To achieve a more comfortable operation of lighting devices in the house, you can use special walk-through switches. The connection diagram of the passage switches in all details shows the principle of operation of the devices. With this installation, the owner will be able to independently control the lighting in the apartment, being in any room. You should consider in more detail the principle of operation of such a system and decide on its independent installation.
How does the passage switch work?
Passing light bulbs are responsible for lighting anywhere in the apartment. Such a system is designed specifically to turn on and off the light from different parts of the house. For example, the owner can turn on the light at the entrance to the room, and turn it off at its end. This system operation significantly saves energy consumption and allows the apartment owner to feel more comfortable.
The pass-through lighting system is a simple switch. On the outside of the moving panel of the circuit breaker, two arrows can be seen (the first is directed up and the second is down). Simple switches have one inlet and outlet opening. The loop-through system includes one input and several outputs at once. This suggests that in such a device there is no current disruption, it simply switches to another output and continues its movement.
Despite the fact that experienced craftsmen in this field can distinguish between a simple turn-off and a walk-through in appearance, bona fide manufacturers create devices on which the electrical circuit of a double switch, triple or single is drawn. Such a circuit can be found under the cover of the device.
It is possible to understand that a switch with a single passage is presented to the user if you carefully examine the terminals with copper contacts. The device must contain three such parts. To be sure that the terminals are not confused with each other, experts advise using a multimeter. The device is turned on and ringing its input and output. If at the moment of contact with the contact the multimeter starts to signal, then there is a contact in this place.
Other differences
Experts distinguish another noticeable difference between the passage switch from the simple one - the passage system has three-wire switching, and the simple device has only two-wire switching. The pass-through switch automatically redirects voltage from one contact to the second, located nearby.
Most often, walk-through switches operate in pairs and control only one light source in the room. Zero and phase are applied to each device. Changing the location of the switch key causes the circuit to close, causing the light to turn on. When the first or second switch is turned off, the phase wire opens, and the contact located in the paired system closes, which turns off the light. From this we can conclude that at a time when the keys in two devices take one position - the light in the room turns on, as soon as they switch to different things - it turns off.
The connection of passage switches allows the user to control the light in the house not only from two places, but also from three, four and more. To achieve such a functioning of the system, one or two cross-switches will have to be added.
The main advantages of the transition switch
The connection of passage switches helps to effectively control the light in the apartment from two or more places and greatly facilitates the life of the user. Such a lighting switching system is especially useful for houses with several floors and flights of stairs. In such a house, the first switch can be placed on the first floor, and the second - on the next one, which will help control the light below and above.
The switch will also be effective when mounted at the entrance to the bedroom and next to the head of the bed. In this case, you can turn on the light at the entrance to the bedroom, change clothes, prepare for bed and turn off the lights at the end. Many install switches at the entrance to the house and at the far end of the corridor, which is also convenient and economical.
Using sensors or a timer installed in the switch system, you can independently choose the time to turn off the light in a particular room.
Connecting a passage switch with 2 or more places has significant advantages compared to simple devices. The main advantages of experts include:
- increased reliability and safety of using the system;
- if necessary, the user can at any time turn off the lights in a certain place;
- economical electricity consumption;
- low cost of installation;
- ease of installation, which does not require the help of a master;
- simplicity in system settings (you don’t have to study the instructions for a long time and understand the principle of the device’s functioning).
How to create a system with your own hands?
If we take into account the fact that, at first glance, the single-gang switch and simple switch used in each house do not differ much from each other, the price of them in the store is significantly different. When buying a switch through passage, you will have to spend 2 times more money than in the case of a simple one. For this reason, many home craftsmen try to create switches with their own hands, using the minimum knowledge and materials at hand.
To create a walk-through single-key switch, you need to take a simple single-key and two-key device of the same size and one manufacturer.
When buying a two-gang switch with a detailed circuit diagram on the case, you first need to make sure that the device is equipped with mobile terminals that move in the order of breaking and closing the circuit independently of each other.
To remake a simple switch to a walk-through, you need to follow the following scheme:
- remove the key with clips from the one-key overhead switch;
- carefully remove the core of the switch;
- wring out the clamps of the housing on the internal mechanism of the device;
- one terminal is pulled out of the socket;
- one contact rearranges the other;
- Further, a special rocker is installed on the contacts;
- at the end, the switch housing is assembled back to its original state.
