I've thought about this problem myself without coming up with an answer. Has anyone experimented with using a translucent cover over a regular X10 light sensor so that it would react to some level of dim light instead of darkness thereby making sensitive to cloudy or storm conditions?
The (dual)
floodlight PR511 has an "adjustment wheel". The wheel supposedly adjusts from always active to completely dark. The X10 floodlights also has 4 unit code settings for motion.. as-well-as 4 codes for day/night detection.
I also have a standard box mounted light sensor (only a few feet from an X10 floodlight) that controls my lawn-lamps/yard lights/landscape lighting (whatever they're called). The box mounted sensor is non-adjustable... but does a fine job of controlling the outside lighting. The little yard lights are always on if it is dark... and I have seen them come on during normal daylight hours... when pending storms have darkened the area. When I replace lamps/bulbs in my yard lights I hang a ball cap over the sensor box... it takes two-three minutes for the sensor to react. I have noticed when I have hung a ball cap over the X10 sensor and the reaction is much quicker.
My
BVC system detects one day/night setting from the floodlight and announces both sunrise and sunset. It has been my experience..... that the floodlights determend it to be light AFTER the yard lights have already turned OFF, and dark BEFORE the yard lights turn ON. This is with the floodlight set to it's darkest setting.
I have never shaded an X10 sensor... but have recently added an extra layer of white-ish plastic to make another brand motion sensor a little more near-sighted. I would think a similar approach... along with the floodlight's "adjustment wheel"....
and maybe TWO or more floodlights... could give a good indication of light levels.
But on 2nd thought.... it might be faster/easier/cheaper... at least in my case to simply connect a powerflash unit to my yard light transformer.
