Difference between revisions of "CM11"

Revision as of 21:23, 9 February 2010

Description

The CM11 (A/F/G/U/...) is a device that uses X10 protocol to control lights and other appliances around the house by injecting data into powerline.

Each X10 device has an address formed as housecode[A..P]+unitcode[1..16]. As powerlines are usually shared between near houses/apartments it's a good idea to choose an other housecode than your neighbor, or have a suitable filter installed by a qualified electrician.

Note that some electric equipment can generate a lot of static on the powerlines. This can drasticly reduce the performance of the X10 installation. The solution is to install filters, effectively isolating these devices from the rest of the power grid. These type of filters are usually installed between the power socket and plug of the appliance. Some X10 switches and dimmers also have these filters built in already (depending on the make and model of course) to ensure more reliable operation.

Setup

1. web admin -> Show devices tree -> the device to which the CM11 is connected (For instance "CORE". If you are running a hybrid core, make sure you select the "CORE" device not the "The core/hybrid".)
2. Create Child Device -> Pick device template -> CM11A (The wizzard pops up to say she didn't detect lighting?, then shows "dev81" and an OK button in 1.1-RC1, I just ignored this).
3. Device data -> COM Port on PC -> the port to which this device is connected -> save. (ttyS0="com1", ttyS1="com2", and so on, "pci0000:00/0000:00:13.1+2" in my case, which is a USB port [1]).

Adding lights

1. web admin -> Show devices tree -> CM11A
2. Create Child Device -> Pick device template -> take your pick (I added "Light Switch (on/off)")
3. Device data -> Port/Channel Number -> HousecodeUnitcode -> save (codes range from "A1" to "P16", no seperator)

When you are done adding lights, you can continue with the setup wizzard to assign them to the proper rooms and give them names (she refers to ZWave devices and seems unable to actually controll the X10 devices in 1.1-RC1) Also you might have to "reload the router" before they actually work (orbiter screens will be also be regenerated), but they do work.

Troubleshooting

Reset CM11A Completely

I had a terrible time getting my CM11A to work under LinuxMCE. After about 2 weeks of searching, i found a post on the internet here. Basically, what it narrows down to is that whenever the interface is moved to a new PC, it may lock up. To clear this, unplug the serial cable from the CM11A, unplug the CM11A from the wall, and remove its batteries (they aren't even needed for how LinuxMCE uses the interface). Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, then hook it back up. (I have also read that some people had to let it sit overnight during this step) After 2 weeks of frustration, everything works as it should now. If you are having problems getting your CM11A to work, i highly recommend doing this procedure.

CM11A Disabled Periodically

If you are finding that the CM11A device and its children (i.e. light switches, etc) are being disabled periodically, try connecting the CM11A to a different serial port. Doing so solved the disabling problem in this case.

CM11A used behind a GC100

If you use a GC100 to connect your CM11A further away from the computer, be sure to add the CM11A device under the CORE in the web admin, and not under the GC100. If you do so the devices will start but commands will not be passed down to the CM11A.

See also

• Insteon PLM now supports bidirectional X10 communication.
• The older CM11A page, which appears to be more aimed at development.
• The pluto CM11A page.
• The pluto gc100 page for setup on the serial port of the gc100.
• An interesting comment about pluto with the CM11 [2] containing a workaround dealing with sensors and remotes.
• Discussions on the forum:
  • Re: UK & Ireland Users
  • CM11
  • CM11g