Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[mwinters]

Hi,

 not sure if this the right forum to ask this....   I am thinking about diving into the X-10 waters, and have a question about limitations.

One thing I would like to do is control access to a door, box, or cabinet with the computer.   No "open or close it"..  more like set it so that the it can only be opened at certain times of the day.

I have been looking around the x-10 site and have not seen any moduales specificaly designed to do anything like that...   I am thinking about getting an electrol magnet, and just hooking it up to on/off plug module....     Does anyone have any suggestions??

I still need to get a starter kit of some kind, and computer software....  looking forward to the other things I can do with x10 stuff,  but the above application is what will kick-start the project for me..

Thanks in advance for any advice..

Mike W
Mikewinters617@gmail.com

[KDR]

mwinters welcome to the forum. Although X10 doesn't have a module that will do the mechanical part of your project you can take a look at this which is made for a door. http://www.smarthome.com/5190.html

X10 can be used to control the above or similar devices. You would need to get AHP with smartmacros and I would recommend all the other plugins as well since you may/will expand into other things. X10 has some good package deals going on almost all of the time.

As far as what other X10 modules will be needed to do your project will depend on wether you control the power going to the devices supply or control the low voltage side of the device. With low voltage AC controlled devices I perfer controlling the 120 VAC side of things using an X10 controlled outlet or an appliance module. Most AC to AC stepdown transformers will not cause a noise problem on the line. To control the low voltage side you would need a universal module to switch it on and switch it off.

X10 can be Incorporated into just about anything your imagination can come up with and when you get stumpted, just post it here and someone will come up with a way to get it to work. (almost always) 

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