OEM chips for X-10 available?

Hello.

I'm new on X10 and home automation, but have been on electronics for
several years.

I'm looking for some OEM module or "all-in-one" chip containing all
the circuitry for signal_processing->mo/dem->decoder for building my
own X-10 appliances. I can use several microcontrollers I have
experience on, and I just need some kind of asic IC or so to make all
the stuff regarding the X-10 protocol and interface with power line.

Any help would be appreciated, because I have not found anything yet
for this.

Many thanks in advance.

Eduardo Gimeno.
Spain

 

PicBasic Pro has macro functions to send/receive X10 commands with a
PIC. The X10 chip does the decoding but
you're gonna need an oscillator and line isolation components.
Unless you need a LOT of 'em, it's hard to imagine building one cheaper
than you can buy a module. If you're using a computer for the transmit
end, a firecracker module is the easiest way to go.
There's a ton of info on the web. Google is your friend.
mike


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Well, let's take another view.

I started talking about X-10 because it seems popular, and it made me
think I would find lots of info about it. But let's assume I have no
preference.

I only need to send/receive commands over the power line (in my case
es 220V 50Hz, Spain), and I need it with the simplest solution, in
terms of price and circuit simplicity.

I would like to know there is some IC which I can feed with the power
line signal (after some treatment), connect 8 dip switches to 8 pins
to fill the code, and receive a digital signal 0/1 on some other pin
(for a receiver, reverse for a transceiver).

Any other protocol available for this?

By the way, what is a firecracker???

Regards.,
Eduardo Gimeno

 

Hello Eduardo,

It depends on how reliable it has to be. Personally I would not control
anything critical with X10. Other than that it works for us.

Several, such as Lonworks. But then it gets expensive.

A device that plugs into your PC. It sends X10 RF commands to the
wireless transceiver instead of using a powerline modem like we do.

Whatever you do, make sure it is geared towards 50Hz. The X10 modules we
are using in the US are set for 60Hz. For a reasonable signal to noise
ratio you need to have the 120kHz bursts of X10 happen at the zero
crossing. Or at least near those.

Saludos, Joerg

 

If you're building a zillion, that may be the right question to ask.
If you're building one, you're probably better off buying a solution.
Messing with the power line when you don't know what you're doing is
an invitation for a fire truck.

And that "treatment" is the problem. Safety issues, reliability issues
for hardware and data.

You can buy devices that can connect your modem over the power line.
My experience was that the performance was horrible...when they worked
at all.


connect 8 dip switches to 8 pins

google firecracker x10, you can't miss it.
Sad that they're now $40. They used to give them away.

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I've converted a few of the MC460 mini controllers to work from
240V just by changing the dropping and coupling capacitors (and
mains lead), and they work fine on 50Hz without any other mods.

 

Hello Andrew,

It's been too long ago that I looked at the protocol. But I remember it
detected the zero crossing and placed the burst there, plus on
subsequently calculated three-phase crossings. So while it may work on
single phase it might not be that reliable when another module runs off
another phase, even when there is a bridge.

Thing is, in the US homes don't generally have three-phase power.

Regards, Joerg

 

69th Place between Oak and Thomas in old-town Scottsdale, AZ, has
three-phase power. Makes for very efficient A/C. I lived there from
1964 thru 1969.

...Jim Thompson

 

Hello Jim,

Lucky you. We live in a house with 200 amp two-phase. Out here they are
all two-phase. When I turn on a big analyzer some of the lights dim and
others brighten for a split second. Sometimes I have to ask my wife not
to turn on the vacuum cleaner just yet, or plug it in somewhere else.

We had three phases in our house in Germany. 380V/63A, plus another for
the heat pump. Boy, did I get spoiled by that. Just imagine, 230V and
16-25 amps per circuit (and 7 cents per kilowatthour...). Now I have to
account for all the printers, copiers and so on to make sure I don't
exceed about 2000 watts per circuit. Else I'll be scurrying for the
flashlight after clicking the print button.

Regards, Joerg

 

Are you sure that house doesn't have "split phase"? Split phase is single phase
240 volt service split into two 120v circuits. Look at the label in your power meter.
The 240 volts is available for clothes dryers and ovens or burner top ranges.

