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[kenwood850]

I recently purchased an alarm system that runs on a wall wart.   I want to turn it off and on remotely and the X10 appliance module seemed like the thing to use.   At least that was the plan when I purchased the alarm system.  What is happening is that a few seconds after turning the alarm off, the appliance module turns back on with no input.  I thought the cure would be as easy as disconnecting the 1N4004 diode of the local sense circuit but no such luck.  It may have made the time interval a little longer, but it still turns on.   I next tried putting a 1/4 watt 56K resistor across the output outlet leads but apparently that is not enough load to prevent the module from triggering on.  I understand that a 5 watt light bulb in parallel with the wall wart might help but I have not tried that since it adds a 5 watt constant draw when the alarm is on that I would like to avoid.

Based on this I have two questions.

1.   Is there some other modification other than cutting the diode that I missed that will further disable the sensing?

2.   I understand the newest X10 appliance modules are better than the older ones in avoiding the problem. Does anyone know if the new modules are better than an older one with the diode removal modification in place?  I would hate to buy a new appliance module that I really don't need and still have the same problem.

 

[Brian H]

1 Maybe depending on how old it is. Some also had a small jumper on the PCB and you could cut the diode and the jumper.
Though it seems to be down right now. There is added information on this web site. In the appliance module section.
http://www.idobartana.com/hakb/index.htm

2 The CFL friendly Appliance Module has an extremely low is the Relay On/Off sensing current. Much lower than the older ones.
There is no local sensing current and the extremely low On Off sensing current can not be disabled. If it can't tell if it is on or off it will pulse three times like a machine gun and then give up. They don't seem to turn back on like the older ones did.

[dave w]

I understand that a 5 watt light bulb in parallel with the wall wart might help but I have not tried that since it adds a 5 watt constant draw when the alarm is on that I would like to avoid.

It's a 4 watt or 7 watt night light. Sometimes the 4 watt does not shunt enough current and the 7 watt is needed. Your alarm would have to be triggered for 143 hours to add one kilowatt to your bill. Or are you off grid?

You might also try a 33k 3 watt resistor in place of the 56k but the nightlight is the easiest way to go.

[kenwood850]

Re: Brian H #1,  Although (as you noted) that link is no longer viable, I suspect it is similar to the link I found here

http://www.laureanno.com/am486.jpg

I did use that link and disconnected the diode (as I described in my first post), but it seemed to have little or no effect.


Re: Brian H #2

From I what I have read the newer appliance module has a 14 pin SMD chip while the older one, like mine, has 18 pin DIP chip.   It also seems that only way you can tell new from old externally is by the date code sticker on the back of the unit.   Does anyone know the date when the manufacturer(s) started using the new 14 pin SMD? 

Re: Dave W.

Since my first post, I did try a 4 watt bulb and it does work as advertised so it is certainly a solution.  I also understand 4 watts is not very much in the grand scheme of things, particularly when you have 2 PCs, a Linux server, and many, many vampire devices already feeding 24/7, but it would be really nice not to bring one more feeder to the trough.   

Regardless of the power rating of the resistor, a 33k ohm resistor would only use less than 1/2 watt at 120V.  I suppose I could try a 5.1 K ohm to get close to 3 watts but it would probably need to be external to the module to dissipate the heat even if it could fit inside the module which isn't likely.  As you say, a 4 watt bulb is probably the easiest if not the best solution.

[Brian H]

#1 The X10 wiki actually has a photo of the older Appliance Module with the jumper and how to cut it.
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Local_Control_for_Lamp_And_Appliance_Modules
The schematic you found. Note 1 shows the jumper. You may want to cut it and see if it makes any difference.

#2. Yes the new CFL friendly ones have a SMD controller IC and a much different logic voltage for the chip.

I have never seen an official Date Code for the change.
I can tell you I have a AM266 three pin Appliance Module. Date Code:09K48. Bought in 04/2010 that has the SMD IC and very low sensing current on the output. About 0.36mA AC. Older ones had about 2 mA AC with a DC component from the diode.

[Brian H]

Found internal photos of the CFL Friendly SMD Controller IC Applaince Module.

[toasterking]

Does anyone know if the new modules are better than an older one with the diode removal modification in place?

I recently dealt with the same thing; I had an appliance module that would switch back on several seconds after being sent a command to switch off. What I found was the opposite:  with a sample size of 6 appliance modules, a module manufactured in February 2004 or earlier was much more likely to behave as desired than a module made September 2007 or later even without the modification.  However, I am not sure whether any of the ones I tested were the so-called "CFL friendly" modules.  IIRC, the diode modification to disable sensing current is not possible on all versions.  In my case, I had to use a very old appliance module along with the diode modification to correct the behavior.  You can read all about it here:  http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=29095.msg163230#msg163230

[Brian H]

We had seen reports of some real noisy loads. Triggering the newer ones more frequently than the real old ones.

[toasterking]

I would believe that.  In my case, just adding a downstream XPPF filter caused the newer appliance modules to trigger back on regardless of the load on the XPPF.  The XPPF wasn't a problem with the older appliance modules until I also plugged a SMPS into the XPPF, and those modules then showed the same behavior.

[kenwood850]

@Brian H: I tried the cutting the jumper as you suggested and the appliance module stopped turning back on, but the alarm system started pulsing off and on unless the 4 watt light was in parallel with the load.   Since this new result was different from the result where I only had the diode lead cut, I decided to try reconnecting the ¼ watt 56K ohm resistor across the output outlet as I had done earlier without success.  This time it helped in a big way.   I can now turn the alarm system off and it stays off without pulsing. 

Before buttoning the module backup I checked the temperature of the resistor with an IR thermometer and it measured 108F when there was 120V across it for over 30 minutes.  That is a little warmer than the 80F ambient here, but not too warm to be a problem.   It has been running as I would use it now for almost 24 hours so I would say the problem has been vanquished.

In summary, what worked for me was cutting the jumper, the diode lead, and adding a 56K ohm lead across the load.   YMMV.   

Thanks for your help and to everyone else who had a suggestion.     

P.S. Nice photos of the SMD unit.

[Brian H]

Glad you got it working.
The resistor is dissipating .26 watt with 120 volts on it.
I believe most used a 1/2 watt resistor.

Though from what you posted. You maybe the first user to add the resistor internally inside the appliance module. Many used a power tap on the output and the resistor inside a electrical plug.