Re: X-10 Broadcast Storm Detector

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Dave Houston" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:46dd38b0.987605937@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I don't think there's anything special about the transformer. When I first
> reviewed the ESM1, shortly after it was introduced, I was attacked rather
> viciously by Claus Vader and someone who claimed to have designed it who
> further claimed the readings could be influenced by placing the electronic
> unit close to the transformer.

You attacked viciously?  Here in CHA?  Say it isn't so!  (-:  This is a
virtual organization of professionals of the highest standards, or at least
that's what *my* attackers tell me.

As for alleged interaction between head and transformer, I haven't seen any
effects like that, although I suspect low production volume units could
easily experience component and design changes between successive models.
Everyone tweaks their design a little (or a lot) depending on the feedback
they get.  I'll look for any interaction although it's highly unusual for
the head and the wallwart to even be in close proximity in normal use.  It's
not likely I would even look for that sort of interaction because I use the
ESM1 as a pretty rough gauge of line activity and save the detailed analysis
for the Monterey because it reads in millivolts.

> I contacted the company who designed it who had hired someone else to
> redesign it (the original had a different name) and I subsequently had an
> exchange of emails with both the owner and engineer (Paul Beam) although I
> don't recall asking specifically whether there was anything special about
> the transformer.

Jeff Volp helped me run down the nearly identical transformer a while back,
but I can't find the damn email that had the actual website listed.  The
original "transformers on each branch circuit end" design was intended to
catch signal suckers that someone might have plugged in.  When the XTB's
arrived, signal suckers moved way down on the problem list and I abandoned
the project.  Now that broadcast storms are the big issue, I revived the
original design and modified it to act as a broadcast storm detector.  Since
it's a ON/OFF sort of application, it might be a great chance to empty the
AC wall wart junk bin of the many (mostly modem) power supplies that have
wound up in there.

> Anyway, I tested for transformer induced effects and found
> none. I went further, replacing the transformer with one I got from Jameco
> and found no measurable difference in performance so I suspect any of the
> 12V AC wall transformers you may have will work equally well.

So this is old ground I'm covering.  Well, it will be useful to see what of
my existing inventory of AC wallwarts will be useful.   I don't much care
about how accurate each one of the units is, at least not now.  I want to be
able to determine whether transmission have exceeded the 30 second limit so
any signal that lights up the X-10 GOOD LED or the first segment (or
second - haven't decided) of the bargraph will be good enough for broadcast
storm detection.  If I decide that the spider web system of remote branch
wallwarts is useful in other ways, I might attempt to calibrate each
transformer to a single reference, although I am not quite certain how I'll
attenuate the signals from the "stronger" wall warts to match each other and
the Monterey, which I'll use as a reference device.

> This was all before Elk bought the rights to it. Brian Karas was pondering
> buying the rights before Elk got involved and I had volunteered to write a
> Windows interface if Paul would add an RS232 output.

Whatever happened to Brian?  He seemed to vanish the same time as Claus.

> 9V AC may not hurt anything but will certainly affect the calibration as
you
> will be getting less than ±18V DC for the opamp. There's no regulation on
> these supplies.

If I stick to the plan and use the various transformers just to detect
broadcast storms, I assume that GO/NO GO determination will be good enough.
The ability to see the relative strength of the signal on different branches
will certainly be made easier by having accurate house-wide readings, but
the perfect is the enemy of the good and right now, the biggest issue is
quickly detecting broadcast storms when they occur.  The other stuff is nice
to have.  Eventually, I might want to auto-step through the branches and
record the output to a logfile so I have a running tally of the signal
strength throughout the house.  That shouldn't be too hard once I've coupled
to the ESM1 display.  An old PC with a parallel port could be adapted pretty
easily, I think, to capture the output from my cradle's electronics, giving
me a log files of signal strengths.

--
Bobby G.

>
> "Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >My bad.  I figured it out when trying to figure out which lead was plus
and
> >which was minus!  Neither, of course.  Looking closely at the transformer
> >label would have clued me in, too.  Oh well, AC only is going to make
> >finding replacements a little harder so the search begins again.  Good
thing
> >I posted before I finalized the order.  I guess my subconcious was trying
to
> >look out for me even if my concious mind is a little dopey!  Thanks.
> >
> >I have a number of AC 12V wall warts, so I can still do some testing to
see
> >how the ESM1 responds to different types of AC power supplies.  I'm
assuming
> >using a 9V power supply isn't going to hurt anything.  I'd like to test
one
> >to see the results.  On the plus side, the AC power source shouldn't
cause
> >the voltage drop problems that a DC power supply might.  That's a concern
of
> >mine since I want the branch monitoring transformers that feed the
cradle's
> >rotary input switch locating at the very ends of each different circuit
> >branch since that's where bad signal problems are most likely to manifest
> >themselves.
> >
> >Also, thanks for the link to the schematic although it's probably not
going
> >to be of much use.  One of the whole points of this exercise is NOT
making
> >any mods to the ESM1 so that it can easily snapped out of the cradle for
> >standalone use throughout the house.  The cradle should also help with
> >replacement if switching power supplies somehow causes all the magic
smoke
> >to escape!
>