Dimmer switch with a neon indicator, or ?

Light timers get their neutral from a feed thru the lamp, so don't see why a neon couldn't.
How could that work? If you used the S/L to the load (i.e. the 'dimmed' output of the dimmer) as a path to neutral and therefore connected one side of the neon to that, to what would you connect the other side of the neon (so that it came on when the load was switched on)?

As discussed in a number of recent threads (albeit in relation to ordinary switches, not dimmers), if one connects a neon across a switch (i.e. from L to S/L) it will then work with reverse functionality (neon will come on when power to load is switched off, and vice versa), with the neutral path being through the load. The same might work with a dimmer, but functionality would still be 'back to front'.

Kind Regards, John
 
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It was plastic and no earth, i recall it well as pub work entails lots of dimmers and the manager liked it as he could tell it was on even though the walllights or whatever were out of site, im pretty sure it dimmed in conjunction with the dimmer ... proberly came rom Ryness
The fact that it was plastic obviously doesn't mean that there was not a CPC available, even if it would be naughty to use it as a return path for an indicator!

I really don't think it can work without either neutral or earth. As I've just written to Andy, the nearest one can get (certainly with switches, possibly with dimmers) is 'reverse functionality', by connecting a neon across the switch. If that did work with a dimmer, even the brightness of the neon would be 'reversed' - it would be brightest when the load was switched off, and would gradually become dimmer (eventually probably going out) as the current to the load was increased by the dimmer.

Kind Regards, John
 
Yes. But as I said timers work somehow.

Maybe they have a low value resistor (or triac) in series with the light. The small voltage developed across it is enough to power the light / timer.
 
Yes. But as I said timers work somehow. Maybe they have a low value resistor (or triac) in series with the light. The small voltage developed across it is enough to power the light / timer.
Yes, to generate a small local pd to power electronics and/or charge a battery they must insert some resistance (or semiconductor junctions) in the current path, and I suppose the same could be done to operate an indicator.

In fact, on reflection, if one used semiconductor junctions, one ought to be able to get a voltage to drive, say, an LED which was largely independent of the current (hence degree of dimming). I suppose that would then be a contrived variant of the constant-current driver I was talking about, since one would then have an essentially constant-voltage source (largely independent of load current) which, through a resistor would then effectively become a constant-current source for an LED.

Kind Regards, John
 
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But never mind any of that.

The plan is to leave the fan on very low during the day and then when we use the showers turn it up a bit to take out the steam and then switch it off at night or as needed. So I've wired it through a dimmer switch and it all works remarkably well.
I thought these whole-house ventilation systems were:

a) fully automatic

b) supposed to run all of the time, much of it at a low rate and not making any noise.

i.e. you aren't supposed to turn them off.

It does do heat recovery, doesn't it?
 
Yes. But as I said timers work somehow.
With resistive loads. ... They don't necessarily work with CFLs, LEDs etc.
They would work with any type of load if, in the manner I described, they steal a bit of the voltage from the S/L feed to the load when it is on and charge a battery to keep themselves going when there is no load current. However, as I tried to explain, this 'voltage stealing' technique is very different from just using the load as a (constant) path to neutral.

Kind Regards, John
 
Thanks for the help so far chaps, didn't realise it would be quite this complicated, I was hoping someone would say "oh yes xyz have them at £4.50" or similar, didn't think it was such a mission.

Tried Ryeness, thanks to whoever suggested them, but chappie there said they used to do high end touch ones with a light but they're discontinued and were very pricey.

There's got to be a simple solution to this?

BTW Ban the sheds mentioned heat recovery. Err??????????
 
Hi, Manrose would appear to make a fan speed controller with neon which doesn't look to ugly for domestic use.

Kind Regards,

DS
 
Hi, Manrose would appear to make a fan speed controller with neon which doesn't look to ugly for domestic use
Do you happen to know if it requires a neutral feed? (one assumes that it probably does). Once one has a neutral, life obviously becomes much easier (albeit slightly more complicated if one wants constant indicator brightness regardless of fan speed).

Kind Regards, John
 
Not complicated at all if you install a controller where the makers have had the smarts to realise that it would be a jolly good idea to use a potentiometer which also has a switch.
 
Brilliant. The Manrose thingy is EXACTLY what I'm after. Guess it's a problem with terminology, I call it a dimmer switch with a light Manrose call it a fan speed variable controller. Bit like calling a mouse trap a small rodent manually operated imprisonment and killing device.

Interestingly, I asked at my local Screwfix about the dimmer switch and they'd never heard of one with a light, but I see they sell this Manrose switch. Will pop in later and see if I can get one. Not cheap though is it?

Thanks everyone. Great forum this isn't it.
 

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