Re: Sudden Nuttty X10 Behavior.

[Roger <crosseyedpenguin@xxxxxxx>]

kpfeif wrote:
> Frank Olson wrote:
>
>> "kpfeif" <kpfeif@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:423e34bb$1_1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>> Hello.
>>>
>>> I've been using X10 stuff in my house for about 3 1/2 years with
>>> absolutely zero problems.  Over the weekend, however, my house has
>>> apparently become possessed.
>>>
>>> I don't have a lot of stuff - four regular X10 switches, a motion
>>> detector in the garage to turn on the inside entryway light (one of
>>> the switches), and four PCS switches in the home theatre.  I noticed
>>> the other night that the red status lights on all the PCS switches
>>> were flashing red.  Weird. I plugged in the multicontroller and
>>> couldn't control them via X10.  The same goes for anything in the
>>> house X10 - nothing worked.
>>>
>>> Also, the X10 switch controlled light in the entryway randomly fades
>>> itself all the way one, stays like that for a bit, then fades back to
>>> nothing.  Nope, no X10 interface is plugged in anywhere.
>>>
>>> Them, for some weird reason, everything works fine again - PCS
>>> switches, lamp modules, etc.  I was just waking upstairs before, and
>>> suddenly the entryway light did its thing, and at the same time the
>>> bank of PCS switches (I could see both) starting blinking red.
>>>
>>> What could possible be happening?  Is this interference?  we have
>>> nothing new plugged in - I have a filter in place for the
>>> undercabinet lighting, but that's working fine.
>>>
>>> Help!  My house is driving me insane!
>>>
>>> Kris
>>
>>
>>
>> Do you have a coupler installed?  Perhaps one of your neighbors (with
>> whom you might be sharing a transformer) has also installed some X-10
>> (or other) lighting controllers.  I seriously doubt your house is
>> haunted.  :-))
>>
>> The unit is called a signal block coupler.  X-10 Pro PZZ01.  You may
>> also require a signal bridge (X-10 Pro XPCP).
>>
>
>
> I don't.  That was my first thought - it would make sense.  It seems
> that right after I turn on the light, it fades itself off.  A logical
> response if I just turned the neighbor's living room light on...
>
> Is there a cheap way to debug things?  Would this also explain the
> flashing red LED on the PCS switches?

Based upon your symptoms, I would bet on interference from something in
your house. Years ago, I had a similar problem from a halogen light with
a dimmer switch. All X10 became unreliable when I used the dimmer
switch, but it took awhile to figure this out. You may have some luck
debugging the problem if you have someone else go around and turn things
off while you watch the blinking lights.

Roger