XOUT

Syntax: XOUT Mpin, Zpin,[House\Command {\Cycles} {, House\Command {\Cycles}...}]

Function

Send an X-10 power-line control command (through the appropriate power-line interface).

• Mpin is a variable/constant/expression (0 - 15) that specifies the I/O pin to output X-10 signals (modulation) to the power-line interface device. This pin will be set to output mode.
• Zpin is a variable/constant/expression (0 - 15) that specifies the I/O pin that inputs the zero-crossing signal from the power-line interface device. This pin will be set to input mode.
• House is a variable/constant/expression (0 - 15) that specifies the X-10 house code (values 0 - 15 representing letters A through P).
• Command is a variable/constant/expression (0 - 30) that specifies the command to send. Values 0 - 15 correspond to unit codes 1 - 16. Other commands are shown below.
• Cyclesis an optional variable/constant/expression (1 - 255) specifying the number of times to transmit a given key or command. If no I>Cycles entry is used, XOUT defaults to two. The Cycles entry should be used only with the DIM and BRIGHT command codes.

Quick Facts

Explanation

XOUT lets you control appliances via signals sent through household AC wiring to X-10 modules. The appliances plugged into these modules can be switched on or off; lights may also be dimmed. Each module is assigned a house code and unit code by setting dials or switches on the module. To talk to a particular module, XOUT sends the appropriate house code and unit code. The module with the corresponding code listens for its house code again followed by a command (on, off, dim, or bright).

X-10 signals are digital codes imposed on a 120 kHz carrier that is transmitted during zero crossings of the AC line. To send X-10 commands, a controller must synchronize to the AC line frequency with 50 ms precision, and transmit an 11-bit code sequence representing the command.

XOUT interfaces to the AC power-line through an approved interface device such as a PL-513 or TW-523, available from Parallax or X-10 dealers. The hookup requires a length of four-conductor phone cable and a standard modular phone-base connector (6P4C type). Connections are shown below.

Tip:  In most applications, it's not necessary to know the code for a given X-10 instruction. Just use the command constant (UnitOn, Dim, etc.) instead. But knowing the codes leads to some interesting possibilities. For example, XORing a UnitOn command with the value %1000 turns it into a UnitOff command, and vice-versa. This makes it possible to write the equivalent of an X-10 "toggle" instruction.

Here is an example of the XOUT instruction:

Mpin    PIN     1                       ' modulation pin
Zpin    PIN     0                       ' zero-cross input

HouseA  CON     0                       ' House code A = 0 
Unit1   CON     0                       ' Unit code 1 = 0 

Main:
  XOUT Mpin, Zpin, [HouseA\Unit1]       ' Get unit 1's attention.. 
  XOUT Mpin, Zpin, [HouseA\UnitOn]      ' ..and tell it to turn on
  END

You can combine those two XOUT instructions into one like so:

  XOUT Mpin, Zpin, [HouseA\Unit1\2, HouseA\UnitOn]

Note that to complete the attention-getting code HouseA\Unit1 we tacked on the normally optional cycles entry \2 to complete the command before beginning the next one. Always specify two cycles in multiple commands unless you're adjusting the brightness of a lamp module.

Here is an example of a lamp-dimming instruction:

Mpin    PIN     1                       ' modulation pin
Zpin    PIN     0                       ' zero-cross input

HouseA  CON     0                       ' House code A = 0 
Unit1   CON     0                       ' Unit code 1 = 0 

Main:
  ' Get unit 1's attention
  XOUT Mpin, Zpin, [HouseA\Unit1]
  ' Dim halfway
  XOUT Mpin, Zpin, [HouseA\UnitOff\2, HouseA\Dim\10]
  END

The dim/bright commands support 19 brightness levels. Lamp modules may also be turned on and off using the standard UnitOn and UnitOff commands. In the example instruction above, we dimmed the lamp by first turning it completely off, then sending 10 cycles of the Dim command. This may seem odd, but it follows the peculiar logic of the X-10 system.