How to connect a single pass-through switch. Various connection diagrams for pass-through switches

Basically, one electrical switch is used for one lighting device. If you need to turn off the chandelier that is in the living room, you should go into this room. As a rule, one switching device is installed at the entrance to the room, thanks to which the electric lighting devices in this room are controlled. But sometimes you need two switches for one light bulb.

General information

There are situations when The classic option of connecting lamps is not justified:

There are quite a lot of cases when it is necessary to use redundant rocker switches. In such situations, a device is used that allows you to turn on and off lighting fixtures from different rooms and with different switches independently of each other.

This method is very effective and convenient, and it also helps save energy.

By using a pass-through electric switch, for example, you don’t have to leave the light on the porch of your house all night. On the top floor you can turn it on and turn it off near the front door.

Features of use

It is not at all difficult to connect two or more switches to one lamp or lamp. Such a scheme has one significant drawback in terms of ease of control of a lamp or luminaire. For example, if you use switch “A” to turn on the light, you cannot turn it off with switch “B”, you will only have to use the same “A”. This situation causes inconvenience and confusion.

If it is important to you that the light is controlled by two switches that are interconnected, using one switch to turn the light on, you could use the other to turn it off.

The main difference between the pass-through switch and the standard version of the switching device is design feature:

Lighting devices that are connected according to this principle can be either incandescent lamps or fluorescent lamps.

In addition to lighting fixtures, other devices that require an on and off circuit can be connected in a similar way.

Connection diagram for two switches

Installing such a circuit on one light bulb is not difficult. At the stage of creating the wiring at the points where the installation of changeover structures is planned, it is necessary to lay a three-core cable in advance before the first two. If you need more light switches, then you will have to use a four-core cable, which must be stretched to the next ones.

To be able to control lighting from two places simultaneously, you need to purchase pass-through switches, which are equipped with two switching positions and three contacts. In this case, the switching must be of a reversible nature, with the first node being common to the other two.

This switching position is characterized by the closure of the first, and in the second the subsequent contact is closed. Therefore, initially there is no simultaneous closure of three connections.

Components and devices

When considering the “two switches for one light bulb” circuit, which has two changeover switching structures, components can be distinguished:

connection (branch) box, which is used to protect electrical connecting cables - is present in every room; in large rooms several of them are installed;
connecting wires (two-, three- and four-wire);
the lamp itself;
two pass-through switching devices.

Principle of operation

Installation of a pass-through lamp switch:

The “zero” wire is laid from the source to the branch box, then goes to the lamp.
The “phase” wire is drawn from exactly the same source to the same box, and then laid to the common contact of the first switch.
Using a junction box, the two changeover contacts of the first switch are connected to exactly the same parts of the second switch.
The phase from the common contact of the second switch is connected to another electrical unit of the lamp.

The installation work of a control system for one lighting fixture operating from two places simultaneously is not complicated.

Installation is carried out as follows:

Install reversible switching structures in the required places.
Do not remove three-core cables from them.
Install one or, if necessary, several electric lamps connected in parallel to each other.
Remove a two-core cable from one or several lighting fixtures.
Install the junction box, the location of which corresponds to convenient access to it and the shortest distance of the cable length.
Connect the wires from the changeover structures, power supply and the lighting fixtures to the box.
Connect them as described in the above paragraphs.

Such a system involves connecting four contacts (two pairs) to each other. When the lighting is turned on, the phase from the common node of the second electrical switch approaches the lighting fixture.

Safety conditions

Installation of pass-through switches is possible with both open and hidden wiring systems.

Installation can be carried out independently, only in this case you should follow necessary safety rules:

Due to a design feature, the keys of backup electrical switches do not have a specific “on” or “off” position. Based on the position of the electrical contacts of the other switch, the two connecting nodes of this system correspond to the “closed” or “open” position. So with the lights off the key will be in a different position each time. This feature is not a problem - you can quickly get used to it.

Alternative options

There is an alternative to pass-through redundant switches. An alternative option is characterized by the presence of bistable relays or LED electric lights, which are equipped with motion and light sensors. Bistable relays are preferable to use when it is necessary to use not only two, but three, four or more electrical switches to control lighting.

Luminaires equipped with motion sensors are not as practical as walk-through switches. The number of stops, speed of movement and other parameters significantly influence the constant procedure of turning on or off electric lighting, which is an extremely inconvenient option.

), however, such switches have one serious drawback - lighting control, i.e. turning it on and off can only be done from one place. Let's imagine a situation that everyone has encountered, for example: You come home, turn on the light in the hallway, take off your outerwear and go into the room, but wait, the light in the hallway needs to be turned off, and having done this you will have to leave the hallway in the dark, the same goes for long corridors or staircases. In such situations, it becomes necessary to control lighting from two places; it is for solving such problems that the so-called pass-through switches are designed.

