Cross switches - wiring diagram

If it is necessary to control lighting devices from two points in extended rooms, so-called "pass-through" switches are traditionally used. The installation of these products significantly increases the comfort of using industrial and household power grids. It is much more difficult to solve the issue of controlling electric lighting if you want to switch it from three different places. In this case, a special intermediate device will be required, the informal name of which is "cross switch".

Cross-device application

There are often situations when there is a need to illuminate the staircase in the entrance with the ability to turn on and off the bulbs on each of its sites. This is the case when it will not be possible to resolve the issue without using cross switches complete with two pass-through devices. A similar situation is created if you need to control lighting in three rooms at once, without constantly returning to the starting point.

Places where it is convenient to organize lighting switching using cross switches also include:

• cellars of private houses and country houses;
• attics of wooden and urban buildings;
• long corridors, often found in service areas.

This method is also applicable when it is required to equip a system for switching on and off lighting lines in large rooms (in exhibition halls, for example). If they are available, to control lighting devices from remote points of the site, you do not need to cut it from one end to the other several times a day. It is enough to approach the 2-key cross-switch located in a convenient place and use it to make the necessary commutations.

Principle of operation

To understand how a two-button cross-over switch works, you will need to familiarize yourself with the necessary wiring diagram. The device is connected to the lighting network as follows:

• the circuit uses three switching devices - two pass-through switches at the edges and one cross-type switch located between them;
• an earth core or zero from the junction box is laid directly to the lighting fixture;
• the phase wire is first brought to the input terminal of one of the through switches;
• then it is pulled from the output terminals to the input contacts of the cross two-button switch;
• from it, the same wire is commuted to the output terminals of the second pass-through switch;
• after that, it enters the lighting device (lamp or chandelier).

To connect two pass-through switches, three wires are needed, and for the installation of a cross-over device, they will require one more.

Lighting control from 4 locations

To control a lighting fixture from 4 locations, you will have to use a more complex switching scheme. It must include two pass-through switches and two cross switches.

Intermediate devices allow you to commute the line from one direction to another, or only after that make the switching characteristic of three points.

For concealed wiring, cross and pass-through switches can be mounted in standard embedded boxes. The places of their installation are selected based on expediency, as well as taking into account ease of use and maintenance. However, in any case, the first should be located in the middle, and the second - along the edges of the general scheme.

Varieties of switches

In practice, there are several types of cross switches that differ in the type of control element and the way of installation. In accordance with the first feature, these products have the following versions:

• keyboard devices;
• rotary devices.

To understand the difference between these options, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.

Keyboard devices

Products of this class are in great demand by the consumer, since they are easy to operate and look quite aesthetically pleasing. With their help, it is possible to break one chain and simultaneously connect another.

Ordinary or standard keyboards only switch one circuit.

By the number of buttons involved in them, they are single-key (the simplest version), two-key and 3-key. When familiarizing with the wiring diagram, devices are distinguished by the number of wires supplied to the outlet:

• one-key pass-through switch has two contact leads;
• a simple cross switch has 3 of them;
• The two-key crossover device is designed for 4 pins and wires.

Three-key and two-key cross switches allow switching several independent circuits with lighting devices. Only one circuit can be controlled by means of a one-key device.

Rotary cross instruments

Switches of this type are not very popular and are most often used in industrial facilities. They are also in demand in warehouses and when it is necessary to control street lighting.

In domestic conditions, they are used only in exceptional cases, with high humidity, for example.

To close and open contacts in these devices, a special lever mechanism is used.

Overhead and embedded

By the way of installation, the switches are divided into built-in and overhead. The first type of products is mounted even at the stage of building a structure or when replacing electrical wiring. In this case, the connecting wires are laid in the thickness of the walls or fixed in cable ducts.

The patch switches snap directly onto the wall surface, so there is no need for cable ducts in this case. The disadvantages of these devices include operating costs due to the possibility of severe pollution. On the other hand, they fit perfectly into modern interiors.

Crossover device characteristics

On the domestic market, there are many models of electrical devices used to control light from 3 places. They are produced by both Russian and foreign manufacturers and differ mainly in their cost. Regardless of the brand and version of the product, its main characteristics are represented by the following parameters:

• The switched voltage is 220 volts.
• The current in the circuit is up to 10 Amperes.
• Body material - plastic, thermoplastic or polycarbonate.
• Protection class (selected depending on operating conditions).

