Re: Experience with X10Pro versus old X10?

[Joerg <notthisjoergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Bruce,


> When it comes to wall switches, the ones from Smarthome and Leviton are
> best. For Appliance Modules and Lamp Modules there's little difference.
> Some of the lamp modules I recently pulled in my conversion to Insteon
> were over 20 years old.  Do you have a passive coupler or active
> repeater?  Before spending money on replacing modules order an XTB
> signal amp from Jeff Volp and install a passive coupler. That's more
> likely to solve your problems.
>

Signal amplitude is often not the real issue, I measured over 500mV at
the outlet in question. But the filter circuit in those old X10 modules
is the pits. Whenever there is a noise generator (vacuum cleaner motor,
printer power supplies etc.) the modules don't react.

So, I hooked one up on the lab bench and tuned through the "filter" with
a generator. Basically injecting a variable frequency into the line and
then tapping it off with a FET probe after the 33pF capacitor in the
modules. At 150kHz it was barely down. That is one poor resonant
circuit. The minute you plug in a noisy printer supply the hash of that
switcher drowns out the X10 signal. When I use my comms receiver I can
clearly hear it with plenty of margin but the modules can't pick it out
because of that lousy filter in there.

I haven't yet found a schematic for the pro series, only for the old
modules. But there was a generic interface pro schematic and that did
not look encouraging WRT the receive filter. But it looked like a really
old schematic and things could have changed.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com