Re: Remote light switch - halogen

[Mike Barnes <mikebarnes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In comp.home.automation,  wrote:
>On Jan 2, 8:03 pm, Mike Barnes <mikebar...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> In comp.home.automation,  wrote:
>
>> A receiver would need a neutral connection. There probably isn't one at
>> your old switch position.
>>
>> >I've run up against a couple of problems:-
>> >1 - I can't find such a product!See explanation, above.
>>
>> --
>> Mike Barnes
>
>Cheers Mike - but is my concept of a battery operated receiver really
>that stupid?  Is it that the power required to switch a relay for a
>240v supply is so great that a battery couldn't operate it?

The problem I was thinking of is that the power required to run the
radio receiver 24/7 would drain the battery quite quickly.

>Also, isn't the neutral thing a bit of a red herring - for a normal
>incandescent light bulb, don't X10 receivers (and similar devices)
>simply draw a small amount of power through the circuit, causing the
>bulb to light (but not noticably) and its this power that powers the
>receiver.

ISWYM but the none of the X10 receivers I've used work that way: they
all need a permanent L/N supply. That's not to say that the sort you
describe don't exist, but I've never come across one.

>As I said, I'll happily get a new light fitting if that is
>the only option, but I'd like to explore other possibilities first.

You seem to regard the 12V halogen fitting as a problem, and its
replacement as a solution. I don't understand that - could you explain?
If the transformer is in the void above the ceiling and you can get at
it, other possibilities spring to mind.

One other possibility you might consider is to light the room using
table and/or floor-standing lamps powered from 13A sockets. They could
be controlled from an ordinary wall switch, installed wherever you like,
not connected to the mains but to a radio transmitter.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Security_Menu_Index/EasySwitch/index.html

--
Mike Barnes