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[Cavebat]

Two days of working on this, still no go!   I have a "5 way circuit" using one XPD3 and three XPSS's.  The lights come on/go off when pressing the XPD3, but nothing happens when trying to use the XPSS slaves.  Two of the slaves are replacing two 4 way switches.  This is driving me crazy, and my girlfriend!  Any help would be much appreciated.  I'm willing to work on this with anyone who can help.  HELP!  please  I believe I have followed all hook up instructions that I could find to make this work.  I hope and think that I'm doing something simple, WRONG.

[dbemowsk]

For the slave switches, you must have 1 live black wire and the other traveler wire goes to the red (control) wire on the master switch as shown in the diagram below.


You may want to do a continuity check on the traveler wire that you are connecting to the red to be sure that you are getting the right one.  Also, I had an issue when connecting one of mine.  The issue was that I had live power coming to the box where I had the master switch, but the wire that ran to the light that needed to be connected to the blue wire was run to the box that the slave switch was in.  The problem was that I didn't have live power in the slave box and I only had 2 traveler wires. So I needed to get live power, the slave switch control (red), and the light output wire (blue) all to the slave box when only having 2 traveler wires (the installer cut the ground wore in the box for the travelers).  If you have the white , black AND ground for your traveler wire set you will be fine in just using the traveler wires.  I ended up stealing a live line from the wire that came down from the light.

If you want to read more on the issue I had and how I fixed it, check this thread http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=19556.0

Hope that helps.

Dan B.

[Cavebat]

   Thanks Dan B. for getting back to me so quick on this.  Since I've first posted, I've installed another single XPD3 in another location with an AcitiveEye for the master bedroom closet, works great.   However, it looks from your post, that my problem may not be simple.  It might take me some time to absorb what you have posted, and read the other post you referenced.  I'm getting kinda burnt on trying to figure this out, not to mention all the trips up and down from the basement to the breaker box.  I'll post again when I figure out what your suggesting, and hopefully I can post that all is great!  Stand by, and thanks again. 

[Mellowmark]

If you need to use a tester light to follow the hot wire from switch box to switch box. when you find it in the box wire nut it to the next traveler leaving and find it in the next box.  If you only have a voltage or light tester, use an extension cord plugged into a receptacle to drag a neutral with you for your reference ground.  should go quick with the tester and cord.

[Cavebat]

Still    The best I can tell right now is that when I connect the live wire on the first slave, what I thought was my red traveler wire goes 120v??  Not what expected, and probably why my three slave switches don't do anything, stll only master working.

[Mellowmark]

What you need to do is unhook all new switches and figure out what wire goes where so the pic makes sense in your head. Then wire nut every thing together with tags the way you expect them to work.  Then make sure you have the load wire on the master blue device.  The common on one end or the other is the load. This circuit will only work if you have the master switch in the last box where the load wire is.  By the way are you sure you have the neutral in the main box sometimes the white wire will be the load or the hot wire in a 3way circuit. ( 5 way circuit is an extended 3way). If you are not sure use a volt tester and try to find 120v across the hot and white wire.

[Cavebat]

In the beginning I did unhook all old switches and figured out what wire goes where.  I have a volt meter, and the only wire that was 120v was one black wire in one of the four switch boxes.  I assumed that was from the breaker box, hot.  The other box with two black wires and one red had no voltage.  I then assumed that one of those black wires was to the load, the other black wire being the traveler to the other two switch boxes with the red traveler.  So per the diagram provided, that is the way I believe I hooked it up, from the beginning and now.  So the pic makes sense in my head.  I have the load wire connected to the blue wire on the master switch, and I have the master switch in the last box where the load wire is.  I have neutral wires in every box, all wire nutted together from the beginning, and the x-10 switch I'm using does not require the neutral, so I left all the neutrals as they were.  Everything appears to be wired per the diagram, and the switch instruction sheets.  With all switches hooked up per diagram and instructions, the only switch that turns on the lights is the master, slaves don't react.  The only thing that I might be doing wrong and don't understand is your statement about "use a volt tester and try to find 120v across the hot and white wire."   I have been finding my hot wire with a volt meter across the hot wire and the copper ground wire, not the white wire. 

[Mellowmark]

You should Have to boxes with two blacks and two reds. Just for now wire nut the two reds and the two blacks in each box together. the white should already be nutted up. now you have a simple 3way with the other  two switch boxes. in one box you should have a romex with a black and white that have 120 across them check for it. Then wire nut the blacks together, and cap the red. now go to the other box and touch the blacks together the light should light. this should be the master box we are talking about. The x10 switch should work in this box with the other boxes having the wire nuts connecting each of the other wires. If you have something different than this, the white wire might not be a neutral. let us know what you have from here.

[Cavebat]

Yes, you are correct.  I have two boxes with two blacks and two reds. (They used to have 4-way switches in them) And yes, I would agree if i were to wire nut the two reds and blacks in those boxes together, I would have a simple three way with the other two switch boxes.  And yes, all the whites are already nutted together.  OK, so, I will follow your directions and see if the lights come on.  I DO NOT have something different than what you describe, you got it.  I cannot think that a white wire in any of the boxes is not neutral, since they have always been nutted together in every box and not touched.  But I will start all over again using the trouble shoot method as you described, see if the light comes on, positively identifying the "master" box.     Thanks for trying to help me and your quick post, I'll post back with my findings. 

