Ghost X10 commands.

Posted on
Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:32 pm
gsades offline
Posts: 18
Joined: Aug 17, 2016

Ghost X10 commands.

I'm making a new installation. Everything was working right (hue lights, sonos speakers and a samsung tv) but today I installed some old X10 devices. They started to work ok through the CM15A interface. After making some tests, I started to make some triggers which run an action group after a X10 sensor detects motion:

-X10 sensor detects motion then
-Run action group (lights on)
-Run another action group delayed 10 mins (lights off)

The problem is that after 10 minutes, just after the second action group is run, Indigo gets a "ghost" X10 on command of the motion sensor, which makes an infinite loop. I found a similar case in the forum (viewtopic.php?f=87&t=12860) and after reading it I implemented an extra variable which doesn't let the trigger to be activated for a couple of seconds after the second action group is run. This solved the problem for now, but this is not what I expected. The turnaround is as follows:

-X10 sensor detects motion. If variable "sensorEnabled" is true then
-Run action group (lights on)
-Run another action group delayed 10 mins (lights off)
-Change variable sensorEnabled to false (delayed 10 mins)
-Change variable sensorEnabled to true (delayed 10 mins and 2 secs)

Currently there are no more X10 devices, so I don't think it's possible to have an actual device sending the signal. By now, there is only a motion sensor (address G2), the TM751 transceiver (set to house G), and the CM15A interface. I have made extensive tests modifying addresses, times, trigger configurations and the result is always the same.

I plan to include many more X10 devices, but I would like to solve this problem in the right way before my Indigo setup becomes unnecessary complicated and unable to be understood in the future.

How can I get rid of those nasty ghost signals?

Posted on
Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:54 am
jay (support) offline
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Ghost X10 commands.

Do you have the CM15 configured to mirror the X10 RF commands onto the powerline? That might be doing it. Also, does the Event Log window show 2 different X10 received commands?

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Mon Aug 29, 2016 10:59 am
gsades offline
Posts: 18
Joined: Aug 17, 2016

Re: Ghost X10 commands.

Jay,

The resend option is turned off in Indigo for every house code and is not repeating X10 commands as it receive them. The event log registers the true X10 command when it should (i.e. when the sensor detects motion), and is getting the signal again when the trigger starts the delayed action regardless of the delayed time. If delayed action is set to be run in 10 minutes, then the ghost signal shows after 10 minutes but if delayed time is set to 3 minutes then it shows in 3 minutes. I have tried several time intervals and it always appears when delayed action is run what makes me suspect it is not a real signal but something out of the physical X10 system.

I deleted all related setup and remade it several times to discard a configuration error. It works fine until I include a delayed action to execute an action group task. Then the X10 signal appears at the event log and Indigo responds just as if motion was actually detected (entering into an infinite loop). I'm keeping configuration as simple as possible to isolate the error and my only conclusion is that the delayed X10 signal doesn't actually exist.

The event log shows as many X10 received commands as detections the sensor sees, plus the last unwanted "fake". If sensor detects motion, the X10 command is logged and then logged again for every time the sensor detects motion while the delayed action is being waiting. I understand this is normal and the way it should be, and is also what keeps the lights on for 10 minutes from the last time sensor detected motion.

Any idea?

Posted on
Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:50 am
jay (support) offline
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Posts: 18200
Joined: Mar 19, 2008
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Ghost X10 commands.

Please do screen captures of the Actions list when you have the delayed action specified and post them on a follow-up. If Action Groups are being executed, include screen shots of all the actions in the Action groups. It sounds like the delayed action is sending an X10 signal somehow...

Also copy/paste the Event Log lines that show the original trigger firing, the non-delayed actions firing, and the delayed actions firing and the "ghost" X10 signal.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:41 pm
gsades offline
Posts: 18
Joined: Aug 17, 2016

Re: Ghost X10 commands.

Jay,

I finally solved it: this was super weird!

I was about to take the screenshots you requested but decided to make some more test before. I set the timer to 1 minute and went downstairs to see what was happening there. I found that the sensor got activated every time the lights started to dim, so there was an actual X10 on signal :shock: . I don't know what was causing this (maybe a defective sensor?). I changed the sensor and now everything is working fine.

Thank you very much for your support.

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