Would like recommendations for least expensive quality, decora-style wall-switchs with true-rocker action(ie. push one end for on/other end for off), in both dimmer and appliance forms. Are the X10 WS12a dimmers any good? They are on for half price ($29.98 for three pack) till tomorrow. How about the XPD3 dimmer ($18.59) and XPS3 appliance ($27.89) [and associated XPSS slave ($9.29) for XPD/XPS] from Homeautomation.net? Are there any less expensive appliance ones anywhere?

can't help you much with the incandescent switches. I bought 3 or 4 levitons about 3 years ago, and they're all dead now, while the cheap x10s are at least 10 years old and still running. I think the one's with the neutral wire are probably a little better in signal problem areas. as far as the relay switches, I would get the one that has the softest click. some of those appliance mods and those relay switches will start the neighbors dogs howling at night, they're so freakin' loud.

Yep, I sure agree with you, jrx10, about the volume of the appliance modules' clicks :-(. But, how does one determine before ordering, how loud a switch will be?

Anyway, I ordered a pile of the X10 WS12a's while they were on half-price. Now I find, according to what I've been reading, that they are *not* true rocker action at all :-(! The sources I've read say the WS12a is just a chiclet with a paddle over top. So it's not push-top-on, push-bottom-off; it's push-top-on, push-top-off [or is it the bottom?]. But the X10 site says they have local dimming, so how does that work? Is it like the chiclet switch with the modification, where holding the button down causes the load to dim, then brighten, and repeat cycle until the button is released?

You are correct all the X10.com switch’s are not true rockers, you tap the bottom for on and tap again for off or hold down to dim. The cheapest "true rockers" are the switchlinc's. The switchlinc's also have a true rocker silent appliance switch. At $34 I think they are worth the extra money over the not true rocker XPS3's. The XPS3's still have the advantage of a relay which can handle a greater load. I hate to say it but in the X10 world, you for the most part get what you pay for.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

Thanks, Bill. Yes, I think the true-rocker switchlinc would be worth the $7 price difference [how long is the sale on?] for silent operation--but how do they work without a relay :-)?

On the other hand, I have WS467 chiclets scattered around the house, and the WS12A's I ordered have that same type of operation. So, the XPS3's, having again that same action, might be less confusing for my wife. Would the WS14A Companion switches (for WS12A) I've ordered, also work with the XPS3?

X10 uses the same companion for all thier switches.

We are leaving our linc products on sale until SmartHome raises a fuss about it again. They seam to think we should price higher than they do, which does not make a lot of sense given their overhead versus ours. We would rather keep prices low than send out the full color catalogs.

Not sure how they trigger the appliance units without the relay, I do know the trial in the silent units can still cause a hum in fans, but it's not real common compared to the dimmer with a fan.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

Thanks, Bill. I, for one (and I'm sure many others as well), appreciate low prices much more than flashy catalogs--and it's much more environmentally friendly, too :-). It's so much better (and more current) to find the information on the web.

Hmmm... I've got three ceiling fans, and I sure want to avoid any hum. On the other hand, I would like to have control of fan speed, but it doesn't have to be continuously variable--the three speeds (like on the pull-chain) are sufficient. There are devices you can install in the fan housing which give you remote control. I think they are RF, rather than IR, but either way they are not X10. I wonder if such an X10 device exists?

Not in any X10 product, there is a IR to RF converter that you can buy in kit form to control the fan companies speed controllers. The cost of getting FCC approval for RF is more than any small company can afford, so they get around approval by selling the devices as kits. I have one link bookmarked http://www.myelectricdog.com/ but there may be others .

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

Ok. Guess I'll either install the in-fan-housing controller and live with RF, or else just put in an X10 appliance switch and live with on/off without speed control :-(. Thanks for all your input, Bill.

If X-10 spped control is important, I've seen someone use three in-line non-dimming modules to switch two fan speed controllers (one set to 'low', and one set to 'med', none needed for 'high') in and out of the circuit.

Of course, you'd need a macro for each speed: 'high' would require "all off, #1 on", 'med' would require "all off, #2 on", and 'low' would require "all off, #3 on". I have a schematic somewhere if you need it.

I found it:



Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Thanks, Larry! Food for thought here :-).