Re: X10 PC Interface upgrade

["Bob F" <bobnospam@xxxxxxxxx>]

Art Todesco wrote:
> On 5/31/2010 3:27 PM, Dabbler wrote:
>> "Art Todesco" <actodesco@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:hu0bki$ucj$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> I started with X10 when no one knew what X10 was. The early modules
>>> were not very reliable. These were the old brown units, which I
>>> actually still have a few. I had a "timer" unit to control the
>>> on/offs. Then a CP290. I went from the CP290 directly to the 1132
>>> because I could never get it to work correctly with Windows,
>>> probably 98, but maybe it was ME (yuk).
>>
>> So you never even tried the CM15A USB based controller? That is
>> supposed to work with Windows though I could not confirm what
>> version of Windows. I have a suspicion that they stopped upgrading
>> its software with Windows 95. But you're right about those old X10 modules,
>> especially the lamp
>> modules. They seldom lasted long. I started with X-10 around '84 and
>> did not upgrade much beyond getting newer modules. I remember that
>> in the old days X10 was not recommending the use of their modules
>> with flurescent lights. Has that changed? It would have to, with the
>> "green" campaign to replace incandescent lights with fluorescent
>> ones.
> CFLs seem to have problems with most
> modules because of the sensing current.
>  I have 2 lamps with CFLs connected to
> one appliance module.  When off, one of
> the lamps dimly flickers periodically
> from the sensing current ... funny, the
> other doesn't.  I think there are ways
> to modify the modules to remove the
> sensing current, but I'm not sure.

I have an appliance module with the sensing current mod that works fine with
multiple CFL's.