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[bitman]

In my basement I have a CM15, 7 AM466s on M1-M7 and a power flash that transmits PLC code M13 when triggered.

I have a little x10 monitor program that uses a CM11a and works great. I can activate any of the 7 AM466s via a RF remote (to the CM15) and the status program indicates that they have come on and go off. I can use a wired remote and turn them on and off and the status program shows this. - great!

If I activate that powerflash on M13 however, the CM11a locks right up and cannot be accessed until it is unplugged for awhile.

I unplugged the PC from the CM11a so I could eliminate my status program and the CM11a locked right up again when M13 in put on the line. If I unplug the CM15, M13 locks up the cm11a still. 

So using AHP and the activity log I looked to see what might be different from the codes being sent on the power lines when the AM466s are being addressed as apposed to what happens when the powerflash comes on.

Here is the log.

M 1-7 = audio mixers, guitar 1, guitar 2 etc...
M13 = Recording light. When the recording system goes into record mode, a tone is sent from it to the powerflash that sends PCL M13 to the powerline lighting some "recording" lights. I'm going to "sense" that M13 and start and stop a virtual stopwatch, but first things first.

A7 is the stairwell lighting up as I ran upstairs to get my ICON remote. 

Notice that the powerflash is transmitting "ALL LIGHTS ON". Could that be what is wigging out the CM11a?
I see no other difference.
Thanks in advance,

:Ron

------------------------------------------LOG -------------------------------------------------------
   
Active Home Professional
Events Report : 08/10/2009 20:25:15.317
Event    Date/Time    Action    Data
0    8/10/2009 8:16:45 PM    Receive RF    M2 On
1    8/10/2009 8:16:45 PM    Receive    M2 (Guitar 1)
2    8/10/2009 8:16:46 PM    Receive    M On (Guitar 1)
3    8/10/2009 8:16:46 PM    Receive    M2 (Guitar 1)
4    8/10/2009 8:16:46 PM    Receive    M On (Guitar 1)
5    8/10/2009 8:16:54 PM    Receive RF    M2 Off
6    8/10/2009 8:16:54 PM    Receive RF    M2 Off
7    8/10/2009 8:16:55 PM    Receive    M2 (Guitar 1)
8    8/10/2009 8:16:55 PM    Receive    M Off (Guitar 1)
9    8/10/2009 8:16:56 PM    Receive    M2 (Guitar 1)
10    8/10/2009 8:16:56 PM    Receive    M Off (Guitar 1)
11    8/10/2009 8:17:11 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
12    8/10/2009 8:17:11 PM    Receive    M On
13    8/10/2009 8:17:12 PM    Receive    M All Lights On
14    8/10/2009 8:17:29 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
15    8/10/2009 8:17:29 PM    Receive    M Off (RECORDING LIGHT)
16    8/10/2009 8:17:39 PM    Receive    M All Lights On
17    8/10/2009 8:17:40 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
18    8/10/2009 8:17:40 PM    Receive    M On
19    8/10/2009 8:17:50 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
20    8/10/2009 8:17:50 PM    Receive    M Off (RECORDING LIGHT)
21    8/10/2009 8:17:56 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
22    8/10/2009 8:17:56 PM    Receive    M On
23    8/10/2009 8:17:57 PM    Receive    M All Lights On
24    8/10/2009 8:18:04 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
25    8/10/2009 8:18:04 PM    Receive    M Off (RECORDING LIGHT)
26    8/10/2009 8:18:52 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
27    8/10/2009 8:18:52 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
28    8/10/2009 8:18:52 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
29    8/10/2009 8:18:52 PM    Receive    A7 (Entry Way)
30    8/10/2009 8:18:53 PM    Receive    A On (Entry Way)
31    8/10/2009 8:19:28 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
32    8/10/2009 8:19:28 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
33    8/10/2009 8:19:28 PM    Receive RF    A7 On
34    8/10/2009 8:19:28 PM    Receive    A7 (Entry Way)
35    8/10/2009 8:19:29 PM    Receive    A On (Entry Way)
36    8/10/2009 8:19:45 PM    Receive RF    M13 On
37    8/10/2009 8:19:45 PM    Receive RF    M13 On
38    8/10/2009 8:19:45 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
39    8/10/2009 8:19:46 PM    Receive    M On
40    8/10/2009 8:19:46 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
41    8/10/2009 8:19:47 PM    Receive    M On
42    8/10/2009 8:19:52 PM    Receive RF    M13 Off
43    8/10/2009 8:19:52 PM    Receive RF    M13 Off
44    8/10/2009 8:19:52 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
45    8/10/2009 8:19:53 PM    Receive    M Off (RECORDING LIGHT)
46    8/10/2009 8:19:53 PM    Receive    M13 (RECORDING LIGHT)
47    8/10/2009 8:19:53 PM    Receive    M Off (RECORDING LIGHT)
48    8/10/2009 8:20:46 PM    Receive RF    A7 Off
49    8/10/2009 8:20:47 PM    Receive RF    A7 Off
50    8/10/2009 8:20:47 PM    Receive RF    A7 Off
51    8/10/2009 8:20:47 PM    Receive    A7 (Entry Way)
52    8/10/2009 8:20:47 PM    Receive    A Off (Entry Way)

[Knightrider]

Ron, sounds like we need to start fixing a hole where the rain gets in.  Just out of curiosity, why does your log show all the M13 on/off?  Is the audio drop from your mixer to the powerflash not a constant?

just trying to get more info to wrap me little head around the situation.  (coffee will help too).

[Brian H]

What Mode Switch Setting are you using on the PowerFlash? 1; 2 or 3?

