Wiring Varilight Dimmers Help

[rv02]

I have bought a two way master varilight dimmer switch and a single slave dimmer switch for my landing and hallway LV halogen lamps. Unfortunately I did not take down the order of which these should be wired and I am really confused as I dont want to low anything off. Downtirs I am putting the two way dimmer, I have two red cables and two red cables with black sleevs, I also have a single cable (red) on its own not connected to anything which was used to coneect two terminals . I have live, S and arrow with curly line (i presume its neutral). Can some one please let me know how to wire these two switches, I need to be able to turn off or on the upstairs landing from either upstairs or downstirs.

I really appreciate your help.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

This could help;
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:adddimmer

 

[Steve]

Wont work.

Varilights NEED three cores linking the two switches AFAIK. You only have two strappers. Sorry.

 

[johnnykc]

Hi.. if you check out the varilight website there is a wiring diagram for the IR dimmers in the technical section....

 

[Steve]

Hi.. if you check out the varilight website there is a wiring diagram for the IR dimmers in the technical section....

Also if he checks out the intructions he recieved with the dimmers, there will be a wiring diagram specifically for the products he bought.

 

[johnnykc]

looking at the original post... I made the assumption that rv02 was not in possession of any instructions.....

 

[Steve]

looking at the original post... I made the assumption that rv02 was not in possession of any instructions.....

IIRC, the wiring diagram supplied with a lot of these dimmers is less than clear to the DIYer. It really is a basic circuit diagram, and shows nothing about which cores go in which cables etc. Perhaps, like a lot of DIYers he doesn't understand the theory of 2-way switching, and electronic controls such as these.

 

[rv02]

Dear All.Thanks for your replies.
I have attacehed the pictures of the wiring for both upstairs and downstairs switches.
Downstairs double switch:

downstairs

• rv02
• 30 Oct 2009
• 1

upstairs slave switch:

upstairs

• rv02
• 30 Oct 2009
• 1

As you can see the wires with red sleeves go to neutral, red wires go to live and a single spare red wire is connecting the S terminals.

Any help will be appreciate it as Im not sure if this is right. The upstairs lights are not coming on but downstirs is working.

Thanks

 

[333rocky333]

There is no Neutral at the switch, you do have a black colour cable in use as a conducter but it is not a neutral as you think.

As steve says you need 3 wires for the slave to work.

You therefore need to establish if you have 3 wires from one point to the other point, it looks like you have not.

 

[rv02]

ihave live, slave and load. The lve is connected to the rde wire, load is onnected to the wire with black sleev and a single red wire i connecting the slave terminal.

Does the live wire from downstairs has to go to S terminal or live terminal?

hans and sorry for all the confusion

 

[Steve]

If all you have is two reds and two blacks, you cannot use these switches.

They require three cores between the master and slave. You only have two - I hope you appreciate one of those pairs runs up to the other switch, the other one is live and switched live for the downstairs light.

You cannot use those switches without going and buying a length of 3 core and earth.

 

[rv02]

tanks for your help. I try to do this, its only one thing I dont understand is they used to work fine before, its only when the switch downstairs was blown and i cnaged it that this problem happened as I forgot the order of the wires which they were connected. I had these switches for about 5 years now without any problem, this is why I dont know whether I have wired them wrong.

Thnaks for all your help on this. My confusion just gets more and more.
This is a great forumfor help by the wy and I like to thank everyone who helped me.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I try to do this, its only one thing I dont understand is they used to work fine before

You had switches wired like this, with two conductors linking them:

For these dimmers to work in a master/slave pair you need 3 conductors to link the switches:

By the way - are your upstairs and downstairs lights on the same circuit, or different ones?

 

[Steve]

These exact dimmers worked in this configuration before?

The ONLY way this could be is if they used the earth core, but you MUST NOT do this, as it is dangerous and shows whoever wires it to start with was a cowboy.

Also in your original post you state that you have bought these dimmers, which indicates it was a recent purchase.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I read it that he had switches, and is trying to replace them with dimmers....