ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Homemade Lighting Control System

Two thing
1) If it works good
2) Just put a panel over it and every thing will be fine.

As someone said, here in northern NJ they use to install these LV lighting controls all the time. It was a big rage around the '60's I believe. I have seen and worked on several styles of those relays. I believe Amprobe even made some of those relays. There was a trade name of Remcon Relays. By the doors of the rooms there was 1-5 push buttons and you could control any light fixture you wanted from any door if you so desired. Usually the lighting control box was in the attic with a ton of those little relays attached to it. Each relay had a tag to tell which light fixture it controlled. The biggest problem with that is, when I go there the tags had fallen off and it was a hunt and peck routine to try and find the correct relay.

Harold:
Thinking back down memory lane.....
Sprawling ranch house in Livingston, GE brand LV lighting control throughout house and exterior lighting.

In master BR, a selector switch, circular, large (3" knob) and numbered detents for individual circuit control and a "master" all on/off detent. This selector looked like the really 'old' giant dimmers!

No PC board, just a ton of relays in the attic, and quite a few stashed at various lighting outlets.

The ones in the lighting outlet were thru a KO in the 4" round box (HV) with the LV on the exterior of the box.

The number of control switching locations was 'unlimited' basically, just 18/3 LV to each.

It was tough finding parts at the local supply houses, all were 'special' order.

Issues were finding replacement parts quick, and the amount of time tracing out the systems.

Short Hills/Millburn had quite a few also.

John,

Here in Boonton, NJ there were a bunch of houses who had this "new fangled" wiring system in the late '60's I believe. It was a great idea, because you could control so much from any spot. However you can't beat the new systems and the computer wiring that the high end homes now have. The worst part about the low volt wiring in those old homes was that you had to remove the relay through the box and hope that the LV wiring comes through the KO. If you lose the wire, you might have to open up the ceiling to find the end of the LV wire from the switch.

Self-help by home owners occurs because Touch-Plate low voltage switches can 'hang.' This leaves you with a CONTINUOUSLY LOADED COIL. They can't take that abuse forever and burn out.

( Functionally, the coils operate like mechanically held contactors -- you just bump them to switch state. )

Mr. Homeower dives in and starts crossing over full-voltage switch legs towards still functioning coils. Addressing the stuck low voltage switch is beyond his capability -- now that the coil is burned out.

The next thing you know it's a hair ball.

I spent an embarrassing amount of time un-hair-balling my sister's Touch-Plate. After 42 years, and 'Larry', it really needed help.

The more you complicate the plumbing the easier it is to plug it up...This stuff is really nice...when it works.

I work with multiple lighting systems from various manufacturers in an industrial and office environment. None of them have functioned as well as the old reliable wall switch. When Bill Gates (Windows) is running the lights you know there are going to be days when the lights just aren't going to turn on....or off.

RSlater,
RSmike

Some of the lighting at my house is electronically controlled (the motion lights out back and the lighting around the pool).
I am about 20 years with this and so far so good. There is no computer but the controller is CMOS with SSRs controlling the line side. The biggest thing I like beyond the extra control is the delayed power on that gives a hard 15 second reset to the controller on a power hit and keeps short glitches from the utility from latching the motion lights on.