X-10 Broadcast Storm Detector

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've started my project and the first thing I decided to do was to cut the
cord between the power supply and the meter head of the ESM1 and to install
a jack on the meter head power leads so that I could examine the performance
of various 12VDC 500MA adapters that I have around the house.  I wanted to
see whether I really need to acquire multiple units of exactly the same
power supply to get equivalent readings from each of the branch circuits.
It seems that transformer-based power supplies are getting harder to find!
I assume that a switched power supply wouldn't pass the X-10 signal along
the way a transformer-based supply would.  This will also enable me to test
various lengths and gauges of wire to see how cable length affects the X-10
signal.

I've also decided to monitor the LED bargraph as well as the X-10 and PWR
LEDS on the unit.  My reasoning was simple.  As long as I was monitoring the
existence of X-10 traffic, I might as well add a few more photodetectors and
monitor the bargraph at three points to give me readouts of high, low and
medium signals.  Since the cradle's interface panel will prevent me from
aiming a camera at the meter and sending the signal to a remote monitor,
optically coupling the cradle to the LED bargraph should accomplish much the
same thing and give me an output I can read remotely via something like the
Ocelot.

I've been reading up on the 555 chip and they're incredibly powerful little
devices with lots of capabilities.  I'm putting together an order for
phototransistors, some GP circuit boards for IC devices and a few different
versions of the 555 chip and hopefully will have time to design the basic
circuitry in a few weeks.  Ironically, in putting together the basic 555
circuit it's a little easier to see where ladder logic came from and how it
works!  (-:

--
Bobby G.