Re: 2 100amp panel coupler help needed

[Marc F Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:46:53 GMT, Frank Olson
<Use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
<h98nf.96119$Eq5.71028@pd7tw1no>:

>carlford wrote:
>> I have 2 100 amp panels side by side and each of them has a sub panel
>> off of them.  I have intermittent problems from time to time but it is
>> also a vacation home so I'm not there all of the time.  There is a
>> leviton whole house blocker coupler (4851) in each of the 100 amp
>> panels and I have been using one leviton coupler repeater (6201) and a
>> capacitor in the other 100 amp panel and a capacitor in each of the sub
>> panels.  This gives me the best performance so far but it is not
>> perfect. Yes I know it will never be but I'm pretty sure it can be
>> better.  My elk meter shows at least 1/2 of the scal lit up on 80 to
>> 85% of the house's outlets and of coure then we get very weak on
>> others.  This place is about 4500 sq ft and 3 stories but less than 5
>> years old.  The furtherest point from the panels is very weak which is
>> after the sub panel that runs off of the panel without the repeater.
>> Do you think somethin like an ACT CR134 would boost the signal enough
>> and since the 2 main panels have 4851's on them ???  I do have both
>> 4851's off for now anbd that gets me the best signal for now.  When i
>> put both of them on it weakens the far end to the point that i loose a
>> whole room totally.  "Uncle Phil" has never addressed the setup with 2
>> 100 amp panels with 2 blockers on them as of now and I have been
>> waitn=ing for him to do in his next (if coming) article.  Again if you
>> have a 2 panel setup and it is working good for you maybe you can give
>> some pointers.  Is the ACT CR134 really an amplifier or should I just
>> try an additional 6201 ??  Ther is one pr511 installed and under a
>> certain condition it can be made to ping-pong with the repeater (6201)
>> as my setup is now but I can live with or without the pr511 if
>> necessary.
>> Thanks in advance for any and all posts.
>> Carl Ford
>> PM accepted if requested here
>>
>
>
>Are these 100 amp panels fed off of one meter??  The blocker/couplers
>has to go on the first panel downstream from the meter and my X-10
>design book states you should only use one.  You might want to remove
>one of the blockers to see if the signal strength improves. Get rid of
>the capacitors.  Install a surge suppressor.

What is Frank's (anonymous?) "X-10 design book"  that "states you should
only use one" ?

Why should anyone take that advice instead of  Phil Kingery's from Advanced
Control Technologies (ACT) who authoritatively goes into considerable detail
on why and how to deploy multiple couplers?

See http://www.act-solutions.com/kingery03.htm
http://www.act-solutions.com/kingery04.htm
http://www.act-solutions.com/kingery20.htm


Carl:

The 6201 is no longer made as best I know. Leastwise when mine failed --
taking down all x-10 in the house with it -- Leviton replaced it under
warranty with a HCA02.

My experience and that of others is that the 6201, HCA02 and ACT's can all
fail. So you can't assume that it is your topology that is wrong. Sometimes
the most efficient trouble shooting is to swap questionable devices with
"known-good" ones. This becomes expensive with couplers.

Yes, the ACT 134 is an amplifier as well as a coupler.
http://www.act-solutions.com/pdfs/PCCSpecs/cr134%20cr334_spec%20.pdf
Its specs state that it is sensitive down to 25 millivolts and that it
outputs 5v peak-to-peak at 5 ohms powerline impedance. There has been at
least one post in this newsgroup that suggests that this output is low
compared to other devices, but that was a comparison of 1) the published
spec with stated impedance with 2) the measured output but unknown power
line impedance of other devices. (This is akin to comparing the output of
two power amplifiers, one with stated impedance, one unstated -- we all know
how misleading that can be.)

..  Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org