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    X10 Discussion

    Ahh... X10... the system that made many people realize that their electrician was inconsistent in their wiring practices

    #2
    Originally posted by TC1 View Post
    Ahh... X10... the system that made many people realize that their electrician was inconsistent in their wiring practices
    And that north american houses run on two separate phases....

    And that DC power supplies and LCD screens create electrical "noise" and user frustration...

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      #3
      Originally posted by 123qweasd View Post

      And that north american houses run on two separate phases....

      And that DC power supplies and LCD screens create electrical "noise" and user frustration...
      An that some Dutch houses runs on three separate phases ;-)

      ---
      John

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        #4
        Originally posted by 123qweasd View Post

        And that north american houses run on two separate phases....

        And that DC power supplies and LCD screens create electrical "noise" and user frustration...
        Allow me to offer a correction:

        Residential electrical systems in North America are almost exclusively single-phase three-wire (also referred to as split-phase). There are two "legs" to the phase, which causes some confusion and was the reason for the X-10 signal bridge (it is not a "phase coupler").

        Think of it this way. A 60Hz sine wave represents the phase with a voltage swing of 240VAC. The center line is the zero crossing point (neutral). Half of the wave is above the neutral point and half is below. These are the legs. 120VAC devices connect to one leg and neutral whereas 240VAC devices connect to both legs, but they are all on the same phase.

        X-10 communicates just above or just below the zero crossing point depending on the leg the device is connected to, but the signals do not cross from one leg to the other very well. Hence the need for signal bridges. This is why X-10 has intermittent operation that drives people crazy. Communication across the legs is much stronger when a 240VAC device like an electric range is on because these devices effectively act as a signal bridge.

        Locations that require more than 100 kilovolts (417 amperes at 240 volts) will utilize three-phase service. Two-phase service is no longer used except in a few locations where the existing wiring makes changeover to three-phase impractical.

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          #5
          Alex_W

          X10 had a tendency to refer to "phase coupling"

          http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Phase_Coupling

          but you are correct about "split phases" :

          https://theengineeringmindset.com/12...-phase-us-can/

          Thanks for pointing this out 👍

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by 123qweasd View Post
            Alex_W

            X10 had a tendency to refer to "phase coupling"

            http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Phase_Coupling

            but you are correct about "split phases" :

            https://theengineeringmindset.com/12...-phase-us-can/

            Thanks for pointing this out 👍
            You're welcome. I tend to get a bit professorial (persnickety) when it comes to electrical engineering technology. I know that even some electricians use the term "phases" to describe the legs of a split-phase system, but it still makes me wince.

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