Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[dallaire8]

Hello,

I have be running my lights automation for years without any problem using ActiveHome and CM15A. A few months ago, it became erratic. And now it is not working.
I bought and installed the ActiveHome Pro software and restarted from scratch.
I can trigger manually the lights ON and OFF using CM19A, TM751 and HR12A.
Unfortunately, I cannot trigger them manually from the computer, using CM15A correctly connected. Obviously, CM15A doesn't trigger them automatically according to my schedules.
Is there a mean to check if CM15A is defective? Or what could it be the problem?

Many thanks!

[Brian H]

Are you using the latest AHP 3.318?
Are the module in question dimmers?

If they are dimmers and are the older before Soft Start models that ramp On and Off.
They have to be defined from the Old Lamp (before Soft Start) drop down list.

[dallaire8]

Thanks Brian H for your help.

The mystery is that they all wok perfectly manually with CM19A, TM751 AND HR12A but don't with CM15A.

[Brian H]

Was AHP using the CM19A as it is now able to use a CM15K {CM19A+TM751}?
Could be a power line problem from the CM15As location compaired to the TM751's location.
CM15A is not in the same outlet as the computer or on a filtered surge strip?
Do you have any phase coupling between the two Line of the home?
Anything new in the home or an existing device moved?

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
http://www.act-remote.com/PCC/uncle.htm

[dallaire8]

Answers to Brian H questions:

1 - AHP was working with the CM19A
2 - Not on the same outlet
3 - Yes I do have a coupler
4 - Nothing new or moved

[dallaire8]

After months of trials without any success and a lack of official support from X10, I think of using another software with the equipment I have. Is there any working well on PC or/and Mac?

If not, I will go to another controller coupled with a software usable on Pc and Mac.

Any suggestion???

[dave w]

Or what could it be the problem?

Plug the CM15A in same outlet as the working TM751. IF it now works, or works better, you have a noise problem. Likely on same circuit as where the CM15A was originally plugged in. You say nothing new, nothing changed, but somehow we always forget about moving some gizmo to a different outlet. Also consider CFL bulbs can get noisy when they age.

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
http://www.act-remote.com/PCC/uncle.htm
http://www.davehouston.net/noise.htm
http://www.davehouston.net/

[dallaire8]

UPDATE : Eureka! I settled my problems.

First, I discovered that a wall switch (Smarthome Insteon 2476S) was defective. I replaced it with a new generation product (Smarthome Insteon Dual Band switchlink on/off switch, 2477S).

Secondly, I changed settings. AHP was programmed to open and shut the following lights :  a wall switch controlling LED bulbs, another one controlling fluorescent type bulbs, 2 lamp modules controlling fluorescent type bulbs. They were all set to open at Dusk and close at DAWN. I changed that to open and shut them off at different times.

That’s it. It now works.

May I conclude that the DUSK and DAWN operations can not drive more than one module? Maybe because if many units suck the signal at the same time it results in a signal too weak to trigger all the modules?

Somebody knows the rule?

[Brian H]

Where all the devices on different X10 addresses?
One nice thing with the older Insteon Modules. You could have an individual X10 Primary Address in each one and then add a common X10 Scene Address in all of them Thus you could send the Scene Address On or Off and all of them responded. While still having individual X10 addresses.

[Tuicemen]

After months of trials without any success and a lack of official support from X10, I think of using another software with the equipment I have. Is there any working well on PC or/and Mac?

If not, I will go to another controller coupled with a software usable on Pc and Mac.

Any suggestion???

There are several third party softwares  available for the PC check the third party add-on software section for ideas.

[dave w]

Secondly, I changed settings. AHP was programmed to open and shut the following lights :  a wall switch controlling LED bulbs, another one controlling fluorescent type bulbs, 2 lamp modules controlling fluorescent type bulbs. They were all set to open at Dusk and close at DAWN. I changed that to open and shut them off at different times.

May I conclude that the DUSK and DAWN operations can not drive more than one module? Maybe because if many units suck the signal at the same time it results in a signal too weak to trigger all the modules?

Well, when working with X10 and AHP just about anything is possible, but signal attenuation from modules on the powerline usually isn't an ON-OFF characteristic. I don't know how many commands you were sending out at dawn and dusk. Each command can be rounded up to take almost one second. Nor do I know if AHP, when it calculates dawn and dusk commands, if AHP then puts the commands in a cache for execution, since they take so long to send out on the powerline. But when AHP calculates dusk or dawn, that "dusk" / "dawn" time is only "TRUE" for one minute (maybe less?). One minute later the clock increments and the dusk or dawn calculated time is no longer true. It appears you are only sending out four commands so this idea does not hold up unless you are also sending out DIM or BRI commands. BTW I hope those wall modules for the LED and CFL bulbs are not 2 wire X10 modules (WS467, etc). Two wire modules *usually* don't play well with CFLs and LEDs.

One of the AHP gurus can set me straight, but I am wondering if this couldn't be a problem of "the clock running out" before all the commands are sent?

I'll go back to sleep now.  

[dhouston]

If I understand - you are no longer using dawn/dusk but actual times and everything works.

Each command requires 22 half cycles of the 60Hz plus 6 idle half cycles between commands. I doubt the CM15A software/firmware is very sophisticated so each command probably needs both address and function codes. This means 52 half cycles or 0.43 seconds. So, it's likely that only 2 devices can be actuated before the clock rolls over to the next minute. However, I do not know how dawn/dusk granularity might affect things. Memory is conserved by increasing the granularity.

[dave w]

This means 52 half cycles or 0.43 minutes (~26 seconds per command).

26 seconds for one command?

[dhouston]

This means 52 half cycles or 0.43 minutes (~26 seconds per command).

26 seconds for one command?

OOPS - major brain malfunction. That should have been 0.43 seconds per command.