Re: [APD] Re: Timers

["Norman Hicks" <zapus at alltel_net>]

I ran into a slight problem with the X10 module "leaking" a small amount of 
current, enough to make the dimmer I was using think it was time to wake up 
and turn the lights on (even if they had just gone out). I had to run a 
child's nightlight in parallel to bleed off the current. The other problem 
I've seen with X10 is if the computer outlet and the module outlet are on 
different buses in the breaker box (on different phases), then the signal 
might not cross over (or it may work fine when you are running the dryer or 
have the stove on, but not at other times). There is a fix for this by 
jumpering the two buses with a resistor (can't remember the ohms right now, 
but I learned about it doing a google search). I used the ActiveHome 
software. One of the things I really liked about it was that you can time 
events relative to dawn and dusk, so that you get seasonal shifts in day 
length (This may only matter if you are trying to breed temperate species or 
if you get tired of manually resetting a timer so that it doesn't turn the 
lights on at oh dark thirty after six months). The macros or "virtual 
wiring" were a bit tricky to set up correctly sometimes and I had to play 
around with the software a bit to get things to work correctly. You can 
download the software at http://www.x10.com/support/support_soft1.htm for 
free if you want to play around with it first. I was using the appliance 
modules for most of my applications, because they have the ground prong, 
while the lamp modules do not. The prices for starter kits appear to have 
gone up considerably since I got mine, think I paid around $30 US. You might 
do better just picking up the individual components that you need.

Norman

> Norman - any tips/caveats on using X10 for lighting? I've heard about
> issues
> related to certain ballasts not working, interference, etc.
>
> Also, any advice on particular X10 product & software?


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