It is also possible to assemble a passage switch from two places from two simple models. They should be placed next to each other so that when exposed to the top of the key, the first lights up, and the second on the bottom. The keys must be connected to each other by means of a plate, which is glued on top. A special jumper must be built in between the two rows of contacts.
Connecting a device from multiple points
Connecting a passage switch from 2 places is carried out using single-key devices that operate in pairs. Each of these devices has one contact near the entrance, and two at the exit location.
Before mounting the installation, you should study in more detail the scheme in which all the main stages are painted. To begin with, it is important to turn off the house using the appropriate switch in the switchboard. Then you need to make sure that there is no voltage in all the wires of the switch. To do this, use a special screwdriver.
Also, checking for the presence of electricity is carried out at the installation sites of switching systems. To mount the switches, you need to prepare a cross, indicator and flat screwdriver, side cutters, knife, tape measure, punch and level. To install the switch and lay the wires in the walls of the room, you will need to make holes and shafts, taking into account the location of the devices.
It is important to remember that it will not work to install a passage switch in place of a conventional one. The wiring is carried out at a distance of 15 centimeters from the ceiling. Wires can be not only hidden, but laid in separate boxes and trays. Installation of this type helps to quickly complete all repair work in case of accidental mechanical impact on the cable. The ends of the wires are placed in mounting plugs in which all the parts are connected by contactors.
Installation of lighting control from two places
The connection scheme of two-gang switch-through switches differs from the usual installation in that in this case two wires are used as a jumper between several switches located at different ends of the apartment. The third wire is used to supply the phase.
Five wires can be connected to the junction box at the same time: power from the machine, three cables and a wire going towards the lamp. When creating a switch connection diagram, three-core cables are used. The wire "zero" and ground are connected to the lamp itself. The brown phase wire supplying the current itself passes through the switch and leads to the luminaire.
To prevent possible difficulties with the operation of wiring, experts advise using copper wires with a cross section of 2.5 millimeters square.
The switches are connected in the gap of the phase wire, and zero, passing through the distribution box, is sent to the lamp. Passing the phase through the switch will help to achieve high safety during repair work.
How to mount?
Mounting the walk-through switches as follows:
- the master strips the end of the insulation wire;
- using a special indicator, the phase wire is determined;
- by twisting the phase wire is combined with the wire on the first switch (in this case, white and red wires are used);
- wires are connected to each other using zero terminals;
- then the wire from the second switch is conducted to the lighting device;
- in the junction box, the wire from the lamp is combined with zero cables.
Connection from three places
If the user needs to connect three walk-through switches in the house, then he will need a slightly different circuit. Most often, such a system is used by owners of multi-storey buildings, large buildings with long corridors, in which there are several exits at once. When wiring three passage switches, you will have to purchase, in addition to two simple switches, also a cross. In the finished device there will be not three, but immediately four simultaneously switching contacts: one pair of input and several output, as well as a four-wire cable.
When mounting walk-through switches from three places at the first and last point, simple switches are used, and a cross switch is built in between them.
Since the voltage in the distribution box with each new point requires the use of an increasing number of cables, the wires should be pre-marked.
Three-point wiring diagram
The connection diagram of the passage switch from three places is an order of the following actions:
- the wire "zero" and ground are connected to the lamp;
- the phase is fed to the first switch;
- using wires, the output contacts of the first switch are combined with the input pair of cross-over terminals;
- the output wires of the cross switch are connected to the output terminals of the second switch;
- the wire from the second device is conducted to the lamp itself;
- the second wire coming from the lamp is brought to the distribution box to "zero".
If the owner wants to control the lighting from more than three places in the house, then additional cross-switches are added to the general circuit, providing a reliable connection of walk-throughs.
Each pass-through device will have a separate three-wire cable, and a four-wire cable to the cross. All cables used to connect all devices according to the scheme must have one cross-section. Switches that can operate at currents of 6, 10, and 16A must have the same nominal value.
Two-gang switch
Using walk-through devices, you can control not only one lighting source, but also monitor a whole group of lighting devices in the house. For this, the owner will need special two-key switches. Each of them has 6 contacts. Common cables will be determined in the same way as in the case of simple switches, but in this case you will have to ring a lot more wires.
The main difference in connecting a two-button walk-through switch is that in this case more wires are used. The phase is fed to several inputs of the first switch. From the two inputs of the second switch, wires are drawn to several lamps. When controlling lighting from three or more places for each switch, two cross-switches are required, since they have a single-key design.