Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10 modules.
It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay
lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position.
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off, but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn out sooner.
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10 modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, stairwell, or garage ...), howmuch current drain is there if I just let them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off, but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn out sooner.
On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:09:33 -0700 (PDT), marklewesq@gmail.com wrote:
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10 >modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay >lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, >stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let >them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the >drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is >lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position.
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off, >but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn >out sooner.
You can always use an appliance module. Simply all on or all off.
In article <obkkrb9p5sv79au1u3llbfmn4sumjcsski@4ax.com>,
Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote:
On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:09:33 -0700 (PDT), marklewesq@gmail.com wrote:
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10 >>> modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay >>> lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, >>> stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let >>> them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the
drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is
lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position.
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off, >>> but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn >>> out sooner.
You can always use an appliance module. Simply all on or all off.
Yup, but noisy.
Isaac
On 8/22/2016 1:05 AM, isw wrote:
In article <obkkrb9p5sv79au1u3llbfmn4sumjcsski@4ax.com>,And still the small "leakage" continues because of the local control
Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote:
On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:09:33 -0700 (PDT), marklewesq@gmail.com wrote:
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10
modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay >>>> lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, >>>> stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let >>>> them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the
drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is >>>> lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position.
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off,
but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn >>>> out sooner.
You can always use an appliance module. Simply all on or all off.
Yup, but noisy.
Isaac
sense current. So, the lamp will still light dimly or flicker. I've
removed the resistor (plenty of on line sites tell how). If the clicks >bother you, you can modify an lamp module to make it a click free
appliance module (again several sites show how). I have done this to
several modules and they work just fine with CFLs and now LEDs. One
such module seems to get stuck in the on state after a short power
glitch. I have to then do a clean power cycle to get it back to normal.
On Mon, 22 Aug 2016 07:56:46 -0400, Art Todesco <actodesco@yahoo.com>
wrote:
On 8/22/2016 1:05 AM, isw wrote:
In article <obkkrb9p5sv79au1u3llbfmn4sumjcsski@4ax.com>,And still the small "leakage" continues because of the local control
Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote:
On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:09:33 -0700 (PDT), marklewesq@gmail.com wrote:
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10
modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay >>>>> lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, >>>>> stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let >>>>> them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the
drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is >>>>> lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position. >>>>>
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off,
but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn >>>>> out sooner.
You can always use an appliance module. Simply all on or all off.
Yup, but noisy.
Isaac
sense current. So, the lamp will still light dimly or flicker. I've
removed the resistor (plenty of on line sites tell how). If the clicks
bother you, you can modify an lamp module to make it a click free
appliance module (again several sites show how). I have done this to
several modules and they work just fine with CFLs and now LEDs. One
such module seems to get stuck in the on state after a short power
glitch. I have to then do a clean power cycle to get it back to normal.
There are modern applicance modules that still click loudly? I think I swapped out my last original X-10 module for something programmable and silent at least 10 years ago. You should also be able to program whether
the "local on" feature is active, which is usually what wants to pass that small trickle current through the appliance to detect the local switch
being toggled. That's the current that is just enough to make a high efficiency light like an LED come on dimly.
On 8/27/2016 6:11 PM, Brian W. Antoine wrote:
On Mon, 22 Aug 2016 07:56:46 -0400, Art Todesco <actodesco@yahoo.com>The programmable appliance modules I've used, Smarthome, still squirt a >current through the appliance (lamp) for the local on/off function.
wrote:
On 8/22/2016 1:05 AM, isw wrote:
In article <obkkrb9p5sv79au1u3llbfmn4sumjcsski@4ax.com>,And still the small "leakage" continues because of the local control
Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote:
On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:09:33 -0700 (PDT), marklewesq@gmail.com wrote: >>>>>
Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from using LED lamps with X10
modules. It is pretty well known that when "off", the LED's dim but stay
lit. If I do not care bout them being completely off (like in a closet, >>>>>> stairwell, or garage ...), how much current drain is there if I just let >>>>>> them glow slightly. I am switching 11 watt LED's for 13 watt CFL's. If the
drain is over 2 watts, then switching would not help much. If drain is >>>>>> lower, then it might make sense to let them glow in the off position. >>>>>>
I also don't understand that in one circuit it is half brightness when off,
but in another, the glow is only noticeable in complete darkness.
