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[Ivan8ias]

Hello Roger,
Thanks for the suggestion, although you didn't mention where to connect the load (floodlight).

I spent the day on a ladder reattaching the bracket holding my FiOS cable to the house. The lead anchors ripped out of the brick. Fortunately, there still were preexisting POTS wires attached to an old ceramic clamp to support the FiOS cable without kinking it. After that, I was working on my old Ford tractor. Had to remove the battery, air cleaner, etc to access the defective starter solenoid. So I haven't had a chance to check for replies until now, or work on the switch. I will go out to the garage later to try your suggestion. Before I do, please tell me where to hook up the load. Thank you.

Ivan

[roger1818]

Thanks for the suggestion, although you didn't mention where to connect the load (floodlight).

Keep the WS469 connected as it is.  So in summary, the wiring should be as follows:

WS469

• Black - HOT
• White - Neutral (not ground)
• Red - Traveller (to CS277)
• Blue - Load

CS277

• Red - Traveller (from WS469)
• Blue1 - HOT
• Blue2 - Capped

[Ivan8ias]

I tried the wiring you suggested and now the light just stays on all the time. (: Still trying to figure it out. At least I finished working on my tractor and the electrical system and carburetor are working fine.

I really appreciate you taking the time to help.

Ivan

[roger1818]

I tried the wiring you suggested and now the light just stays on all the time. (: Still trying to figure it out.

That doesn't make any sense at all.  Are you sure everything is connected as I described?  Only the blue wire from the WS469 should be connected to the load.

I got a chance to scan the instruction sheet.  I have attached from it Diagram B only as as the text is either confusing or just wrong.  Even still, the diagram is a little confusing the way they have a wire crossing the face of the WS469.

I will try to do some experimenting with mine later today to see if I can figure out what works.

[Ivan8ias]

Thank you Roger, that's how I had it originally wired. Maybe something is wrong with my WS469 switch. I don't know how the relay in the WS469 is designed to work electrically. Could it be to simulate an SPDT switch with the black lead being the center pole and the red and blue leads being the outer poles? I know that the signal has to reach the WS469 from the CS277 to activate it.

[Brian H]

Thank you Roger, that's how I had it originally wired. Maybe something is wrong with my WS469 switch. I don't know how the relay in the WS469 is designed to work electrically. Could it be to simulate an SPDT switch with the black lead being the center pole and the red and blue leads being the outer poles? I know that the signal has to reach the WS469 from the CS277 to activate it.

SPST switch. Turns On and Off from the Line to the Blue (Common to Lamp wire) on the WS469.
Line is also connected to one of the Blue wires on the CS277. The other Blue capped off for safety as both are tied together.
When you push the CS277 it connects the 120 volt Line back to the Trigger input of the WS469. From CS277 Blue to Red.
The Red trigger is activated by putting 120 volts from the line on it.

It maybe a wiring error. As I have see a few different ways a three way can be wired.
I have one where the Load and Line are both in the main electrical box and the other one is connected back to it on the three wire cable.
I have also seen some. Where the Line is in one box and the Load in the other box. So how you wire it may depend on exactly what you have.

[Brian H]

Roger,
Thank you for the updated wiring diagram.
The one I downloaded directly from X10 is a big WRONG! 

[roger1818]

I installed my 3-way WS469/CS277 and it is working perfectly.  I have corrected the diagram found online and have attached it below.

[dave w]

Electrically, aren't they the same?

[Brian H]

They look electrically the same.
Though the physical layout looks different.
I have see different two-way setups.
I have one where the Line, Load and Neutral. Are all in the one box and the other switch is just the two travelers and common.
All  the power routing and splices are in the main box..
I believe the two examples shown. One has the Line in the companion box and the other the Line in the master box with load in the companion box.

[Ivan8ias]

I wired the WS469 and CS277 EXACTLY as described in the diagram, but in my case the way the original mechanical 3-way switch was wired, hot was in the house and load was in the garage, the two traveler wires toggling the switch actions.

Here's what I did, using alligator test leads: Blue from the WS469, using one of the two traveler wires, to the Load at the garage. Red from the WS469, using the remaining traveler wire, to the red wire of the CS277 at the garage and the other blue wire on the CS277 connected to local to the garage hot (on the same circuit fuse). I can turn on and off the light from the house, but pressing the CS277 does nothing. Here's what's weird: If I momentarily touch the hot lead at the garage to the red wire, the light goes on and remains on until I momentarily touch the hot lead again to the red lead, and then the light goes off and remains off. Isn't that exactly what the CS277 is supposed to be doing? I tested the CS277 with my OHM meter for continuity and every thing checks out OK. What do you think is going on??

[Brian H]

I though you said the Line was in the House and the Load was in the Garage.
Where did the Hot {real Line} come from in the garage?
Where is the common wire in the cable connected between the House and Garage?

[Ivan8ias]

The way they did it in the 1940s, there are four wires going to the garage from the fuse box in the basement of the house. A pair of #8 or #10 wires wired to a sub-panel (in actuality a DPST knife switch), one hot and the other neutral for some reason, in the garage for outlet power, and the other two #12 traveler wires on the ground floor hall for the 3-way floodlight switch control. They are all from the same circuit. I know it's not a logical way to do it, but one of those hot wires from the basement goes to the hall to power the garage floodlight.

[Brian H]

Thank you for the information on your setup.
It does sound kind of unique.

[roger1818]

Electrically, aren't they the same?

My modified diagram is electrically the same as the printed diagram, though it is a bit more consistent with the way a traditional 3-way switch is wired (and the way the WS4777 was wired).

It is electrically different from the diagram online as online though.