RE: Power cut problem or more X10 woes?

["Keith Doxey" <ukha@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Alcina,

The fluorescent flicker is easy to explain.

The triac in the socket rocket has probably got a "snubber"
across it. This
is a resistor and capacitor in series to help minimise interference. A side
effect of a snubber is that a very small current will trickle through it at
all times.

A normal incandescent lamp will simply short this trickle current out
without so much as a dim glow. With the compact fluorescent, a capacitor is
charging up with this current until there is sufficient voltage across it
for the electronics to think the power is on and the lamp stikes....very
briefly...because the trickle current is not high enough to supply the lamp
when on so the voltage drops to zero and the lamp goes off. No load is then
presented to this trickle current which then charges the capacitor in the
lamp once again and it all starts off again!

The X10 black hole is more difficult to explain if you havent connected up
anything new since your holiday.

Its possible that the CM12 has been damaged and the signal being
transmitted
is not as strong, or some other piece of equipment has been damaged the
surge that probably occured at power failure or restoration[*]. Try
unplugging variuos bits of kit and see if everything starts working again.

[*] Depending on the cause of the power failure it is possible that
equipment was subjected to high voltage surges. It is also possible that if
all 3 phases arent restored at exactly the same time the unbalanced loading
can cause other phases to go outside there normal limits. Several years ago
I visited a site where all the phones, computers, faxes.. and worst of
all...coffee machine, were destroyed after a power failure cause by a
workman putting his pickaxe through an 11000 volt cable that was just under
the surface of the pavement!!

A few weeks after the event, I was contacted by a claims assessor from the
companies insurer who was not quibbling about the fact that the fault was
caused by the cable fault, but wanted to know whether I thought the damage
occured at power failure or restoration. I told him I had no way of knowing
but that staff there had told me everything went BANG when the power came
back on.

Keith

www.diyha.co.uk
www.kat5.tv


> -----Original Message-----
> From: alcinababe [mailto:alcinababe@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 01 September 2003 20:49
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [ukha_d] Power cut problem or more X10 woes?
>
>
> So...there I was in Devon watching the news to find out that large
> parts of London were blacked out...including my house.  Not to worry I
> thought, the computer is set to boot after a power failure and
> everything will come up when power is restored.
>
> Ah...how trusting...
>
> The computer did indeed boot up, but couldn't connect to the CM12.
> The front door light was stuck on, the landing lamp was stuck off, the
> remote control didn't control anything.  After several days fiddling
> and a final 'leave the CM12 unplugged for 24 hours or else it is
> skipped', the computer is now connecting to the X10 system (hurrah!)
> and can switch the lights on an off at will.  But all is still not
> well in X10 paradise...
>
> Virtually no X10 commands get through to the upstairs ring main (light
> ring is ok), but the exact same Appliance Modules plugged into the
> downstairs ring main respond just fine.  The computer and CM12 are
> also on the downstairs ring main.  Without the X10 modules all my
> appliances seem to work with no problems upstairs.  The power cut
> itself caused no fuses to trip in the fuse box and nothing seems
> amiss.  The modules worked faultlessly upstairs before the power cut.
>  I'm at an absolute loss as to what's gone wrong and where to begin
> fixing it!  Has the power cut done something to the upstairs ring and
> should I get an electrician in?
>
> In addition...a second irritating problem has occured.  As you may
> remember from previous posting I have been using an energy efficient
> fluorescent bulb in my socket rocket downstairs (shhhhh!).  All is
> good!  The warranty replacement socket rocket for the upstairs light
> arrived on Saturday, and I have installed that with a second
> fluorescent bulb...only this one flickers with an epilepsy inducing
> frequency!  I swapped it with the other ee bulb and that too flickered
> in the new socket rocket.  Neither bulb flickers in the old socket
> rocket or in the bare bulb socket.  An incandescent bulb, however, is
> flickerless in the new socket rocket.  I'm now in a quandry.  Is this
> a slightly duff socket rocket?  Can I return it (again!) even though
> it works ok with an incandescent bulb?  It will be the 4th warranty
> return!
>
> All thoughts and suggestions gratefully received...as would a wake up
> call as my radio is no longer switching on in the morning! :(
>
> Alcina
>
>
>
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