X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: Jason B on December 10, 2007, 09:55:09 PM
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Need some help. I removed my stock existing wall swtich, which has two wires connected to it and a 3rd ground copper wire. The instructions for the WS467 don't mention what to do with this ground???
http://www.smarthomediscounts.com/manuals/ws467-is.pdf
I hooked it up and didn't attach this ground wire and it works. Is this right????
Help.
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Standard light switches don't use ground, so a WS467 doesn't need it either.
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Hmm, why was there a ground on my stardard light switch? If I don't need to use it, what do I do with it? Do I need to tape it up?
Here is a pic of the existing wall switch and where the wires were going to:
(http://www.burtmanindustries.com/images/xyz/ground.jpg)
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Extra safety. My older home does not have any. Newer requirements may need them.
You can always attach the ground wire to one of the mounting ears of the new X10 switch.
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Extra safety. My older home does not have any. Newer requirements may need them.
You can always attach the ground wire to one of the mounting ears of the new X10 switch.
Could I put the ground under the screw shown here on the left of the switch?
(http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FSR/51JL/SRYEP27SVZ1/FSR51JLSRYEP27SVZ1.MEDIUM.jpg)
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Extra safety. My older home does not have any. Newer requirements may need them.
You can always attach the ground wire to one of the mounting ears of the new X10 switch.
Could I put the ground under the screw shown here on the left of the switch?
(http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FSR/51JL/SRYEP27SVZ1/FSR51JLSRYEP27SVZ1.MEDIUM.jpg)
No. That screw is for the internal triac heat sink, loosening it may cause the triac to overheat and blow out. Since the X10 switch does not have a ground lug, I doubt the NEA code requires it. If your local code requires a ground (and it may not) you can try wraping the ground wire around the top or bottom switch mounting screw. You may have to wrap it under the switch mounting ear to prevent distorting a plastic wall plate.
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Thanks again guys. I got them hooked up and they work great.
***Something new I noticed! These WS467 switches now have LOCAL DIMMING at the switch! They also fade up when turned on, and fade off.
This is something new I hear. ANyone else know about this? I'm wondering is the WS4777 3 ways version, is updated also? Noone seems to know about this, as X10's site says nothing about it.
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X10 has changed some of their products, so that newer, more available components can be used. Some of the new lamp modules now have soft start and I have seen messages on the newer wall switches also being different. Features are not consistant, as I have some later date code; lamp modules with no soft start while earlier ones have it?
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X10 has changed some of their products, so that newer, more available components can be used. Some of the new lamp modules now have soft start and I have seen messages on the newer wall switches also being different. Features are not consistant, as I have some later date code; lamp modules with no soft start while earlier ones have it?
I'm beginning to think it's not X10, but the factory that's made the changes without telling X10 about it. X10 subcontracts the making of the various modules to asorted Chinese factories.
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Dan; Well that is another thought that could very well be.
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ANy other info about his local dimming becoming stndard? I want to order more switches, but how do I know if they will have local dimming?
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That is a problem, since X10 did not change the model number or have a "version" number. A number of the forum members have tried to extrapolate a "change over" date code.
The initial change began last summer. By this time X10 should have purged all their old stock, but who knows. If you want the new switch, I would only order from X10.com and would call in the order to talk to a sales rep, explaining you only want the new switch with "local dimming" get the sales rep name during the transaction. Then if you get old switches you have recourse for exchange with X10 paying the shipping. X10 really does have a fairly liberal exchange policy.
I don't know about WS477s or WS12s
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I'm adding more of these switches. As I said, the swtiches I'm removing have a ground on them. I understand the WS467 has a bult in triac ground. But what do I do with the leftover coopper ground wire? Can I just tuck it back into the box and not worry about it?
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If you want. Screw it to the electrical box or if it doesn't make the switch stick out. Put the wire under one of the new switches mounting screws. If you tuck it into the back of the box. Just make sure it can't touch any wires.
The wall switch does not have any internal grounds.
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Yea, I'm just tucking the ground in the back of the box. It's touching other wires, but they all have insulation on them, so that's ok I'm assuming.