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Author Topic: Timer turns off but not on.  (Read 11100 times)

Knightrider

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Timer turns off but not on.
« on: January 08, 2010, 10:38:22 PM »

Hey gang,

Before posting that the CM15 and whatever software version will turn the module off and on manually, but the timer only works with the "off" command, and speculating that it has something to do with a buggy version......

PLEASE TRY THIS FIRST:

Under the Tools tab,

Click on "Preferences" >> "Macro Options"

Check the little box that says "Issue 'On' in place of bright 100%"

This will do the trick most of the time and will stop the dissemination of bad information at the forum.


If it's still broke after redownloading the timers to the CM15, please then post.
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kcantrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2010, 11:46:59 AM »

This does not fix the problem for me.  Note that oddly enough I had this problem with an CM11A (I'm not sure what its default behavior is with AH).  I figured there was something wrong with it, which is why I upgraded to the CM15A in the first place.  Another thing that is odd, if I try and manually set the brightness from AHP, the light is always a lot lower than what I set it to.  So at that point, the only way I can get the light back to 100% is to walk over to it and hold the button until it gets to 100%.  Then I can use AHP to manually turn it ON and OFF and it always works.

Another clue is that for some reason any lamp or appliance module seems to react to the timer ON events.  It is just the wall switches that refuse to respond to them.  And I say "respond to them" because I set a wall switch to the same code as a light module, and again, could manually turn them both on and off, but when the timer ON command was sent, only the module would turn on.  I have 5 wall switches, mostly new, and none of them will react to the timer ON events, yet everyone of them will react to the timer OFF command and of course I have tried 2 lamp modules and 2 appliance modules and they all response to both on and off events.

Note that I also have an RF->X10 module TM751 and it has no problem turning all the lights on and off, including setting the brightness using a Powerhouse 6 in 1 remote.

At this point I have literally spent hundreds of dollars on trying to implement home automation with X10.  I had X10 working at my last house without too much problems (e.g. the occasional miss) with several lights so I know how you are suppose to set this stuff up (at least I think I do!).  And yes I have an power phase coupler installed in the circuit breaker box to pass X10 signals from one phase to the other.  Before I did that, I couldn't even manual control all the lights, which wasn't a surprise to me.

At this point I am at my wits in  B:(, so I am will to try any suggestion anyone can provide.  Thanks!
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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2010, 02:14:26 PM »

Another clue is that for some reason any lamp or appliance module seems to react to the timer ON events.  It is just the wall switches that refuse to respond to them.  And I say "respond to them" because I set a wall switch to the same code as a light module, and again, could manually turn them both on and off, but when the timer ON command was sent, only the module would turn on.  I have 5 wall switches, mostly new, and none of them will react to the timer ON events, yet everyone of them will react to the timer OFF command
The "issue 'on' in place of '100% bright'" setting only affects macros. It doesn't affect timers.

It makes perfect sense that your wall switches aren't turning on. Mine don't either when sent a "100% Bright".

The workaround I use is to put my commands (typically an "on" followed by delay and a "dim") inside a macro and have a timer call the macro.
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kcantrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2010, 11:04:30 AM »

Thanks Bob!  #:)  That did in deed work around this buggy (dare I say crappy) software.  Honestly, I didn't think it was going to work because if you look at the output from the monitor when a timer runs it calls it a macro, so I assume the software was already treating timers like macros.  Regardless, putting all the switches I wanted to turn on at Dusk in a macro and then ensuring the "Send On for 100% Bright" is selected, seems to work, the final test will be tonight.

Thanks again for your suggestion, this Bud's for you:  >!
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Charles Sullivan

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2010, 02:30:43 PM »

Thanks Bob!  #:)  That did in deed work around this buggy (dare I say crappy) software.  Honestly, I didn't think it was going to work because if you look at the output from the monitor when a timer runs it calls it a macro, so I assume the software was already treating timers like macros.  Regardless, putting all the switches I wanted to turn on at Dusk in a macro and then ensuring the "Send On for 100% Bright" is selected, seems to work, the final test will be tonight.

Thanks again for your suggestion, this Bud's for you:  >!

Timers worked OK until X-10 redesigned the lamp modules in 2007 and didn't insure they were backward compatible with the originals.

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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2010, 03:56:40 PM »

Timers worked OK until X-10 redesigned the lamp modules in 2007 and didn't insure they were backward compatible with the originals.
In my case, some change to the AHP software broke my timers. I installed my Leviton soft-start wall switches in 1999, and AHP some time later. The Levitons worked fine with AHP timers for years, and then stopped working. I suspect that AHP was originally sending ON commands and then was changed in some later version to send 100% BRIGHT commands, causing my Levitons to stop turning on in response to timers.
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Dan Lawrence

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2010, 04:12:33 PM »

Bob, what version of AHP did you wind up with?
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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2010, 04:29:59 PM »

Bob, what version of AHP did you wind up with?
3.228.
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Dan Lawrence

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2010, 07:09:25 PM »

3.228 is the currently last good version of AHP.   I presume your Levitons have X10 addresses.  Soft-Start is something X10 began about 2 years ago, and the fix is to use the LM14A Two-way lamp module in AHP (no longer made by X10) to control Soft-Start modules. Try that for your Leviton modules.
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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2010, 09:21:10 PM »

3.228 is the currently last good version of AHP.   I presume your Levitons have X10 addresses.  Soft-Start is something X10 began about 2 years ago, and the fix is to use the LM14A Two-way lamp module in AHP (no longer made by X10) to control Soft-Start modules. Try that for your Leviton modules.
No no no, Dan, I'm not a newbie. Trust me that I've been around forever and have followed all the words of wisdom. The 2-way fake-out does NOT work with the Levitons.
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Dan Lawrence

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2010, 09:32:38 PM »

OK.   I've never used Leviton modules, strictly X10 or other branded modules like Radio Shack, Sears and others sold, all made by X10.  From what I read here, they can have X10 addresses added. Are your x10 modules working correctly?
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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2010, 10:55:33 PM »

OK.   I've never used Leviton modules, strictly X10 or other branded modules like Radio Shack, Sears and others sold, all made by X10.  From what I read here, they can have X10 addresses added. Are your x10 modules working correctly?
I'm not sure what you're asking. My Leviton wall switches, which are not plug-in "modules" in the X10 terminology, require X10 house codes and addresses to be set in order to be controlled via X10 style PLC commands, exactly as do X10 brand wall switches.

I believe all my wall switches and lamp modules and appliance modules, both X10 brand and Leviton brand, are working correctly. I believe AHP is sending incorrect commands.
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Noam

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2010, 12:58:08 PM »

Instead of a macro, you should be able to do the same thing with a "dummy" appliance module in AHP, with the same HouseCoude/UnitCode as the wall switch. Set the timers on the dummy module (for on/off), and that should work.
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Rocket J Squirrel

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2010, 06:37:08 PM »

Instead of a macro, you should be able to do the same thing with a "dummy" appliance module in AHP, with the same HouseCode/UnitCode as the wall switch. Set the timers on the dummy module (for on/off), and that should work.
No good. You can't dim an appliance module.
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dave w

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Re: Timer turns off but not on.
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2010, 07:55:03 PM »

No good. You can't dim an appliance module.
Who sez?
http://www.edcheung.com/automa/dimapp.htm
 rofl

PS I wonder what would happen if we could get Ed and Ido togeather....better yet, if they were President and CEO of X10. I bet that would put X10 back at the top of the home automation industry.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2010, 08:02:07 PM by dave w »
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