ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Four Way Switch?

If you really want to WOW out some automotive types, hook up some of the 12 volt lights in a van or motorhome with a 3 way and/or 4 way setup. I've done a couple and people are absolutely amazed that you can do something like that.

Some people here understand switching a light from two locations, but don't realize that you can include extra positions if you wish.

I did a complete rewire on a friend's house a year or two ago, and had his living room lights switched from three locations. He later had somebody in doing the walls, and a sheet of drywall had to be changed, so one of the 3-ways had to be disconnected temporarily. When the wall-guy put it back, he got the connections wrong so that this switch had to be in one position before the lights would work -- In the other position you couldn't turn on the lights from anywhere else.

Despite my friend telling him that the three switches had all worked fine before, this guy insisted that it wasn't possible to switch lights from three places like this and that if you had a third switch it would always have to be "on" before the others would work.

{Accidental double post -- Bill, please delete.}


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 08-25-2003).]

The elctronic controls (AFAIK, required in at least France and Germany for multipoint
lighting), is easier, you have a common, an
on lead, and an off lead. You hook the switches in parallel. The switches will be SPDT spring return center off.