upstatemike
Senior Member
So now I am ready for some input on the next part of my USP (Upstate Simple Protocol) proposal. This is a description of the switch function and cosmetics; and once again I want to know if this is something folks would buy.
The main design requirement was to have as few different electrical devices to manufacture as possible. The preferred approach is a common body with many interchangeable faceplate options. In fact the switches and keypads will use the same body and just use different covers.
The body contains both a relay output and a triac output. When the body senses a switch paddle is installed then the triac and relay both operate together. (The relay is on when the triac is at any level other than full off.) When a Keypad faceplate is sensed then the first set of buttons control the triac and the second set controls the relay.
The keypad faceplate is 4 pairs of buttons (left on, right off). There is a white LED just to the left of each ON button that lights when that load is on. There is a dim blue led backlighting each of the on buttons when that load is off. There is no backlighting behind the right column of off buttons. The first three secondary or scene addresses become the addresses of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th set s of buttons.
When the switch paddle is installed the four white LED’s act as level indicators for the switch. When the switch is off, all 4 blue LED’s (behind the paddle) are on and cause a translucent ring or frame around the paddle to glow dimly. Both the relay and triac operate from the switches primary address and any programmed secondary or scene addresses.
The other electrical device is the computer interface. It has an RJ14 (phone) type connector. There is a cable that permits the interface to connect to a PC serial port. The same device, with different firmware and a different connector cable, becomes a TW523 replacement for instant translation compatibility with any X-10 based device that uses a TW523.
Any interest in hardware that works like this?
The main design requirement was to have as few different electrical devices to manufacture as possible. The preferred approach is a common body with many interchangeable faceplate options. In fact the switches and keypads will use the same body and just use different covers.
The body contains both a relay output and a triac output. When the body senses a switch paddle is installed then the triac and relay both operate together. (The relay is on when the triac is at any level other than full off.) When a Keypad faceplate is sensed then the first set of buttons control the triac and the second set controls the relay.
The keypad faceplate is 4 pairs of buttons (left on, right off). There is a white LED just to the left of each ON button that lights when that load is on. There is a dim blue led backlighting each of the on buttons when that load is off. There is no backlighting behind the right column of off buttons. The first three secondary or scene addresses become the addresses of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th set s of buttons.
When the switch paddle is installed the four white LED’s act as level indicators for the switch. When the switch is off, all 4 blue LED’s (behind the paddle) are on and cause a translucent ring or frame around the paddle to glow dimly. Both the relay and triac operate from the switches primary address and any programmed secondary or scene addresses.
The other electrical device is the computer interface. It has an RJ14 (phone) type connector. There is a cable that permits the interface to connect to a PC serial port. The same device, with different firmware and a different connector cable, becomes a TW523 replacement for instant translation compatibility with any X-10 based device that uses a TW523.
Any interest in hardware that works like this?
