Re: XPS3 Strangeness

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"David White" <whitedavidp@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3uednTL_C_LJJ47VnZ2dnUVZ_qqgnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thanks for the response Bruce. I had not heard of the XTB units. But in
> my old house I had a SmartHome SignalLinc (no booster) in my dryer
> outlet. It will not fit my dryer in the new house though (and there is
> not enough room behind to fit).
>
> If I understand the SignalLinc and BoosterLinc operation, they both are
> attempting to create a better bridge across the two sides of my electric
> panel so that signals can pass more easily (the booster adds some form
> of signal amplification). Is this correct and true also of Jeff's units?

Yes.  I've been so impressed by its performance that I wrote an article
about it for Hometoys:

http://www.hometoys.com/ezine/08.04/green/xtb.htm

Since I installed the XTB-IIR (the coupler/repeater version) my X-10 stuff
"just works" and that's really much greater praise than it sounds.

Unfortunately, it seems like you'll have to get an electrician to install
the XTB-IIR but that's easier than it sounds, because it basically means
installing a
new 240VAC outlet somewhere, hopefully near the circuit panel.  It increases
the power of the X-10 signal (according to the formula P=VA) nearly 25 times
over the standard X-10 signal.  So far, the only problem has been a chime
module that "sings" softly whenever the XTB transmits, and that was solved
by moving it further away from the XTB.

> I have not checked yet to see if the garage interior light circuit and
> the circuits having the controllers  are on different sides of the
> panel. If they turn out to be on the SAME side, what sort of improvement
> might I expect from such a unit as Jeff's?

Tremendous improvement.  I was considering scrapping my significant X-10
investment because the signal problems became worse every year.  I was about
at wit's end when the XTB came along and I figure it's saved me 1,000's of $
and 100's of hours of deinstalling X-10 gear and installing new stuff.

With the mandated switch to CFL's coming soon, I am afraid that the XTB is
going to become mandatory for most X-10 installations.  Fluorescent lights
have become the number once source of X-10 "trouble on the line" for me.
Last month, a shoplite that had shown no X-10 band noise for the first few
years of its life began emitting noise at nearly 2 volts - strong enough to
cause plenty of trouble.  I've had to invest more heavily than I'd like in
X-10 filters, but the filters allow me to use fluorescent bulbs without
problem, and with the recent hikes in electricity rates, they'll pay for
themselves in short order.  Eventually, anything 110VAC that's got a light
socket will be behind an X-10 filter.  I've found that nearly identical runs
of CFL's can have significantly different electrical characteristics.

--
Bobby G.