Posted: April 21 2004 at 19:45 | IP Logged

Hello,

I'm rather new to this X10 and Power Home thing (and enjoying every minute of it). This is also my first post to a message board, so here goes...

I have several (WS4777) X10 switches hooked up. I want my motion sensor to gently bring the hall light to 50% in the evenings. Is this possible without having the lights turn on at 100% before going to 50%? (Good God, that does interesting things to your dialated pupils in the middle of the night!)

I've played around with dim in my macros a bit and can't seem to get the result I want. I either get the bright-then-dim behavior, or dim-to-brighter-to-brighter behavior (which I'm guessing is my bad use of "relative" dim). 

Thanks

Posted: April 21 2004 at 21:32 | IP Logged

Welcome briguy!

What you want to do is make sure that you don't ever turn the light off, but, dim it to zero. Then, when you do a bright, is will start from zero.

You could also invest in more expensive modules that have preset dim.

You decide!

Posted: April 23 2004 at 13:29 | IP Logged

That did the trick - Thanks!

Posted: May 12 2004 at 16:35 | IP Logged

Note that I read somewhere that a fulling dimmed module is still using 2.5 watts as opposed to <.5w when off.

Another solution might be to use two modules in series. To turn on a light to dimmed, turn off the 2nd module, turn on the 1st module, dim it, and turn on the second module. This should cause the light to come on dimmed.

Posted: May 12 2004 at 17:17 | IP Logged

The power draw issue comes up a lot in the X10 world. Many people have shown that it really adds up to nothing in the long run. <ducking>

This could be like a religious or political debate, though...

That two-module solution sounds like a good one for those that care.

Posted: May 13 2004 at 13:55 | IP Logged

There's the standard safety lock - using two modules in series to prevent an accidental on command.

I've also imagined using two (more?) modules to make a kind of three-way switch set up so that you could use an old-fashoned style wall switch and a module so that a light could be contolled by PH and locally and the local switch would still match the rest of my 1920's house. I haven't actually built anything yet so I haven't really thought out how the notification would be handled - obviously PH would need to know the current state for this to be useful. Off the top of my head I think the list of materials would be a double pole wall switch, then two universal modules with relays for the line voltage (these play the part of the other switch in a typical set up), and a powerflash module to somehow notify PH when the local switch was used...

Then ther are multi module setups to handle raising / lowering something (pet door, tv door, curtains, etc).

Automation is SUPPOSED to simplify our lives, right?

Posted: May 13 2004 at 19:32 | IP Logged

Yeah, simplify! Depends on who in the family you ask!

If I had some spare modules, I would implement that interlock idea right now. Filed for future use!

My idea on the wall switch was to just pull the "real" switch and mount an RF pad in front of it (all of my light switches only control outlets). I even thought of leaving the switch and wiring it to the RF pad button and toggling the state via PH. Cheap 2-way X-10!

Posted: May 14 2004 at 15:33 | IP Logged

I also thought of doing using a regular wall switch to send an x10 signal to PH to let it turn on, but it's my experience that people (ie guests) aren't willing to wait for something to happen - which would result in the switch being flipped. I have a compact florescent light that takes about a second to come on - and no one ever gets it.

I knew my automation set up wasn't working when I came home to guests sitting in the living room by candle light because they couldn't figure out that the little remote I had sitting on a window ledge turned on the lights.

Posted: May 14 2004 at 19:08 | IP Logged

If you use RF and a WGL RF receiver, things happen quickly. Very impressed with mine.

My mom came up one weekend, and the same thing happened, only she could not figure out how to turn on the TV and satellite system!