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[apica]

It does sound like it has a problem.
As Dan said it is either Out Of Stock if you believe X10's Facebook statements or Discontinued if you believe dealers.

If you try testing and see if the batteries do keep things safe in memory and only the sensing circuit is bad. You maybe able to still use it.

If it is out of warranty, and you feel adventurous enough, you might try opening it up, and looking to see if one of the wires to the battery contacts came off.

lol... I attempted to open it up last night and realized that there are 3 screws which are totally different. I'll have to check the local hardware and see if I can find a tool that fits. It seems like the CM15A was faulty all along. I can't even get my timed events to work when the PC is off. I have done all the necessary steps (i.e storing to the interface, repeating and downloading timers and macros).

It's a shame, such a wonderful product with a lot of potential but too many hiccups. However I'll not give up, I'll continue to fiddle around. I might get lucky one day.

[Dan Lawrence]

Good Luck!!   If possible, try and get some pics of what you are doing and post them here with what you did.

[Noam]

That's odd. I've opened up a few of them (they were older ones, though), and never encountered any "strange" screws.
I do have one stripped Phillips screw head on an old CM11A, but that's because I stripped the head. I might have to drill that one out if I ever decide to open up that CM11A.

[Brian H]

All the ones I opened. Had four small Philips Head screws in them. Though I did find out a small one screwdriver from China worked best.
There is a slight difference between a USA and Chinese screw head. May have been a metric sized screw head.

[apica]

Seems like I'm out of luck, I cannot find a tool to open up the CM15A. It has 2 regualar phillips head screws and 2 others that I've never seen before.

Here is a pic of the screw head. If you look carefully you will realize it has a spiral shape.

[Brian H]

I have never seen a security screw used in any X10 modules before.
I have a set of security drives but the CM15A has such a deep back hole. Mine may not even fit.

[Noam]

The picture isn't all that clear, but from this angle, it looks like a Phillips screw head that's been partially stripped.
I suppose you could drill the head off, and then replace it with a different screw later.

[beelocks]

It looks remarkably like a European one-way screw. You use a regular PoziDriv (slightly different to a Philips) to install it and then it's not supposed to come out again, ever.
http://www.securityfasteners.net/Security-Machine-Screws/Sentinel-Button-Security-Machine-Screw.html
It has biting surfaces when you righty-tighty it, but ramps that push your screwdriver tip out when you lefty-loosy it.

Sometimes, if it's not in too tight, you can push in hard with the next size up Philips and gently get it out.
Sometimes, you can use a product called 'Diamond-Grip' to get some additional purchase for your screwdriver tip - don't ask where or how much, the last time I bought any was back in the old country about 10 years ago.

Drill the head off gently so you can remove the case and hopefully you'll leave enough shank protruding to get your vise-grips on there.

[Noam]

You might also be able to put a bit of the "gel" super-glue on the tip of a Phillips-head screwdriver, and glue it into the screw head enough to get the screw out. You should then be able to break the glue bond with the screwdriver later to get the screw off. Or, like beelocks suggested, just drill the head off.

[mike]

..
Since I received my CM15A in January 2011 and installed the batteries followed by a battery status reset, the light has always been red and the time remaining is 48:00. There have been times when I have unplugged the device for days perhaps more than a week. I tested the batteries and they are still good (1.58v). Is this normal?....

must be how some are built:  I have 2 cm15a's and both act exactly the same way too.

[Brian H]

Thanks mike for the added information.
It does sound like maybe a production run of them are all the same.

[apica]

That's it beelocks. Thank you for the link. Seems like I'll definitely have to drill the head off.

[mike]

Thanks mike for the added information.
It does sound like maybe a production run of them are all the same.

You know tho.....  I had an inspiration once and thought, maybe what they actually mean by batt status time remaining is  not what we think.   remember how they used to (maybe still do?) consider logic of multiple conditions like you are standing on your head upside down and backwards from true boolean logic, perhaps they mean something totally different than the obvious with this 'time remaining' value.....  so.... on a third unit I have at another location, I reset, it went green & 48:00:00 and I proceeded to UNPLUG IT.....  

IT BEGAN TO COUNT DOWN!!!!

So.  I hit F1 for help while on that tools->hardware_interface_config page and actually read what the programmers meant by the batt status.....  yep, sure enough, they had been standing on their heads and programmed this to NOT mean battery life REMAINING but battery life USED!!!  Can you believe it??  Now please tell me what possible use battery life USED means to a batt back up set of batteries that have been in a unit for 1+ year?  Shelf life alone will kill them faster than the number of minutes USED -  sheez!

Anywa, as I sit here writting this, I have my 3rd cm15a unit that DOES change state from red to green unplugged.  I may be writting more than necessary, but I am trying to see if the upside down counter counts down.....been 5 minutes since the reset button pushed and guess what??  the batt status says:  ready??  476:55:00      TADA!

So there you have it.  So stand on your head and look at it again and it will make perfect sense!  It simply tells you 48hr:00min:00sec MINUS time electric has been off since last reset.......

[Noam]

...So there you have it.  So stand on your head and look at it again and it will make perfect sense!  It simply tells you 48hr:00min:00sec MINUS time electric has been off since last reset.......

That's the way I always understood it to be, from the beginning (2004, when I got my CM15A). The designers settled on 48 hours being the reasonable amount of time to expect to run the unit on a set of AAA batteries, before it might go dead. Better batteries might last longer, weaker (or cheaper) ones might not go quite that long.
So, the "battery life remaining" is supposed to be just that. It is a countdown (from 48 hours) of the amount of time used up on the batteries, when the unit was unplugged. That would give you an idea of how many hours of "running on battery alone" you might get before the batteries were dead, and you would need to replace them and re-program the unit.

[apica]

Although I have not gotten the chance to open up the CM15A due to work load at the moment, I would like to share a prayer with you all which was sent to me from a very close family member.

"I am praying for each and every one of you, and your families.  For health, for strength, for new love and for continued love. For safety, security - that God will keep you all safe from any and all who might seek to do you any kind of harm.  That you will all be covered under HIS blood, day and night, in all your "goings and comings".
That you will have money in your purses and wallets, food on your tables and joy in your hearts everyday. That the children will do well in school and you will all do well in your jobs and continue to be not only successful, but role models for those around you.
I pray for CONFIDENCE.  Courage for you to come out of your comfort zones and take on the unfamiliar, fearlessly.
I pray for HAPPINESS and LAUGHTER.
I curse sadness, despair and depression."
Close your eyes now and say with me..... "In Jesus's name, amen"."

Best wishes for the New Year.