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Re: XPS3 Strangeness



Robert Green wrote:
> I find that once you have a marginal area where one phase doesn't reach
> another, it's only a matter of time before that area spreads and others
> appear.  It may be a cell phone charger, a new laptop, a CFL bulb or some
> other demon, but eventually, you'll plug something in that kills the X-10
> signal.  It always seems to happen when you're short of time to chase down
> the problem, too.  The stock X-10 five to ten volt signal is just not enough
> "oomph" to power through the clogged electrical "streets" of a modern house
> anymore.
>
> I chased my tail for years doing exactly what you're doing - finding
> connection paths that seem to work for a while.  I had a good excuse though,
> because Jeff had not yet created the XTB-IIR.  My experience is that X-10
> now works as well as it did in the early 80's when there were few or no
> switch mode power supplies in general use.
>
> Sorry to sound as strident as a reformed smoker looking for converts, but I
> wasted a lot of time and money trying to keep one step ahead of the X-10
> demons before I installed the XTB and killed them all.  Very high SAF, too,
> once the installation was complete.
>
> I understand the price issue, though.  Only you can make the final call
> about how much system reliability is worth.  For me, it was falling down the
> stairs when a motion controlled X-10 light went on and then off as I was
> descending very quickly.  I had been using multiple transceivers on
> alternate phases to compensate for lack of even a passive coupler but that
> turned out to be an extraordinarily bad workaround.
>
> I've always felt the need to futz with the main breaker panel to achieve
> maximum performance was a real inhibition to HA growth (which was mainly
> X-10) for the last 20 years.  I hope Z-wave and some other protocols truly
> kill the panel beast.
>
> I'm not sure what I would do at your stage.  Obviously I didn't do what I am
> preaching now and have a nearly $300 power line signal analyzer to prove it!
> (-:  I kept avoiding the circuit box solution for a variety of reasons, the
> lack of an XTB-IIR among them.  It sounds like it would be pretty easy for
> you to adapt to a pattern that works - for now.  But from what we've seen
> here, if you see problems now, they'll only get worse, not better without
> some sort of coupler/repeater.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
>
>
>

Thanks Bobby, I know you are right. I will contact Jeff once he is back.

David


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