Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] Re: Yet another 'newbie'! Bill Walters Wed, 13 Jan 1999 13:56:36 -0600

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Tony -

The standard X-10 wall switch is a "triac" which turns on/off an
appropriate amount of time to pass whatever amount of current to the
device being controlled.  I think of it as the electrical (electronic)
equivilent of a faucet.  When set to OFF, the triac is indeed turned off
and no activity is going on.  When set to 0%, it is "cycling" 100% of
the time to allow 0% current through, which results in heat being
disapated from the switch.  While no current is being sent to the device
being "controlled" there is some current being used in the switch, which
gets disappated by heat.  I don't know what level we're talking about
here, but there IS some electricity being consumed by a 0% setting.  I
am sure that it's not very much.

Bill Walters


Tony James wrote:
> 
> Bill
> 
> Yes you're assumption is correct. Thank you for the suggestions they seem a
> bit more like a 'proper' programme than Mark's! They'll give me something to
> work on.
> As for the "come on at 100% then dim down" warning, I learnt that the hard
> way when I used a VB prog to switch my bedside light on in the mornings.
> That's why I am keen to get the IR bit working as well, I used the IR
> controller to turn the lamp off but in effect down to 0%.
> You say you don't like to do this, is there a reason, just how much power
> does a lamp in this state use?
> 
> Regards
> Tony

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