How to replace a fried switchlink

[doctorjerry]

A power surge has fried a few switchlincs.

How do I substitute the replacement module to assume all the links of the bad switchlinc.

[Teken]

A power surge has fried a few switchlincs.

How do I substitute the replacement module to assume all the links of the bad switchlinc.

 

1. Add the new switch and name it something different: Kitchen New vs Kitchen

 

2. Go to the device tree and select the old switch and right mouse click and select replace with a list of devices will appear. You will of course select Kitchen New or what ever its named.

 

3. The system will begin the replacement process and once done the Admin Console will close. Log back into the Admin Console, you will notice the old switch is now gone and is replaced with Kitchen New.

 

Rinse and repeat this process . . .

 

NOTE: You must *Initially* name the new device something different. Failure to do so will confuse the system and it will corrupt any links / programming you had in place. Once the replacement process is complete you can change the device name to the original.

[gweempose]

One other caveat - if the failed device is in a sub-folder, I believe you will have to move it to the main folder before you can replace it.

[Teken]

Also best practice is to make an immediate back up once the new device is in place. Create a read me text document with the back up file which should remind you this back up includes the new device(s).

 

Memory is short 6-12 months from now and when the uneatable 2413S PLM failure approaches you won't understand why the system keeps crying it can't find said hardware device.

 

Because it doesn't exist . . . 

[LeeG]

"Log back into the Admin Console, you will notice the old switch is now gone and is replaced with Kitchen New."

 

The old SwitchLinc node is not gone.   Scenes and Programs will continue to use the old (fried) SwiitchLinc node name.which now has the Insteon address of the new SwitchLinc node which is now gone.  

[Teken]

Good catch LeeG - I wrote that backwards ha . . .

[doctorjerry]

Lee,

I found that the new switch name disappeared and only the original switch name remained. It was preceded by an (!) exclamation. but with the new switch address and all the original links.  After a write update the replacement was complete with no further need to change names.

[stusviews]

I never name the replacement device, so it apears as the Insteon ID. That makes it easy to select the replacement and, when the process is complete, the old device is actually gone and the new device has the old device's name.

[Teken]

That is certainly a good method to use for single device. But if more than one has been added that way - mistakes could happen unless the person is totally on the ball and tracks the Insteon ID's.

 

I've always just named the new device similar to the old but use numeric values at the end. I do this to help me track replacements so there is no guessing 1-5 years from now what area was done because of an upgrade vs product failure.

[LeeG]

doctorjerry

 

The results in your post #7 are the expected results (old node name remains, new node name gone, links transferred).  The ! was not expected.  It indicates some issue in the Insteon address transfer process.   There can be a fair amount of Insteon traffic during the "Replace" process and since it was cleared with a single write update I would not worry about it.  

[larryllix]

When replacing variables or devices I always add and XX suffix to the end of the old device's name.

 

When doing the replace it is easy to get the correct device and not make mistakes

 

Replace

    kitchenSwitch XX

with

    kitchenSwitch.

 

Don't forget that scenes have to have devices removed and replaced with the new, as LeeG pointed out, in case that wasn't clear.

[stusviews]

When replacing variables or devices I always add and XX suffix to the end of the old device's name.

 

When doing the replace it is easy to get the correct device and not make mistakes

 

Replace

    kitchenSwitch XX

with

    kitchenSwitch.

 

Don't forget that scenes have to have devices removed and replaced with the new, as LeeG pointed out, in case that wasn't clear.

 

That'll result in the new switch being named kitchenSwitch XX. You may want to name the new switch kitchenSwitch XX instead. The end result is that the new switch will be renamed kitchenSwitch (without the XX) when the replacement finishes.

[larryllix]

That'll result in the new switch being named kitchenSwitch XX. You may want to name the new switch kitchenSwitch XX instead. The end result is that the new switch will be renamed kitchenSwitch (without the XX) when the replacement finishes.

Must be that NY accent but we are both on the side side of the equator. 

 

When you replace XX with something else, you get something else and XX goes in the garbage. No?

[apostolakisl]

Must be that NY accent but we are both on the side side of the equator. 

 

When you replace XX with something else, you get something else and XX goes in the garbage. No?

 

No.  When you do "replace with" it gives the new device all the attributes of the old device, including the name, and the old device is gone, along with the former name of the new device.

 

Personally, I do it like Stusviews above and not name the new device at all so it just shows up as an insteon id.

[larryllix]

Yup, we are talking about different replacement procedures here.

