OT: Electrical Help

[mpcart]

I'm kind of stupid when it comes to electrical work so I'm hoping one of you guys can help me out.

I bought a combination switch/receptacle device that I want to use to control mood lights behind my wall mounted television.

Receptacle link

The plan was to plug the lights into the receptacle and then turn them on and off with the switch.

How do I wire this thing up to accomplish that? I looked at the instructions and it makes it look like this type of switch is used to have the switch control one device such as a light and the outlet powers a completely different device such as an appliance.

-Mike

:strooper:

 

[breutus]

I am not very familiar with that particular plug, and the PDF you give is not very explanatory but heres my two cents. If the plug is meant to work a device separate from the switch you would still be able to make it work depending on the room at the terminal screw. You would wire up power to the switch then send the switched power to the terminal screw of the receptacle. which would only allow power to the outlet when the switch is on. But Obviously I would need to know more about the receptacle before I would say to do that. If you had a picture of the terminal screws I might be able to tell you from that. Some outlets are designed to run either way but they usually come with a bridge to jump the to screws together. Some are made that the outlet has to be controlled by the switch. On those everything would be internal with only one set of terminal screws. Finally some are made to only be able to wire them separate once again these would only have one set of terminal screws, as everything would be done internally

My thought though is, Are you going to walk up to the TV every time you want to turn the mood lights on? Is there a reason that you would not want to run a second switch next to the main light switch in the room and just drop power for it behind the TV? you could even put it on a nice dimmer so you can control the mood light better.

 

[mpcart]

Thanks. I'll try and get a diagram showing the terminals.

I may try and run a wire so I can control the backlight from the room lighting, but it's a long-ish run and the basement is already finished. Putting the switch behind the TV isn't really inconvenient. It's a flat panel TV mounted on a wall and all the equipment is off to the side in a rack - so you just walk up to the TV and flip the switch.

-Mike

 

[mpcart]

Okay, here's the diagram.

Can I remove the bridge (green arrow) connecting the two hot terminals and then connect terminal A1 to the lower hot terminal (Pink line)? The instructions say to remove the bridge if you run the switch and the outlet on separate circuits.

I want the lights to work, but i don't want to burn my house down. So, if I have the wrong device or am doing something stupid then let me know.

-Mike

 

[VSpeck]

thats the way i would assume it would work so you cut the hot line to the outlet w/ the switch.......but i'm not the best w/ electric

 

[latazyo]

Mike, you are way too baller to be dealing with a switch, that is so 1965

find an infrared switch and program your harmony (assuming you have one or a similar remote) to run the lighting

 

[fazgood]

Go to the Dark Side...

www.x10.com

Actually HD and Lowes have a decent selection of wireless switches. Some use line control and others, like Latazyo said use infra red.

X10 will do it too but that is a can of worms waiting to open.

Faz

 

[mpcart]

Actually, I do control my AV stuff with a Harmony remote - it's amazing how much it can do - and how easy it is too program. Without it, no one else in the family could even figure out how to turn on the TV.

I'll look into the IR switches but I stay away from X10 since I hear they can be finicky.

In the meantime . . . does anyone else have a comment on my wiring plan?

-Mike

 

[breutus]

you have it right on the money that would be all you need to do!

I agree though buy a infrared switch and make it sync up with whatever universal remote you use... Latazyo has it right go with the harmony it is a Bad *&% remote that does everything!

 

[latazyo]

one of the best xmas gifts Ive ever received

mine is only the 100 dollar model too...you high rollers probably have the big money full color ones

haha

 

[mpcart]

Nope, I have the lower end Harmony.

I'm saving up to replace it with this one.

Remote Control Upgrade

-Mike

 

[mpcart]

.

 

[Lost His Marbles Name]

your wiring diagram is correct. If you go IR you will need to have a some what clear path to aim the IR. RF would be better. In my electrical history people haven't said to many good things about X10 but I don't think they owned x10 ethier. Markk96 uses x10 and it seems fine by him.

 

[mpcart]

Thanks. If an electrician approves of my plan then I know I can proceed. I'll worry about putting in IR/RF controls a little later.

I love DIY projects such as tearing up my newly finished basement so I can reroute AV wiring but, when it comes to electricity, I'm a little Crumrine-ish.

-Mike

 

[reefergeorge]

The diagram wont work for what you want to do.
In the diagram you just need to run the black wire to A1, and the white wire to the N leaving the jumper in tack. Oh and green/ bare to the ground.
This way the switch will control the outlet.

 

[reefergeorge]

Sorry I didn't see the pink wire. It will work, but if it were me. I would do it as I explained.

 

[fazgood]

X-10 can be made somewhat reliable with the correct components. The stuff they sell on X10.com in my opinion, not reliable enough to trust anything of value. Example, I have my MH lights on mechanical timers because a stray -10 signal could turn them off or worse, on when the fans are not on.

If you decide to go with X-10 in hte future, post back or pm me and I can save you a lot of $$ in what NOT to buy. By adding about $200 of mid to high end components you can make the stuff quite reliable.

Faz

 

[mpcart]

Reefergeorge - I don't quite understand how your idea of keeping the bridge would work - but then I don't understand what the internals of the outlet look like.

In any case, I stuck with the switch instead of an IR solution and got everything wired up today. The lights look great and I get a little bit of exercise walking the 10 feet over to the tv to turn it off each night.

-Mike