In products installed in rooms with high humidity, the level of protection is selected with the maximum value.

System installation instructions

Cross-switch control systems are installed in the following sequence:

1. First, a two-wire wire is required to connect the through (cross) switches, and then fixed in a convenient way.
2. Small loops are left nearby, formed on solid wires, after which both devices are installed in the selected places.
3. The previously formed ends of the conductors (zero or phase) are supplied to the pass-through devices.
4. The electrical network is checked for the ability to control lighting from 2 places.
5. If the result is positive, the voltage is removed from it by means of a linear automaton.
6. In de-energized circuits in the area of ​​the crossover device, a break is made in the laid wire, into which the switch itself is then mounted.
7. After that, it remains to turn on the power supply and check the entire system for operability.

During installation, it is necessary to use a cable, the conductors of which correspond in their cross-section to the expected load. When laying control circuits in an entrance or on the street, it is recommended to choose a double-insulated wire.

Features of connecting a two-rocker switch

For the installation of a double switch, in any case, a three-core wire is required, even if there is no PE protective conductor in the apartment wiring. After purchasing the product, first of all, you should disassemble it, for which it is enough to dismantle the keys of the device. This can be done manually by first pulling one and then the other switch plate. If all else fails, you need to take a screwdriver and pry the button on the side with a sting. After that, it is necessary to remove the decorative frame from the switch - it is either fastened with latches or screwed on with a screw.

Switching device connection

As a result of disassembly, the switch remains a housing with side mounts and an internal rocker mechanism. Its inclusion in the control line is reduced to supplying the supply voltage to the common contact. When each of the keys is closed, the phase will be connected to one of two directions, along which the wires are routed to different lighting circuits.

If there is no marking on the body of the device, you will have to use a tester or multimeter (“Call” mode). With their help, you can make sure that the changeover contacts are working and decide on the input and output terminals.

Having dealt with the switch contacts, they proceed to the arrangement of the connections, which will require a three-core VVGng 3x1.5 cable with wires of different colors. All subsequent operations are carried out in this order:

1. A phase conductor coming from the junction box is connected to the common contact of the switch. It can be insulated in red, brown or gray.
2. They begin to fix on the contacts of the two conductors leaving the device.
3. The housing is installed in a back box and fixed in it by means of fixing screws.
4. The box itself (glass) is mounted in its place, which is fastened with two long spacer screws.

At the final stage of installation work, the decorative frame should be returned to its place and the previously dismantled keys should be installed.

Installation of connections in the junction box

Inside the switch box, it is important to distinguish between the following types of wire conductors:

• supply (phase) wire supplied from a linear machine;
• a branch conductor with a phase going to the switch;
• one or more wires stretched to the illuminator.

In order not to get confused in the cross-switch circuit, it is necessary to follow the strict sequence of the arrangement of the connections. According to generally accepted rules, first of all, the zero core is laid, going directly to the illuminator. Subsequent operations are carried out in the following order:

1. You should start by connecting the phase conductor extended from the line machine.
2. A conductor extending from the common phase contact of a two-key cross switch is connected to the same terminal.
3. Of the remaining four free cores, two are redirected to a chandelier or sconce.
4. The rest extend to the two output contacts of the switching device.

When considering connections in a junction box, consider the protective earth conductor in yellow-green insulation.

The ground is not taken into account only if there is no corresponding wire in the residential electrical network. If there is enough free space in the box, all connections are made using nut or Wago clamps. In the absence of free spaces, wires of the same type are connected by twisting with subsequent soldering.

Connection on a chandelier or lamp

In an apartment lamp, chandelier or sconce, special connecting blocks are usually used to connect control wires. They lead the conductors of the cable coming from the junction box, connected according to the color marking.

On any factory luminaire, the conductors have colored insulation in accordance with the generally accepted standard.

Typically, the phase conductor is marked with gray or red insulation, and the earth conductor is blue or light blue. The phase is applied to the central contact of a conventional light bulb, and zero is applied to its base.

When arranging cross switches, compliance with all installation requirements is strictly imperative. Only then can you be sure that the lighting control system will function properly.