I've been having some issues with the X-10 commands that my Pronto sends. Specifically, the buton that jumps to my "Lights" panel issues the X-10 command for the overhead lights in the room to make it easier to turn the living room lights on and off. However, the panel also offers buttons to control other lights. I find that after pressing a button that sends the X-10 command for some other light, very often the overhead lights in the living room come on along with the lights I'm actually trying to work.

Does anyone know if I need a delay after issuing an X-10 command to prevent this type of crossover? If so, how long of a delay do I need?

Or, if I'm tottally off base here, I welcome any suggestions.

Thanks!
Dale

Don't know what you're specific needs are, but here's what I did for a simple two-light X-10 macro. Sometimes they would NOT work properly in a different order, so the idea here is to experiement:

[C] LIGHTS-1
[C] LIGHTS-1
[D] 0.1 sec
[C] LIGHTS ON
[D] 0.3 sec
[C] LIGHTS-2
[C] LIGHTS-2
[D] 0.1 sec
[C] LIGHTS ON

And of course I have the reverse to turn them off. I could not get the "all-on-one" id/command codes to work in macros -- however I use them for dimming (my light switch has a programmable dim setting so I don't need to worry about it in macros).

Increasing the delay won’t solve your problem, and the X10 protocol is working as designed. The way X10 works is to “wake up” one or multiple receivers (switches, lamp modules, etc.) on a particular house code, and then issue a single command to which all the listening (awakened) receivers will operate. Any number of receivers on a single house code can be “awakened.” After receiving a command, the receivers stop listening until they are awakened for the next command. Allowing multiple items to be controlled with a single command was done to economize on the bandwidth required by X10 on the powerline, but it can also be more convenient for you, now that you understand it.

So by sending the overhead light command as you enter the lights panel, you are “waking up” that light’s receiver, and it will respond to the next on/off/dim command, whenever that may be. Then, after you press a button to command another light or appliance, you then have two “awakened” receivers listening for the next command. Then when you press the ON button, both things turn on. Minimally, all you have to do is stop sending the overhead light command as you enter the lights panel and endure another button press to activate that light. But now that you know how X10 works, you can be more creative and come up with single-button-activated lighting scenes that are more convenient. You can now dim or brighten a group of lights together with a single button (once the receivers are awake), and that’s without even using macros!

Darnitol,

If you are using the IR543 like I am, it remebers each unit number you send it and queues it up until a command is hit. For instance, if you send it a 1 command, then hit on, Unit 1 will turn on.

If you hit 1, 3, 7, then an on command, units 1, 3, and 7 will ALL turn on, it queues all of them up until you hit the actual command button.

I actually find this feature very convenient for setting the lights to movie mode, i.e. I'll give an ALL OFF, then 1,2,3, dim, dim, dim and the lights are dimmed to a low level.

So to avoid controlling the the overhead lights in your living room along with another set of lights you enter on your Pronto, remove them from the macro that jumps to the light panel. I'm really not sure if the number command will ever time out of the IR543.

Hope this helps!

Erik:
Are you sure it's the IR543 queuing things up? Everything I have read would support bdub's description and would not have the IR543 running the show.

Dale:
Do you have anything else controlling x-10 (like Active Home)? I have seen occasional problems like you are describing when I had a CM11a running with Active Home. My solution was to get rid of the CM11a and Active Home - no more problems.

The receiving units for each device listen for their own code. Bdub is correct. IR543 just sends device codes thru the wiring when you press device numbers. This "wakes" the appropiate receivers up. Then the next non-device number code (ON,OFF,DIM,BRIGHT) that comes thru is received by all "awakened" receivers and acted upon.

This is wonderful for mood/theater lighting, and easy room by room all ON/OFF macros.

Oops… Besides being somewhat incoherent, my previous reply also has an inaccuracy: The awakened devices do not stop listening once they have responded to a single On/Off/Dim command. Rather, they continue listening for and responding to On/Off/Dim commands indefinitely, or until they are put back to sleep by a subsequent unit number. So if you press 1,3, and 7, then those (and no other) devices will respond to all On/Off/Dim commands all day long, or until you press another unit number on your remote (or, as loran pointed out, until your ActiveX controller interferes with your activities), which will then put them back to sleep.
-Brian

Thanks to all who helped me clear this up. I'm amazed (and apparently pretty knuckleheaded) that I didn't figured this out after over 10 years of x-10 use. I've made the suggested modifcations to my CCF, and everything now works like a charm.

Thanks!
Dale

I know this is not what the orginal question was but with everything that was said above, it is good point to ask. How do you dim lights that are on separate units without having separate dim buttons for each of the units or group on the Pronto? Like 1, ON, dim, dim.