WS467 - Wall Switch Module problem?

[Raymond Hines III]

Greetings,

I recently installed/wired the WS467 a switch that provides power to an
electrical outlet nearby.

A lamp hooked up to it works just fine when you turn it on and off by
pressing the button.

I'm also able to turn the lamp/switch on by using the wireless remote or
the computer to send the A3-ON code.

However, I cannot turn the lamp/switch off using the wireless remote or
the computer.

I'm new to this and was wondering what I should look into -- is it a
noise problem? Amplification needed? Etc?

Thanks!
Ray

[Ido Bar-Tana]

Fixing 3 way master switches that doen't respond to remote switch:

Here is a sure cure for 3 ways working only from the master switch or just
OFF from the remote switch

The solution requires replacing a resistor inside the master switch. The
little theory behind it: the signal strength from the slave switch is
attenuated by the resistance of the wall wires and the resistance of the
lamp filament (the X10 signal passes through the lamp). Thus with long
wires, and some hot lamps, there is insufficient signal to detect remote
switching. This resistance is added to a resistance of an INTERNAL resistor
inside the switch. My solution was to reduce the internal resistor, such
that the total resistance (wall wires + fillament + internal resistor) is
reduced, increasing signal strength.

Sometimes the problem has an even weirder manifestation: the slave switch
can turn the light OFF but not ON. This is related to another parameter: the
X10 transmission protocol. Turning ON requires more '1' bits than OFF. '1'
bits are higher voltage, which as discussed, are attenuated. OFF is the
absence of voltage, which is there by default. Thus OFF works but ON
doesn't.

Yet other times, the opposite happens: the wall switch turns on but not off.
The wall switch module is wired in series with the light bulb, this means
that the powerline signals have to pass through the filament of the bulb in
order to complete the circuit. The reason you can get the wall switch module
to turn on but not off is because the X-10 signal has to pass through the
lamp, and a hot lamp has a higher resistance than a cold lamp, therefore it
takes a slightly higher amplitude of signal to turn a wall switch off than
it takes to turn it on. If however you have a big enough signal, you would
not notice the difference.

The procedure to solve all these problems:

1. Open the module: unscrew the screw holding the aluminum plate to the
triac and carefully push the tabs at the four corners of the case and open
the two halves of the plastic case. Push out the RED BLACK and BLUE wires
from the plastic notch.

2. Carefully, using a small flat screwdriver push out the PCB from the
plastic case. Behind it are the two code wheels and the power cut and
switch. The powercut has a small metal tab that you don't want to lose if
you want this feature.

3. The area of interest is where the RED wire is soldered in the PCB. It is
followed by a 10Kohm 1/2W resistor (brown, black,orange). Replace this with
an 8KOhm resistor. Assemble everything back.

Raymond Hines III wrote in message <37BB7E5B...@hinesfamily.com>...

[Raymond Hines III]

This is great detailed information! This switch is just a single switch
though, for on and off -- two wires -- black and blue. I did see that
the blue wire goes into the same spot where you mentioned the red wire
goes and I see the brown, black, and orange resistor. Would the
procedure be the same in this case as with the three way?

Many thanks!
Ray

[Ido Bar-Tana]

I never had it with a two-way switch (which I think are called WS466), but
in theory, this should be the same. Again, never tried it with a two way.
Another point is that for me it was always with lamps that are far (greater
than 15') from the controller. If your lamp is close to the module, I'm not
sure its a signal strength problem.

Ido

Raymond Hines III wrote in message <37BB9A0B...@hinesfamily.com>...