x10 wireless sender?

[jollyradar]

so basically I want this but I want it to send x10 wireless signals. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

[Rupp]

X10 signals are always wired and travel on the power lines. Are you looking for an RF solution? What exactly are you trying to do and maybe we can offer some solutions

[jollyradar]

Yes I am looking for a RF transmitter, I guess. Either way its wireless. I have low temperature sensors that have 2 dry contacts. They will be in remote locations and I'm trying to get them to work with my internet thermostats that have only one (and currently used) set of wired contacts and unlimited wireless x10 connections. So I need a transmitter that will send an x10 signal if the contacts close (or open) to my internet thermostat, which in turn sends out text messages.

Currently I have my smoke detectors wired in.

I can only seem to find wireless occupancy sensors and cameras. Seems to me that the technology is there but no one has put it all together yet.

Thanks

[Uncle Michael]

I guess it depends on how desperate you are.

It sounds like the TStats accept only X10 RF signals and you do not have an automation controller. You just want the temp sensor to transmit to the TStat.

It may be possible to hack a PalmPad so the dry contact switch effectively 'pushes' one of the buttons to send the X10 On or Off. If you need both On when the contact closes and Off when it opens, though, that will be a bit more difficult.

[Uncle Michael]

At the risk of making this a Rube Goldberg device, you could use your dry contact to control a light, then use the light sensor on an X10 PIR as your detector. The PIR will send an On when the light goes off and an Off when the light goes on. You'd have to enclose the lamp and PIR in a box to prevent other light sources from interfering, but if you use an LED, the device could be fairly compact and consume little electricity.

[jollyradar]

Ok this is good stuff! it only needs to tell me when its on.. although I'm not sure how a "reset" would work? if the contacts close again - triggering a "button" would that send an off or on command? I have quite a few locations I want to do this in. BTW this is a resort environment so I am looking for a pretty clean set up, but if I can make these and keep them contained I'm open for anything.

[Uncle Michael]

it only needs to tell me when its on.. although I'm not sure how a "reset" would work? if the contacts close again - triggering a "button" would that send an off or on command?

Does it need to tell you when in changes to on or when it is on? I think the PalmPad idea would get complicated if you want to know when it is on. What do you mean by a "reset"?

All the X10 RF remotes that I am familiar with send the same command each time a given button is pressed, so each time the contacts close you would get the same command, either on or off, depending on which button you choose to activate.

The PIR light sensor would send an off when contacts close (light on) and an on when the contacts open (light off), so it would be much easier to tell if the contacts are open or closed.

Keep in mind, too, that it is easy for the receiver to miss a simple X10 RF command, so whatever method you choose, you must be able to tolerate missing occasional on or off commands.

[Michael McSharry]

There are writeups on the web and likely here or cocoontech.com that replace the photocell of the Hawkeye motion sensor with a dry contact input. It is a very simple process that I have done more than once. You still have a motion sensor, but the dusk/dawn sensor of the hawkeye is now a dry contact sensor that sends RF X10 when the contact is closed.

[JeffCharger]

what about a Powerflash unit (or Universal - I can never remember which is which). It sends an X10 signal on the powerline when a contact is changed. This won`t directly give you an RF signal, but somewhere might help....

[Uncle Michael]

There are writeups on the web and likely here or cocoontech.com that replace the photocell of the Hawkeye motion sensor with a dry contact input. It is a very simple process that I have done more than once.

No surprise. If it's useful, someone has most likely already done it!

[jollyradar]

Jeff is there anyway you could link to such an article? I did a search on here and cocoon but couldnt find it.

Thanks

[JeffCharger]

Jeff is there anyway you could link to such an article? I did a search on here and cocoon but couldnt find it.

Thanks

I'm not sure that you're after this... more likely the article that Mike pointed you to. Here's a link to the powerflash unit. http://www.x10.com/security/x10_pf284.htm

[Uncle Michael]

Here's a link I found:

http://www.idobartana.com/hakb/modif...indow%20Sensor

[Michael McSharry]

Look at post #20 at http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=82780 In the lower right of the schematic is the hawkeye interface where the photocell head was clipped off and the two wires run to what is effectively a solid-state dry contact switch. A 10K resistor was added in series to mimic the photocell resistance for the active state.

This means you open the shell on a hawkeye motion/dusk sensor, clip the photocell head that faces the front, solder two wires to it and punch through the case somewhere. Add a 10K resistor in series with one of the wires and connect these to the device that has the dry contact outputs.

When the contacts are closed an X10 RF burst will be produced on the house/device code you programmed the hawkeye. In the circuit that was shown I also used external power for the hawkeye. You can do this or just use the standard batteries. If you tape over the motion window the batteries should last a long time. If you do supply external power the absolute maximum rating for the components is 5.5VDC so make certain you have protection to limit it below that. If you do juice it up to 5V your transmission will have longer range than standard 3V battery. It just depends upon how far the signal needs to transfer.

[jollyradar]

Thank You! this is great, exactly what I wanted to do.. good call on the external power too that was my next challenge.
The places i am using these will not be very far at all.. maybe a max of 20 ft...