Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

About 20 years ago I had the brilliant idea of installing
X10-controlled floodlights under the eves of the house and
putting the X10 modules that control same up in what passes for
an attic.

Now something's getting flaky. There's this one set of lights
where I can hit "All On" on a controller and the lights come on,
but "All Off" will not turn them off - even though other lights
do get turned off.

We've been through a couple of other similar happening. In one
case, another controller would turn all lights on via "All On",
but no lights responded to "All Off".

The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

But I'm fishing for some other explanation before I crawl up
there and start ripping things out - and running Romex down the
soil stack to someplace more accessible to locate the new modules
in.

Controller "volume"? Some interaction with other devices on the
same circuit? Something with different circuits in the house
blocking some X10 commands?

Anybody have experience?
--
PeteCresswell

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

If you are using CFL bulbs, try turning them off. I have noticed they
seem to cause flaky operation in a usually stable setup at my house.
Prolly due to the line noise they generate, especially if they are on
the same line as the RF receiver / line transmitter unit.

- Tim -






In article , lid
says...
About 20 years ago I had the brilliant idea of installing
X10-controlled floodlights under the eves of the house and
putting the X10 modules that control same up in what passes for
an attic.

Now something's getting flaky. There's this one set of lights
where I can hit "All On" on a controller and the lights come on,
but "All Off" will not turn them off - even though other lights
do get turned off.

We've been through a couple of other similar happening. In one
case, another controller would turn all lights on via "All On",
but no lights responded to "All Off".

The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

But I'm fishing for some other explanation before I crawl up
there and start ripping things out - and running Romex down the
soil stack to someplace more accessible to locate the new modules
in.

Controller "volume"? Some interaction with other devices on the
same circuit? Something with different circuits in the house
blocking some X10 commands?

Anybody have experience?

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

If you are using CFL bulbs, try turning them off. I have noticed they
seem to cause flaky operation in a usually stable setup at my house.
Prolly due to the line noise they generate, especially if they are on
the same line as the RF receiver / line transmitter unit.

- Tim -






In article , lid
says...
About 20 years ago I had the brilliant idea of installing
X10-controlled floodlights under the eves of the house and
putting the X10 modules that control same up in what passes for
an attic.

Now something's getting flaky. There's this one set of lights
where I can hit "All On" on a controller and the lights come on,
but "All Off" will not turn them off - even though other lights
do get turned off.

We've been through a couple of other similar happening. In one
case, another controller would turn all lights on via "All On",
but no lights responded to "All Off".

The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

But I'm fishing for some other explanation before I crawl up
there and start ripping things out - and running Romex down the
soil stack to someplace more accessible to locate the new modules
in.

Controller "volume"? Some interaction with other devices on the
same circuit? Something with different circuits in the house
blocking some X10 commands?

Anybody have experience?

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Hi!


The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

They are so simple that a failure like that would surprise me.

I had a CM11A controller plugged in under my desk for the longest
time, doing absolutely nothing. It wasn't even plugged into a
computer. I'm sure it had been plugged in since the late 90s, and
disconnected from power only when it went out.

I took it over to my other house to use it as a lighting controller
for some of the halloween stuff I had out and it worked just like new
after putting new batteries in it and programming it with a computer.

Anyway...back to your problem. Have you tried putting the controller
and offending modules on the same circuit to see if the bad behavior
persists?

If you are in the US and therefore have two "legs" of 120 volt power
coming in, X10 modules can have a great deal of difficulty with this.
If there isn't some kind of "bridge", the signal has to run all the
way back out to the transformer to cross over to the other "leg". It
may get very distorted in the process or be too weak to do this. I've
seen this cause a module to respond to one command without responding
to another.

Maybe you know all that. I mention it just because it's so easy to
forget about it...or at least I have found that it's easy to forget.

There are other things that can cause problems with X10
communications. Surge protectors (don't plug X10 modules into them)
intercoms that communicate over the household wiring, CFL bulbs, and
switchmode power supplies can all cause problems.

I actually gave up on my X10 stuff at the one house because of
interference. Modules would start coming on or going off--sometimes in
rapid succession--all on their own! Ones that could dim would
frequently do so. I could change the housecode when it started up, and
that would solve it for a while, but whatever it was would eventually
"follow" ... and there it went again!

I never did figure it out. Maybe it was nothing more than someone
being extremely juvenile? The other house (across the street, on a
differen transformer) has never had that problem.

William

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Hi!


The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

They are so simple that a failure like that would surprise me.

I had a CM11A controller plugged in under my desk for the longest
time, doing absolutely nothing. It wasn't even plugged into a
computer. I'm sure it had been plugged in since the late 90s, and
disconnected from power only when it went out.

I took it over to my other house to use it as a lighting controller
for some of the halloween stuff I had out and it worked just like new
after putting new batteries in it and programming it with a computer.

Anyway...back to your problem. Have you tried putting the controller
and offending modules on the same circuit to see if the bad behavior
persists?

If you are in the US and therefore have two "legs" of 120 volt power
coming in, X10 modules can have a great deal of difficulty with this.
If there isn't some kind of "bridge", the signal has to run all the
way back out to the transformer to cross over to the other "leg". It
may get very distorted in the process or be too weak to do this. I've
seen this cause a module to respond to one command without responding
to another.