 

The arguments over whether 120-0-120 is 'two phase' or 'split phase' is
interminable and futile. It's both, depending on how you define it. I
think we can rule out 'neither', but I'm not 100% sure.(;-)

 

Hello Jack,

Yes, sorry for not being specific, it is split phase. The utility guys
still called it two-phase. We do have 240V for large appliances.

Regards, Joerg

 

Hello John,

True. But Jack has a point. We do have three phase at the 10KV level.
The individual transformers are hooked up to two wires each, in a round
robin fashion along the HV line to even out the load.

Regards, Joerg

 

True 2-phase power is rare nowadays, When it's supplied at all, it's
supplied as two 220V split-phase circuits in quadrature. There are still
some 20phase motors around, but they are run from Scott T transformers.
In New York City, the power company must supply three-phase power on
request. When my cousins built adjacent houses in Staten Island and
insisted on 3-phase power, it was provided from a Scott T that tied into
a nearby two-phase feeder. Later, that feed was changed over to
three-phase ans the transformer bank eliminated.

For systems with line-to-neutral voltages of 120, split phase is 240
line-to-line, 2 phase is 170, and 2 drops from three phases on the pole
-- a common residential service in three-phase areas -- is 208. (208
volt single-phase home appliances are available.)

Jerry

 

'2 phase' in itself doesn't demand that the interphase angle is 90
degrees. I SAID that argument was pointless.

 

Would you accept a six-phase rectifier bank that had all phases in the
same quadrant? The language problem arises because there are two uses of
"two phase", both legitimate.

Whenever two separate wires, not in phase, carry power, the system has
two phases and is loosely called 2-phase. (The common phase differences
are 180. 120, and 90 degrees. If 135 degrees were supplied, that would
also be two phases.)

The technical use implies 90 degrees. See what a 2-phase motor needs for
power. Look up the connections and turns ratios needed for a transformer
bank that converts between 2-phase and 3-phase (Scott T) and see what
angles are involved.

Both the loose and the technical usages have their places. Arguing about
which is "right" is not so much pointless as beside the point.

Jerry

 

What's the difference? (;-)

But I agree.

 

You want a Micromint PLIX chip.
http://www.micromint.com/products/chips.htm

Power Line Interface for X-10 (PLIX)

PLIX Chip and TW523
Parallel PLIX is an 18-pin CMOS chip which provides an intelligent
communication interface between a computer and X-10 AC power-line
control modules. PLIX removes the burden of complex X-10 programming
protocol from the designer by providing a simple parallel interface. It
takes care of the complex zero-crossing timing for sending and receiving
X-10 commands so you don't have to. An otherwise simple embedded
controller can now also feature X-10 power-line control by simply adding
a PLIX chip to the design. PLIX are available in both a Parallel and
Serial version.

SERIAL PLIX is designed to interface with the Serial port of any
embedded controller or computer. Using simple ASCII commands, the user
now has a simple way to communicate with the X-10 powerline adapter
module (TW523) to control electronic devices over the existing
powerlines. With a little imagination and software support from the
user, Serial PLIX also has the capability to transmit and receive data
segments via the powerlines. The user can select the baud rate and other
parameters to obtain the desired communications protocol.

$19 qty 1.

--Gene

 

Let's retake the subject, because it resulted in a discussion about
pahses and so on...

The micromint PLIX chip seemed perfect for the task until I found out
I also needed another module (TW523) whose size is huge (apart from
the cost).

Once again, I don't want to shut the doors just to X-10. I need an
easy to implement and unexpensive protocol to communicate over the
PLC. Even I can lay a data cable for this matter, because I have a
spare electrical tube between each pair of boxes I asked just for this
purpose. When I heard about X-10 I thought I wouldn't need to use the
spare tube, but now when I see the complexity, I do not discard using
it.

Someone mentioned Lonworks. Does it make my problem easy to solve?

Another commands protocol for remote switching over the PLC, or over a
dedicated data line which can be implemented mostly on one chip and
unexpensively?

Thanks!
Eduardo.