Lights with a mind of their own.
in [Design]
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From: Jim Thompson on 7 Apr 2010 20:46 On 7 Apr 2010 17:32:09 -0700, Winfield Hill <Winfield_member(a)newsguy.com> wrote: > > Well. To start, there's my front-porch light. > The light is switched with an X-10 module that's > gone over to the other side. Now when it's on, > it grows bright and dark every few seconds, in > a good imitation of my wife's Apple Powerbook's > LED standby-mode breathing pattern. I kind of > admire the show, but the neighbors are making > remarks to us about it. So that's on the list. > > Meanwhile my Western Digital MyBook World NAS > backup drive lights up with a bank of white LEDs, > as it tries, and fails, to emulate a Powerbook. > My wife complains of the errant changing light > interfering with her sleep, so I turned it around > and close my study door at night. I considered > all the poorly-designed LED breathing indicators, > and imagine a design drawing power from the LED > pins and inoffensively lighting a new LED, much > like my wife's laptop. That's also on the list. > > Kaack! Now my Genie garage-door opener is acting > up, first its incandescent light that kindly comes > on for 20 seconds every time you open or close the > garage door, decides it'll stay on all the time. > My wife tells me that it hasn't gone off in days. > I'm busy 24-7 working on the book, so I told her > to cycle its power: turn the circuit breaker off > and back on again. She does this. Now the garage > door opener still works fine, but its light stays > _off_ all the time. Sigh. I really don't want to > put this on my list. > > The last time it was our Casablanca ceiling fan. > It also played games with its lamp, and its motor > as well, going into various weird modes. That was > a failed storage capacitor, and it cost me a day > to take the fan apart, trace the circuit, and find > it. Yes, it saved hundreds of dollars buying a new > fancy fan, but who has the time? I mean, the book! > > Anybody can help with the Genie, much appreciated! Replace it with a Liftmaster... I did. As for the funny functioning, they do seem to need rebooting... cut the power at the breaker. Likewise the Casablanca... maybe that's a "fan flu" making the rounds... the one in my office went flaky last week. Finally push-started it with a broom handle, seems OK now ;-) Cold weather seems to make a lot of the CFL controls do weirdness and winking :-( ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy
From: Michael A. Terrell on 7 Apr 2010 21:10 Jim Thompson wrote: > > On 7 Apr 2010 17:32:09 -0700, Winfield Hill > <Winfield_member(a)newsguy.com> wrote: > > > > > Well. To start, there's my front-porch light. > > The light is switched with an X-10 module that's > > gone over to the other side. Now when it's on, > > it grows bright and dark every few seconds, in > > a good imitation of my wife's Apple Powerbook's > > LED standby-mode breathing pattern. I kind of > > admire the show, but the neighbors are making > > remarks to us about it. So that's on the list. > > > > Meanwhile my Western Digital MyBook World NAS > > backup drive lights up with a bank of white LEDs, > > as it tries, and fails, to emulate a Powerbook. > > My wife complains of the errant changing light > > interfering with her sleep, so I turned it around > > and close my study door at night. I considered > > all the poorly-designed LED breathing indicators, > > and imagine a design drawing power from the LED > > pins and inoffensively lighting a new LED, much > > like my wife's laptop. That's also on the list. > > > > Kaack! Now my Genie garage-door opener is acting > > up, first its incandescent light that kindly comes > > on for 20 seconds every time you open or close the > > garage door, decides it'll stay on all the time. > > My wife tells me that it hasn't gone off in days. > > I'm busy 24-7 working on the book, so I told her > > to cycle its power: turn the circuit breaker off > > and back on again. She does this. Now the garage > > door opener still works fine, but its light stays > > _off_ all the time. Sigh. I really don't want to > > put this on my list. I would use a motion sensor light and set it for one, five or ten minutes. I use a lot of them, becasue of my health problems. Just don't try one in a bedroom. Just breathing can turn on the lights, while you're asleep. :( > > The last time it was our Casablanca ceiling fan. > > It also played games with its lamp, and its motor > > as well, going into various weird modes. That was > > a failed storage capacitor, and it cost me a day > > to take the fan apart, trace the circuit, and find > > it. Yes, it saved hundreds of dollars buying a new > > fancy fan, but who has the time? I mean, the book! > > > > Anybody can help with the Genie, much appreciated! > > Replace it with a Liftmaster... I did. > > As for the funny functioning, they do seem to need rebooting... cut > the power at the breaker. > > Likewise the Casablanca... maybe that's a "fan flu" making the > rounds... the one in my office went flaky last week. Finally > push-started it with a broom handle, seems OK now ;-) There is a small AC electrolytic in your ceiling fan. It is a common failure item. Home Depot, lowe's and other places carry the common values. > Cold weather seems to make a lot of the CFL controls do weirdness and > winking :-( An open neutral from the power company can cause all kinds of wierd problems. -- Lead free solder is Belgium's version of 'Hold my beer and watch this!'
