Elk and UPB

[dgeffs]

I just bought some UPB modules to start my upgrade from x-10. To get a feel for how well they work I setup a test environment with Elk/CQC/eKeypad. I setup a network using UpStart and the signal is excellent and there is virtually no noise. From Upstart everything works great and exactly as expected.

Next I added a serial port expander to the Elk and configured it for UPB per the instructions. I made sure the network number was the same as the network I setup earlier. Regardless of where I attempt to actuate the modules (CQC or ekeypad plus) I get very strange results. Turning a lamp on or off is intermittent. Sometimes the module turns on or off as expected and other times it will not respond at all. Since this sounds like a phase coupling issue I made sure the module and the PIM were on the same circuit and still have the same problem. I'll add a phase coupler pretty quickly but with both items plugged in the same outlet I'd expect it to work every time. I am using a different PIM for the the Upstart and the Elk but only one is on the network at a time.

Is there some trick to getting UPB to work reliably with the Elk?

Dale

 

[electron]

It should work without any issues. Can you hear a little buzzing sound at the PIM when you send a command? I believe the light on the PIM also blinks when a command has been sent. Have you tried swapping the PIM?

 

[dgeffs]

It should work without any issues. Can you hear a little buzzing sound at the PIM when you send a command? I believe the light on the PIM also blinks when a command has been sent. Have you tried swapping the PIM?

I'll have to listen for the buzzing. Can't swap the PIM because one is USB and the other is Serial.

 

[divemstr]

It should work without any issues. Can you hear a little buzzing sound at the PIM when you send a command? I believe the light on the PIM also blinks when a command has been sent. Have you tried swapping the PIM?

How big is the home (sq ft), how many electrical panels, number of UPB devices, which manuf products are you using, is there a Phase Coupler, have you run and log in UPStart

 

[Event5]

" I get very strange results. Turning a lamp on or off is intermittent. Sometimes the module turns on or off as expected and other times it will not respond at all. Since this sounds like a phase coupling issue I made sure the module and the PIM were on the same circuit and still have the same problem"

Dale,

Welcome to UPB! You may be experiencing what many of us went through the first time programming UPB switches. If you program a switch as a "toggle" and then control it from another device, it may not respond correctly as it is toggling. This will make a switch work sometimes and not others. Now that I have told you about this, check for the toggle option in the problem switch and look at the logic the switch maybe using.

Hope this helps,
Dave

 

[Digger]

I just bought some UPB modules to start my upgrade from x-10. To get a feel for how well they work I setup a test environment with Elk/CQC/eKeypad. I setup a network using UpStart and the signal is excellent and there is virtually no noise. From Upstart everything works great and exactly as expected.

Next I added a serial port expander to the Elk and configured it for UPB per the instructions. I made sure the network number was the same as the network I setup earlier. Regardless of where I attempt to actuate the modules (CQC or ekeypad plus) I get very strange results. Turning a lamp on or off is intermittent. Sometimes the module turns on or off as expected and other times it will not respond at all. Since this sounds like a phase coupling issue I made sure the module and the PIM were on the same circuit and still have the same problem. I'll add a phase coupler pretty quickly but with both items plugged in the same outlet I'd expect it to work every time. I am using a different PIM for the the Upstart and the Elk but only one is on the network at a time.

Is there some trick to getting UPB to work reliably with the Elk?

Dale

My opinion based on some experimentation is that the ELK is not the best at sending multiple commands in a row for lighting. So if you wanted to turn on or off more than one device you need to create a link that all of those devices respond to and then have the ELK activate/deactivate the link. I find that works flawlessly.

 

[dgeffs]

It should work without any issues. Can you hear a little buzzing sound at the PIM when you send a command? I believe the light on the PIM also blinks when a command has been sent. Have you tried swapping the PIM?

How big is the home (sq ft), how many electrical panels, number of UPB devices, which manuf products are you using, is there a Phase Coupler, have you run and log in UPStart

The home is around 2600 sq ft with one electrical panel. I have a phase coupler ready to install and will doing so this weekend if I'm lucky. I am only using one lamp module to test things but will fire up a wall dimmer this weekend also. All equipment is HAI with the exception of the USB PIM which is SA. Of course I'm not having any trouble with Upstart and the SA PIM. They work flawlessly. My only problems are when using the Elk and the HAI PIM.

 

[dgeffs]

The problem was a bad Elk lighting module (M1XSP). I replaced it with another one and everything started working perfectly.

 

[Gearhead]

The problem was a bad Elk lighting module (M1XSP). I replaced it with another one and everything started working perfectly.

The "bad" XSP board may have firmware that doesn't fully align with the firmware in the M1. You might want to look into all of your firmware release levels.

Hope this helps.

 

[Digger]

The problem was a bad Elk lighting module (M1XSP). I replaced it with another one and everything started working perfectly.

The "bad" XSP board may have firmware that doesn't fully align with the firmware in the M1. You might want to look into all of your firmware release levels.

Hope this helps.

I agree to reload the firmware as rarely (can happen) do you hear of a hardware problem with ELK.

 

[dgeffs]

The problem was a bad Elk lighting module (M1XSP). I replaced it with another one and everything started working perfectly.

The "bad" XSP board may have firmware that doesn't fully align with the firmware in the M1. You might want to look into all of your firmware release levels.

Hope this helps.

I agree to reload the firmware as rarely (can happen) do you hear of a hardware problem with ELK.

Good suggestion, I'll have a look at that before I pitch the board. I jumped to the conclusion based on a recent lightning strike that took out two trees, my pool controller and a couple of other items.

 

[Digger]

The problem was a bad Elk lighting module (M1XSP). I replaced it with another one and everything started working perfectly.

The "bad" XSP board may have firmware that doesn't fully align with the firmware in the M1. You might want to look into all of your firmware release levels.

Hope this helps.

I agree to reload the firmware as rarely (can happen) do you hear of a hardware problem with ELK.

Good suggestion, I'll have a look at that before I pitch the board. I jumped to the conclusion based on a recent lightning strike that took out two trees, my pool controller and a couple of other items.

Well............ that could do it to