[apostolakisl]

Yup, we are talking about different replacement procedures here.

Replace variable.jpg

 

This is just to find and replace one currently enrolled device with another currently enrolled device in programs that reference that device.  I don't think there is any role in using this when replacing a dead device unless you were to manually program the new device identical to the old device first and then swap it with the old device.

 

If you want to replace the name of a device with a different name, you do that in the main console tree by right clicking and renaming it.  The new name propagates through to all the programs.

[larryllix]

This is just to find and replace one currently enrolled device with another currently enrolled device in programs that reference that device.  I don't think there is any role in using this when replacing a dead device unless you were to manually program the new device identical to the old device first and then swap it with the old device.

 

If you want to replace the name of a device with a different name, you do that in the main console tree by right clicking and renaming it.  The new name propagates through to all the programs.

Thanks!

 

That is the way I have always done it.

 

I have never seen  this option before since it doesn't ever exist in the device rightclick pulldown menu.

 

The device must be removed from any folder first.

[apostolakisl]

Thanks!

 

That is the way I have always done it.

 

I have never seen  this option before since it doesn't ever exist in the device rightclick pulldown menu.

 

The device must be removed from any folder first.

Device rightclick.jpg

Yes, that is the trick.  Fortunately the first time I tried to replace a device it wasn't in a folder and I was very pleased at how simple it was.  Later on I was like "where the hell is that option?".  Only to figure out that you need to have it in the root folder.  But without the first time success, I may have missed it all together.

[larryllix]

Yes, that is the trick.  Fortunately the first time I tried to replace a device it wasn't in a folder and I was very pleased at how simple it was.  Later on I was like "where the hell is that option?".  Only to figure out that you need to have it in the root folder.  But without the first time success, I may have missed it all together.

I have always hated dynamic pulldown menus that make things disappear. I have spent more days of my life looking for menu items that "I know" were there.

The old grey out of the unapplicable option works much better for me, but limits the length of options at so many points in working with the app. Need bigger screens!  55" not enough.

[doctorjerry]

I'm impressed with all the quick responses my simple question elicited. I'll take advantage and ask a followup.

In 10 or more years using insteon modules/ISY this is the first time I've had to replace a module. Actually

16 switchlincs were fried after a momentary power outage/surge. This after what had to be hundreds of similar

occurrences over the the years. Never thought about a whole house surge protector, but I am ready to install

one. Can I expect this to make a difference?

[paulbates]

I'm impressed with all the quick responses my simple question elicited. I'll take advantage and ask a followup.

In 10 or more years using insteon modules/ISY this is the first time I've had to replace a module. Actually

16 switchlincs were fried after a momentary power outage/surge. This after what had to be hundreds of similar

occurrences over the the years. Never thought about a whole house surge protector, but I am ready to install

one. Can I expect this to make a difference?

 

Yes. I've had one for 15 years. I used to have problems with electronics in general prior to installing it.  We have overhead wires and get a lot of lightening from this time of year through fall.

 

My insteon problems of the last 10 years are traced to known culprits like PLMs and the ~2011 series keypadlincs. Outside of that I have Insteon devices that are approaching their 10th birthday.

 

Here is the closest example of the surge protector I had installed in my panel. The link discusses the protection warranty for $10,000 for the first 5 years. You could still have problems, but I think this is a good "insurance investment"

 

Paul

[apostolakisl]

I have one and I assume it works, though it is hard to know what you didn't have happen.  

 

The one thing to realize is that surge suppressors only suppress surges originating outside the house, they don't block surges that originate from within the house.  Specifically, when motors (like your refrigerator compressor) lose power they produce a surge.  Normally this is not a problem because normally the reason the motor shuts off is that power to it is disconnected from the house power, but when the power to the house is cut, the connection between the motor is still connected to the house when it shuts off.

[larryllix]

I have one and I assume it works, though it is hard to know what you didn't have happen.  

 

The one thing to realize is that surge suppressors only suppress surges originating outside the house, they don't block surges that originate from within the house.  Specifically, when motors (like your refrigerator compressor) lose power they produce a surge.  Normally this is not a problem because normally the reason the motor shuts off is that power to it is disconnected from the house power, but when the power to the house is cut, the connection between the motor is still connected to the house when it shuts off.

Also those motor devices in your house are closer to the electronics.

The suppression for those devices would best between the offending device and the sensitive device like right on the same receptacle circuit.

 

The whole home suppressor may help but not the best location in those cases. It's hard to handle everything without suppression in multiple specific places.