General Home Automation is it possible for x10 signal bridge to fail?

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Subject Author Date
is it possible for x10 signal bridge to fail? Chip Orange 08-06-05
Posted by Chip Orange on August 6, 2005, 9:32 pm
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I have several X10 lights which suddenly stopped responding, intermittently,
to X10 signals. by turning on and off some 220V appliances, I've come to
believe that it's a failure of the whole-house signal bridge, about 10 years
old.

Since this is a completely passive system (my understanding anyway), I'm not
sure how it could fail, but I wanted to ask here if having it replaced by an
electrician is a reasonable effort at problem solving, since I can reliably
make these switches respond by turning on 220V appliances?

thanks.





Posted by Robert Green on August 6, 2005, 9:54 pm
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> Since this is a completely passive system (my understanding anyway), I'm
not
> sure how it could fail,

Capacitors fail all the time. Do a Google search on: "capacitor failures"

To read an interesting article about the recent scandal over bad capacitors
that had a serious effect on the PC world:

FAULTS & FAILURES
Leaking Capacitors Muck up Motherboards

"It has all the elements of a good thriller: a stolen secret formula,
bungled corporate espionage, untraceable goods, and lone wolves saving the
little guy from the misdeeds of multinational corporations. In this case, a
mistake in the stolen formulation of the electrolyte in a capacitor has
wrecked hundreds of PCs and may wreck still more in what is an industrywide
problem.

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors with a low equivalent series resistance
(ESR) are high-capacitance components that generally serve to smooth out the
power supply to chips. Throughout 2002, they have been breaking open and
failing in certain desktop PCs. Motherboard and PC makers contacted by IEEE
Spectrum have stopped using the faulty parts, but because the parts can fail
over a period of several months, more such failures are expected . . . "

continued at: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html


--
Bobby G.






Posted by Chip Orange on August 6, 2005, 10:15 pm
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ok, thanks. Is there one particular brand of passive bridge to be preferred
to another?

I live in a small town, so I'll just order one, and then get an electrician
out (since we won't have anyone in town who stocks this).


>
>> Since this is a completely passive system (my understanding anyway), I'm
> not
>> sure how it could fail,
>
> Capacitors fail all the time. Do a Google search on: "capacitor
> failures"
>
> To read an interesting article about the recent scandal over bad
> capacitors
> that had a serious effect on the PC world:
>
> FAULTS & FAILURES
> Leaking Capacitors Muck up Motherboards
>
> "It has all the elements of a good thriller: a stolen secret formula,
> bungled corporate espionage, untraceable goods, and lone wolves saving the
> little guy from the misdeeds of multinational corporations. In this case,
> a
> mistake in the stolen formulation of the electrolyte in a capacitor has
> wrecked hundreds of PCs and may wreck still more in what is an
> industrywide
> problem.
>
> Aluminum electrolytic capacitors with a low equivalent series resistance
> (ESR) are high-capacitance components that generally serve to smooth out
> the
> power supply to chips. Throughout 2002, they have been breaking open and
> failing in certain desktop PCs. Motherboard and PC makers contacted by
> IEEE
> Spectrum have stopped using the faulty parts, but because the parts can
> fail
> over a period of several months, more such failures are expected . . . "
>
> continued at:
> http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html
>
>
> --
> Bobby G.
>
>
>
>




Posted by Robert Green on August 6, 2005, 10:54 pm
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> ok, thanks. Is there one particular brand of passive bridge to be
preferred
> to another?

Most people find it preferable to switch to an active coupler a.k.a. a
repeater. That's because more and more consumer products (compatc
fluorescents bulbs, UPSs and switching power supplies) are turning out to be
X-10 signal suckers. An investment in a repeater now might save lots of
trouble in the future like having to buy lots of filters or calling the
electrician back to installer a repeater. Both ACT and Leviton make units
in the under $100 range.

Check Smarthome for a plug-in unit. You can get either a repeater or a
coupler in a model that plugs into a 220VAC outlet. Not as good as a panel
mounted unit, but good enough. Saves on calling in the electrican.

--
Bobby G.







Posted by Chip Orange on August 7, 2005, 1:10 pm
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Thanks; I don't mind spending for a repeater, or an electrician, it's just I
thought I had read once that repeaters had their ocasional problems (such as
the destination device receiving both the original dim command and then the
repeated one, so it would dim more than desired?).

thanks.


>> ok, thanks. Is there one particular brand of passive bridge to be
> preferred
>> to another?
>
> Most people find it preferable to switch to an active coupler a.k.a. a
> repeater. That's because more and more consumer products (compatc
> fluorescents bulbs, UPSs and switching power supplies) are turning out to
> be
> X-10 signal suckers. An investment in a repeater now might save lots of
> trouble in the future like having to buy lots of filters or calling the
> electrician back to installer a repeater. Both ACT and Leviton make units
> in the under $100 range.
>
> Check Smarthome for a plug-in unit. You can get either a repeater or a
> coupler in a model that plugs into a 220VAC outlet. Not as good as a
> panel
> mounted unit, but good enough. Saves on calling in the electrican.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
>
>
>
>
>




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