Re: XTB, reliablity, etc.

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

craft.brian@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>Tell me how, with ten minutes and a meter, you would have discovered
>that an IBM transceiver (from a retailer recommended on this group)
>locks up when sent dim commands from certain remotes? Or that
>installing an RF repeater because of signal range problems would futz
>the x10 RF remote on the PC? Or that some modules dim continuously? And
>why? Or that every night around 9pm the unit you just installed turns
>on mysteriously. That'd be quite a trick to find in 10 minutes, unless
>you were prescient enough to know when the erroneous signal would
>arrive.
>
>That's a subset of the issues I've had with just a few x10 devices, in
>a fairly small house. If you lurk on here for any amount of time you
>will see many others. cm11a lockups,  transceiver collisions, and
>so-forth. You would find those in 10 minutes with a meter, too?

You're absolutely right. 10 minutes? Ridiculous! 10 seconds? That's more
like it. Transceiver lock-ups and continuous dimming are one and the same
and both will show a continuous signal on an ESM1 meter. Collisions will
show a signal but without lighting the "X-10 Good" LED. CM11A lock-ups will
show no signal on the powerline.

There has been some type of transceiver lock-up reported that I haven't been
able to duplicate but, if it is a real phenomenon, it will also show no
signal on the powerline (like the dog that didn't bark).

An ESM1 will not help with mysterious turn-ons unless you just happen to be
watching it at the time but the CM11A log will. If the log shows an X-10
command at the time of the mystery event, look for an X-10 source. If not,
look for a motor starting/stopping, fluorescent turning off, or something
else that puts spikes on the powerline.

Stuck button on a remote under a couch cushion? Well, that can take days
although the ESM1 will, at least, show continuous signal on the powerline
and the missing remote should be another clue. ;-)

http://davehouston.net
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