Quick push button wiring question

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captain_vood

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I have a GCX3194-120L blue LED push button from AutomationDirect, like this:

m_gcx3194120l.jpg


For the life of me, I cannot get the darn thing wired correctly to have the light on when the pump is on. It seems that I can only get it to either be with the light on and then when I push the button the light goes off and pump goes on, or the light goes on when I push the button, but the pump does not power on.

I also cannot find any proper documentation on how to wire the thing in their datasheets.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I am sure it is something simple I am missing, and I hesitate to do too much experimentation whereas I do not want to blow up my pump, or my house :cross:.
 
Your hot leg should be connected to the C terminal, and the switch leg (connected to the pump) to the NO terminal. Some illuminated switches require a Neutral connection, others connect the lamp (internally) in series.
 
Your hot leg should be connected to the C terminal, and the switch leg (connected to the pump) to the NO terminal. Some illuminated switches require a Neutral connection, others connect the lamp (internally) in series.

I think I sort of know what you mean, but lets break it down to simple colors from the wires. I am using the switch bewteen a power cord and the March 809. Each side has 3 wires, a black, a white, and a green. Currently I have the two greens capped off together, the two whites capped off together, and the two black wires going into either side of the switch.

I won't embarrass myself any further and tell you what I else I have tried :eek:.

Are you saying I need to upcap the two whites, and connect them to the C terminals, and then connect the two black wires to the NO terminals?
 
Looked it up, no neutral required. I believe these come unassembled, that is, you have to attach the contact block to the switch body. If you have your hot and switch legs on the right terminals and it doesn't work correctly, try removing the block and install it flipped 180.
 
Are you saying I need to upcap the two whites, and connect them to the C terminals, and then connect the two black wires to the NO terminals?

No. Whites capped together, fine, ditto the green. But the black from the plug end should land on the C terminal, and black on the pump end on the NO terminal. If that doesn't work, then go to post I made a minute ago about flipping the block.
 
Still no worky. If there is only one wire in each contact block, then nothing can ever happen because it seems that the two blocks are not really connected from an electricity standpoint. The brown NO block connects and screws onto the black one that is built on to the button, but the only thing from the black piece that makes contact with the brown NO switch part is the black plastic that pushes the black switch tab part on the brown block when you push the big blue button.

So it requires a total of 4 wires to operate somehow. Two for the light activity and two for the motor switch activity.

I did try hooking both black wires to either side of the NO block, and the switch and pump works fine with no light. I then made a small pair of 'jumper' cables, and attached them from the two NO contacts, down to the two contacts on the light, at that point, the switch turned on the pump, but it made the light go out.

I crossed the jumper cables and then the light would go on and off properly as the button was pushed, but the pump didn't activate at all.

I am baffled at this point. I suppose if I had to, I could try every combination of wiring, but I'm sure eventually something bad would happen :D
 
The Block attached to the back of the switch is the NO contact.
Attach the black wire from your extension cord to one of the connectors and the black wire from your pump to the other connector.

Your pump will now work as expected.

If you want the light in the switch to work...
ALSO connect the black wire from the pump to one of the connectors on the switch base and connect a white wire to the other connector on the switch base. The white wire will be pigtailed from the 2 you have tied together.
 
The Block attached to the back of the switch is the NO contact.
Attach the black wire from your extension cord to one of the connectors and the black wire from your pump to the other connector.

Your pump will now work as expected.

If you want the light in the switch to work...
ALSO connect the black wire from the pump to one of the connectors on the switch base and connect a white wire to the other connector on the switch base. The white wire will be pigtailed from the 2 you have tied together.

I can say with 100% certainty that this is not the case with the switch I have. The black part that is attached to the button itself, is only for the light. Attaching the black wires to either side of it only result in the light being on, whether the button is pushed or not. Then, the NO switch itself is the brown contact block that gets attched manually to the black part on the back of the switch, with a built in mounting screw. I suppose it's possible that my switch is somehow broken.

Here are the specs and a picture of the button assembly where you can see the brown NO switch attached to the back on page 4.



http://www.automationdirect.com/static/specs/plastic22mmillpb.pdf
 
As long as you don't connect any white or green wires to the terminals, nothing bad can happen. :) Connect plug and pump blacks to tne C and NO terminals on the brown block, with jumpers to same terminals on the black switch body - from C to C, and from NO to NO.
 
Do you have on ohmmeter? Read across the terminals on the black part. No meter? Are the terminals on the black part labeled?
 
