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    #1

    x10 signal tester

    Ok so I am starting to see a few issues with x10.... not sure why as everything has been working pretty good... although I noticed my utility room light stopped working when you open up the door (ds10a) or motion (ms13a)
    but you can send a L14 on via HS and it turns on and off... weird....


    anyway... I have to do it... got to buy the tester...

    first do i have this right???
    XPTT - tester
    XPTR - receiver

    now I dont really need a xptt right? I can create a even that is no more than a loop and use the xptr to check it right?

    Im noticing on ebay they can be had for $60ish shipped... for just the xptr

    so that should get me testing right?

    then what do you do?

    plug the tester into an outlet and see the signal strength???
    although how does that work with house lights?


    I do know we had lightning the other night... really bad... 5 thunderstorms with hail the size of golf balls!!!!!
    anyway I unplugged the kitchen computer and gaming rig and went to the utility room to check the sump pump..... viola utility room light came on like it should.... so now I have to check to see if it is 1 of those computers..

    although the caming rig is on a af120 filter.....
    HW - i5 4570T @2.9ghz runs @11w | 8gb ram | 128gb ssd OS - Win10 x64

    HS - HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.435

    Plugins - BLRF 2.0.94.0 | Concord 4 3.1.13.10 | HSBuddy 3.9.605.5 | HSTouch Server 3.0.0.68 | RFXCOM 30.0.0.36 | X10 3.0.0.36 | Z-Wave 3.0.1.190

    Hardware - EdgePort/4 DB9 Serial | RFXCOM 433MHz USB Transceiver | Superbus 2000 for Concord 4 | TI103 X-10 Interface | WGL Designs W800 RF | Z-Net Z-Wave Interface
    Tags: None
    #2
    Automated Outlet used to let people borrow a signal tester for only the cost of shipping. I'm not sure if they still do that or not, but it might be worth a call to see... unless Martin happens across this thread and can answer here.

    Brett

    Comment

      #3
      Tele, See if you can get your hands on an ACT ATT-004 I think is the name/model. I can dig mine out and see. When I had a large X10 install this tester was necessary. I don't want to part with mine because all my outside, garage, sheds and barns are all still X10 (35+ devices)

      You could get by with just the receiver and create an event, but the beauty with both pieces of that unit is you can move both around to see exactly where the problem is. I have that unit as well and between the AT004 and the other, there was not a noise culprit that could hide from me
      Over The Hill
      What Hill?
      Where?
      When?
      I Don't Remember Any Hill

      Virtualized Server 2k3 Ent X86 Guest on VMWare ESXi 4.1 with 3 SunRay thin clients as access points - HSPro 2.4.0.48 - ZTroller - ACRF2 (3 WGL 800's) - iAutomate RFID - Ledam - MLHSPlugin - Ultra1wire - RainRelay8 - TI103 - Ultramon - WAF-AB8SS - jvESS (11 zones) - Bitwise Controls BC4 - with 745 Total Devices - 550 Events - 104 scripts - 78 ZWave devices - 42 X10 devices - 76 DS10a's 3 RFXSenors and 32 Motion Sensors

      Comment

        #4
        It could be a funky power supply in one of the computers you mention
        Over The Hill
        What Hill?
        Where?
        When?
        I Don't Remember Any Hill

        Virtualized Server 2k3 Ent X86 Guest on VMWare ESXi 4.1 with 3 SunRay thin clients as access points - HSPro 2.4.0.48 - ZTroller - ACRF2 (3 WGL 800's) - iAutomate RFID - Ledam - MLHSPlugin - Ultra1wire - RainRelay8 - TI103 - Ultramon - WAF-AB8SS - jvESS (11 zones) - Bitwise Controls BC4 - with 745 Total Devices - 550 Events - 104 scripts - 78 ZWave devices - 42 X10 devices - 76 DS10a's 3 RFXSenors and 32 Motion Sensors

        Comment

          #5
          I think the real question is what do you do if the signal is weak?

          My X10 experience is that when I noticed the missed signals, I bought the coupler/repeater. When modules/switches wouldnt respond, I would find the offending device and put it on a filter.

