Guys help with X10 Radio Shack wall switch.

[maxse]

Hi guys. I just bought an X10 switch from Radio shack t owork with my IR543.
Now the radio shack X10 switch only had 2 wires. I assume one is Hot and the other Nuetral. I dont have a ground at my switch so I connected the black to hot and the blue to nuetral.

No I am experiencing a terrible problem. Through the IR543 module I can turn on the light, however I ca NOT run them off. I unplugged all appliances thinking it was interference, still nothing! Again the lights go on but I cant turn them off! Can any1 help me out please.

[Mark Pierson]

If you're using the default X10 setup code (HomeAuto/0167) then Channel UP should be ON and Channel DOWN should be OFF after selecting the proper numeric Unit Code. The Volume buttons should be Dim and Brighten.

[maxse]

im actually using the buttons on the ir543 itself not the remote... Some1 on another forum suggested that it might be a low-volt lamp and might create enough noise to overpower the X10 signal.

[mr_d_p_gumby]

Now the radio shack X10 switch only had 2 wires. I assume one is Hot and the other Nuetral. I dont have a ground at my switch so I connected the black to hot and the blue to nuetral.

First, why are you assuming this when the switch came with instructions and wiring diagrams?

In any event, your assumption is totally wrong, and may cause damage to the switch. The switch should not be connected to neutral. One wire goes to the supply ("hot") and the other goes to the load. If you indeed wired as you described above, the switch would be wired right across the power line, and would not survive for long once you turned it on.

[maxse]

yea sorry. You are right I meant one goes to the device and the other to the power. There is no neutral. Perhaps this can be the reason why im having problems? Should I have less distortion if I have a switch that has a third wire for neutral?

Sorry about the questions just want to make sure before I spend another $60 and have to return the product if it still doesnt work.

[mr_d_p_gumby]

Through the IR543 module I can turn on the light, however I ca NOT run them off. I unplugged all appliances thinking it was interference, still nothing! Again the lights go on but I cant turn them off!

This is usually caused by a combination of a weak X10 signal and interference on the power line. When the lamp is off, it's resistance is low, and the signal comes through with sufficient strength to activate the switch. Once turned on, the lamp filament's resistance goes up, which attenuates the X10 signal to the point where the interference is stronger than the signal, and you can't turn off the lamp.

Make sure you are using an incandescent lamp--these switches do not work with flourescent lamps, or low-voltage lamps that are powered by a transformer. Try plugging the IR543 into different outlets (particularly outlets that are connected to the same phase as the lamp circuit) to see if that makes any difference. Sometimes, using a larger wattage lamp will help. Look for electronic equipment with switching power supplies (computer, TV, Ionic Breeze, etc.) and try unplugging them to see if it helps. Just turning the equipment off is not sufficient as the power supplies can still cause interference when turned off. If you find a piece of equipment that is causing interference, you will need to power it through an EMI or X10 filter.

[Herbie]

One more tip: If you do find that the switching power supply on a particular device is causing you problems, Radio Shack sells an inline filter for the power line that can solve the problem.

In my case my PC monitor interferes quite significantly, but installing the filter makes everything work 100%.

The one I use is catalog # 15-1111B, but I don't see it in their online catalog anymore.

Here's a newer one:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c ... d=980-0867

Hope that helps.