OEM chips for X-10 available?

[Eduardo Gimeno]

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

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

In article <yhtOd.3533$ZZ.3385@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net>,
Joerg <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> writes:

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.

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.

--
Andrew Gabriel
Consultant Software Engineer

 

[Eduardo Gimeno]

"Brian" <bmurtha@zworld.com> wrote in message

I don't know about an "all-in-one" chip. It would have to handle 120V
or 220V power input to synchronize with the zero crossing. The PL513,
TW523, LM465 and CM17A units that X-10 sells are fairly cheap. But
you'll need a TW723 (or is it TW7223?) for 220V, 50Hz systems, if
that's what Spain uses.

Brian, if I use TW-XXX I cannot embed it into the wall switch or plug,
due to the huge size of the module. As I stated before, I can use a
dedicated line, so I can avoid all the stuff about zero-crossing and
so on. I have quite much experience on ATMega microcontrollers, also
quite much on SGS-Thomson (ST-62XX) and some on PICs. I would need to
find the simplest and smallest one having serial port and at least 12
IOs (8 for station ID dips), 2 for serial port, and 2 for command
in/out...

Regards,
Eduardo.

http://www.nutsvolts.com/toc_Pages/TOC_Related_Info/0411/Murtha.pdf

There's an article in the current Circuit Cellar about using a CM17A
with an RS232 UART.

 

[Andrew Burgess]

John Fields <jfields@austininstruments.com> writes:

As far as getting the signal on the line goes, it's pretty simple;
just capacitively couple a high-frequency tone burst signal onto the
mains using a frequency far enough displaced from the mains frequency
that the capacitor looks like a very large reactance to the mains
frequency while being small enough to let your signalling frequency
pass, like this:

Can you do this without a transformer?
And if not, can you use a cheap off the shelf or surplus xfmr?