In this article we will look at various options for connecting pass-through switches to control lighting from 2, 3 or more places.

NOTE: Before connecting a pass-through switch, you must check the diagram given in its passport and/or the diagram printed on the back of the switch itself (if available).

2. Lighting control from two places:

To organize lighting control from two places, it is necessary to use 2 pass-through switches. Below are diagrams for connecting two one-key (single) and two two-key (double) pass-through switches.

2.1 Connecting two pass-through single-key switches.

To begin with, let's figure out what a single-key pass-through switch is. Outwardly, it is practically indistinguishable from a conventional single-key switch, but unlike the latter, it has not 2, but 3 terminals for connecting wires, in addition, on the pass-through switch key there may be two triangles located vertically, one above the other and pointing their vertices up and down, respectively:

As you can see in the picture above on the back of the pass-through switch, as a rule, there is a diagram of it, and the terminals for connecting wires to the switch can have various alphabetic, digital or symbolic designations, for example it could be: “L,1,2”; or "1,2,3"; The designations can also be arrows, in which case one arrow points inside the switch, and the other two arrows point out.

Single-key pass-through switches are connected using three-core cables (as shown in the picture above), for example, a VVG 3x1.5 cable - if the internal wiring is made of copper, or an AVVG 3x2.5 cable - if the internal wiring is made of aluminum.

Connection diagram for pass-through switch:

Connecting wires to single-key pass-through switches is carried out as follows:

By connecting 2 pass-through switches in this way, you can organize lighting control from two places. How exactly this scheme works can be seen in the GIF animation below:

As can be seen in this diagram, unlike conventional switches that simply break (turn off) the electrical circuit (see article:), pass-through switches switch from one circuit to another, so they often pass-through switches are called pass-through switches.

2.2 Connecting two two-key pass-through switches.

A double pass-through switch consists of two single-key pass-through switches combined in one housing; accordingly, such a switch will have 6 terminals for connecting wires, so connecting a pass-through two-key switch must be done with two three-core cables.

Connection diagram for a two-key pass-through switch for 2 points:

Connecting wires to double pass-through switches is carried out as follows:

3. Lighting control from three or more places

If it is necessary to connect pass-through switches to control lighting from 3 or more places, as a third, fourth, etc. switches must be connected crosswise or, as they are also called, intermediate switches (switches), they received this name because these switches must be included in the circuit between two pass-through switches.

Single-key cross switches have 4 terminals for connecting wires, double-key cross switches have 8 terminals, etc. On the keys of intermediate switches, just like on walk-through switches, two triangles can be marked, however, unlike walk-through switches, they are located relative to each other not vertically, but horizontally:

The crossover switch is connected according to one of the diagrams below.

The connection diagram for 3-pass switches (2-pass and one cross) to control lighting from three places will look like this:

In turn, connecting the wires to the switches with this diagram will be performed as follows (note: before connecting, you must check the diagram located on the back of the switch or given in its passport):

This connection diagram for pass-through switches together with a cross switch allows you to organize lighting control from three places. The principle of operation of such a scheme can be studied in the GIF animation below:

⚡ Pass-through switches allow you to control lighting from two or more different places at once. The article presents a detailed connection diagram for the pass-through switch, as well as step-by-step photo instructions.

You are invited to familiarize yourself with the operating features of pass-through switches, the main options for their connection and the installation instructions themselves.

Why are pass-through switches needed?

Most often, such switches are used in the following places:

on the stairs. You can install switches on the 1st and 2nd floors. We turn on the lights at the bottom, go up the stairs, and turn them off at the top. For houses with a height of more than two floors, additional switches can be added to the circuit;
in the bedrooms. We install a switch at the entrance to the room, and another one or even two near the bed. We entered the bedroom, turned on the light, got ready for bed, lay down and turned off the lighting with a device installed near the bed;
in the corridors. We install a switch at the beginning and at the end of the corridor. We go in, turn on the light, reach the end, turn it off.

The list can be continued for a very long time, because for almost every situation there is its own option for using a pass-through switch system.

Advantages and disadvantages

Energy saving;
Ease of use in long corridors and bedrooms.

Electrical skills required;
Pass-through switches are much more expensive than conventional switches.

Switch installation diagrams

There are several options for connecting the devices in question. We bring to your attention the most popular and successful of them.

The system is assembled from two single-type pass-through switches.

Each of these devices has one contact at the input and a pair of contacts at the output.

Prices for pass-through switch

pass-through switch

The “zero” wire is connected from the power source through the distribution box to the lighting fixture. The phase cable, also passing through the box, is connected to the common contact of the first switch. The output contacts of this switch are connected via a box to the output contacts of the next device.

