Re: Cause of some major X10 problems found

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"BruceR" <razrbruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:46f76b89$0>
>  Robert Green wrote:
> > "BruceR" <razrbruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:46f71999$0

> > <stuff snipped>

> > One point of clarification, though, if I might ask.  Did the charger
> > affect the Insteon switches operating in the X-10 mode?
>
> I didn't do any specific testing but my wife said that she had been
> using that charger here in the house with Insteon/X10 for several months
> and during that time I had no problems with any of the devices. She had
> it plugged into a circuit that also has both Insteon and X10 mode
> operations in close proximity and they never missed a beat. I do have an
> XTB-II here serving as a replacement for the Stargate's TW-523. Almost
> all commands are generated by the Stargate but an Insteon wall
> controller in the same room worked flawlessly.

I'm sure it's going to at least generate some interesting output for Jeff to
analyze as well as provide a great real-world test for his noise rejection
circuitry.  Since each X-10 installation is unique, he might not see
anything like the effects you saw.  X-10 problems are idiosyncratic. When I
have power blips, a lot of X-10 modules turn themselves on - but not all.  I
suspect things like location, load, proximity to other electronic devices
and inherent vice all have an effect on module operation or more precisely,
mis-operation.

>   In the other house, I have only older X10 devices and use an XTB (not
> II) on the Time Commander's TW-523 and have a Smarthome Plug-In Dryer
> Repeater.  The charger only affected one or two WS12 X10 switches on the
> same circuit and in close proximity to the charger with the problems
> stated earlier, specifically, no control from controllers and false
> ON's.  This old installation will be retired next spring when we move to
> a new home in Houston that will have either newer generation X10 or
> maybe even Insteon.

I'd be curious to know if the new charger causes the same sort of problems
in the same location as the old one did.  In other words, is this a design
flaw in the charger or just a defective (or out-of-spec) unit?

>  For the new home in Houston, I'm tempted to just reinstall all the
> newer (circa 2000) Leviton & Switchlinc X10 devices that the Insteon
> gear replaced in the Honolulu home.  The biggest advantage to doing that
> is that it's already paid for and will work with my Time Commander+ or
> another Stargate I bought on ebay.  With an XTB-II in the picture I
> think I can count on excellent reliability.  If the X10 stuff doesn't
> cut it I can always upgrade to the Insteon line but I doubt very much
> that I'll need to do that.

Now that John's sold me on the HomeVision controller I've been reading up on
the caller ID and phone management function that I assume is similar, but
perhaps not as capable, as the Stargate commander.  I can see why you'd be
reluctant to move to a new system that didn't support all those features.
Now that the XTB's are here, I think I can finally abandon my feudal system
of loosely federated X-10 controllers that I've relied on for so long in
favor of a centralized controller.  X-10 gear is now ridiculously cheap on
Ebay as people with reliability problems abandon it for pennies on the
dollar when they change to Insteon or Z-wave.  Too bad they don't know about
the XTBs.

 --
Bobby G.