From: osr on 7 Apr 2010 23:08 Diverging here, but what is the structural difference between AC and DC lytics? And is that in the new edition book? Glad to see you back here, Dr Hill. If you have two or more synchronous failures, like the fan/light combo, I'd take a hard look at the earthing/neutral of the building and hang a power line monitor on the AC, 8 years at the university taught me that multiple failures, close together in time is not coincidental.. Either a supply transformer, or a rare bad connection, is possibly spiking the line... Yeah, I'm paranoid, but I did not survive 8 years of working in Grad School lab with wet chemistry, hot ovens, lasers, hydrogen tanks, and HV by being complacent and trusting. :-) Steve
From: Kevin McMurtrie on 7 Apr 2010 23:12 In article <hpj8690in2(a)drn.newsguy.com>, Winfield Hill <Winfield_member(a)newsguy.com> wrote: > Well. To start, there's my front-porch light. > The light is switched with an X-10 module that's > gone over to the other side. Now when it's on, > it grows bright and dark every few seconds, in > a good imitation of my wife's Apple Powerbook's > LED standby-mode breathing pattern. I kind of > admire the show, but the neighbors are making > remarks to us about it. So that's on the list. > > Meanwhile my Western Digital MyBook World NAS > backup drive lights up with a bank of white LEDs, > as it tries, and fails, to emulate a Powerbook. > My wife complains of the errant changing light > interfering with her sleep, so I turned it around > and close my study door at night. I considered > all the poorly-designed LED breathing indicators, > and imagine a design drawing power from the LED > pins and inoffensively lighting a new LED, much > like my wife's laptop. That's also on the list. > > Kaack! Now my Genie garage-door opener is acting > up, first its incandescent light that kindly comes > on for 20 seconds every time you open or close the > garage door, decides it'll stay on all the time. > My wife tells me that it hasn't gone off in days. > I'm busy 24-7 working on the book, so I told her > to cycle its power: turn the circuit breaker off > and back on again. She does this. Now the garage > door opener still works fine, but its light stays > _off_ all the time. Sigh. I really don't want to > put this on my list. > > The last time it was our Casablanca ceiling fan. > It also played games with its lamp, and its motor > as well, going into various weird modes. That was > a failed storage capacitor, and it cost me a day > to take the fan apart, trace the circuit, and find > it. Yes, it saved hundreds of dollars buying a new > fancy fan, but who has the time? I mean, the book! > > Anybody can help with the Genie, much appreciated! If they're made the way they used to be made, the Genie circuit board isn't protected against insects and relays are so grossly underrated that the contacts fry. There's a good chance that you can fix both by whacking the opener very hard with a screwdriver handle. -- I won't see Google Groups replies because I must filter them as spam
From: Michael A. Terrell on 7 Apr 2010 23:25 osr(a)uakron.edu wrote: > > Diverging here, but what is the structural difference between AC and > DC lytics? AC, or non polar electrolytics are basically two DC electrolyitics in series, effectively two negatives tied together, and the two positive leads used to connect it into a circuit. Cornell Dubiller used to have a good description of their construction & operation in their printed catalog. I'm having problems with this computer, and can't access a lot of sites tonight. The reverse biased capacitor acts like a diode, and each capacitor works on one half of the AC waveform. > And is that in the new edition book? > > Glad to see you back here, Dr Hill. > > If you have two or more synchronous failures, like the fan/light > combo, I'd take a hard look at the earthing/neutral of the building > and hang a power line monitor on the AC, 8 years at the university > taught me that multiple failures, close together in time is not > coincidental.. Either a supply transformer, or a rare bad > connection, is possibly spiking the line... > > Yeah, I'm paranoid, but I did not survive 8 years of working in Grad > School lab with wet chemistry, hot ovens, lasers, hydrogen tanks, and > HV by being complacent and trusting. :-) > > Steve -- Lead free solder is Belgium's version of 'Hold my beer and watch this!'
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