[Cavebat]

Unfortunately, I don't get a lot of time to work on this, and after following the instructions kindly offered to a T, still the same results.  The master switch works, slaves do not.  Found the box with 120 black with white, nutted with other black, go to other box, touch blacks-lights go on. Yes.  Then hooked up WS12A, it worked.  At this time all other wires in the three other boxes are all wire nutted together.  But then I try and hook up one XPSS, it does not work, but the WS12A still does.  I don't know what to tell you folks, I can't figure it out

[Mellowmark]

What about the box with only one red wire is it capped off so it is isolated at one end and nutted together by itself in the two middle boxes. Then connected by itself with the control in the master box.

[Cavebat]

 (This is making me feel like a real idoit.  I cannot understand what you are telling me to do.  The way I understand what your are saying would not be like the diagram above.  I'm willing to keep trying.  So I tried what I thought you were saying, I'll try and explain.  You wanted me to identify the load box, two slave boxes, and the live box.  The load box has one cable with one black, and one white.  It also has one cable with one black, and one red.  Now, in this box I connect the WS12A, the WS12A has three colored wires, blue, black, red.  I connect the black load wire to the blue wire on the WS12A, the white wire from this same cable is nutted together with the other white neutral wires in this box.  I connect the red from the cable with one black and one red to the red wire on the WS12A.  And I connect the black wire to the black wire of the WS12A.  Then, I thought you were saying to nut the two red wires in the slave boxes together in the box, not connected to the XPSS's.?  Next, in the hot box, you said to wire nut/cap the red wire so it is not connected to the third XPSS in this circuit, and connect the one black wire (hot) to the live screw connector on the XPSS, and the other black wire (with the same cable of the red wire you just had me cap) to the live screw connector on the XPSS also.  I hope I got this wrong cause this doesn't result in the slaves working, but the WS12A still does.  Am I stupid or what.  This is very frustrating, trying my patience, but good practice for my anger management. 

[Mellowmark]

I am very sorry. I am not trying to make you feel stupid. all this is for me and our communication level. It is very hard for me to know how much we understand each other unless we go over it. I am very impressed with how you are handling it, thank you!

Now yes I am reasonably sure you have the ws12 installed correctly and we might want to try a replacement for it.
 
But not until we remove any other switches and test something else


the two center boxes I believe have two black two red and two white wires all connected per color. {confirm}
now in the hot box you should have two blacks connected two whites connected and one red isolated.  with 120volts presant between any black and white in  any box excluding the wire that actually goes to the light. Their should not be any voltage present on the red

WAIT 

Your original post shows xpdi3 switch and associated diagram and requires the neutral be connected to the switch with the master switch in the last or load box like we have discussed if that is true see test below.
If not then the diagram for the ws12 is different and requires that the master switch be moved to the line or live end of the circuit. This would be the hot box and does not use the neutral and the slave switch is also different their is some resistance involved due to the neutral issue. Please confirm. A sales link may have directed you to use two incompatible devices and or wire diagram. The xpss only has two wires and the slave for the ws12, switch would be the ws14 or equivalent, has three wires connected as such. Please confirm? 
 
TEST
1 Check the continuity of each xpss switch removed with the botton both depressed or not.
it should not ring through when idle and then show connection when you press it momentarily I believe. compare all three.

2 Then connect one that works like this in the hot box, red to switch on one wire and both blacks on the other. Test now. If this still does not work you surly have a bad master device. consider replacing it, the controll circuit has failed.

[Cavebat]

Mellowmark, you have nothing to be sorry about, except maybe feeling sorry for me.  You have been very kind and generous trying to work with me.  I am the one who has dorked out here.  I have reviewed my first post, and indeed I stated I was using a XPDi3 with 3 XPSS's.  That is wrong, all along I have been trying to use a XPD3 aka WS12A with 3 XPSS's aka WS14A.  No wonder their has been so much confusion for me.  I've been referring to the diagram provided, knowing that in the diagram it was showing a XPDi3, but assuming that I should just hook up the WS12A in the same manner, minus the neutral.  I can clearly understand how that would not be compatible.    Soooo, we are basically starting over. I believe you have a clear understanding of how my boxes are wired, and now I believe we can have an understanding of what switches I'm trying to use.  But first, I'm not going to assume anything anymore.  Is the XPD3 aka WS12A?  Is the XPSS aka WS14A?  Is the XPSS aka WS14A a companion slave for both a XPD3 and XPDi3?  If I'm correct with all those, then, what I believe your saying is to move the XPD3 to the hot box, instead of the load box I have previously been trying.  I can also confirm that my XPSS' aka WS14A's all have continuity between their switch screw clamp connection and live screw clamp connection when the button is pressed.  I can confirm that my XPD3 aka WS12A is working correctly in another circuit.  I can confirm that the two center boxes have two black two red and two white wires all connected per color in test.  I can confirm that in the hot box I have two blacks connected two whites connected and one red isolated in test, and 120volts present between any black and white in any box excluding the wire that actually goes to the light, and no voltage present on the red.  Now, am I using compatible switches, and do you have a compatible wire diagram, if not explain how to connect the one XPD3 aka WS12A with three XPSS aka WS14A.?

[Cavebat]

  I got it.  I think what I was doing in the beginning and why my circuit wouldn't work is that I had the master switch in the load box instead of the hot box.  Thanks to everyone, especially Mellowmark, for putting up with my misleading post.