Re: XTB - the Future of X10 has arrived!

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

You need to provide a little more information.

It takes about 75mS for the motion sensor to send the first copy of the RF
code. The transceiver may miss the first one(s) but will adjust its
threshold and usually capture the second or third. They come at ~108mS
intervals and most RF transmitters send 5 copies (minimum).

If you are using a transceiver, it takes it about 1/2 second to transmit a
PLC code so you should see the light in about 1 second.

How does Mr. House learn of the motion. It sounds like it's by PLC from the
transceiver so you have another 1/2 second or more delay for it to respond
(the PLC code is sent twice) and send another PLC code. 1-1/2 to 2 seconds
would not surprise me. If it's via RF or if it takes more than 2 secs, you
have a problem that needs diagnosing.

If you have multiple motion sensors and are using transceivers you may be
getting PLC collisions which can delay things. But, it really depends on the
type of transceiver. TM751s do not sense collisions so only transmit one set
of five codes. RR501s sense collisions and retransmit once the line is
clear.

Some of the toys I've designed receive RF directly (including from X-10
security devices) and then take whatever action has been defined by the
user. I've also programmed a replacement PIC for the MR26A which Jeff Volp
will offer through his online store once I get out from under developing
roZetta. You could use the modified MR26A to input the MS RF directly.

This is a case where a $50 ESM1 meter will tell you whether there is lengthy
PLC traffic.

Larry Moss <moss@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[snip]

>Aside:  One thing that really bugs me about what I have right now may be
>due to X10, it may be due to MisterHouse, or it may be that I'm doing
>something wrong. I'm open to any suggestions.  When I walk into a room with
>a motion sensor, it may take several seconds before my lights turn on.  I
>don't have the lights on the same code as the motion sensor. Instead, I
>have MisterHouse respond to a message from the MS by turning on the
>appropriate lights at the right times or otherwise logging activity.  Is
>this delay of a few seconds normal with X10?  with other protocols? or do I
>have something screwy I need to debug?