timer turns lights on but not off??

I have 2 switches that will turn on with a timer when they're supposed to but they won't turn off when the timer fires. I tried adding a BoosterLinc but that hasn't helped. Any ideas? (This falls under X-10 related problems, rather than an Indigo issue.)

[matt (support)]

I have 2 switches that will turn on with a timer when they're supposed to but they won't turn off when the timer fires. I tried adding a BoosterLinc but that hasn't helped. Any ideas? (This falls under X-10 related problems, rather than an Indigo issue.)

What kind-of device/light are the switches driving? I'm wondering if the light itself is introducing noise on the line when it is on. ???

Have you tried moving the interface (PowerLinc/CM11/etc.) to a different outlet? Perhaps it will give the X10 signals a better path to the switch. I'd also try unplugging different appliances throughout the house (surge protector strips, TVs, other computers, A/V equipment, etc.) to see if there is an appliance that is causing interference. If you find one, then a FilterLinc will help isolate the device and prevent the signal problem.

One handy tip: Setup a Time/Date action that triggers every 0 hours 0.10 minutes, that has as a _Send Device_ action to _Toggle On/Off_ the switch you are troubleshooting. This will flash the light from on->off->on->off->... every 6 seconds.

Regards,
Matt

Are you trying to control a halogen light? Those guys will usually turn on, but not off, when you're using a regular lamp controller. An appliance module does the trick; one of the higher wattage Smarthome switches might work with halogens but I haven't checked.

the lights are regular incandescents outside the front door of my house. i tried the on/off testing & the lights worked fine. the off event is set to fire at the same time as some other lights (sunrise -15 minutes); could this be causing the problem somehow?

[matt (support)]

the off event is set to fire at the same time as some other lights (sunrise -15 minutes); could this be causing the problem somehow?

This shouldn't matter since Indigo queues up X10 commands that are sent at the same time, then sends them out to the X10 interface one-by-one. That said, it sure wouldn't hurt anything to try using sunrise -14 minutes for that particular event to see if it changes anything. Does the Event Log show that the command is being sent out?

Regards,
Matt

here's the log entry--
5:59:23 AM, 4/12/04
Time/Date Action front door off
Sent X10 "Front Door" off
Time/Date Action fronts off
Sent X10 "Outside Fronts" off

[matt (support)]

Given the log entry, I'm 99% sure that Indigo is telling the X10 interface to put those commands on the power line. Could you have some appliance/or device that is causing X10 interference on the power line around sunrise? If you are up at 6 AM, it might be interesting to try to manually control those modules from Indigo at that time to see if it works.

Regards,
Matt

same problem today even with changing the off times so that they're staggered. the only thing that would be on then might be the furnace.

thanks-

[matt (support)]

This definitely sounds like an X10 signal problem. Do you have a repeater or any filters?

Matt

You would be surprised at how easy it is to introduce noise on the power line. My forced air heater doesn't cause any issues with my power lines. But Have heard of refrigerators causing issues. The biggest culprits are TV's. I put filters on all my TVs and have had very little signal problems since.