Re: XTB-II Enhanced Repeater

["Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx>]

Hello Bobby.

The newsgroup has been pretty dead lately - nice to see some activity again.

I'm planning to address the broadcast storm in the following way:

If the same command is repeated constantly for at least 30 seconds, the
XTB-IIR will shut down its transmitter, and send a command out the digital
port indicating the shutdown.  The command will be a "Status OFF" issued on
the housecode selected for XTB-IIR mode control programming - default is P.
Your CPU-XA can watch for that command, and issue an audible warning when it
happens.  It could also log the exact time, which might be helpful to
diagnose the problem.  The XTB-II will continue to monitor X10 traffic, and
will resume operation when the storm has been cleared.

Jeff

"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7dSdner958oWYi3bnZ2dnUVZ_qfinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
> "Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:cCZci.174323$p47.95845@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Thanks for the feedback.
>>
>> Unfortunately, that would require a hardware change.  The XTB-II and the
>> XTB-IIR will share the same V1.1 PCB.  The board is populated with a few
>> additional components for the enhanced repeater, and there are some value
>> changes, including a different PIC.  I already have the boards.
>>
>> Your point on the broadcast storm is well taken.  The present firmware
>> includes an undocumented option that prevents the ping-pong that can
> happen
>> when using multiple repeaters.  That can be modified to also recognize a
>> broadcast storm.  However there is nothing the present hardware can do to
>> issue an audible alarm or a contact closure when that happens.  Sorry...
>
> Too bad.  Maybe my CPU-XA can be programmed to recognize a broadcast storm
> and sound an alert when it happens.  Since stuck buttons have been an
> issue
> at least four or five times in the past, it's something that I probably
> should address in some manner because it's so catastrophic when it
> happens.
>
> Often, I may not have been the one to push the button that's gotten stuck
> so retracing my steps is sometimes pointless.  The Monterey is useful in
> pinning down the bad device, but an alarm that sounded as soon as perhaps
> 20
> X-10 commands in a row were detected would be far more useful in alerting
> the user to the problem the instant that it occurred, not minutes or hours
> later when then *next* X-10 command is sent and it fails due to a
> broadcast
> storm.
> --
> Bobby G.