N
noel
Hello,
I need to build a remotely computer controlled 4way light switch. I
want to do some home automation, and I can't use normal x10 3way
switches. So, I need to build something. Most of the lights I want to
conrtol are on 3way circuits. And the cost (in number of switches) and
the color of the paddles excludes x10 switches as an option. All the
switches paddles are black, and some are combination (3way/spst)
devices.
I want to take a DPDT relay and use it as a 4way light switch. Using a
DPDT relay takes care of the switching of the traveller wires on the
3way/4way circuit. But now I'm left with a couple of problems.
Upon looking on the net for relays, I've found two types. One is a
latching relay that just requires momentary current to switch the
relay, but these are low voltage DC for the coil, and use pos/neg to
switch. The others are non-latching and require a steady AC current to
maintain an 'on' state. I really don't want to use this type of relay.
Is there any other type of relay? Something that uses momentary ac to
switch?
I would like to use x10 to control the switch/relay. It would be nice
to have a switch unit that didn't need control wires running to it.
Not that I'm against running more wires, like low voltage to control a
latching relay. It's just that on the computer side, there is more x10
software and interface hardware to choose from (that I know of).
Another problem is sensing if the light is on. I've seen little loop
sensors that send an induced voltage to a universal x10 module. But,
this seems a little problematic. if you try to sense on the two
traveler wires, you have to use two sensors and travler wires seem to
have some voltage induced in one by the other.
With what little i know, I guess my best choice is to use a latching
relay that uses low voltage dc to control the relay and run wires to
some kind of interface, and figure out someway of load sensing.
If anyone could give me a few suggestions on how to accomplish this,
or offer some other ideas, it would be of great help.
Thanks
I need to build a remotely computer controlled 4way light switch. I
want to do some home automation, and I can't use normal x10 3way
switches. So, I need to build something. Most of the lights I want to
conrtol are on 3way circuits. And the cost (in number of switches) and
the color of the paddles excludes x10 switches as an option. All the
switches paddles are black, and some are combination (3way/spst)
devices.
I want to take a DPDT relay and use it as a 4way light switch. Using a
DPDT relay takes care of the switching of the traveller wires on the
3way/4way circuit. But now I'm left with a couple of problems.
Upon looking on the net for relays, I've found two types. One is a
latching relay that just requires momentary current to switch the
relay, but these are low voltage DC for the coil, and use pos/neg to
switch. The others are non-latching and require a steady AC current to
maintain an 'on' state. I really don't want to use this type of relay.
Is there any other type of relay? Something that uses momentary ac to
switch?
I would like to use x10 to control the switch/relay. It would be nice
to have a switch unit that didn't need control wires running to it.
Not that I'm against running more wires, like low voltage to control a
latching relay. It's just that on the computer side, there is more x10
software and interface hardware to choose from (that I know of).
Another problem is sensing if the light is on. I've seen little loop
sensors that send an induced voltage to a universal x10 module. But,
this seems a little problematic. if you try to sense on the two
traveler wires, you have to use two sensors and travler wires seem to
have some voltage induced in one by the other.
With what little i know, I guess my best choice is to use a latching
relay that uses low voltage dc to control the relay and run wires to
some kind of interface, and figure out someway of load sensing.
If anyone could give me a few suggestions on how to accomplish this,
or offer some other ideas, it would be of great help.
Thanks