ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Inside a light switch from Norway

Paul,
Would it be that the Blind is a Looping terminal, as is the Neutral terminal and two (Common and Switch) terminals?.

The back of the switch on the second pic does look a bit peculiar. Usually the mounting screws are hidden inside the enclosure, like on the first pic.
The neutral terminal could be for switches with indicator light. No idea about blind though.

Would the Blind be for a seperate connection. e.g. for the earth?

Oops, I think I should have written with the cover removed instead of without cover.

Trumpy is right: The B is just a looping terminal.

I went back to the manufacturer's website to check the schematics. There were a number of them, but this one is lacking. It seems I chose the wrong example...

Anyway, there are three terminals out at the top, marked with little arrows.

I think the N means that the switch to the left is single way, which means that the right switch is two way. There are different rocker plates (is that a suitable word for the 'buttons'?). Either you use two, like in the photo, or you use a single rocker plate. In the latter case, the switch will become double pole. If you want to use it as disconnect. Only then does the N(eutral) and L(ine) make sense.

Anyone else than me who wonders what will happen with the screws in all that water? Better use stainless...

That's quite a neat arrangement so that you can use a wide "tie" rocker to convert the two switches to a single double-pole unit.

As a matter of interest, what are the Norwegian terms for line, neutral, etc.?

What is the maximum thickness of wires that you can connect? 2x1.5 mm2 or 2 x 2.5 mm2 or eventually more?

Belgian,

Two wires per terminal and 2.5mm2 or maybe 4mm2. The switches are rated 10A or 16A.

I finally found the right drawing:



There are even stranger switches and ways of wiring the switches. What is this for? (Don't ask me, I don't know)

Ah! The labeling on that first diagram makes sense now.

As for the second, it appears to be a regular 3-way switching arrangement but with double-pole switching and thus four travelers.

It took me a while to figure out why anyone would need to do this, but I think I have an explanation.

Don't parts of Norway use a 220V IT system (i.e. neither pole is grounded) ?

Wiring a 3-way light this way would insure that when the switches are set for the light to be off that both poles on the lampholder are disconnected from the supply.

Yes, the second diagram is a double pole 2 way switch. Here it is always required double poled switches for bathrooms or outdoors. The reason being that we still have older systems which is 230V fase to fase. The curious thing is that in Belgium you couldn't get a double pole 2 way switch untill recently. So we had to work with a 2 pole "teleruptor". (sorry, don't know the english term for that).

That's what we would call a relay or contactor. The control switches operate the coil and the double-pole contacts on the relay then switch the two hot lines to the light.

I believe that serial-operated contactors (first pulse of current to the coil closes the contacts, second pulse opens them) with momentary push-buttons in two or more places are quite common in modern French installations for lights switched from multiple locations.