2Switches - one light - how?
 

We have two switches (on top of stairs, one bottom) for a light.
(It was set up in 1965, so I don't think there's fancy chipwork.) How
was this set up? I'm thinking of replacing one switch with an infrared
motion detector switch, but I have had some problems with these IR
detectors if the lightwork is too fancy (eg, one LED bulb would never
switch off in IR mode, but would manually switch on/off).


- = -
Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist
BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vjp2/vasos.htm
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]

wrote:

We have two switches (on top of stairs, one bottom) for a light.
(It was set up in 1965, so I don't think there's fancy chipwork.) How
was this set up? I'm thinking of replacing one switch with an infrared
motion detector switch, but I have had some problems with these IR
detectors if the lightwork is too fancy (eg, one LED bulb would never
switch off in IR mode, but would manually switch on/off).

- = -
Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist
BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vjp2/vasos.htm
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]

"Three-way" switches can be wired in several ways, depending on
physical layout. see
http://www.the-home-improvement-web....way-switch.htm

Are you using a *3-way* motion sensor switch like this one:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1294389

--reed

wrote in message
...


We have two switches (on top of stairs, one bottom) for a light.
(It was set up in 1965, so I don't think there's fancy chipwork.) How
was this set up? I'm thinking of replacing one switch with an infrared
motion detector switch, but I have had some problems with these IR
detectors if the lightwork is too fancy (eg, one LED bulb would never
switch off in IR mode, but would manually switch on/off).




It's simple, it's just a pair of SPDT switches wired together, been used in
just about every multi-floor house since practically the dawn of household
electricity. Most split level houses common in the 60's and 70's have a DPDT
"4-way" switch on the landing so the entryway light can be controlled from 3
locations and you can chain together as many of those as you want.

You can get dimmers, motion detectors and other stuff like that designed for
3 way use though some of it has limitations.

In article ,
wrote:
We have two switches (on top of stairs, one bottom) for a light.
(It was set up in 1965, so I don't think there's fancy chipwork.) How
was this set up? I'm thinking of replacing one switch with an infrared
motion detector switch, but I have had some problems with these IR
detectors if the lightwork is too fancy (eg, one LED bulb would never
switch off in IR mode, but would manually switch on/off).



L1 L1
0===========0 0===========0============= Line
| \ / |
C 0================================O C
\ / \ /
0===========0 0===========0============= Switch return
L2 Optional L2
Intermediate


If you wanted to replace a two way switch with an IR operated one it would
need to have a Single Pole Double Throw relay etc. Ie, three switch
^ ^ ^ ^
terminals.

If you wanted to *add* it to an existing two way switched circuit it would
need a Double PDT relay wired as per the intermediate above, or the wiring
altered to take a discrete intermediate switch in one of the original
positions and the IR one as a two-way at the end of the altered circuit.

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