2 way wiring - varilight dimmers

[newbuyer17]

I've bought a master and slave varilight remote dimmer in order to have a dimmer on an existing two way circuit.

Current wiring is as follows:
Switch1:
COM - orange
L1 - Light Grey/Blue
L2 - Dark Grey/Brown

Switch 2:
COM - brown
L2 - Dark Grey
L1 - Light Grey

Varilight instructions can be found here.
For 2-way it refers to a slave input being required between the two. (Fig 2)

Does this mean I cant get this working without additional cable between the two switches?

If I can, could someone please advise what needs to go where. I was hoping it was going to be a straight swap, but perhaps not.

Or to put it more simply, do COM/L1/L2 translate directly to LIVE/LOAD/SLAVE on the diagram?

Thanks in advance.

 

[EFLImpudence]

......

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Switch1:
COM - orange

Are you sure that's not brown?

L2 - Dark Grey

Not black?

Switch 2:
COM - brown

If you think that you've got an orange at switch 1 and a brown at switch 2, then you think that they aren't the same, so where do you think they go/come from and how do you think it's all going to work?

Does this mean I cant get this working without additional cable between the two switches?

Almost certainly you have a brown/blue switch drop cable and a brown/black/grey cable connecting the two switches, exactly as per this:

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:two-way-lighting#wiring-diagrams

If I can, could someone please advise what needs to go where.

The wiring diagram shows you.

I was hoping it was going to be a straight swap,

It is.

Or to put it more simply, do COM/L1/L2 translate directly to LIVE/LOAD/SLAVE on the diagram?

Not quite - look at where the light is connected to the dimmer vs the 2-way switch.

 

[333rocky333]

Almost certainly you have a brown/blue switch drop cable and a brown/black/grey cable connecting the two switches,.

Thats how i read it too with the load connected to the existing L1
and com being used as a third strapper

As in fig2 http://www.varilight.co.uk/leaflets/touchremote712.pdf
So in this instance its more likely without seeing and knowing regarding the "orange" that

cables from old L1 assuming there the load go to new ≠
. old L2 assuming there the live go to new L
. old com go to new S or slave

 

[EFLImpudence]

Wrong instructions deleted

 

[333rocky333]

...

 

[EFLImpudence]

Ooops sorry, have deleted.

 

[newbuyer17]

Thanks guys, although you have confused the hell out of me
See if this helps any - a picture and thousand words and all that:

http://s1095.beta.photobucket.com/user/randombits/library/switches

Don't have photo of the light fittings though.

Didn't say earlier but perhaps it may explain things - there are actually 2 pendants connected on this circuit not just the one. They are connected and come on and go off together.

Thanks

 

[Spark123]

It should be quite simple, if you look at the switch with 5 wires in it you'll have two cables. The brown and blue in the same cable will be the live and switch live.
The other cable, brown black and grey is the strapper between the two switches.
All it appears you need to do at the master switch is wire the two browns to live, black to S and grey+blue to the output (~ with arrow through it).
At the slave end brown to live, black to S and grey to output ~
This should replicate figure 2 in your instruction book.

If the new dimmer switches have an earth terminal you need to make sure they are connected to the earth wire too.

 

[EFLImpudence]

http://www.varilight.co.uk/leaflets/touchremote712.pdf
See diagram fig. 2 Wiring for multi-way circuits

Slave = COM
Live = your L2 (assuming brown is supply live)
Load = your L1 (assuming blue is switched live)

Got it right this time.

 

[newbuyer17]

Thanks for replies, only got around to looking at this again in daylight.

Firstly, I'm an idiot and the wiring was different to described earlier. I had L1 and L2 the wrong way around before at the door. Should be like this:

Current wiring is as follows:
Switch1:
COM - orange
L2 - Light Grey/Blue
L1 - Dark Grey/Brown

Switch 2:
COM - brown
L2 - Dark Grey
L1 - Light Grey

Going back to the last 2 replies, these were telling me different things.
If I wire the slave as per this:
Slave = COM
Live = your L2 (assuming brown is supply live)
Load = your L1 (assuming blue is switched live)

I would connect Slave to Brown, Dark Grey to Load, Light Grey to Live.
which is different to the other suggestion:

"At the slave end brown to live, black to S and grey to output ~ "

So which is it? Or is it now neither based on what I've said about mixing L1 and L2 up?

Thanks again. Trying to ring manufacturer but engaged constantly.

 

[EFLImpudence]

As you had L1 and L2 the wrong way round it will now be -

Slave = COM
Live = L1 (assuming brown is supply live)
Load = L2 (assuming blue is switched live)


The confusion is, I think, because of that and your colours.

Spark123 was 'starting again' as he and I would wire it, not going with what you have already.

The cable is normally Brown, Black, Grey.
It could have faded to look like Orange, Dark grey and Light grey.

As it is -

COM - orange ..............S
L2 - Light Grey/Blue......Load
L1 - Dark Grey/Brown....Live

Switch 2:
COM - brown................S
L2 - Light Grey..............Load
L1 - Dark Grey...............Live Corrected AGAIN thanks to 333rocky333.


For future reference -
With the three core cable it doesn't matter which wire/colour is used as long as it is the same at both switches.

 

[newbuyer17]

Thanks again.
I actually got through to them on the phone and sorted earlier, but had to go pick my daughter up before I could update the thread.

For the record they told me exactly the same as you, so full marks

Slave = COM
Live = L1 (assuming brown is supply live)
Load = L2 (assuming blue is switched live)

which is all working nicely.
Not quite sure why they couldn't have just put that translation on the instructions. Hopefully this thread will help someone else in the future anyway.

Anyway, many thanks to all who have helped with this. Much appreciated.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not quite sure why they couldn't have just put that translation on the instructions.

• Because there are different ways of wiring 2-way switching, so that "translation" wouldn't always be correct.
• Because people might not already have 2-way switching, and might be going to that layout when they install the dimmers.
• Because they have perfectly clear diagrams and quite correctly expect people to understand how electrical wiring works before fiddling with it.

 

[newbuyer17]

I'd argue that it should be possible to replace a switch like for like without being a fully qualified electrician.
Their guy told me over the phone what each translated to, and it would have been easier if it had just said this on the instructions.

Hopefully this will help someone else who needs to do a straight swap.

For a new circuit, of course the diagrams would have made sense to a qualified electrician, and I wouldn't have attempted this.