Re: @#$%^& X10 hardware

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Neil Cherry" <njc@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

<stuff snipped>

> OK, I've a little further progress on this subject. Today I was trying
> out Mark Gilmore's ECS (http://www.omnipotencesoftware.com/) software
> with my Insteon USB PLC. After some time of fighting with the PLC
> (it's behavior didn't follow the Insteon documentation, grrr). Anyway
> I had some of my Insteon working and I had some of the X10 working
> (more than previous) and it managed to get worse as the day progressed
> right back to the previous odd behavior. What I have discovered is
> that the signal is partially getting out. The first half seems strong
> enough at about 4V. But the second half is getting garbled or not sent
> at all. While the X10 looks valid the command D1 D1 DON DON gets sent
> as D1 D1 B5. As the day progressed the Insteon would work also. The
> Insteon PLC is now flickering, not blinking but flickering like
> traffic is being sent. This pretty much keeps the PLC from sending
> anything. The T1103 works but that seems to be it.

Not knowing where to start, I'll comment on what I think it most unusual
about your situation - that the signal starts out well but deteriorates.
Noise from a UPS doesn't seem a likely culprit since you would expect it to
be relatively constant.  The first frame succeeding seems very similar to a
problem I saw with my repeater before it went back into the junk pile.  Do
you use a repeater or a Boosterlinc or any device capable of reacting to the
first frame, even if it's a status response?

Do you have a Monterey Analyzer?  It think the signal dissect mode might be
useful.

> My next course of action is the start tearing everything out and add
> one thing at a time until the network fails. I have a feeling that the
> problem may be related to the cheap Geek Squad UPS units I have.
> They're behind filters but I still suspect them.

Why would they allow just a partial send?  My UPS's, unfiltered, just suck
signals into the black hole.  I had a CFL that was putting out noise that
showed up at about half a volt on both the Monterey and the ESM1 but that
disappeared behind an X-10 5A plug in filter.

--
Bobby G.