Synchrolinc Issues

[apostolakisl]

I have two synchrolincs (v30).   After replacing my plm and having to write changes to my whole network (twice now in 2 weeks), the synchrolincs both fail to stop saying that they need to have updates written (1011 in green next to them).  It says "writing" when I ask it to write, but then it quits after a while and goes back to 1011.  They seem to work, but what gives?

[larryllix]

4 hours ago, apostolakisl said:

I have two synchrolincs (v30).   After replacing my plm and having to write changes to my whole network (twice now in 2 weeks), the synchrolincs both fail to stop saying that they need to have updates written (1011 in green next to them).  It says "writing" when I ask it to write, but then it quits after a while and goes back to 1011.  They seem to work, but what gives?

Do you have some of the options available in the top admin console bar turned on? It is always very hard to figure out what state they are in but one shuts off writes to devices and one is for battery devices. Mine were messed up and my ISY bogged down until operations took over 30 seconds mostly. A factory reset cleared out the cache and fixed it for a while. Later it happened again and I figured out the options were there and disabled them.

It seems I have older devices that won't take the delayed updates upon motion or other signal output. The programs used to update the devices would run and add more clash list to the cache.

[apostolakisl]

9 hours ago, larryllix said:

Do you have some of the options available in the top admin console bar turned on? It is always very hard to figure out what state they are in but one shuts off writes to devices and one is for battery devices. Mine were messed up and my ISY bogged down until operations took over 30 seconds mostly. A factory reset cleared out the cache and fixed it for a while. Later it happened again and I figured out the options were there and disabled them.

It seems I have older devices that won't take the delayed updates upon motion or other signal output. The programs used to update the devices would run and add more clash list to the cache.

These aren't battery operated so I'm not sure how that would play into this.  I kept screwing with them and eventually tried plugging them in somewhere else and now they no longer say they need to be written to.  I can query them and the system goes "busy" for just a couple seconds, so it appears ISY is getting a response.  But I can't read the device links tables from them.  I don't know what is up with them, but it definitely is something to do with the device type/Insteon version they are running because nothing else is behaving like this.  For now at least, seems to be OK.

[Techman]

Quote

Place a plug in dual band device close to the Synchrolinc, that usually resolves the communication problem. 

Being that they are older discontinued devices their firmware isn't as robust as the newer devices. I had the same problem.

 

[apostolakisl]

46 minutes ago, Techman said:

 

The device's are plugged into dedicated circuit breakers as both are monitoring washing machines. Moving the one to a regular outlet seemed to help it, the other finally worked where it was.  Perhaps I should plug a dual band device into the outlet of the synchrolinc.

[larryllix]

eeeeeeww. SynchroLinc.

admin console has two buttons that turn off updates. IIRC one is general devices. Surprised me, and they are hard to know what they are set at or actually do. Icons and text are not definitive.

I had one those and had to replace it. It always acted flakey,  but my dryer motor was plugged into it. I figure the electrical spikes from the motor got the power supply caps.

I bought another used one on eBay, but that was the only unit I could find since SH discontinued them. More denial of their cheap PS designs.

Some day I will get the old soldering iron out and replace some PLM and synchroLinc PS caps, once my eyes get younger.

BTW: Wife likes the five minute warning via Alexa vocal, before the back doorbell rings as a dryer stopped warning now. It always jerks our mind thinking e have no back door.

[Techman]

If you have Zwave then the Aeotec Smart Switch 6 is probably the best replacement for the Synchrolinc.

Attached is the manual

 

Aeotec-Z-Wave-Plug-In-Smart-Switch-6-Product-Manual.pdf

[apostolakisl]

1 hour ago, Techman said:

If you have Zwave then the Aeotec Smart Switch 6 is probably the best replacement for the Synchrolinc.

Attached is the manual

 

Aeotec-Z-Wave-Plug-In-Smart-Switch-6-Product-Manual.pdf 262.56 kB · 0 downloads

When you link to ISY, does it give you options like the synchrolinc like hysteresis, wattage level to trip it, and the like?  The instructions don't touch on the monitoring aspects.

[mwester]

It reports the actual wattage -- you may have to set the reporting interval, though.  So you can program any behavior you with, including the wattage level, hysteresis, etc.

[apostolakisl]

31 minutes ago, mwester said:

It reports the actual wattage -- you may have to set the reporting interval, though.  So you can program any behavior you with, including the wattage level, hysteresis, etc.

So it sound like you would need to use a variable and a couple programs? Doing hysteresis in ISY is not super easy.

ie

Program 1

If 
wattage greater than x
then 
wait some amount of time
set state variable to 1
Else


Program 2
If 
wattage less than y
then 
wait some amount of time
set state variable to 0


Program 3
If
state variable is 0
Then
send notification wasther done

 

[larryllix]

The analogue aspect could give some better options for  dryer (than the synchroLinc) . Programs could tell if the door was open via the lamp load, running via the motor load, and stopped via the 0 load. Fluff cycles may be possible but not sure what usage they would have.

[apostolakisl]

7 minutes ago, larryllix said:

The analogue aspect could give some better options for  dryer (than the synchroLinc) . Programs could tell if the door was open via the lamp load, running via the motor load, and stopped via the 0 load. Fluff cycles may be possible but not sure what usage they would have.

dryer is 240.  Washer turns on and off during the cycle, so you need time delay hysteresis.  You don't need so much wattage hysteresis with the washer I don't think. 

 

I  put an in-line flapper (designed to prevent backdrafting) on the dryer exhaust and used a magnetic reed switch (for an alarm system).  So it detects when the drier is pushing air.  I used a webcontrol board to monitor that, though an io linc could have done the job as well.