Compact fluorescents are little fluorescent bulbs that screw into the place of regular bulbs, and consume considerable less power than incandescent lights.\u00a0 However, they aren’t compatible with X10 switches designed for incandescent bulbs.\u00a0 You can either use X10 switches designed for fluorescent loads (also known as “non-dimming,” “appliance,” or “relay”) or you can buy dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs<\/a>, which has the advantage of able to dim them … somewhat.\u00a0 (As they dim, they flicker and go out where an incandescent bulb would continue to dim through yellow and red — compact fluorescent bulbs simply cannot be dimmed as well or through the same range.)<\/p>\n However, these bulbs have the side effect of attenuating the X10 signal, and built-in lights aren’t candidates for simple plug-in filters.<\/p>\n On the plus side, there’s a device that can overcome this — not by filtering each source of attenuation, but by boosting the X10 signal itself<\/em>.\u00a0 It’s called an XTB<\/a>, or X10 Transmit Booster, and it’s a clever little device that sits between the source of your X10 signals and the power line, intercepting the 5 volt X10 signal and putting out about a 20 volt X10 signal.<\/p>\n It works really, really well.<\/p>\n The XTB kit and components<\/p><\/div>\n The company — or more accurately, guy — who produces these hasn’t the wads of cash for UL approval, so they’re sold in kit form.\u00a0 The kit itself is beautifully put together, with excellent instructions.\u00a0 The trickiest part was a surface-mount op-amp.<\/p>\n When it arrived, I’ll admit to being eager enough to whang the thing together in about half an hour, with the caveat that soldering components is almost second nature to me, and that I probably should have read the part about mounting the LED a little more carefully.\u00a0 On the plus side, it worked flawlessly.\u00a0 For those not adept with an iron, it’s possible to have it assembled for you.<\/p>\n If you’re running X10 and have any kind of signal issues, I’d recommend this before I’d recommend bothering with filters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" X10 is an unfortunately-named industry standard for controlling devices (e.g., lights) via low-voltage signals over power lines.\u00a0 First created in 1975, it has the advantage of having relatively cheap hardware, and although there have been attempts to create a more modern and capable replacement, they have been hampered by high \u2026 Continue reading ![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.goodjobsucking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/xtb_kit1-300x225.jpg\" "\\"The")
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