UPB switch help

[royalj7]

Ok, maybe not all electricity, but at lest residential wiring. I've started replacing my light switches with SA UPB ones and have a question on a 3-way circuit of course. Attached is a diagram of the circuit in question. I want to put a US2-40 controller with the rocker and 4 button faceplate at switch B location. I've identified the power for the circuit comes in at switch A where I'd like to put one of the remote USR switches. With only one diagram in SA's instructions (and not like my configuration) I'm at a loss on how to wire it up. Can any of the capable UPB folks help?

Thanks,
--Jamie

 

[Sokoloff]

I don't know UPB (I use ALC and "dumb" switches), but here's what to do, assuming you want switch A to be useless, and switch B to control the load:

Power off.
Take the blacks in switch A box and wire nut together. Leave the red on the switch, or cap it off if removing the switch.
Cap off the red in switch box B, and take that black (which is now "from the panel") and feed it into the UPB switch just like the normal case for a single switch UPB installation.

 

[PaulD]

Alternate approach is to ditch the USR and go with US240 in both locations. Will not need traveler wire (red). Pick one US240 to be the master (carry load) and use the other as a slave (no load). Then use links in Upstart to let the slave send commands to the master.

I did it that way in my new house. Used 100% US240's. Still need hot & nutral in both locations. You will not find this in the examples either but this approach has been used by a number of people on this forum.

 

[mustangcoupe]

Ok, maybe not all electricity, but at lest residential wiring. I've started replacing my light switches with SA UPB ones and have a question on a 3-way circuit of course. Attached is a diagram of the circuit in question. I want to put a US2-40 controller with the rocker and 4 button faceplate at switch B location. I've identified the power for the circuit comes in at switch A where I'd like to put one of the remote USR switches. With only one diagram in SA's instructions (and not like my configuration) I'm at a loss on how to wire it up. Can any of the capable UPB folks help?

Thanks,
--Jamie

Jamie,

First turn off power to that switch..

You will wire the black from the panel to the black on the USR switch AND the black going to location B,
And
You will wire the White from the panel to the white on the USR switch AND the white going to location B
You will wire the Ground from the panel to the Ground on the USR switch AND the Ground going to location B

The Red will be the remote wire. Wire this up to the remote 1 wire on the USR

In Location B


You will wire the black from location A to the black on the US2-40
And
You will wire the White from location A to the white on the US2-40, and the white wire going out to your fixture
You will wire the Ground from location A to the Ground on the US2-40and the ground wire going out to your fixture

Next connect the red wire from location A to the remote 1 wire on the US2-40 in location B.


The Brown wire is the hot wire output to your fixture


* Some versions of US1 and US2 models used “traveler†wires instead of the “Remoteâ€



HTH

 

[royalj7]

Todd,

Thanks for the step-by-step explanation, it worked perfectly. I managed to wire one three way circuit up before this one, so with two under my belt hopefully I'll start understanding how the 3-ways can be wired.

Paul,

I had thought of using all US2-40's, mainly to keep the LED colors the same, but the cost difference between them and the remote switch is just too much to ignore. Maybe in the future I'll be able to swap them out with the universal bases.

--Jamie

 

[PaulD]

I had thought of using all US2-40's, mainly to keep the LED colors the same, but the cost difference between them and the remote switch is just too much to ignore. Maybe in the future I'll be able to swap them out with the universal bases.

I would have had same concern if I was doing a replacement task as you are. However, in my case, I was building a new house and had to buy some type of switch in any case. I wanted some type of automated approach and in the end, I decided to go 100% with the US240 because Automated Outlet had them on sale when I bought them thus all I had to do was accept the cost difference between approaches. Another key reason I went that route was for consistency so I would always know what type of switch I had in each location. So far it has worked out well for me and I have found creative ways to use the US240's that I did not expect. My only complaint is that they did not have the US2240 double switches available when I needed them. Would have greatly reduced the number of switches I have to deal with.

 

[drozwood90]

Alternate approach is to ditch the USR and go with US240 in both locations. Will not need traveler wire (red). Pick one US240 to be the master (carry load) and use the other as a slave (no load). Then use links in Upstart to let the slave send commands to the master.

I did it that way in my new house. Used 100% US240's. Still need hot & nutral in both locations. You will not find this in the examples either but this approach has been used by a number of people on this forum.

