Wiring A Lighted Switch

[Lonely Raven]

That's a decent looking switch. I could see me using that.

[ampgeek]

RP,
Well....hopefully the conversion to ~220V is only an increase in "hassle factor" and doesn't turn into a fatal flaw.

I have been there before...lots of up front detailed and finite work that looks to be ruined by some simple, stupid little detail that comes out of the woodwork at the very end.

I really have to believe that you will be able to find it in the right configuration somewhere.

I now realize why it looked so familiar to me! It is nearly identical to my "standard" on-off switch. However, I had never seen that funky circuit diagram that made it look like the light neutral connection was also switched. I use a Mouser P/N103-R13-135B2-02R-EV. It, too, is a Mountain made item.

Looks like the only difference is that mine uses a straight hole (e.g., no notch) and is a threaded affair (e.g., not "clip"mounted).

Anyway...my fingers are crossed that you get it worked out. Sounds like a truly beautiful build!

Cheers,
Dave O.

P.S. I didn't win a million $ last night. Did you!

[rp]

Tom:
That has a neon bulb in it so it takes 120vac for the light. But that is an odd way to do it.

Tom, you mean how they built the switch or my quick sloppy layout? For the switch wouldn't this be a viable design: make it with a resistor and bulb that's a little too bright for the 250V rating and a little dim for 125V, assuming the bulb and R can handle the spread? How does Marshall do it with their lighted switches? I had asked about just this here a while back and was told the switch and light will work fine for both voltages. I assumed this switch was the same until I saw the little 100-125V sticker.

martin manning:
You can always add another (external) resistor between pin 3 and neutral.

Martin, can I bother you to suggest a value and rating, and how you derived it?

And, I have a way out, Mountains Switch has the same one with no light. I will get one and a cute little 6.3V T1 3/4 midget flange panel light to install for when I blow it up with 220V.

[FunkyE9th]

Like Tom mentioned above, you have a neon bulb and not an LED.

If you look at this datasheet (different switch but should still be applicable to your switch) http://www.nkkswitches.com/pdf/lw.pdf it recommends 33K series resistor for 110VAC @ 1.5mA. It then recommends 100K for 220VAC.

Your switch has a built in 33K resistor so adding a 68K resistor in series should do the trick for 220VAC.

If you want to do more math, go here... http://www.intl-lighttech.com/applicati ... amps-index

[rp]

If you want to do more math, go here... http://www.intl-lighttech.com/applicati ... amps-index

You know your little bulbs. Great link, I never knew if neons used resistors or not. TAG if a damn useful resource

[C Moore]

RP,
Well....hopefully the conversion to ~220V is only an increase in "hassle factor" and doesn't turn into a fatal flaw.

I now realize why it looked so familiar to me! It is nearly identical to my "standard" on-off switch. However, I had never seen that funky circuit diagram that made it look like the light neutral connection was also switched. I use a Mouser P/N103-R13-135B2-02R-EV. It, too, is a Mountain made item.

That is what was confusing me. It says SPST, but the diagram made it look like SPDT, with both the Hot and Neutral on a switch. I could not figure out how this thing worked until I saw the schematic that was posted by Martin Manning. That makes me feel better.
I am not as smart as I wish I was, but at least I am not as dumb as I thought I was.......

[Structo]

What's weird is they don't show what is connected to the three lugs.
Sure the switch is lugs 1 & 2 but what goes to 3?