I just got an XPDF module to use in-line to control a bank of recessed lights. I have 6 lights running off an in-wall switch and the other 6 running off the new module. For some reason I cannot get this to work. I thought maybe the problem was cascading the 2 X-10 switches, so I took the wall switch out of the loop. When wired this way all the lights stay on, no matter the status of the X-10 signal. I hit the all lights off and get nothing. All lights and the specific address also do nothing. I have done a fair amount of elctrical work, so I am pretty confident in the wiring, but am I missing something here....
TIA,
Jon

What kind of bulbs are in the recessed fixtures?

They are 45W Incandescant floodlights.

Although you are pushing the wattage limits of that in-line module, that shouldn't be the problem. Have you confirmed that the x10 signals are getting to the module? Do you have a phase coupler? That would be the first thing I would make sure of.

Next thing I would check is for noise. If the signal is getting there and the noise levels are OK, I would try to switch out the inline module.

Martin
Martin@AutomatedOutlet.com

It seems like the module is always on. The X10 wall switch works fine responding to the X10 signal, so I would assume the inline module would be as good or better since this is one of the real cheap switches.

No I don't have a phase coupler. Should I need one? I will research that some more on my own. I had not heard of that before.
Thanks for the help...
Jon

If you don't need a phase coupler now, you will at some point. Most houses have electricity coming into the house at 220 Volts. This is then split up into 2 120 V legs. Some circuits go on one leg and some on the other. Your x10 signals can't travel between the two legs of your wiring unless you couple them. Maybe you've been lucky so far and only been installing devices on the same leg.

Martin
Martin@AutomatedOutlet.com

I have most of the X10 stuff in the family room/kitchen and a couple more in the bedroom, but those are on a different house code. I guess I am going to pack it up and ship it back. I tried it in another location and it seems to always pass the electricity through no matter the X10 signal being sent.

If it's always on and you know it's getting the x10 signals, it does sound like it's bad and sending it back would probably be the best thing to do.

Martin
Martin@AutomatedOutlet.com

Try wiring it up directly to an outlet with your X10 transmitter plugged into the same outlet and test the unit directly. With 90% of the returned X10 products normally being good it's worth the trouble to find out.

Investing in a signal analyzer @$50 would save hours of frustration and tell you what is going on fairly quickly.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

Bill,
I would love to have this unit work. I hate the hassle of shipping, etc.
Is there any reason the "cascading" X10 would not work? i.e. having an X10 switch controlling the first 6 lights and the inline module controlling the next 6.
I am planning on inserting a regular X10 switch in line, temporarily to test the signal passing through. Is that logical?

It would work for relay or appliance type switches but not for two dimming products. The dimmers work by chopping the sine wave of the output, chopping a chopped sine wave causes problems and most of the time switch destruction. If you had an appliance switch and then a dimmer, that would work but not two dimmers. This is the same reason you run into problems trying to dim low voltage lights with most electronic transformers.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

Bill, are you referring to the ESM1? Can it be used with a standard (non-repeating) transmitter if you have another person to repeatedly push a button? How about with an IR543 and a remote control?

Slightly off topic, but does dimming lights by chopping the sine wave result in any power savings? If so, how much?

For example, dimming 100W of incandescents to 50% brightness results in how much power used?