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unbusted67 · 01-07-2010, 17:05

Maybe you can help me with this weirdness. I have an LED anchor light with polarity protection in it. I also have an incandescent steaming light. At the base of the mast there are three wires. When I go to turn on the anchor light nothing happens I leave that switch on and then turn on the steaming light and they both light up. I turn off the anchor light and nothing happens. Then I turn off the steaming light and they both go out. If I turn on the steaming light without the anchor light the anchor light does not turn on. ????? I am at a loss, only thing I can think is that the two lights are somehow run in series.

oldtomcat · 01-07-2010, 17:10

sound like you have one of your wires switching through the ground.

OTC

unbusted67 · 01-07-2010, 17:15

What do you mean switching through the ground?

sabray · 01-07-2010, 18:52

how about a diagram? are the switches independent? I am thinking the ground is crossed or there is a fault in the switch if it is combined.

oldtomcat · 01-07-2010, 19:31

What I think your problem is; that you have a common ground wire in the mast and that wire is going through one of the switches. Niether of the lights will come on until you switch on the switch that the groung wire goes through and thereby completing the circuit.

OTC

um saudade · 01-07-2010, 21:01

I have tried to draw this out and damnifIknow. I am not catching the interconnection that exists. Trace the wires back to a connector and pull all apart, then start with a pair of wires going up the mast and determine what wires run to what light. If the anchor light has a polarity diode it will be easy to find the correct polarity for the anchor light and thus the common wire. This could be wired as positive common or negative common and it does not matter to make it work.

If none of this works, then there is miswiring in the mast somehow, but I think not. Now that you know the wire code, simply rewire the spst switches to work. Oh, and make sure you are working with spst switches!

"Nothing seems very complicated once you figure it out!"

Um Saudade

Blue Stocking · 02-07-2010, 03:31

The incandescent bulb is not polarity protected, it doesn't care which wire is (+) and which is (-) The LED is probably protected by a diode. If you have the LED wires reversed, it will not come on. But when it's switch is on, it allows the ground to be made for the Incandescent. Make sure both (-) sides are connected and see if that solves your problem.

unbusted67 · 02-07-2010, 16:19

this is a dislexic's nightmare

kb79 · 02-07-2010, 17:30

this probably isn't the only possible wiring configuration that'd produce these results, but here's my guess:

you've got the steaming light switch installed on the ground wire, after the anchor light. therefore, the steaming light has to be on for the anchor light to see a relevant ground.

see the sloppy schematic.

unbusted67 · 02-07-2010, 20:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb79

this probably isn't the only possible wiring configuration that'd produce these results, but here's my guess:

you've got the steaming light switch installed on the ground wire, after the anchor light. therefore, the steaming light has to be on for the anchor light to see a relevant ground.

see the sloppy schematic.

no that actually really helps and explains why I wasn't getting results when I was switching the wires around at the deck junction. I need to get to the breaker.

gmau · 03-07-2010, 07:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

The incandescent bulb is not polarity protected, it doesn't care which wire is (+) and which is (-) The LED is probably protected by a diode. If you have the LED wires reversed, it will not come on. But when it's switch is on, it allows the ground to be made for the Incandescent. Make sure both (-) sides are connected and see if that solves your problem.

LED = Light Emitting Diode. A LED is a diode and has to be hooked up with the correct polarity with DC voltage to emit light.

Gordon