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[Brian H]

I just got my "Buy a Socket Rocket and get another one free and three LM456 modules free" deal today.
One of the three only goes to about half brightness.

Date Code: 09J44 for all three LM465s
The one that goes half bright also momentarily flashes the load when power is applied. The bulb is visually pulsing at On. Using three DVMs and an old analog meter. I made a discovery. The output has a fairly large DC component. My guess is the triac is only firing on one half of the AC waveform. The other two have no large DC component on the output or flash the load at power application. I will be checking it out further and post more.

Now the Socket Rockets. Date Code:09K45. Both did work but the workmanship seems poor. Large solder blobs on both the male and female threads and one almost didn't screw into a light socket. The small rubber seal on the male thread part, is bowed out on both sides. The solder blobs are distorting it.

[Brian H]

More data.
Scope verified the DC component.

A good unit has both a positive and negative swing of the sine wave on the 40 watt test bulb at 100%.

The bad one only has a negative half of the sine wave on the bulb and a real small blip at the zero line where the positive part should start. At 100%

I may disassemble a good and bad one to compare parts.

[dave w]

Like I said before a couple of times: I think X10 is having some serious quality problems. Almost like they forgot the recipe, or the factory is cranked up so fast they can't do a good job. If that is is case, I doubt it is because they are overwhelmed with crushing X10 orders. The forum needs a mole in X10.

[Brian H]

Well I removed some of the excess solder blobs on the Socket Rockets. Decided to test them. Used  100 watt standard bulb. One ran 20 minutes and then the bulb just went out. It is also dead.
I may try this week to compare one that works with the 50% one.
I will also compare it to an earlier soft start as X10's ad says with AGC?

[Brian H]

Data on LM465 Lamp Modules.
All Soft Start. Two from the recent order and one a year or so ago.

#1
Date Code:09J44
Condition: Defective only fires negative half of Sine Wave
Triac: BTA10 400C MAR913
Controller Chip: Sonix SN8P2501BSB
Firmware:P11164A Dims Up from Off on a Bright Command
PCB:11314B
Inductor now on Triac A2 to Line Output Connector
Neutral is now a Brown Wire Jumper from Input to Output.

 #2
Date Code:09J44
Condition:OK Works Fine.
Triac: BTA10 400C MAR913
Controller Chip: Sonix SN8P2501BSB
Firmware:P11164A Dims Up from Off on a Bright Command
PCB:11314A
Inductor now on Triac A2 to Line Output Connector
Neutral is now a Brown Wire Jumper from Input to Output.

#3
Date Code:08A01
Condition: OK Works Fine
Triac: BTA10 400C MAR747
Controller Chip: Sonix SN8P2501BSB
Firmware:P10820C Turns on 100% from off with a bright command.
PCB:11314A
Inductor now on Triac A2 to Line Output Connector
Neutral is now a Brown Wire Jumper from Input to Output.

Older units that are not soft start. That I have opened up. Have the Line going to the Triac A1 terminal. A2 to the Load. The inductor is from the Neutral power input pin to the Neutral Load Socket.

[Brian H]

It also looks like the Soft Start problem with Security Consoles flashing lamp modules is also fixed.
Send an All Lights On and All Units Off to its House code and the latest ones rapidly go on and off.
Also if you send a one second on off cycle to its address. The latest ones rapidly go on and off. 

My one year old Soft Start just tries to constantly ramp on and off. 

[Brian H]

Update on my half bright LM465.
It was a defective BTA10400C Triac.
I replaced it with one from an older LM465 that I had converted with a Sharp S116S03 SSR for quiet appliance control.
Bad one measured 45 Ohms MT1 to Gate. Salvaged one 95 Ohms MT1 to Gate.

I also found the power supply in the soft start LM465s are wimpy.
X10 lowered the dropping capacitor from .68uf to .22uf. Raised the series resistor from 100 Ohms to 330 Ohms. Replaced the Zener diode used for regulation with a standard diode. The voltage is now around 5 volts until you turn on the Triac then it goes down to about 4.5 volts.
Supply is now around +5 volts. Original, before soft start, units are -15 volts. Yes whole new design. The new microcontroller can run I believe down to 3 volts so it is well above minimum.

[JeffVolp]

As I recall, this problem has been reported by several people, so it may effect a bunch of modules.  It sounds like the triac may actually have been a SCR, which only conducts on one half of the AC waveform.  Maybe a defective lot of triacs?

Jeff

[Brian H]

Yes that sound about right Jeff.
The Output on this unit was just the negative half of the AC waveform and depending on the meter I used had a large DC reading. 
The drive looked like it was there for both halves of the AC waveform.