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240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:01 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
I'm after some help from anyone in the know. I bought a 240V rocker switch from jaycar today, got home to find it doesn't specify the circuitry. It has 1,2,3 marked vertically down one side, and blank on the other. It is an on/off switch. Only 2 functions. Now because this switch lights up, I'm assuming the the adjacent sides to each number is the power/earth for the light?

I wired it up to my 240v-12v transformer, and wired that to a computer fan to test.
20160624_154543-1200x1600.jpg

So connection 1 is Active in, bridged to the adjacent prong.
Connection 2 is earth in, bridged to adjacent prong, and earth out.
Connection 3 is Active out, bridged to the adjacent prong.
And Neutral feeds directly into the transformer.
20160624_154557-1200x1600.jpg


20160624_154604-1200x1600.jpg


I tripped the rcd when I plugged it in, so the order I've plugged in currently is wrong. I don't really feel like guessing the order and risking damage to my rcd, so if anyone knows anything about these switches, please enlighten me.

I should note that the transformer and fan works, plugged it in and tested prior to wiring the switch.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:11 pm
by WTDist
oh, its a switch, had same prob. only do live in and live out. depending on which side of the switch will depend on the on off spot will be. look at my rocker from jaycar. ill get the link

have edited. just a switch to break or connect the live wire

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:15 pm
by WTDist
Image

you can see how i only have 2 wires, live and live (forghet the yellow and green wire coming off, its actually LIVE, only short bit of wire i had at the time) i have 2 sides so i can have 2 crimp terminals per live in and live out. if i had it on other side it would have a different off position. it is just a switch. live in, live out

forget the nuetral reference in last post, ill try edit.

basically, live in middle, live out side (either side) no neutral and no earth. It is just a on off switch, a break in the live wires or connection in the live wires :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:18 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
Cheers WT.

At first I was like "ah feck it, I'll just run my active through the switch", then I got a bit ahead of myself and started to wire all of it, making it all pretty. Thanks for that mate, pull me back down to earth.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:20 pm
by WTDist
lol, i asked the guy at jaycar when i bought it and he looked at me dumb and told me how to do it but in a basic way and i looked back puzzled. was when i was driving home i realised what he was saying 8-}

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:23 pm
by WTDist
i had the 6 prong with the green rocker switch, 3 on one side 3 on other. just saw you had the 6 too, thought it was a 3 but same principle :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:30 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
Got it going, but its not illuminating

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:15 pm
by warramungas
Any leckies around? :think:

Shouldn't at least one of the terminals have a neutral to activate the light?

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:22 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
warramungas wrote:Any leckies around? :think:

Shouldn't at least one of the terminals have a neutral to activate the light?


Well I managed to get the light to activate, but only when the switch is in an off position (no voltage output), and when there is a voltage output, the light turns off.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:31 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
Got it to work.

Active in 1, earth in adjacent 1.
Output in 2, earth in adjacent 2.

Tried so many damn combinations lol. Ended up reading thermostat wiring to figure it out.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:53 pm
by Meatheadinc
I have used similar switchs on controler builds for switching to circuits. Eg controller to bypass.
If they are the same, active and neutral connect to the middle pins.
Circuit 1 (controller) on top two pins curcuit 2 (bypass) on bottom two.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:58 pm
by rumdidlydum
Captain, great to hear you got it working, but i don't really like how you just tried multiple combinations to get to that stage. You are playing with electricity. Idealy you need to know what each pin does and what it conects too before you conect any wires. If not use a multimeter to work them out.

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:13 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
rumdidlydum wrote:Captain, great to hear you got it working, but i don't really like how you just tried multiple combinations to get to that stage. You are playing with electricity. Idealy you need to know what each pin does and what it conects too before you conect any wires. If not use a multimeter to work them out.

:handgestures-thumbupleft:


Only ever touch it when powers off, so no worries there. I'm a high voltage electrician by trade, so I know enough to keep me safe, but not enough to get it right. The multiple combinations I spoke of was with active only, no earth involved.

I don't recommend others to do it. I took precautions to ensure I couldn't be hurt. Ie: powers always off when I'm changing the order.

Re: 240V 6 Prong Rocker

PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:20 pm
by CaptainRedBeard
Meatheadinc wrote:I have used similar switchs on controler builds for switching to circuits. Eg controller to bypass.
If they are the same, active and neutral connect to the middle pins.
Circuit 1 (controller) on top two pins curcuit 2 (bypass) on bottom two.

Cheers meat, I'll try that out. I'm putting some LED lights inside my fermenter chamber that I wouldn't mind being able to turn on whilst the controller is off. :handgestures-thumbupleft: