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[patrick]

Reset the DS7000, house and unit code set properly on all light switches and sirens, installed passive phase coupler on dryer plug.  Remote will turn on 2 lights but not the sirens nor a light that is on a different circuit.  When I move the siren close to the DS7000 it works.   I moved the DS7000 to the the circuit they are on and it works.  Something is zapping the X10 siginal from circuit to circuit.

I systematically unplugged everything in the house to troubleshoot noise from an appliance but still could not find it. 

Is this a power noise from the street issue?   What can I do?    What is an inexpensive test tool to use to see if signal is getting from circuit to circuit?  Could the breaker cause the problem?

[wrenchmonkey]

As you are aware home breaker pannels are powered by two-120v legs of power running into it. Also known as "phases". Phases "A" and "B". Make sure you are running on the same phase. I'm not framiliar with the ds7000 but i'm assuming of course, that it's line controled? Make sure whatever outlets you have them plugged into are on the same "Leg" of the line-in to your breaker pannel. Every-other breaker going down the panel, will be on the same leg. On both sides of the panel. Like so.



Line A
l    Line B
l      l
[] A []    <------ DS7000
[] B []    <------ SIREN
[] A []
[] B []

etc.

This first setup would be problematic without a phase coupler; or with a deffective/improperly installed coupler.

The second one should work because the DS7000 and the siren are running on the same 120v leg of the 240v line in.

Line A
l    Line B
l     l
[] A []    <------ DS7000
[] B []   
[] A []    <------ Siren
[] B []

If this second setup works, your phase coupler is either installed incorrectly, or it's deffective.

Incase you couldn't tell [] represents a breaker in the panel. lol

Anyway, hope this helps.



Also, I'm still relatively new to X10, though i've got a few years of electrician experiance under my belt. Like I said, i'm not framiliar with the DS7000 but the theory is pretty universal. If somehow any of this is incorrect, someone please correct me!

[wrenchmonkey]

Also the XPTT and XPTR would be the the test tools you want. Probably not worth the $250 If you're just doing it yourself, but if you plan on doing this often (which it would seem since you're in the contractor thread) IMO it would be worth it, because you'll probably run into at least one interferance issue about 40% of the time. If you're not going to be doing enough installs to justify the expense, it's easiest just to do a trial and error style troubleshoot. (unplugging different appliances at a time) another method is to unplug EVERYTHING to start and see if that fixes the problem, and then plug different appliances in one at a time, until you find an offender. Note it, unplug it and continue. Because if you have multiple offenders, you might not find them all, just unplugging and plugging back in one at a time.

Once you've found the offender(s) fix them with a noise filter and you should be set. Like i said though, if you're doing multiple installs you don't want to have to do this on every install, and i'd reccomend bending over and letting x10 have it's $250 way with you... It might hurt a bit now, but it will be worth it in the end

[Brian H]

Try selectively. Unplugging [off is not good enough] things like TVs Stereos even anything with a processor like some new dryers and washers. If things get better you need an X10 type filter on that device. Computers and surge strips are also very suspect with X10 signal problems.

[wrenchmonkey]

Try selectively. Unplugging [off is not good enough] things like TVs Stereos even anything with a processor like some new dryers and washers. If things get better you need an X10 type filter on that device. Computers and surge strips are also very suspect with X10 signal problems.

Wow, good thing you said that... It's not like I just explained it in more depth than that in the previous post.