          As you have already found, PC power supplies are notorious X10 eaters - putting them on a filter is a cheap solution. If you suspect your filter is bad, try another - I have had filters go bad.
          HS4Pro on a Raspberry Pi4
          54 Z-Wave Nodes / 21 Zigbee Devices / 108 Events / 767 Devices
          Plugins: Z-Wave / Zigbee Plus / EasyTrigger / AK Weather / OMNI
          HSTouch Clients: 1 Android

          Comment

            #6
            Hi

            I think the ACT tester is a must for anyone with a substancial investment in x10.... I bought mine when I started to suffer reliability issues.

            To cure my problem, I ended up moving the CM11 to a new spur installed directly from a breaker on the consumer unit.... and all has been 100% since then.

            The ACT tester is great for many tests - I am sure the PDF manual is around so you can see what it can do.

            The same tester also works with 110v and 240v - it comes with two power leads and you use the appropriate one acording to the line voltage.

            David
            ---------------------------------------------------http://weather.penicuik.org

            Comment

              #7
              What makes the ACT Tester the cats meow is the logging. The two paramount issues I had ( or at least I remmber) I would have never found without it. Several years back in a prior house my X10 worked flawlwssly until around 7 pm, nothing would work properly, the next morning all would be fine. I traced it down to my next door neighbors low voltage landscape light transformer. another time the heater in one of my aquariums decided to start broadcasting noise when it switched on, that one was a nightmare to find because it cycled a few minutes on a few minutes off. When it was on absolutely no X10.

              When troubleshooting X10, keep a log, walk by press a button and write down the time and if it works or not, write down what is hapening in the house, the more detailed the log the quicker you will find the problem.

              Another rule I used to use was, everytime I went to plug something in I would ask myself "will this need a filter" I still catch my wife asking me if she needs a filter (the house is all ZWave)
              Over The Hill
              What Hill?
              Where?
              When?
              I Don't Remember Any Hill

              Virtualized Server 2k3 Ent X86 Guest on VMWare ESXi 4.1 with 3 SunRay thin clients as access points - HSPro 2.4.0.48 - ZTroller - ACRF2 (3 WGL 800's) - iAutomate RFID - Ledam - MLHSPlugin - Ultra1wire - RainRelay8 - TI103 - Ultramon - WAF-AB8SS - jvESS (11 zones) - Bitwise Controls BC4 - with 745 Total Devices - 550 Events - 104 scripts - 78 ZWave devices - 42 X10 devices - 76 DS10a's 3 RFXSenors and 32 Motion Sensors

              Comment

                #8
                well narrowed it down to the kitchen pc...
                there is a af100 filter on it now... so how does one test if a filter went bad?
                im gonna guess it went bad as with the computer unplugged.... the light works... with the computer back up and running, the light doesnt...

                this just started too.. that is the weird part!!!!!!

                oh well.. .time for a few filters as I guess this one is bad...
                ~Jeff
                HW - i5 4570T @2.9ghz runs @11w | 8gb ram | 128gb ssd OS - Win10 x64

                HS - HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.435

                Plugins - BLRF 2.0.94.0 | Concord 4 3.1.13.10 | HSBuddy 3.9.605.5 | HSTouch Server 3.0.0.68 | RFXCOM 30.0.0.36 | X10 3.0.0.36 | Z-Wave 3.0.1.190

                Hardware - EdgePort/4 DB9 Serial | RFXCOM 433MHz USB Transceiver | Superbus 2000 for Concord 4 | TI103 X-10 Interface | WGL Designs W800 RF | Z-Net Z-Wave Interface

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by TeleFragger View Post
                  well narrowed it down to the kitchen pc...
                  there is a af100 filter on it now... so how does one test if a filter went bad?
                  im gonna guess it went bad as with the computer unplugged.... the light works... with the computer back up and running, the light doesnt...

                  this just started too.. that is the weird part!!!!!!

                  oh well.. .time for a few filters as I guess this one is bad...
                  ~Jeff
                  For me, I noticed one filter I had was melted on one side
                  it was plugged into a microwave that went bad very soon after. Our new microwave doesnt eat the signals the way that one did. I suspect that the microwave caused the filter failure instead of the other way around.

                  Another filter I had just did not work. It was purely trial and error - I had a spare filter and it worked - threw the old one away.
                  HS4Pro on a Raspberry Pi4
                  54 Z-Wave Nodes / 21 Zigbee Devices / 108 Events / 767 Devices
                  Plugins: Z-Wave / Zigbee Plus / EasyTrigger / AK Weather / OMNI
                  HSTouch Clients: 1 Android

                  Comment

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