As long as you don't connect any white or green wires to the terminals, nothing bad can happen. :) Connect plug and pump blacks to tne C and NO terminals on the brown block, with jumpers to same terminals on the black switch body - from C to C, and from NO to NO.

I think that is part of my problem here, the black "switch" on the button itself, seemingly is not a switch at all, and only powers the light. Their PDF from the link in my last post says:

"These switches are supplied with a special N.O. contact block designed for use with this actuator".

Which seems to make this an out of the ordinary configuration I suppose.
 
Do you have on ohmmeter? Read across the terminals on the black part. No meter? Are the terminals on the black part labeled?

Ohmmeter shows nothing across terminals ont he black part. The terminals are not labeled. The terminals on the brown NO switch part are labeled "3" and "4", and then it shows the conventional "N.O." diagram.
 
The ones on the black part are not labeled with electrical notations, the only say 1 and 2 on one side and 3 and 4 on the other, to indicate where to attach the optional additional contact blocks if you needed to. And then there is an X1 and an X2 on there as well.
 
OK, the screws with the little squares on them are connected to the lamp socket. Jump the Brown block C to one of those, jump the NO to the other, and it should work.
 
That is one of the configurations I already tried. I did it again though to make sure.

Here are pics:

http://a0001718.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_3646.html

Button unpushed, light is on, pump is off.
Then when I push the button, pump goes on, light goes off.

Instead of light off, pump off, push button, and both go on.


Thanks by the way, for your assistance here. I can normally handle these types of things, but for some reason, this one has got me all sideways.
 
Go back and read my post...

The switch is the contact block.

The connectors on the switch are the terminals for the lamp.
You need to apply current to one of the lamp terminals and the other lamp terminal is attached to neutral (white).

If you attach a wire from the NO contact that goes to the pump to the lamp, the lamp will light when the pump is energized.

I don't have any drawing tools on this pc so I cant draw you a picture.

Concentrate on getting the pump to work first... just connect the black wires to the contacts on the contact block. Once that works, you can worry about the light.
 
Doh! Sorry. Thanks for chiming in Ed, I think you have given me a moment of clarity.

I took the "block attached" to mean the black one built on to the switch, rather than "attached" to the back like you meant.

You are correct, when the pump is connected to the NO switch, the switch and pump function normally.

I will try black to either side of the NO switch, and then a jumper from the black pump to the lamp, and then a white 'jumper' to the other lamp terminal... this is what you mean correct?
 
Doh! Sorry. Thanks for chiming in Ed, I think you have given me a moment of clarity.

I took the "block attached" to mean the black one built on to the switch, rather than "attached" to the back like you meant.

You are correct, when the pump is connected to the NO switch, the switch and pump function normally.

I will try black to either side of the NO switch, and then a jumper from the black pump to the lamp, and then a white 'jumper' to the other lamp terminal... this is what you mean correct?

Correct.
You should have a hot (black) and a white(neutral) going to the lamp to energize it.
If you get the black by jumping from the side the pump is on of the NO switch, then your lamp should work just like your pump.

Ed
 
Apparently your switch lamp is incandescant, instead of neon. The neon lamp would work in series, that is without a neutral connection. Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll get it!
 
Thanks Fletch and Ohio-Ed, its working beautifully now! After counting the Turbodog bottles in the sink, its a wonder I got it working.

Anyway, black to both sides of the NO switch, one jumper from pump side black to light terminal, and the whites to the other light terminal was the correct configuration.

Thanks again! :mug:
 
Thanks Fletch and Ohio-Ed, its working beautifully now! After counting the Turbodog bottles in the sink, its a wonder I got it working.

Anyway, black to both sides of the NO switch, one jumper from pump side black to light terminal, and the whites to the other light terminal was the correct configuration.

Thanks again! :mug:

Good deal. Now go make some beer :mug:
 
Go back and read my post...

The switch is the contact block.

The connectors on the switch are the terminals for the lamp.
You need to apply current to one of the lamp terminals and the other lamp terminal is attached to neutral (white).

If you attach a wire from the NO contact that goes to the pump to the lamp, the lamp will light when the pump is energized.

I don't have any drawing tools on this pc so I cant draw you a picture.

Concentrate on getting the pump to work first... just connect the black wires to the contacts on the contact block. Once that works, you can worry about the light.

Had this exact same problem and I wire these pushbutton switches for a living as a project engineer. I guess I do it so often in auto cad that when it comes time to wire them in the real world I fouled it all up.
 
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