 command the module will respond. You can have all the modules set to the same House/Unit code or each can have there own code.

Have you checked out this site for the specs and a installation page.

^{----------------KDR}

[kendall]

Ahh, thanks for clarifying.

I am very new to this as you can tell.  Setting all of the XPDF's to A1 would work out perfect because then all 4 of the lights would get sent the same command simultaneously.  That's exactly what I am looking for.  I would prefer a remote control to control the 4 lights if possible, but the software option seems like it gives me more flexibility.

I already looked at the specifications and the installation specs and the XPDF looks like exactly what I need, I just didnt know what else was required to control the actual in-line units.

[KDR]

You can get a key chain remote and when programed to the same House/Unit code the CM15A will receive the RF (if its in range)  and in turn put the signal onto the power line. Once the CM15A is programed it can be disconnected from the computer and run on its own.

^{----------------KDR}

[dillscon]

I'm an electrician as well and recently came upon the same problem that you did.

I wired an addition, and put six can lights on one switch....just as the GC asked.

After sheetrock, after paint.....the customer says that they wanted the 3 on one switch and the other 3 on another switch.

So in the switch box I wired it up so that the original switch leg was hot all the time.  I used (2) XPT bases inside the 2G box in the wall, and then all you have to do is put the XPDF receiver in the lights you want to control. 

To save money I fished one wire from the 1st can light to the 3rd....so I only had to use 2 XPDF receivers.  Otherwise I would have had to buy a receiver for each light.

Also I think that using the XPT base with whatever keypad you need to use has the best look.  Thats my own opinion ofcourse.