Finally, the wire from the common contact of the 2nd switch is connected to the lighting fixture via a junction box.

There is an option that allows you to control different groups of lighting fixtures from two places. For example, we need to organize the ability to control lighting in a room directly from the room itself and from the adjacent corridor. There is a chandelier with 5 lights. We can install a pass-through switch system to turn on and off two groups of light bulbs in our chandelier.

The diagram shows the option of dividing the light bulbs into 2 groups. One has 3, the other has 2. The number of lighting fixtures in groups can change at the discretion of the owner.

To set up such a system, we also use 2 pass-through switches, but they must be of a double type, and not single, as in the previous version.

The double switch design has 2 contacts at the input and 4 at the output. Otherwise, the connection procedure remains similar to the previous method, only the number of cables and controlled lighting fixtures changes.

Find out what it looks like, and also read the step-by-step connection instructions in our article.

This connection method differs from previous options only in that a cross switch is added to the circuit. This device has 2 contacts at the input and a similar number of contacts at the output.

You have become familiar with the most popular installation schemes for pass-through switches. However, the number of such devices does not necessarily have to be limited to two or three. If necessary, the circuit can be expanded to include the required number of devices. The principle of operation remains the same for all cases: at the beginning and at the end of the circuit, a single pass-through switch with three contacts is installed, and cross devices with four contacts are used as intermediate elements.

We install switches to control lighting from three different places

If there are usually no problems with setting up a system to control lighting from two different places, because Since the circuit has a simple form, installing three switches can cause certain difficulties for an unprepared installer.

We will look at how to install a system of two pass-through and one crossover switches. By analogy, you can assemble a circuit from a larger number of devices.

Before starting any further work, turn off the power supply.

To do this, find the corresponding switch in the in-house electrical panel or in the panel on the site (for apartment owners). Additionally, make sure that there is no voltage in the switch wires using a special indicator screwdriver. Also perform a similar check at the installation locations of the devices.

Set for work

Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers.
Wire stripping tool. Can be replaced with a regular knife.
Side cutters or pliers.
Level.
Indicator screwdriver.
Hammer.
Roulette.

To install, we must first prepare grooves in the wall for laying electrical cables, power the wires and extend them to the locations of the installed devices.

Prices for Legrand switches

Legrand switch

To drill concrete walls, it is most convenient to use a hammer drill. If the partitions are made of limestone, it is better to make the indentations using a chisel, because In such material, the punch will leave a groove that is too wide and deep, which will make fixing the wire difficult and will require more cement or plaster consumption in the future.

Connection diagram for pass-through switch
for lighting control from 4 places

It is not recommended to use a hammer drill for chipping brick walls - it can split the masonry. In such a situation, the only safe solution is to lay it in pre-adapted joints between the masonry elements.

Wooden walls are not grooved - the wires are laid in special protective boxes. Most often, the cable is pulled under the baseboard and brought out directly under the switch installation site.

First step. We begin the work by connecting the wires to the electrical panel. There should not be any difficulties at this stage - modern devices allow you to connect up to 8 or more wires at once.

First you need to determine the optimal cable cross-section. Domestic power grids can hardly be called stable. The current strength in them constantly fluctuates, and in moments of overload it even increases to dangerous values. To avoid problems with wiring, we use copper wires with a cross-section of 2.5 mm 2.

Second step. Select a convenient height for installing switches. At this point, we focus entirely on our preferences.

Third step. Having decided on the installation height of the switches, we proceed to gating. The width and depth of the grooves are 1.5 times larger than the diameter of the wire.

Important point! The wires are connected to the switches from below, so we install the groove 5-10 cm below the installation points of the switches. This requirement is relevant from a purely practical point of view, because in such conditions, working with cables is easier and more convenient.

Fourth step. We lay the wires in grooves. We fix the wiring elements with small nails. We drive nails into the wall so that they support the cable and prevent it from falling out. Before attaching the wires, we need to place them under the switch (installation box). We will consider this point in the main section of the instructions. We will plaster the grooves after installing all the switches, making sure that the system is working.

Nom. current, A	Cable cross-section, mm2	Permissible cable current, A	Cable outer diameter, mm
16	2x1.5	20	13
16	3x1.5	18	13,6
40	2x2.5	27	14,6
40	3x4	32	17,6
63	1x10	75	13,2
63	2x10	60	21,6
63	3x16	70	24,9
100, 160	1x16	100	14,2
100, 160	2x25	100	27
100, 160	3x25	118	31,2

Fifth step. We make holes for installing switches according to the size of the devices used.

Let's move on to the main stage of work.