[bitman]

Ron, sounds like we need to start fixing a hole where the rain gets in.  Just out of curiosity, why does your log show all the M13 on/off?  Is the audio drop from your mixer to the powerflash not a constant?

just trying to get more info to wrap me little head around the situation.  (coffee will help too).

That is me putting the workstation into record to see what happens, then after a few seconds I hit stop to see if my cm11a is locked from that event, and it is. So, I took the monitoring PC (and my crazy program) out of the mix by disconnecting the serial port to the cm11a and it locks up again upon M13. I know this because I will get the "Error initializing CM11a" when I replug in and try to get at it.

The function returns a -1 which is port open but cm11a not responding.

The status program is brand new and I discovered this bug in testing. I thought, "Hey! if I am able to monitor the states of all the x10 traffic (compactly) I should be able to pop off a virtual stop watch sub routine inside the program when record goes on an off, thus measuring the recording "take"."     Which works. If I choose to measure the duration of any other hc/uc pair on to off, it works, But M13 (the only I really want to watch) locks up the CM11a. Every time.

It should be noted here that the recording light om M13 has been installed and working for a couple of years or so. I even thing it was running on my old AH/CM11a system. - Yes, yes it was

[bitman]

What Mode Switch Setting are you using on the PowerFlash? 1; 2 or 3?

Hmmm. It should be on mode 3, but the log looks like mode 1.
It couldn't be that simple.  .

I'll check it out tonight. I just blindly thought the CM11a should just work here, but my my my, if it is wigging on the "all lights on" from mode 1 and I erroneously have the PF set that way........

Oh boy, I can sure hope.

But Wait! Theres' More!

This I found just now on the smarthome site:

Important Note: Beware of older units and discontinued units (usually labeled Burglar Alarm Interface) sold by some companies, which do not have the Mode 3 features listed here and will not be suitable for many of the projects we describe.

Ru-Ro. Ya know I thought I had two flash modes and 1 steady on mode and it would appear that that is so.
I do indeed have and old "Burgler Alarm" interface (PF284) that I modify the front end on in order to drive it with line level signals. I did the same to a new PSC01 and had no joy, so went back to PF284s.

I may have to stick with the ALL LIGHTS ON mode but why would that lock up a CM11a. Which I read locks up if you look at it funny.

 

Isn't this fun though?

Thanks everyone.

[dave w]

Bits,

If the CM11A worked at one time with the M13 HCUC, I suppose this wild thought is just that, a wild thought, but M13 HCUC is all zeros. All zero house code and all zero unit code. I know M13 is a valid X10 code, but you would have 9 cycles of nothing...maybe the CM11 is losing sync and locking up.

OK I will go back to sleep now.

http://www.x10.com/support/technology1.htm

[Brian H]

It is not getting hot is it?
I have seen reports of some CM11As getting very hot and overloading its power supply until disconnected to reset the lock up.

dave w also has a good point. M13 is all zeros and what my test modules revert to if I have the cover with the dials off and am testing.

[bitman]

Thanks for the link.

I was looking for just somthing like that but could only find the elementary via google.

[bitman]

It is not getting hot is it?
I have seen reports of some CM11As getting very hot and overloading its power supply until disconnected to reset the lock up.

dave w also has a good point. M13 is all zeros and what my test modules revert to if I have the cover with the dials off and am testing.

Not Hot. It will do this if unplugged all day.
The reason I am using M13 is that I have built the guts of controllers into the recording light boxes without code wheels.

[bitman]

Does anyone know if the CM11a has trouble with all lights on commands?

[Brian H]

I have not see anything directly on the All Lights On Function code and a CM11A.

I did find something in the CM11A Protocol Manual
House Code M and Unit Code 13 is 0000 as we mentioned.
The All Units Code Off function code is also 0000. All Lights On Function Code is 0001.

[bitman]

Thanks for all your assistance on this guys.

I will try different modes f the powerflash and see what happens.
It will have to wait till I get home tonight.

[Brian H]

I have used my CM11A with the programs found here:
http://www.kronosrobotics.com/Projects/x10.shtml
Was able to see the data being received and sending commands also.
Their Smarthome 1132B program also helped me find a defective 1132B that was giving me grief.

[bitman]

I have used my CM11A with the programs found here:
http://www.kronosrobotics.com/Projects/x10.shtml
Was able to see the data being received and sending commands also.
Their Smarthome 1132B program also helped me find a defective 1132B that was giving me grief.

Oooh and source code too.

Love it.

Thanks.

[bitman]

Ok this getting stranger and stranger.

I came home and un plugged the powerflash from the wall socket. I left the workstation off and came upstairs with my good ol' (Cr19?) remote control and my naughty cm11a.

I plugged the cm11a into the ac without it's serial cable, just the module and began walking through the M codes one by one while watching the action on AHP's activity monitor. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15 and 16 all just show they are coming on and off nicely as they should. M13 on the other hand comes ON as it should but as soon as I push the button to turn M13 off, then the expected M13 off commands show up followed by a spew of seemingly random strings of addresses showing being received one after the other through house codes I don't use. This will go on I guess indefinitely until I unplug that cm11a. Then it all goes quiet.......................

If I plug the cm11a back in immediately, then the spewing continues. If I wait 5 minutes or so then it's ok and I start the whole charade over until I dare to turn OFF M13 then the spew fest starts again.

None of the lights attached to M13 are doing anything out of the ordinary, just coming on going off.

This is a rhetorical post. It's gotta be something. I'm just to bushed from two wild days at work to go unplug everything.

Nite Nite 'yall.