MK stuff

[Steve]

Bought 2 MK 2-way switches from B&Q today. Thought i'd pay a bit extra for the quality and all

When i opened the packets, i was surprised at the size of the switch module. And I was annoyed when I found the wires in the old switches had been cut to the exact right length for the traditional triangle arrangement! And whats with mounting the little terminals on the sides? It took a LOT of manipulation to twist the switch round, and the wires kept slipping out of the one with 2 cores in L1 and L2.

Not very impressed. Remind me, why do electricians use MK?

 

[JohnD]

Are you not aware of the traditional electrician's joke? Where, whenever you fit an accessory, you cut the cores so that it will be practically impossible for anyone to ever use them to connect anything else?

Then walk off the job, laughing at how funny it will be when, one day, some poor mug tries to re-use them?

It is particularly funny at a ceiling rose, where the poor git will be standing up a ladder, struggling with tiny stubs of wire above his head.

 

[RF Lighting]

I'm not sure why MK redesigned their plate switches, but it is another sign that MK have lost their 'edge'

It is annoying when the wires wont reach, but nothing a couple of through crimps can't sort out

 

[plugwash]

i belive MKs designs are aimed at being fast to fit when installing from scratch, terminals inline in a socket should make that much faster.

can't seem to find any layout info on the lightswitch terminals though, care to say what the layout is?

 

[Steve]

i belive MKs designs are aimed at being fast to fit when installing from scratch, terminals inline in a socket should make that much faster.

can't seem to find any layout info on the lightswitch terminals though, care to say what the layout is?

In a line. The module is very tiny, the terminals all in a line right next to each other (COM in the middle), set out so that you have to have the switch sideways to wire it.

And heres a picture:


Incidentally, the switches I removed (Varilight brass ones) had written on the back "for 1-way use L2"