"BigWallop" wrote in message
. uk...

"Rob Convery" wrote in message
...
In my living room I currently have a single light which is controlled by
a
single switch.

I have put in a number of halogen lights which now all trigger off the
single switch

I am looking to put some X10 control onto these lights such that there
are
two circuits: Circuit 1 controls 3 lights & Circuit 2 controls 2 lights.

I am more than happy about how to convert the single circuit to 2 with
the
X10 moules turning on the lights but I would also like the old light
switch
to still work i.e. flick the old light switch and it turns on both
circuits

The bit I am struggling on is how to wire this is that if you put the
switch
to both circuits then it will cause a short on the X10 modules thus
turning
all lights on when either X10 circuit is switched on.

Is it just a case of using the switch to turn on relay triggered feeds
(thus
isolating each circuit? If so would some normal 240V 3A ones be OK? i.e.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/images/Full/37495i0.jpg The only limitation with
this is you could not have them dimmable.)

Is there a way of doing this keeping the main dimmer with the capability
of
dimming all lights?

[2 Light Circuit = 100W]
[3 Light Circuit = 150W]



Simple answer is no. You need a switch that controls the X10 modules in
the
same way as the remote unit would. Using relay switching on this type of
circuit configuration needs controls that cause them to act in the same
way
at all times, so one normal on/off switch isn't going to do this. You
would
need to use a two gang two way switch system that controls the X10
modules,
and is separated from direct connection with the two lighting circuits.
The
X10 modules would also need to be two way switching so that when you
operate
them to control the lighting, they also separate themselves from the
switching control of the two gang switch.

It would work just like this. When the two gang switch on the wall is
operated to bring the lights on, the switches would not directly switch
the
live feed to the lighting circuits, but would use the X10 modules to do
the
actually switching of the lights. When the remote unit is used, it also
uses the X10 modules to do all the switching, and therefore, because they
are two way switches, they can change the supply away from the wall
switches
and over to the remote unit to give full control again.

Wouldn't it be easier to use a remote unit wall switch like these:

http://www.alfaglade.co.uk/product_i...0c0c726e6086a0

http://www.trojantel.co.uk/EZSwitch.htm

http://www.letsautomate.com/index.cf...lightswitches&

http://www.seemans.com/new_page_8.htm

http://www.possum.co.uk/ir_light_switch.htm



The reason I may as well go to X10 is because i have a projector screen
which is X10 controlled and in the future I am looking to get X10 automated
curtains so X10 light control would be the best way to go.

So essentally i need a wall dimmer that controls the two X10 light modules.
Not quite what I was looking for as the current wall unit already has
another dimmer in it for another lights. 3 Dimmers in 1 unit I think might
be pushing it