Ditto and +1

 

[drozwood90]

I had thought of using all US2-40's, mainly to keep the LED colors the same, but the cost difference between them and the remote switch is just too much to ignore. Maybe in the future I'll be able to swap them out with the universal bases.

I would have had same concern if I was doing a replacement task as you are. However, in my case, I was building a new house and had to buy some type of switch in any case. I wanted some type of automated approach and in the end, I decided to go 100% with the US240 because Automated Outlet had them on sale when I bought them thus all I had to do was accept the cost difference between approaches. Another key reason I went that route was for consistency so I would always know what type of switch I had in each location. So far it has worked out well for me and I have found creative ways to use the US240's that I did not expect. My only complaint is that they did not have the US2240 double switches available when I needed them. Would have greatly reduced the number of switches I have to deal with.

Wow, again, Ditto and +1

Paul, I did the exact same thing on my new build. It was funny trying to get the Project Manager to understand why I wanted Neutrals in every switch box. I think to this day he doesn't get it. BUT, I told him, just tell the Electrical Contractor "Put Neutrals in every switch box", he'll understand.

--Dan

 

[royalj7]

I guess I will piggyback on to my thread here.

I got my small UPB install done, thanks for all the help folks. There are 1 US2-40, 3 US1-40 dimmers, 3 USR remotes, and 1 URD-30 controlled outlet. My biggest concern is there is a buzzing coming from the US2-40 and US1-40's whenever a load is activated or turned off. The buzz is consistent in that there are four "pulses" that last about one second total. This happens when the local load is activated or shut off, also a load from a link. I have all the switches set to Snap and Dimming disabled under the options tab in UPStart. Two of the US1's have CFL in them, and the other two have regular tube florescents. The buzz is pretty loud for me, and could potentially be a deal breaker. Like I said, the buzz is a bit unusual in that it's not "buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" but "buzzbuzzbuzzbuzz"

Anyone know what's up?

Thanks,
-Jamie

 

[Steve]

If you search around from a few years ago you will find many discussions about UPB and the 'buzz'. A few people made a big deal about it but the the vast majority it was no big deal. If you hear the buzz at anything more than a few feet away you have supersonic hearing! It's kind of like my car, if I listen really carefully I can hear a squeak and a rattle, but if I just drive normally and don't specifically listen for it, I don't hear a thing. I suspect if you stop focusing on listening to the switch and go about your daily business/usage, you won't even notice the buzz any more

But its normal, nothing you can do about it. A typical on or off you will get a buzzbuzz. If you have more, its probably more links or something you have going on.

 

[drozwood90]

As Steve kind of said, that's the switch communicating out to the powerline.

Typically if it's faster it is re-sending the command (i.e. it's not getting through to it's expected host...or the host's ack is not being seen).

I don't really even hear it any longer. The only time I really notice it is when I need to turn on multiple switches. I turn one on, then to make sure Homeseer "sees" all the transistions, I wait until the first one is done, then turn on the second switch.

I know that as long as you don't hit the buttons at the SAME EXACT TIME, UPB can handle the faster button presses...but I think I just got into the habbit of doing that.

My wife does it as well. She said that she doesn't like when people interrupt her, so she'd rather let the switch finish with what it's doing before telling another switch to talk.

--Dan

 

[royalj7]

By normal do you mean normal for any UPB switch, or normal for a switch using a florescent bulb? My home is not exceptionally quiet, and I don't have bionic hearing, but even with some background music on my computer about 15 feet away, a switch turned on at arms length is easy for me to hear. I just didn't expect it. I was torn between UPB and Jetstream, and decided to go with UPB. However, the buzz is annoying for me.

--Jamie

 

[WayneW]

By normal do you mean normal for any UPB switch, or normal for a switch using a florescent bulb?

AFAIK, normal for all brands of UPB, regardless of load. The noise is believed to be coming from the capacitor discharging which is what puts the hi voltage 40V signal on the powerline.

 

[Steve]

Yup,

Is it all your switches? Maybe you have some weird switch with a cap that just wants to be heard? In all honesty I would try to not listen to it, give it a week and see what happens. It would be RARE for someone to ditch UPB cause of the buzz. But anything is possible, you need to do what you are comfortable with.

 

[royalj7]

Yea, I plan to keep them around for a while and see how I feel about them. All the switches I have make the sound except the remotes, which makes sense if it's the capacitor discharging that is making the noise. Just didn't read anything about it so it caught me off guard. On the flip side, the delay doesn't bother me one bit.