I am using Phillips non-dimmable, but they do dim - maybe they might burn
out sooner.
You can always use an appliance module. Simply all on or all off.
Yup, but noisy.
Isaac
sense current. So, the lamp will still light dimly or flicker. I've
removed the resistor (plenty of on line sites tell how). If the clicks
bother you, you can modify an lamp module to make it a click free
appliance module (again several sites show how). I have done this to
several modules and they work just fine with CFLs and now LEDs. One
such module seems to get stuck in the on state after a short power
glitch. I have to then do a clean power cycle to get it back to normal.
There are modern applicance modules that still click loudly? I think I
swapped out my last original X-10 module for something programmable and
silent at least 10 years ago. You should also be able to program whether
the "local on" feature is active, which is usually what wants to pass that >> small trickle current through the appliance to detect the local switch
being toggled. That's the current that is just enough to make a high
efficiency light like an LED come on dimly.
And, as I recall, the current is still present even when the local
on/off function is unused. The current for these modules is much
smaller than that of regular older design modules, but still can make a >string of LED Christmas lights glow dimly, but less than the regular
modules.
To get a lamp module to work with LEDs and CFLs and low-power incandescent, you have to remove components associated with the local control feature.
If you are ok with doing mods to your appliance module, open it up and locate the 100K resistor (brown-black-yellow bands) and the 330K resistor (orange-orange-yellow bands). Chop both out of the unit. Or at least clip one lead of each.
The local control feature won't work, but LEDs and other low-power bulbs will work fine.
This will also reduce the quiescent power drain of the module.
On Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 2:38:55 PM UTC-4, lxb...@gmail.com wrote:
To get a lamp module to work with LEDs and CFLs and low-power incandescent, you have to remove components associated with the local control feature.
If you are ok with doing mods to your appliance module, open it up and locate the 100K resistor (brown-black-yellow bands) and the 330K resistor (orange-orange-yellow bands). Chop both out of the unit. Or at least clip one lead of each.
The local control feature won't work, but LEDs and other low-power bulbs will work fine.
This will also reduce the quiescent power drain of the module.
Mr. lxb,
Thanks for this info! In other posts suggested snipping a zener which did not help. But please clarify: there are two 330k resistors in the schematic. Which one is the correct one?
Thanks tremendously! Joe
Here's an easy fix for LED lamp glow (and perhaps flicker) with X10 modules (AM466 appliance modules in particular). Recently I replaced several outdoor halogen floodlights with LED units and was was surprised to see that they remained ON (faintlybut definitely) even when switched off. I had assumed that the appliance modules, which click audibly when switched on or off and which have no dimming function, were simple relays . . . but it turns out that, like the dimmable lamp modules, they emit
X10 websites show many schemes for modifying the AM466 to defeat this; it relates to "local control" current, and it involves clipping resistor(s) and/or diodes. Unfortunately, there are many different makes and models of the unit with differentcircuit board layouts, and the online plans don't distinguish among them.
Fortunately, along the way, I saw mention of hooking a small load such as a night light in parallel with an LED lamp to draw away current and eliminate the glow. This would of course just replace one glow with another, albeit the night lights could betucked away in the cabinet with my X10 modules. Then I saw mention of using a small AC adapter, e.g. a phone charger, typically 1W or less, as the load. One simply plugs a splitter/adapter into the X10 module and then plugs in the LED lamp and the
I have a whole collection of AC power supplies in different sizes; I tried a couple of the 5V units, which are most plentiful, and mirabile dictu no more glow! I ordered several inexpensive USB phone chargers, and alas these didn't solve the problem;they replaced the steady glow with an intermittent glow, flickering about 1/sec. Perhaps these use solid state switching rather than good, old fashioned transformers . . . In any event, I've gone back to the older power supplies, and these work very
I wonder what principles are involved here, and what dummy load (resistive, inductive, etc.) would be ideal (lowest power, lowest cost)? Would a similar approach work for dimmer modules? I have some dimmer circuits with multiple lamps which willaccept LED's as long as one halogen bulb (resistive load) remains. In a dimmer circuit with a single lamp, I wonder what load might be plugged into a socket adapter, in parallel with the lamp?
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