[barefront]

Hi peeps.

I have 6 rooms to fit

Living room

• a 4 circuit switch - porch, single wall light, 2 wall lights and main ceiling light
• b 2 circuit switch - upstairs landing and downstairs 2nd main ceiling

Landing

• a 3 circuit switch - (dual switch with living room b switch) main landing, downstairs 2nd main, picture uplighter

3 bedrooms

• a 2 circuit switch - wall and ceiling

Kitchen

• a 2 circuit switch - undercupboard/worktop light, 6 low voltage downlighters

I am looking in retro fit into standard wall metal masonry boxes, single and twin. I have two switches that have dual switched circuits on them (downstairs main and Landing). I would like to have scene abilities.

I dont have neutral at the switches and I cant get them there easily (just finished laying floors and plastering walls/ceiling, controllable lighting was an afterthought.

I was looking at the UTLI range http://www.ulti.biz

which seemed to cover most of my bases. apart from a twin 4 way or 3 way dimmer.

The real question in all of this is

1. Are there any alternatives to suggest, I looked at rako but I dont think I can easily hide the dimmer modules, with the ULTI ones they are all built in.

2. Does anyone know where to get the installation/technical literature, i need to check sizes, compatibility with low voltage etc.

Thanks for you interest and for your comments in advance.

[vex]

Big breath - Long Post!

Hi Barefoot,

Sorry I missed you post, but here are my thoughts on what you are trying to do. btw I think Ulti is a great product for the retro fit market and think we can make it fit here.


QUOTE=barefront

I have 6 rooms to fit

Living room
a 4 circuit switch - porch, single wall light, 2 wall lights and main ceiling light
b 2 circuit switch - upstairs landing and downstairs 2nd main ceiling

a. I assume you planned the 4 circuits to be wired back to two single gang two circuit dimmers or where they going to be straight on/off switches? At the moment dimmers only come as 1 or 2 circuits in a single gang backbox.
b. The 2 circuit switch is easy using a standard single gang, two circuit dimmer or switch.

Landing

a 3 circuit switch - (dual switch with living room b switch) main landing, downstairs 2nd main, picture uplighter

MMmmmm, tricky, You could wire straight ULTI switches to the dual switch with the lounge B circuit but you can not do it with dimmers but dimmers will give you the scene setting mooding lighting stuff. The way round it would be to have the switch/dimmer at one end and a 'freelocate' switch (wall remote) at the other. This would give the effect of a twin switched circuit with out the hassel of wiring for one. The odd ball is how to control the third circuit, the picture uplighter. One option would be to 'hide' the dimmer or switch for that one somewhere (cupboard under the stairs, in the loft) and have that controlled off the freeloacte switch as well.

3 bedrooms

a 2 circuit switch - wall and ceiling

Simple two circuit, single gang dimmer or switches

Kitchen

a 2 circuit switch - undercupboard/worktop light, 6 low voltage downlighters

Again a simple 2 circuit, single gang dimmer or switches


I am looking in retro fit into standard wall metal masonry boxes, single and twin. I have two switches that have dual switched circuits on them (downstairs main and Landing). I would like to have scene abilities.

The beauty of Ulti is it fits into standard uk back boxes, the thing that lets it down is they need flipin deep ones to sit flush. 47mm ! Each switch is shipped with some stand offs but these only bring you out to 35mm-ish


I dont have neutral at the switches and I cant get them there easily (just finished laying floors and plastering walls/ceiling, controllable lighting was an afterthought.

I was looking at the UTLI range http://www.ulti.biz

which seemed to cover most of my bases. apart from a twin 4 way or 3 way dimmer.

The real question in all of this is

1. Are there any alternatives to suggest, I looked at rako but I dont think I can easily hide the dimmer modules, with the ULTI ones they are all built in.

2. Does anyone know where to get the installation/technical literature, i need to check sizes, compatibility with low voltage etc.

Compatibility with low voltage is fine, providing that the transformers are speced as dimmerable.

What install / tech stuff are you looking for? Install and programming is very simple and you do not need a neutral.

Chris
(ulti wholesaler)

[barefront]

Hi Vex,

Thanks very much for your time to reply. I did think the dual switched and the 3 circuit switch would be a problem. The 3 circuit is in a partition wall so I suppose it would not be a big problem to cut out a larger box and drop in a twin and have a 2 gang and a single. Its ok to have a normal switch on the same circuit as the dimmer isnt it? In which case i should be able to have the dual switched landing and downstairs main, the dimmers residing downstairs on a 2 gang dimmer and the pure switches upstairs.
The big problem as I see it is the depth of the dimmers 47mm is almost a coal mine and i think the term 'retro' fit is streched to breaking point when I would have to dig out and rebox every fitting. The other thing is that I am sure I had to put a few shallow boxes in to some partition walling and I dont think I could actual fit a deep box there. I suppose I could live with non-flush boxes but I really wouldnt like if it wasnt necessary.

The documentation I would just like to have really, being a computer engineer I love a nice manual and having them might illuminate things I wouldnt have realised otherwise.

Anyway thanks again for sharing your knowledge

[barefront]

BTW chris can I get in contact with you for a quote

[vex]

I an not sure i understand why you are trying to control dual switched circuit the traditional way.

Why not just loop one end of the dual to be perminantly on and then install a RF remote at that end set up tyo trigger the proper RF dimmer for the stairs that is installed as the other dual switch.

Chris