ws12a decorator dimmer problem

[ken d.]

i have a couple dimmer switches that are a few years old now.
and they seem to have lost local control.

i can operate them with x10 signals, but pushing the switch locally
does nothing. i have even wiggled around with that tiny local
lockout slider to no success.

has anyone else seen this? a known failure mode?
repairable with the trusty soldering iron?

thanks,
-ken

[Jack Ak]

What happened when you tried a NEW WS12a in place
of a non-working switch?

"ken d." <no-spam@kitwat.dhs.org> wrote in message news:42254E63.7000006@kitwat.dhs.org...
> i have a couple dimmer switches that are a few years old now.
> and they seem to have lost local control.
>
> i can operate them with x10 signals, but pushing the switch locally
> does nothing. i have even wiggled around with that tiny local
> lockout slider to no success.
>
> has anyone else seen this? a known failure mode?
> repairable with the trusty soldering iron?
>
> thanks,
> -ken

[ken d.]

Jack Ak wrote:

> What happened when you tried a NEW WS12a in place
> of a non-working switch?

as in i have to buy it an have it shipped to me first with a $10 surcharge
for being in canada?

pullling hardware out of walls and doing swaps is fine, and i will probably
end up doing that. but if it's a known failture mode, it makes sense to
enquire first before doing a bunch of unecessary stuff.

especially since it's still dark up here by the time i get home from work.
no fun having the electricity turned off and trying to work in the dark
destroying your dental work holding a flashlight in your teeth.

by the way, one of them really is a 2-switch circuit, and the SLAVE switch
still works on local control.

-ken


"ken d." <no-spam@kitwat.dhs.org> wrote in message
news:42254E63.7000006@kitwat.dhs.org...

>> i have a couple dimmer switches that are a few years old now.
>> and they seem to have lost local control.
>>
>> i can operate them with x10 signals, but pushing the switch locally
>> does nothing. i have even wiggled around with that tiny local
>> lockout slider to no success.
>>
>> has anyone else seen this? a known failure mode?
>> repairable with the trusty soldering iron?
>>
>> thanks,
>> -ken

[John O]

> especially since it's still dark up here by the time i get home from work.
> no fun having the electricity turned off and trying to work in the dark
> destroying your dental work holding a flashlight in your teeth.

You need this: http://www.orderoutdoors.com/niteize/litebite.htm

-John O

[ken d.]

John O wrote:

>>especially since it's still dark up here by the time i get home from work.
>>no fun having the electricity turned off and trying to work in the dark
>>destroying your dental work holding a flashlight in your teeth.
>
>
> You need this: http://www.orderoutdoors.com/niteize/litebite.htm

gotta luv modern technology :)


-k

[RF Dude]

I have had a few go this way. Inside the switch, under the push button is a
contact area. A number of metal spring fingers are attached to the push
button and make contact to printed circuit board pads when you push.
Eventually, these spring fingers break off due to metal fatigue. You will
find that it gets somewhat unreliable or works sometimes just before total
failure. If you have a fixture somewhere that requires an imbedded dimmer,
that is about all you can do with it now.

Just another reason X-10 went into bankrupcy protection. They promise the
world and deliver semi-functional, poor quality stuff. Buy Leviton,
Smarthome, or anything else if you want to save yourself the aggrivation.
Or replace the switches every so often since they are cheap enough.

Good luck.

RF Dude.

"Jack Ak" <akjack@excite.com> wrote in message
news:7ynVd.10723$Pz7.8785@newssvr13.news.prodigy.c om...
> What happened when you tried a NEW WS12a in place
> of a non-working switch?
>
> "ken d." <no-spam@kitwat.dhs.org> wrote in message
> news:42254E63.7000006@kitwat.dhs.org...
>> i have a couple dimmer switches that are a few years old now.
>> and they seem to have lost local control.
>>
>> i can operate them with x10 signals, but pushing the switch locally
>> does nothing. i have even wiggled around with that tiny local
>> lockout slider to no success.
>>
>> has anyone else seen this? a known failure mode?
>> repairable with the trusty soldering iron?
>>
>> thanks,
>> -ken

[ken d.]

RF Dude wrote:

> I have had a few go this way. Inside the switch, under the push button is a
> contact area. A number of metal spring fingers are attached to the push
> button and make contact to printed circuit board pads when you push.

thanks!

-ken