I'd like to start a new thread on this topic.

Would any of you X-10 enthusiasts like to share unique tips and tricks you've done with their X-10 system? Or any new products you've found on the market?

I recently purchased from SmartHome.com a open garage door detector (haven't received it yet, but any day now). I have on several occasions left the garage door open all night, and this seems like a good investment. It is an X-10 compatible device.

Here's the direct link to the product.
[Link: smarthome.com]

I hope it didn't cost you more that $15.00. All you needed was a X-10 Relay (PUM01) and a magnetic switch. Installation takes less than 10 min.

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

PUM01, I believe, is the same as UM506 Universal Module as listed on the X10.com website. This is a "receiver" device.

The Powerflash interface (PF284) looks similar to the Universal Module, but it's a "transmitter" device.

With the PUM01/UM506, you can, for example, use it to close your garage door at 11 p.m. each night if it isn't already closed. This can be done via the use of a magnetic contacts and wiring it to your garage door open/close button. If the door is closed (magnetic contacts apart), the circuit will be broken, and the activation of the module will not open your garage door. If the door is open (magnetic contacts together), the circuit is completed, and the module can close your garage door.

With the Powerflash interface (PF284), you can set the magnetic switches to be in contact when the garage door is closed. When the garage door is opened, the circuit will be broken, and the interface will transmit an ON command to a nightlight plugged into a lamp module to turn it on. This way, you know that the garage door is open by looking at a nightlight in the house.

What I was looking for is something more like the second example -- a notifier. The garage door kit sold by SmartHome.com is just about the same price as the Powerflash interface.

But yes, the first example is cheaper by almost half.

Roland S

Thats, cool! The Garage notifier is a neat piece. Just wanted you to know another cheaper option. I am using the "cheaper" relay but I have a timer that signals the door to close, if open, every night.

Ok, you guys... what is it that actually is starting the garage opener? Mine works either with a radio signal from it's own activators or by pressing a button switch next to the door from the garage into the house. What signal (radio, closed switch, etc..) are you sending it from what X10 device? Will ANY garage door opener work or does it take a special type. I too have accidently left the door open and would like my smart house to be smarter than me.

Most garage openers have 3 wires that leave the opener. One acts as a common and one goes to the sensors. The other one goes to the wall switch and basically, when you make a contact between the door will open or close. In order to make it only close the door, you will need to install a magnetic (normally closed) switch somewhere on the door to sense the door being open. I used a piece of plumber’s strap and mounted the wired part to that. The magnet part is mounted on the slider so it comes within ½” of the wired part when the door is open. Note: All you need is located right there. You have power, the door meets you there when open and you have the wires) one wire of the sensor goes to the common side of the door opener and the other goes to a PUM01 universal contact module. The other side of the pum01 goes to the terminal of the door opener that goes to the switch. When the PUM01 is activated, it makes a contact. If the magnetic switch is closed (door up), the contact makes its way through the magnetic switch and connects the common and the door close side of the door opener together closing the door. If the magnetic contact is open, then there is no way for the circuit to be completed and the door remains shut. This allows you to send a “close the garage” command every night. NOTE: You will need to send an on and then an off command to release the PUM01! You could use a pronto to do it in a macro. You could use a timer to do it at 10:00pm. You could use a remote by the bed… if you need me to send you a drawing let me know.

Chris Couture

Thanks Chris.

I think I've got it figured out. An OPEN garage door CLOSES the curcuit in a magnetic switch leading to the input leads on an X10 PUM01. When that PUM01 gets a timed command to activate it will only do so if the switch circuit is CLOSED, or complete. In activation it CLOSES the garage door button circuit, closing the door.

If I missed something, don't worry. There's nothing in my garage to steal.

David,
It sounds like you have got it. I tried to send you a drawing yesterday but it came back. Is your E-mail address correct? I tried to resend w/o the caps so lets see if you get it.

Your Welcome,
Chris

DID YOU KNOW?

COUPLERS:
All homes will benefit from the use of a coupler. Most homes have 2 phases of power coming in to them. Some to the outlets and lights are on one while some are on the other. X-10 signals must travel out to the nearest transformer, through the windings and back to your home so get from one phase to the other unless you are using a coupler. In order for the coupler to do this, it has to cut the X-10 signal in half. This is not a good thing in larger homes and in homes with excess noise or using lots of X-10. This is why the amplified coupler is a much better, and more expensive, choice. To insure your X-10 is going to be reliable, you really need to install a coupler. It would be the best piece of X-10 you could own.

