A new dawn in X10 Automation reliability
JV Digital Engineering has provided a variety of electrical engineering design services, ranging from custom ATE to X10 automation equipment. Recent work has concentrated on increasing the reliability of X10 automation systems and products for the model railroad community.
The X10 automation protocol was developed by Pico Electronics back in the 70’s. Many of us were first introduced to home automation through their products. Back in those early days the home electrical environment was relatively benign, and the simple X10 protocol worked very well.
Since then the home electrical environment has become much more complex. Many of the devices used today are downright hostile to X10 communication. As we add devices to our electrical systems, each of them absorbs some X10 signal. The XTB “X10 Transmit Booster” was developed to combat this problem.
The XTBR and XTB-IIR are high-power repeaters that boost the output of X10 transmitters for much more reliable operation of X10 devices. The XTB-232, XTB-523, and XTB-XM are high-reliability powerline interfaces for PC-based automation systems and other dedicated controllers.
Powerline noise has also become a significant problem for X10 reliability. The XTB-ANR can reduce powerline noise.
While developed for the model railroad community, the Ultrasonic Range Detector may be useful for automation projects.
Our Troubleshooting Guides explain how X10 systems operate, and how to deal with issues that impact their reliability in today’s complex electrical environment. Our goal is to help you get your X10 automation system working as it should.