[How-To] Microswitch replacement procedure for the SmartHome 2384/2385 SwitchLincs

electron

Administrator
Staff member
Microswitch replacement procedure for the SmartHome 2384/2385 SwitchLincs
by Mr. Spock (Jeff)

I wrote this microswitch replacement procedure out of respect and thanks to all who participate and share their experiences on the home automation forums.

The Problem
Anyone who spends time on the home automation forums, such as HomeSeer and Cocoontech, are very well aware of the problems associated with the Smarthome brand of AC powerline controlled light switches called SwitchLincs. The microswitches used within the SwitchLincs for ON and OFF have a long history of poor reliability.

Evidence shows the problem started sometime predating the ICON and Insteon series that hit the market starting in 2005. In my case, some of the X10 only series of SwitchLincs (2384, 2385, 2388T, etc.) I purchased in 2004 are exhibiting microswitch failure. After 5 years I have 3 with this failure out of about 20 total installed. Two more are starting early signs of it.

The ICON and Insteon series are much worse. Reports on the forums indicate these switches have had severe failure rates of 10% to 50% or more within 2 years and possibly near 100% eventually, depending on the batch of microswitches used. It’s unclear when the problem really went away. Smarthome says they have fixed the problem with currently shipping product. Time will tell.

The original warranty on these products was 2 years. After denying the problem for years, Smarthome acknowledged it and offered an extended warranty of 7 years from date of purchase for the ICON and Insteon series of SwitchLincs. However the warranty was not extended for the X10 only series. In my case I now have a house full of these X10 only series of SwitchLincs. There was no way I was going to buy replacements from Smarthome after this experience. I’m going to fix my switches!

The Fix
The only solution is to replace the microswitches with new parts. This requires disassembly of the SwitchLinc module, cutting out the old microswitches, soldering in new parts, and reassembly. It takes access to quality tools and soldering iron as well as very good skills with small electronic parts. This is not for the average person!

Note that this procedure shows how to replace the microswitches of a 2385 SwitchLinc. The 2384 is identical. It’s unclear to me how applicable this is to the ICON and Insteon series of SwitchLincs. At the very least it should give you an idea of what it takes to do the job even if the procedure is different.

  1. The tools required are listed below. Some are also shown below.
    • Soldering iron. Any good quality iron with controlled temp (700 to 800°F) should work.
    • Magnifying light, depending on your vision.
    • Tweezers.
    • Fine tip cutters.
    • Fine tip pliers.
    • Solder wick, 2.5mm (relatively wide for heavy solder removal).
    • Small tip Philips head screwdriver.
      image002.jpg
  2. Here is what the back shell looks like. Yep, made in China.
  3. First step is to remove the 3 Phillips head screws and the back shell. In this picture there are 2 screws at the top (top left and right corners) and one at the bottom center.
    image004.jpg
  4. This is what it looks like with the back shell removed.
    image006.jpg
  5. Next step is to unsolder the 3 leads of the triac so the top circuit board can be removed. In the picture above they are enclosed around the red circle. This is best done by using the solder wick to suck up as much of the solder as possible BEFORE bending up the leads as shown below.
    image008.jpg
  6. Remove the top circuit board. You will need to gently bend the white plastic tab locks to free the board. It should come free fairly easily.
    image010.jpg
  7. Remove the bottom circuit board by gently bending the white plastic tab locks. The clear plastic programming bar has it’s own tab locks. The freed board is shown below.
    image012.jpg
  8. Use the fine tip cutters to cut out the 5 leads of the two microswitches. Cut the leads close to the body of the microswitches leaving the leads still in the PCB. This procedure is better than trying to unsolder the microswitches, which is very difficult and would probably just lead to ripping up the PCB.
    image014.jpg
  9. Now use the soldering iron and tweezers to remove the leads left in the holes.
  10. Use the solder wick and iron to remove the solder in the holes. The holes must be free of solder for the new microswitches to fit in. Don’t over do the heat on the plated through holes or you will rip the pads off the PCB.
  11. Now the PCB is ready for the new microswitches, as shown below.
    image016.jpg
  12. Insert the new microswitches and solder them in.
  13. Reverse the procedure to reassemble.

The villain is shown below.
This is the cheap-o push button microswitch. When I examined it up close I noted there was no manufacturer name or marking on it. Only the number T1.
image018.jpg


The Problem

Specs:
  • Size is 6.0 mm square.
  • SPDT, NO, with ground terminal (5th pin).
  • High quality replacement is part number: Omron B3F-1102.
  • Portions of the Omron spec on their part is enclosed here.

Available from digi-key.com
 
Thank you for the detailed repair procedure.

The Insteon and Icon switches are different. Both have a single PC Board in them and the switches are surface mounted.
 
The Insteon and Icon switches are different. Both have a single PC Board in them and the switches are surface mounted.

If they are surface mount microswitches then they probably are the B3S or B3SL series. You need to know the size (LxW) and plunger height. Here is a link to the Omron web site with datasheets. Digi-key and others carry some of the more popular sizes.

http://www.components.omron.com/components...?ID=GTAA-7KLRJE
 
Thanks for the data.
I may measure one of my bad ones and see what I find. I believe Digger may have replaced some. So it can be done.
 
Having just returned an Icon switch for replacement, knowing that it might be possible to repair them myself is good to know. Even though SmartHome has finally acknowledged the problem and extended the warranty, how long will they continue to stock Icon devices? They've been raising the price for years to make sure people didn't buy them instead of the more expensive SwitchLink devices, now I've found that it'll be almost two months from the time I returned my switch before I get a replacement because they are out of stock.
 
Funny, but I haven't had microswitch problems with any of my X10 SwitchLinc dimmers. On the other hand, just about all of my 23885 relay SwitchLincs have at least one bad microswitch - many of them have two! My wife has been bugging me to replace them with dumb Decora switches because they are driving us crazy. Finally, she has had enough, so I started Googling for a solution.
 
After finding this  thread, I finally got the courage to crack one open. Since there is no triac, the job looks to be a lot simpler, and the microswitches look exactly the same as the ones used in the SwitchLinc dimmers. I'll order some microswitches tomorrow and post some pix after I get one back together and working.
 
 
 
Dan,
Many thanks for your excellent article on microswitch replacement in the SmartHome 2384 dimmers. I noticed you wrote that more than six years ago; I guess it's the gift that keeps on giving!
Before I order a pile of B3F-1102 microswitches from Digi-Key I need to ask about a spec. You state that the original switch is SPDT-NO. But Digi-Key says the B3F-1102 is SPST-NO. For this application, does it matter?  :wacko:
 
airman210 said:
You state that the original switch is SPDT-NO. But Digi-Key says the B3F-1102 is SPST-NO. For this application, does it matter?
 
You probably already know this but all that is required is an SPST. The NC terminal on the SPDT switch is unused.
 
Back
Top