SPEEDING UP X-10 MACROS:
X-10 works by issuing a house and unit code, then a command. If you wanted to turn on “A1” the information looks like this: A1…ON. If you issued several units before a command, you could control more than one unit. Example: A1, A2, A3, A4 then ON. This would turn A1, A2, A3, and A4 on all at once. You could now issue an OFF command and all would turn off. If you are creating macros, this will save transmission time by approx. 33%.

SURGE PROTECTORS AND X-10:
Most surge protectors will hinder the performance of X-10. Surge protectors “dump” the “garbage” back into the A/C line and there for cause noise. This can cause the X-10 signals to be lost and not received by devices. Inline filter modules will solve this problem but it is a question of mine as to what good is the surge protector after the filter is installed. I wonder that if the filter is installed, can the surge protector be a surge protector or is it just a glorified power strip. If anyone has any information on this, let us know.

Chris Couture

Chris,

Regarding your garage door configuration, have you had any problems with the garage door accidentally re-opening up?

For example, a cat runs in (or out of) your garage while its closing and triggers the safety beam to make the garage door open back up.

Or worse yet, you have no safety beam, your garage door smashes the cat and kills it, and the garage bounces back up. Haha!

Roland,
No problems yet, it would be possible for that to happen though. It would be more likely for the door to shut, on say a shoe or the water hose, and reopen. When I close my door from the garage, I don’t watch until it’s closed all the way. I simply push the button, listen for the sound of the door closing and go in the house. This means that even if it closed with the push of the button, it would raise again once it hit the obstacle. My solution, keep everything clear of the garage. I have a 600# per day ice machine in the garage and do, on occasion, leave the door open to make ice for my weekend fishing trips (it puts off a lot of heat). If someone were to go shopping through my stuff, I have a motion sensor that starts a macro to flash the bedroom light, turn on the outside landscaping lights, turn on the garage lights and sound a remote chime letting me know to get my butt up (it has never falsed). I am using a Houselinc by Smartlinc automation controller to do the macros. Its one cool piece that allows me to do much more that “dumb” X-10 commands. The Houselinc uses “IF, THEN, ELSE” logic to only complete task if things are in the right state(time, unit status, day, month, etc). This allows me to have the motion sensors signal only complete its mission between 10:00pm and 5:00am. Works like a charm!

Chris Couture

O’Yea between 5:00am and 10:00pm if the outside motion sensors are tripped, a macro happens that turns the PIP of the TV on for 30 seconds and shows what action is happening outside.

Chris Couture

You take your spare car alarm remote apart and use a universal contact PUM01 to close the switch that arms and disarms your alarm. This simulates you pushing the button. You have a timed macro to “push” the remote to send out a arm/disarm signal (if your remote has a separate arm and disarm, you got it easy and can stop here). You install a hawkeye in the vehicle so that when the interior light comes on it send a signal to your house (most vehicles have a dome light survilance feature that turns the domelight on for 30 seconds when you disarm it). When the contact is made to the alarm remote, it will arm or disarm. If it disarms, it sends a signal from the hawkeyes light sensor to start another macro to reconnect the alarm remote to arm the alarm. BINGO Your alarm is always armed! Need better instructions? Let me know!

Chris Couture

Just a thought, I’d have to see one first!
Another idea for the Garage door detector. It is PROBALLY using a mercury switch inside the transmitter to detect the angle of the door. Replace this with a photocell to detect light instead. Mount one in up to three of the rooms that you have a tendency of leaving the lights on in. This will indicate to you that you have left the light on and you can shut it off.

Chris Couture

I received the garage door detector from SmartHome yesterday, and it work like a charm. This device (mounted on the inside of the garage door) actually detects the angle of the garage door to determine if it's open or not -- vertical will send a "closed" signal, horizontal will send an "open" signal.

I mount it close to the top of the garage door. That way, even if it's opened 1/4 of the way, the top horizontal panel of the garage door will not be vertical and will send an "open" signal.

I'm sure it doesn't use mercury, because there were no "DANGER - POISON" warnings. Although a mercury switch would be a great idea to sense angle. I have an extra one from an old analog thermostat I replaced.

Roland