syap@ur-tut.UUCP (James Fitzwilliam) (02/14/88)
I'm an owner of a good amount of the carrier-current remote equipment with the various nameplates -- Timer, Telephone Responder, Powerhouse... and I have a few questions for netland: Are parameters for the X10 system publicly available, if so, where? i.e. what must be broadcast on the AC line for "Unit E-15 / Dim / All off" I'm interested in a telephone controller that would respond to touch-tones, but since I have the Powerhouse I would rather not get the Homeminder, so: Are ROM or other chips with the X10 command set available for purchase? It would be amazingly simple to buy a chip for the X10 controls, hook it up to a tone decoder, and - presto - telephone response. (Or are the chips off limits to prevent people from doing exactly that?) A general electronics question: Since I've never actually seen a design for a carrier-current operated device, I'm curious as to how the transmitter is isolated from the high-voltage AC on the "antenna" i.e. the line cord. Thanks in advance for any comments, answers, sources, advice. James domain: syap@tut.cc.rochester.edu path: rochester!ur-tut!syap "Piano is my forte" GEnie: FITZWILLIAM ============================================================================
psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Pete Fales) (02/16/88)
In article <960@ur-tut.UUCP>, syap@ur-tut.UUCP (James Fitzwilliam) writes: > Are parameters for the X10 system publicly available, if so, where? i.e. > what must be broadcast on the AC line for "Unit E-15 / Dim / All off" I'm > interested in a telephone controller that would respond to touch-tones, > but since I have the Powerhouse I would rather not get the Homeminder, so: The May, 1985 issue of Byte had an article called "Build The Home Run Control System - Part 2: The Hardware" by Steve Ciarcia. This article included a detailed description of the signals that are sent over the AC line and included schematics for some hardware to generate them. > > Are ROM or other chips with the X10 command set available for purchase? It > would be amazingly simple to buy a chip for the X10 controls, hook it up to > a tone decoder, and - presto - telephone response. (Or are the chips off > limits to prevent people from doing exactly that?) If you find any let me know! > A general electronics question: Since I've never actually seen a design for > a carrier-current operated device, I'm curious as to how the transmitter is > isolated from the high-voltage AC on the "antenna" i.e. the line cord. See the above mentioned article. As I recall (working from memory now) Steve was understandably concerned about builder safety and chose an approach involving a custom isolation transformer. There are probably cheaper approaches that could be used in high-volume sealed boxes like the BSR units. Obviously, anything involving a direct interface to 120VAC should be approached with a great deal of care. -- Peter Fales UUCP: ...ihnp4!ihlpe!psfales work: (312) 979-7784 AT&T Information Systems, IW 1Z-243 1100 E. Warrenville Rd., IL 60566
tedk@ihuxv.ATT.COM (Kekatos) (02/17/88)
In article <960@ur-tut.UUCP> syap@ur-tut.UUCP (James Fitzwilliam) writes: > >Are parameters for the X10 system publicly available, if so, where? i.e. >what must be broadcast on the AC line for "Unit E-15 / Dim / All off" I'm >interested in a telephone controller that would respond to touch-tones, >but since I have the Powerhouse I would rather not get the Homeminder, so: > James This subject is lively on the 'misc.consumers.house' newsgroup. There have been several magazine articles about building controllers. Subscribe there and look for "home automation" and "X-10". You could then try posting same request on misc.consumer.house
gary@percival.UUCP (Gary Wells) (02/19/88)
AC Line carrier devices isolate themselves from the "antenna" (AC line) via a step down transformer. Once its down to a rational voltage, you can pick it off with a diff amp IC. -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Still working on _natural_ intelligence. gary@percival