Maybe you know all that. I mention it just because it's so easy to
forget about it...or at least I have found that it's easy to forget.

There are other things that can cause problems with X10
communications. Surge protectors (don't plug X10 modules into them)
intercoms that communicate over the household wiring, CFL bulbs, and
switchmode power supplies can all cause problems.

I actually gave up on my X10 stuff at the one house because of
interference. Modules would start coming on or going off--sometimes in
rapid succession--all on their own! Ones that could dim would
frequently do so. I could change the housecode when it started up, and
that would solve it for a while, but whatever it was would eventually
"follow" ... and there it went again!

I never did figure it out. Maybe it was nothing more than someone
being extremely juvenile? The other house (across the street, on a
differen transformer) has never had that problem.

William

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Per William R. Walsh:
Maybe you know all that. I mention it just because it's so easy to
forget about it...or at least I have found that it's easy to forget.

I am flattered... but no, I don't know any of that.... I had
heard somewhere about the surge protector thing.

There are other things that can cause problems with X10
communications. Surge protectors (don't plug X10 modules into them)
intercoms that communicate over the household wiring, CFL bulbs, and
switchmode power supplies can all cause problems.

Would PC power supplies be "switchmode"?


-
I actually gave up on my X10 stuff at the one house because of
interference.

Did you find an alternative? When I was trying to get mControl
working on my server, I dabbled briefly with Insteon units.

Got beau coups CFL bulbs... gonna try turning them all off as
soon as I hit "Send" on this.
--
PeteCresswell

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Per William R. Walsh:
Maybe you know all that. I mention it just because it's so easy to
forget about it...or at least I have found that it's easy to forget.

I am flattered... but no, I don't know any of that.... I had
heard somewhere about the surge protector thing.

There are other things that can cause problems with X10
communications. Surge protectors (don't plug X10 modules into them)
intercoms that communicate over the household wiring, CFL bulbs, and
switchmode power supplies can all cause problems.

Would PC power supplies be "switchmode"?


-
I actually gave up on my X10 stuff at the one house because of
interference.

Did you find an alternative? When I was trying to get mControl
working on my server, I dabbled briefly with Insteon units.

Got beau coups CFL bulbs... gonna try turning them all off as
soon as I hit "Send" on this.
--
PeteCresswell

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Per (PeteCresswell):

Got beau coups CFL bulbs... gonna try turning them all off as
soon as I hit "Send" on this.

No go.

Next, I'm re-installing mControl. If I can figure how to get
the Insteon interface working, I'll point it at the offending X10
switch.
--
PeteCresswell

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Per (PeteCresswell):

Got beau coups CFL bulbs... gonna try turning them all off as
soon as I hit "Send" on this.

No go.

Next, I'm re-installing mControl. If I can figure how to get
the Insteon interface working, I'll point it at the offending X10
switch.
--
PeteCresswell

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

On Dec 9, 2:26*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
About 20 *years ago I had the brilliant idea of installing
X10-controlled floodlights under the eves of the house and
putting the X10 modules that control same up in what passes for
an attic.

Now something's getting flaky. * There's this one set of lights
where I can hit "All On" on a controller and the lights come on,
but "All Off" will not turn them off - even though other lights
do get turned off.

We've been through a couple of other similar happening. *In one
case, another controller would turn all lights on via "All On",
but no lights responded to "All Off".

The obvious is that the modules up there are at the end of their
lives and need tb replaced.

But I'm fishing for some other explanation before I crawl up
there and start ripping things out - and running Romex down the
soil stack to someplace more accessible to locate the new modules
in.

Controller "volume"? * Some interaction with other devices on the
same circuit? * Something with different circuits in the house
blocking some X10 commands?

Anybody have experience?
--
PeteCresswell

FWIW, Pete, I have had several old X-10 modules that have gone flakey
like you describe. It happens to both lamp controllers as well as
appliance modules. The problem that I found in all the flakey ones was
failed main power supply filter caps. Unfortunately they are tiny
electrolytics of various ratings depending on the module, and somewhat
difficult to find. In every case the replacement of the filter cap
corrected the problems and they have been working well since. Some of
them are now up to about 30 years old.

Neil S.

Old X10 Modules Failing?
 

Hi!

I am flattered... but no, I don't know any of that.... *I had
heard somewhere about the surge protector thing.

You should definitely consider all of it. If you could arrange a test
to see if the problem is distance or signal strength related, it would
tell you a lot.

(An outlet strip can be used temporarily to do this, as can multiple
outlets on the same circuit. At least that's how I've done it.)

Would PC power supplies be "switchmode"?

Yes, they are. The power demands practically require it--otherwise
their power supplies would be heavy, hot running and inefficient.

Did you find an alternative? * When I was trying to get mControl
working on my server, I dabbled briefly with Insteon units.

No, it really wasn't that high of a priority. The X-10 stuff wasn't
really doing anything that I couldn't live without or do in some other
way. And I could have installed a filter at the service panel to block
the interference out totally.

I really do wonder if it was all caused by someone with nothing better
to do than to goof around with stuff that wasn't theirs. Last year I
operated the holiday decorations in the yard with a lamp module and
X-10 timer clock. It ran this stuff for over a month and never missed
a beat.

William