DIYbanter - View Single Post - Wireless Speakers: RCA Speakers Only Work when on Same Electrical Outlet as Transmitter / What is Problem?

Don Bowey

On 4/19/07 11:10 AM, in article
, "Lin"
wrote:

Michael,

Thank you for the quick reply.

I know that it is difficult to put a technical solution in lay
person's terms but it would help me if I understood the terminology.
If you have time, is it possible for you to explain why these speakers/
transmitter have this problem and how your solution will solve the
problem. I am not familiar with electronics so I do not know what is
an "X-10 line of modules" and I do not understand the "120 VAC lines
to couple the RF to the other line."

Again, I appreciate the information.

Lin

Assuming you are in the US, the power co. delivers three wires to your
house. One of them is a "neutral" aka "ground" wire. Each of the other two
(hot wires) are nominally 117 Volts with reference to the neutral wire, and
the voltage between the two is nominally 234 Volts. About half of the
outlets in your house are wired to one of the hot wires, and half to the
other hot wire.

If you plug the transmitter into an outlet served by hot wire #1, then the
receiver should also be plugged into an outlet served by hot wire #1.

If you plug the transmitter into a #1 outlet, and the receiver into a #2
outlet, the signal must travel all the way out to the power company's
transformer and back. And their transformer may not efficiently couple the
signal between hot wires 1 and 2. This problem is avoided by putting both
units on the same hot line.

Don