X10 MS12A Motion Sensors Operation
RemarQ User
Sensors. I question its operation as a motion sensor.
I have two lamps , one set to A2 and one set to A3. I
set the sensor for A2.
When putting it in the dark I expected motion to turn
on A2. The led on the sensor flases, but A2 does not
go on. The darkness turns on A3, the lightness turns
it off.
Shouldn't A2 go on when I move near the sensor in
the dark room? I can even set up an on/off
continous cycle by putting the sensor under lamp A3.
Also, is there any way to just use the device as a
motion sensor? I can see complications if I set it up to
turn lights on for motion with the added complication
of light/dark on/off on the unit code + 1.
I can cycle the A2 light by pressing the House/On and
Unit/Off button found under the battery cover.
So again I ask, why does not the motion turn A2 on
and off?
Is this the reason X10 is giving these things away?
Any help here would be appreciated
.
Charles Feldman
feld...@juno.com (e-mail replies always welcom)
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Bruce
thick coat of liquid paper on the sensor (roundish/ovalish sensor sticking
up on two legs to the right of the motion sensor with squiggly lines on
it.... the motion sensor kind of looks like a little TV) or cut the jumper
just above the motion sensor (the jumper was about 90% covered up by what
looked like hot glue on the last one I did). Details of the Mod are at
"Tom's automation page" .... http://www3.edgenet.net/lingling/xindex.html
Bruce
RemarQ User wrote in message ...
Gerard J Rolape
a lot of stuff but may missed this one.
When I disable the "dusk/dawn" feature will this free up the "unit code" that
is normally associated with this code? IE. I set motion detector to "A4" this
normally ties up "A5" with a dusk to dawn on/off function. I would like to
use "A5" to control a appliance module not associated with "dusk/dawn"
function. I think it should just looking for confirmation...
Thanks?
Have a nice day... Jerry R
Washington, DC gjro...@radix.net
http://www.radix.net/~gjrolape
http://www.cpcug.org/user/rolape/railroad.html
------------ Original Message ------------
Bruce
"unit+1" code. Interestingly, when I first used the "cover up the sensor"
technique, I had mysterious operation on the Unit+1 code that I had assigned
to something else. Apparently, some light was leaking through. Using the
"cut the jumper" technique took care of it.
Bruce
Gerard J Rolape wrote in message <3667EA37...@radix.net>...
Eric L Reuter
: It's best to disable the "dusk/dawn" feature of the unit. Either put a
: thick coat of liquid paper on the sensor (roundish/ovalish sensor sticking
A bit of black electrical tape does nicely too...
Eric
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Reuter EE Audio and Worcester Polytechnic Institute
gam...@wpi.edu Music Technology '98.5 http://www.wpi.edu/~gamera
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stefano Bodini
>normally ties up "A5" with a dusk to dawn on/off function. I would like to
>use "A5" to control a appliance module not associated with "dusk/dawn"
>function. I think it should just looking for confirmation...
Yes, confirmed !
C'ya
Steve
---------------------------------
Stefano Bodini - ISDN Consultant
s.bo...@clark.net
Remove the dot to email me
---------------------------------
RemarQ User
I have yet to see the units detect motion. I do not get
the unit to turn on the lamp set to the house code. I
only see the dusk/dawn feature on the house code + 1
lamp. Does defeating dusk/dawn make the motion sense
part work?
Charles Feldman
feld...@juno.com
John Seifert
You may have a sick unit as your description of it's behavior is not
normal aside from defeating the dusk/dawn feature. Do you have another
unit you could try?
j...
Ido Bar-Tana
covering the sensor. Covering the sensor does not stop the sensor from
operating and consuming power doing so.
I think the best solution in terms of power consumption is to totally
disable the light sensing part of the circuit by disconnecting it from power
(rather then just disconnecting its output to the PIC by disconnecting the
diode). Simply disconnecting the diode still would reduce power somewhat,
but three bipolars and the detector would be consuming power for nothing. An
analogy would be a computer screen saver: some power is saved (~20%) by the
screen blacked out, but the circuitry is still working there consuming power
for nothing.
To TOTALLY disable the light sensing path, the following resistors need to
be clipped (or removed):
R9, R11, R12, R13 and D1.
Each of these feeds power to a bipolar along the light sensing path. The
numbers are from S. M. Bloom's schematics (that I think match the PCB
numbering).
I hadn't measured empirically how much power this would save, but a crude
calc showed that about 30-40% power goes thru the light sensing path, so one
can expect to approximately double the battery life after this modification.
Ido
Eric L Reuter wrote in message <748trj$nmv$1...@bigboote.WPI.EDU>...
John Seifert
a year and it is still going strong. It is operating with the light sensor
covered with black shrink tubing from the time I installed the unit, so I don't
see battery life a big problem .
j...
RemarQ User
concerning no motion sense for On/Off of unit code)
It was suggested that as a long shot I look at phase
problems in my house.
Well I placed my RR501 in several different outlets
and sure enough , some lights were controllable while
others weren't. Why all are controllable with the
CM11A, I have yet to understand, unless its signal
output is higherand bridges all the phases. I just
happen to have an extra RR501 and plugged it in on
a diffrent floor of my house and have just verified all
lights are controllable. (Is it OK to have two RR501 unit
set the same in operation as I do now?)
Now I just tried a test on my MS12A and it works fine.
I thank everyone for the look at that web site and
the tips on making the MS12 non dependant on
darknesss to sense motion. I am still left with some
general X10 questions concerning my apparant phase
problem.
1)Why does the CM11A talk to everything?
2)Why did I not get consistant operation at all with an
MS12A until I set up two RR501 units? The hand held
remote UR19A worked on some units but not all until I
added the extra RR501. The MS12A did not work for
any unit codes until this was done.
I am not a first time X10 user. I had it set up in my
CO-OP apartment several yesars ago. This is the first
time I am using it in a house. My house is not that
large, less than 2000 sq. ft, but has two levels plus
a basement. I know that you cannot use a BR521 with
an RR501 from experience. The inconsistancies I see
now are very unusual.
More to come....
YaKnow
RemarQ User wrote in message ...
>I have yet to see the units detect motion. I do not get
>the unit to turn on the lamp set to the house code. I
>only see the dusk/dawn feature on the house code + 1
>lamp. Does defeating dusk/dawn make the motion sense
>part work?
I believe it will not sense motion if there is light.
Also, you have to let it sit for a minute before you can expect it to pick
up motion. Mine seemed flaky until I sat it down and got away from it for a
few minutes.
Brian Karas
it won't transmit unless it's dark (dark being somewhat relative...)
[] [] "YaKnow" <blue...@usa.net> was saying:
>
>I believe it will not sense motion if there is light.
>Also, you have to let it sit for a minute before you can expect it to pick
>up motion. Mine seemed flaky until I sat it down and got away from it for a
>few minutes.
>
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Heather Ruisinger
What I did was open it up, and look for
to dawn/dusk sensor, it's the tall one
on the right. cover it with black electrical
tape. that fixed the problem for me.
rick