Remove Bad Links?

[SteveSBE]

Hi - I have several devices that have bad or unwanted links. One device has an unwanted link to another device. Several devices have links to an old PLM that went bad. (The PLM was replaced.)

The queries and the compare to the ISY are in the diagrams below. How do I remove these undesired links? Please note there is an additional question in the 3rd diagram below. Thanks, Steve

 

 

This fist diagram is for a Switchlinc that has an unwanted link to another device. The compare shows a mismatch.

 

 

This second diagram below is for a different Switchlink that I believe has an unwanted link to a bad PLM that I replaced.

 

 

This third diagram is strange. I re-ran the compare for the same devices as that in the second diagram. I got a record mismatch but is pointing to 12.00.CE. This seems to be the bad PLM but with the middle set of numbers as "00". What's happening with this?

[LeeG]

The link records in the three posts are fine. The one that says [identical/ignore] is a deleted link (22 in the first byte which is a flag byte marks it as inactive). It matches what the ISY expects [identical] and is an inactive/deleted record [ignore].

 

The last record labeled [record mismatch] is also fine. The ISY is now showing a dummy End Of List record in the ISY Links Table Display. This is represented by 8 00's. The only meaningful number is the 00 in the first byte which is the flag byte for End of List. The End of List link record in the actual device has the 00 in the first byte. The remaining 7 bytes are the remains of some previous link record that is not longer being used. The last 7 bytes have no function/meaning when the first byte is 00. When the ISY marks the link record following the last link record it knows about as an End of List record it sets only the first byte to 00. That is all the device hardware/firmware is looking at to identify the End of List record. The ISY could zero out the other 7 bytes but that action would require several additional commands for no functional value.

 

Bottom line, the tree posted images are fine.

[SteveSBE]

Lee -

 

Thanks...Have have two follow up questions...

 

First... I appreciate the answer. Was this explained clearly (like you did) in the Wiki but I didn't find it? If not, where would this information reside.

 

Second... If the links in the devices are inactive, can you explain why the Switchlinc in Diagram #1 (the Hall Kitchen) turns on when the Switchlinc in Diagram #2 (the Bedroom Mstr Closet) is turned off? This happens when the Bedroom Mstr Closet is turned on manually, with a motion sensor, and from the ISY Administration console. I did a "Find/Replace" in my programs and found nothing that would cause this to happen. Also the Hall Kitchen Switchlinc is not in a common scene with the Bedroom Mstr Closet. Do you know what would cause this behavior?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

 

 

 

[LeeG]

The answer for question 1 is the accumulation of Insteon information over years of using/debugging/playing with Insteon. SmartLabs does not document this information in any meaningful way for the general public. There is an insteondetails.pdf document on the insteon.net web site (I think) that is 'very' old but may describe some information on link records. Luckily the basic format of the 8 byte link record has never changed from day one of Insteon. Would be difficult to change that now without introducing incompatibilities with existing devices and software packages.

 

There are folks who have posted information on Insteon gathered from many sources over the years. Try this link

 

http://www.madreporite.com/insteon/insteon.html

 

He has lots of Insteon information, not sure if there is a specific section on link records.

 

One of the problems with Insteon is that SmartLabs considers all the really good information confidential and proprietary. A Developer Subscription can be purchased for $200 (last time I looked) which gives access to some of the really good info but one has to sign an NDA. This means that folks such as UDI are limited as to what can be published and shared publically because it is confidential.

 

As mentioned before, the good thing about link records is once you have learned some of the basics it applies to every device that has ever been sold.

 

For question 2, when a device is turned Off manually or otherwise and some other device turns On it is not a link record issue. An Insteon Off command cannot turn On another device. An Insteon On command can turn Off a device if the Responder On Level is set to 0% On but Off commands can do only one thing, turn the device and any linked devices Off.

 

Something else is turning On the other device. Try running the Event Viewer at Level 3 to see if there is an On command flowing from a Program. A zebra would be the device turning On has an X10 address assigned to it and some noise on the powerline looks like an X10 message which the device is reacting to. Actually that is not so much a zebra.