Can a CM15A lose its x10 signal strength ? _ maybe a dumb question

[drakethib]

All of a sudden half of my house no longer works with X10. I have tried everything, nothing new has changed, my CM15A is a couple of years old, could it possibly be the culprit?

Things were working great, then boom, no more.

ANyone please help

[Knightrider]

i have one that got detuned.  Transmits at 132 instead of 120hz on the power line.  XTBM tells me so.

[dhouston]

i have one that got detuned.  Transmits at 132 instead of 120hz on the power line.  XTBM tells me so.

That's interesting. Apparently, there are potential risks for things like this using the single chip receivers and transmitters. Still, most X-10 receivers have very wide bandwidth (75-200kHz).

 

[Brian H]

It could be possible the CM15A was detuned but I have gotten stuff sending at 122KHz directly from X10. 132KHz is a stretch for X10.

Knightrider. 132KHz is close to Insteon. You where not using a Insteon module with a X10 Primary Adddress added where you?

With half the house working.

It sounds more like a phase coupling issue. Do you have any type of phase coupler and if you do. Check it as it may have failed.

Also possible; even with no known changes in the house. Something has deteriorated or someone moved something and didn't think about it.

[Knightrider]

It could be possible the CM15A was detuned but I have gotten stuff sending at 122KHz directly from X10. 132KHz is a stretch for X10.

Knightrider. 132KHz is close to Insteon. You where not using a Insteon module with a X10 Primary Adddress added where you?

No, it's my very 1st cm15.  This was discussed a couple of years ago on the forum.  The only thing in this house that registers a PLC transmission from the offending CM15, are my 2 other CM15's. 

If you dig back far enough,  someone posted that there's a way to tune these things back up, only now I forget if it's a coil adjustment, or if there's a slug to turn.  I never got around to it.  I just use that CM15 to send RF to another for PLC codes, via some of -Bill-'s custom software.

[Brian H]

There are three slug adjustment on coils in cans.

AC input pins at top when looking at the PCB.

One is the power line signal frequency. TC3 if you have the schematic. Upper right edge near transistor TR6.

One is the output coupling to the power line. TC1 Just left of the power transformer.
Near transistor TR2 2SD667A. X10's favorite line output transistor.

One is the receiver tuning. Didn't verify but only one not accounted for. TC4 Lower right edge.

http://davehouston.net/CM15A.pdf

[dave w]

All of a sudden half of my house no longer works with X10.

Boomer, that is a perfect description of a phase coupling problem. If you have a repeater or a passive coupler I would investigate it first. If you have no phase coupling, you need some. However, if everything was working and now is not, then it could also be electrical noise. I would come nearer thinking noise than the CM15A suddenly "getting weak".

"Nothing new" isn't conclusive. Moving a noise maker from one outlet to another can do it. An aging CFL bulb can do it, etc.

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm

It could be a bad CM15A but IMHO that is the last thing I would suspect unless you have had a recent power surge, electrical storm, and the problem appeared immediately afterwards...and even then "half the house" does not fit a typical failure mode.

PS not it isn't a dumb question.

[dhouston]

Ignore my initial post to the thread - it was past my bedtime and I thought RF rather than PLC. This was not a dumb question but I can't say the same for my response.

The tuning of the CM15A is the absolute last thing I would suspect. In the schematic referenced above, TR5 and TC3 and the associated caps form a free running oscillator. X-10 has used this circuit (and transformer) for 35 years in all of their PLC interfaces. I've been somewhat amazed at its accuracy whenever I've checked the frequency with my 'scope. It's possible but improbable that this has somehow been detuned unless the temperature change when you switched off the AC affected it. 

As others have suggested, this sounds like a path that existed between the two phases of your electrical system has opened.

[Noam]

From the description of half the house not working, I am guessing that the other half still does work. I am also guessing that your CM15A is on a circuit in the working half of the house. If you move the CM15A to the "non-working" side of the house, do those modules work (and the other ones not)?
As others have suggested, it sounds like it is either be a problem with your phase coupler/signal bridge/phase-to-phase signal path, or it could be a change in noise or signal-sucker levels on one phase.
If you don't have any sort of coupler, then your signals have to go out to the pole transformer, and then come back on the other phase. That can seriously degrade the signal level to the point where other noise (or signal suckers) can interfere with signal reception. Noise from other homes on the same pole transformer can also cause problems.

You may have to go through and to a "breaker box test," where you turn off one circuit at a time, and see if anything changes.

Noise can come from unexpected places. Many people here have heard my story - my problem was caused by my neighbor's failing CFL bulb. the noise level was high enough to travel from his house across the street to mine, and still was loud enough at that point to disrupt some of my devices.  I had a similar problem about a year earlier with one of my own CFL bulbs, too. In both cases, they were buzzing loud enough to be heard from a few feet away. That might be another place to look for a cause.

[drakethib]

Just a couple of things.

I have one of two 220 plugs that is a passive coupler (?) and have changed it out to no avail.

some of he macros in AHP work, some do not, Some of the same swicthes that have macro, I can turn them on and off with AHP but not on a timer. There is one switch that I cannot tunr on but I can turn off with AHP.

I tried another software and it turned the item on that AHP could not but then it stopped working.

I have tried filters, back track, and I have one last thing to try,  a Dish Network reciver, but it is in a room that works fine.

[Brian H]

Are the modules old enough to be before Soft Start. Where they ramp on and off?
Did you update to the latest AHP 3.316?
If you did. You may have to redefine older modules with out soft start. From the old (before soft start) list.

[drakethib]

Are the modules old enough to be before Soft Start. Where they ramp on and off?
Did you update to the latest AHP 3.316?
If you did. You may have to redefine older modules with out soft start. From the old (before soft start) list.

How do I do that

These switched have been in my house well over a year or two, how do I redefine with soft start , yes i did upgrade

[dave w]

http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/SoftStart

[drakethib]

One last note to ll and I appreciate everyone help.

I plugged a mini timer into the same outlet that the cm15a is plugged in, the mini timer is able to turn the lights on and off while the cm15a is not able to turn them on.

makes no freaking sense

[HA Dave]

makes no freaking sense

Could your House code setting have been reset? Is the CM15A still reacting, by hearing and/or sending to the now non-working modules?