Touch plate connections

[Goulders]

Can anyone tell me which connections go together? I'm after the equivalent to common, L1, L2 for each gang. Whoever put this old touch plate on has left a mess and without pulling up floor boards etc to get to the junction box it is proving difficult. Cheers

Untitled

• Goulders
• 18 Jun 2014
• 1

Untitled

• Goulders
• 18 Jun 2014
• 1

 

[bernardgreen]

The advice you need depends what you want to do.

Do you want to change the switch for something else or just tidy up what is there.


Hamilton Litestat (R.Hamilton & Co Ltd) T: 01747 860088 should be able to provide a data sheet for the devices.

 

[Goulders]

I'm looking to change it to a normal rocker switch. There just seems far too many wires for the switches. There are only 2 lights even though it's a 3 gang and that's why I can't easily figure out what goes where.

 

[Goulders]

I've phoned Hamilton and they said it was too old and couldn't help!!

 

[333rocky333]

Does it work, if so what does or did it do.
was any of it two way using SLAVES at the other switch
Looks to me like it has

Live and loop feed in TERMS 1

a dimmed output TERM 2
a dimmed output TERM 5
a switched output TERM S3

 

[Goulders]

The far right one works but the middle and left don't. That's why it's hard working out what goes where as you can't use a multimeter on it easily.
The right one works fine although it is switching itself on and off!!

 

[333rocky333]

Was any of it 2 way

 

[Goulders]

No. And no slave sockets either.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

That's why it's hard working out what goes where as you can't use a multimeter on it easily

You can use one to easily (and carefully) identify the permanent lives.

 

[Goulders]

Under normal circumstances that would be fine and as you say, easy to do but for some unknown reason the 3rd gang has a wire going to it yet there isn't a third light. This master socket seems to be wired up weird. It may even have the live feeding from the 1st gang to the 2nd gang at the switch rather than the ceiling rose or a junction box.
I've identified the live for one, but was trying to identify what connection did what. Cheers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

a switched output TERM S3

Or a terminal intended for connection to a slave?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Under normal circumstances that would be fine and as you say, easy to do but for some unknown reason the 3rd gang has a wire going to it yet there isn't a third light.

That doesn't matter, you can still find out which conductors are permanently live.

This master socket seems to be wired up weird.

Yes.

It may even have the live feeding from the 1st gang to the 2nd gang at the switch rather than the ceiling rose or a junction box.

If your lighting circuit is wired with the live loop running through the switches then a lot of the connections at this one could make sense.

Hence identifying permanent live(s). This is important.

How are other switches wired?

I'm looking to change it to a normal rocker switch. There just seems far too many wires for the switches.

It's quite likely there's the right number going to the switch. Ignore the links, and you have 4 conductors, either live loop in and out, and two switched outputs, or two normal switch drops. Brown & red would be odd for the latter though. How's the lighting circuit wired? Singles in conduit?

There are only 2 lights even though it's a 3 gang

Does it look as though a 4-gang could fit on the same sized place? There's a pair of tunnels with no terminals in them.

and that's why I can't easily figure out what goes where.

Might be worth pressing Hamilton - surely somebody there must know how it is connected? Companies like that may make cosmetic changes to products all the time, but often the works soldier on for years.

If I had to start trying to divine how it is connected, I'd find the permanent live(s) and temporarily put a 3-gang switch in and see what it did.

My guess is that the 1 terminals are for the live feed (and that if you were to remove the connection between them some of your lighting circuit would die), and the 3 (potentially 4) gangs are numbered 2, 3, 4 (missing) & 5, and each gang has a dimmed output and a slave link.

Why the outputs from 2 & 5 are linked IHNI, nor why S3 has a conductor but not 3. Is that the gang which doesn't work? To your knowledge has it ever worked?

 

[securespark]

It may be that there is redundant wiring for a third light (maybe a wall light) somewhere and they have parked the switchwire for it in a disused terminal.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Could be.

 

[333rocky333]

a switched output TERM S3

Or a terminal intended for connection to a slave?

I did wonder that too, but that looks like an 80's dimmer and i dont recall slave units about then, but i have vaque memories of early touch dimmers that had a dimmed output as well as a fixed output for each gang, i recall it was to switch non dimmable loads like fleurescent in conjuction with dimmed tungsten loads

course as you say i may be wrong, hence MASTER being on the dimmer