Installing switches

First step. We turn it on under the switch. We cut the cables so that approximately 100 mm of their length remains in the installation box. Side cutters or pliers will help us with this. We remove approximately 1-1.5 cm of insulation from the ends of the wires.

Second step. Install the pass-through switch. We connect the phase cable (in our example it is white) to the terminal marked in the form of the letter L. We connect the remaining two cables to the terminals marked with arrows.

In your case, the color of the cables may vary. Don't know how to lay and connect the wires in the junction box? Then do the following. Turn off the electricity and find the phase. An indicator screwdriver will help you. A phase is a live cable. It is this that you connect to the terminal with the letter L, and the remaining wires are randomly connected to the terminals marked with arrows.

Third step. We install the cross switch. 4 wires are connected to it. We have a pair of cables, each of which has blue and white cores.

Let's understand the order of terminal markings on the switch. At the top we see a pair of arrows pointing “inside” the device, while at the bottom they are pointing “away” from it.

We connect the first pair of cables from the previously installed pass-through switch to the terminals at the top. We connect the remaining two cables to the terminals below.

To find live cables, we turn on the electricity and find the phases one by one. First, we determine the first one by changing the position of the key of the first pass-through switch. We find the next phase on the crossover switch cables. Next, we just have to connect the remaining wires to the terminals below.

Fourth step. Let's start connecting the last switch. We need to find the cables in it through which the voltage from the crossover switch flows. Our cables are blue and yellow. We connect them to the terminals marked with arrows. The white cable remains. We connect it to the terminal marked with the letter L.

Prices for two-key switches

two-gang switches

We already know the procedure for identifying live cables. In the case of the second switch, we need to connect a wire that will not have voltage to the L terminal.

Fifth step. Carefully insert the device mechanisms into the mounting boxes. We carefully bend the wires to the base. We secure the devices. Fasteners in the mounting box or “claws” for clamping mechanisms will help us with this.

Sixth step.

Seventh step.

In conclusion, all we have to do is connect the lighting fixtures with the wires coming from the junction boxes, check the correct operation of the system and seal the grooves.

Good luck!

Video - Connection diagram for pass-through switch

Schemes of pass-through switches allow you to turn the lighting on and off from two or more different locations. In some cases this is not just convenient, but also very necessary.

For example, there is a long corridor in the room. It is naturally illuminated. By turning on the light at the beginning, and having this very pass-through switch connection diagram, you don’t have to go back again to turn it off, but you can do it with the second switch, which is installed at the other end of the corridor. Very often, such circuits are also used to control the lighting of stairs.

What is better to use: pass-through switches or bistable relays? Answer .

How to correctly connect pass-through switches for independent lighting control from two places.

Let's take a closer look at this connection diagram consisting of two pass-through switches. It requires two switches (also called “pass-through”), each of which has three contacts and two switching positions. Moreover, the switching mode must be of a “change-over nature”, that is - one contact is common to the other two. In one position it is closed with one of them, and in another position, naturally, with the other. Consequently, the general short circuit of all three contacts is completely eliminated.

Connection diagram for a pass-through switch for controlling a lamp from 2 places

Pass-through switch with three contacts and two positions (the common contact is on top)

Explanations for the diagrams

Now let's look at the drawn diagrams. Both circuits consist of the pass-through switches themselves, a lamp and connecting wires (during installation, these will be two, three and four-core cables). The first diagram shows wiring diagram for a pass-through switch with control from two different places.

As you can see, one wire (in our case it is neutral) goes from the power source to the junction box and from there to the lamp. The other (phase wire), after the box, is connected to the common contact of one of the switches. Two switched contacts of one switch are connected to two contacts of the second switch (via a box). Well, from the common contact of the second switch, the phase is supplied to the second contact of the lamp.

As for the installation of this circuit itself: they are placed in their installation places pass-through switches, from which three-core cables are output. Lamps are mounted that are connected in parallel and from which a two-core cable ultimately comes out.

Next, a connection box is installed in the most suitable location (taking into account the minimum cable length and the convenient location of this box). The cable from the lamps, power supply and the pass-through switches themselves is inserted into it. This box is made between each other, as shown in the diagram.

Connection diagram for a pass-through switch for controlling a lamp from 3 places

How to control lighting from three places

Connection diagram for a pass-through switch with control from three places not much different from the previous one (the general principle of operation is the same). It adds another pass-through switch, which is slightly different from the previous ones. As can be seen from the diagram, this twin switch. That is, when one key is pressed, two contacts that are electrically independent of each other are simultaneously switched. In addition, as you should have noticed, there is a four-wire cable coming out of it.

Connection diagrams for pass-through switches of this type are good because they are relatively simple in their design (no additional components are required). But they are limited by the number of such control places.

The problem of independent lighting control from two places can also be solved using special pulse relays and.