Does anyone have experience with troubleshooting these lighting systems probably from the 60's I would imagine? Any help would be appreciated. thanks

Is this the GE RR7 system?

Uses relays like this on the line side



My first guess is a switch stuck and burned out the relay coil. That is about the only thing that happens if it isn't a broken wire.

Also google around for Touch-Plate.

IIRC they invented the concept... and last time I looked are still supporting their stuff.

We can't help you until WHICH type is known.

http://www.touchplate.com/
seen it on the next street over. pita to say the least.

The touch plate system uses ratcheting relays, that is to say that the same signal comes from the switch for the both on & off operations. It only requires 2 wires to control the relay. (additional wires are needed in case of a pilot light on the switch to tell when it's in the on position). The low voltage pigtails on the relay are brown & red, if I remember correctly.

GE (and Sierra) use separate signals to the relays for on & off, so requires 3 wires run to the switch. The low voltage pigtails on the relay are black, red, & blue. Blue is the common conductor, red is the on signal, and black is the off signal.

Either system uses a momentary contact switch.

I've dealt with the Touchplate, GE & Bryant systems... I 2nd PAteenletricians feelings...

Waste of wire, too. Every light needed a dedicated line up from the basement. There was a gutted fusepanel with 2 1x 10's screwed across it to housesome of them. Houses in my area are baloon framed, long and skinny, therefoe 100' runs were between the box and the back bedroom lights.

Actually one can simplify wiring with Touch-Plate...

That doesn't mean that the boys did so.

Touch-Plate permits you to control every light remotely, over and over and over around the house.

My sister bought a 1962 home loaded with Touch-Plate. A prior owner ( amateur ) was in way over his head and compounded his troubles. He kept stacking up loads on the few relays that he'd not yet burnt out.

Touch-Plate's one weakness is 'hung' low voltage switches. You can only get about 35 years out of them. Then you need to buy replacements.

By using two control cabinets her house does not have endless runs of full voltage switch legs.

Beyond that, if so desired, one can shift the relays at will to 4-sq boxes all over the space and have them triggered by shorter runs. It all gets down to how the house is designed. In my sisters' house routing was highly constrained because dramatic tongue and groove lumber formed the roof. Fortunately, a massive crawl space below permitted alternate routes.

In the present day, wireless systems are eating its lunch.

I still like 12/3g switch loops best.

That picture looks like the old Remcon Relays. You would either find them at each light fixture. ( Above the drywall.) or else they would run everything into the attic.

We have a slew of huge houses around here that went up in the 70’s that are all rampant with the GE Low voltage lighting controls. I haven’t had the privilege of having to mess with it for years though.
I did see some on a DIY kitchen tear out a few years ago. Thankfully I wasn’t there for that, but I noticed the rat’s nest of cut off multi colored low voltage wires and about four or five of rocker switches in a pile on the floor. I just kept on walking.

The GE relays may be distributed all over the house also; The first two houses I worked on back in 1954 had the relays located in the boxes with the load with the power run to the boxes. The control transformer was located in the attic/