switch
I recently installed a dusk to dawn light for the front porch and would like to keep the switch Always On at all times. This is more for the overzealous kind at home who want to switch everything off at night 🙂
I am thinking of replacing the normal switch on the wall with a stationary plate and making the wires hardwired at all times. Is there a specific term for this type of plate?
I've searched all over but could not find this in the store.
You can purchase and utilize a common DPDT type relay (Double Pole / Double Throw) to create a cross over switch. It is pretty easy to understand from the following relay diagram:
You connect one circuit to the two NC (normally closed) terminals of the relay. The other circuit connects to the two COM (common) terminals. Then you add two additional wires which cross connect the two NC terminals to the opposite NO (normally open) terminals.
The coil of course is driven with the control voltage that you have selected. The simplest control voltage to use would be +12V DC. There are plenty of relays available that have 12V DC coils and your remote automation control can use simple transistors to drive the relay coils.
If you go ahead and use 24V AC for the relay coils then you would have to use an additional relay for each switch control to translate the switching from the AC realm to the low voltage DC realm. (There are circuit components available that can switch the 24VAC but it gets more complex than necessary for an application where +12V DC can be easily used instead. And then you can derive the needed +12V DC from a re-purposed computer power supply.
A major concern when building any type of system such as this, where you bring remote control wiring into the mains wiring boxes of your house, is safety and isolation. Only relays rated properly should be used and you would bear the safety liability associated with stringing the control wires around your house.
Based on what you've shown, you should be able to wire it up like this...
However, those red Wing-Nut® twist-on wire connectors are only rated for a maximum of 6 #14 conductors. So you'll have to split up the neutrals in to two groups, and connect the groups with a pigtail between them.
Best Answer
If you're trying to cover the whole box
If you're trying to cover one slot of a multi-gang box
If you just want to lock the switch in the ON/OFF position