Caravan electrics help please

[terranosaurusdoug]

I have started an attempt to educate myself on electrics, specifically 12v, however my brain is refusing to process the information and just seizes up I think I may have this one figured though but would like advice and opinions please

I took my old porch light off the caravan as I have another one I want to fit, I didn't realise the new one had no switch and that's when my heart sank. I've bought a switch which I will mount inside on the opposite side of the wall to the light but I'm not sure about these wires.....
WP_20170529_13_12_03_Pro.jpg
I thought at first there was three different wires but now I believe the pink one is positive and the other two are in fact the same wire (one coming and one going) which is negative.

The switch I have has three connections and the new light has two wires. SO... I reckon I need the pink positive and the white and orange negatives to my new switch, which will leave a third connection on the switch, this will be a positive to the new light and the negative from the light will go back to the switch and into the same connection as the white and orange negatives. I apologise if that lot is hard to follow or makes no sense, please help

[zippy656]

With 12v you can switch either wire

[jims-terrano]

I reckon Zippy will answer this best. However first of all I'd be testing with a multimeter to check pos and neg.
Your switch must be an illuminating type so will have a pos feed with a switched pos and also a neg, the neg is used for the bulb or led inside the switch. Not a bad idea to use the illumination feature so you'll know when the light has been left on.

[zippy656]

Ill do drawing tomorrow:-)

[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by zippy656

With 12v you can switch either wire

So I only have two wires poking out effectively?, pos and neg

[zippy656]

Originally Posted by terranosaurusdoug

So I only have two wires poking out effectively?, pos and neg

Yup

To make it easy switch the single wire, above the door , of just on inside where light is.

[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by jims-terrano

I reckon Zippy will answer this best. However first of all I'd be testing with a multimeter to check pos and neg.
Your switch must be an illuminating type so will have a pos feed with a switched pos and also a neg, the neg is used for the bulb or led inside the switch. Not a bad idea to use the illumination feature so you'll know when the light has been left on.

Errr, not sure about illumination Jim, I didn't think it had but I'm not sure. Here is the switch, surround and mounting box....
20170529_193112.jpg

[jims-terrano]

Could the third wire be a daisy chain of that particular feed to another item in the same way as a ring main on a house.

[jims-terrano]

Originally Posted by terranosaurusdoug

Errr, not sure about illumination Jim, I didn't think it had but I'm not sure. Here is the switch, surround and mounting box....
Attachment 8669

What the chuff is that?

[Lazy-Ferret]

Ok, caravans tend to differ to cars, as most do not use the body as a return/earth. So as you guessed, 1 is the positive, and one is the ground... often, on caravans, the White is the ground, but never trust or assume and always meter the wires as some vans do not stick to any of the normal standards.

I would expect the one with 2 wires to be the ground, and as you say, it daisy chains on from your light to another one.

Not knowing the specific switch, I would guess it is a change over switch, meaning that one terminal is the common or input, and 1 of the other 2 are connected to it, dependant on which way the switch is pressed. Unless it is an illuminated switch, you very rarely connect the earth to them in low voltage wiring.

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[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by jims-terrano

What the chuff is that?

Pmsl , don't judge me, surface mounted box on the left, switch itself in the middle, it looks like a blank but the whole front is the rocker, then the surround trim on the right

[terranosaurusdoug]

This is the back of the switch, you can just about make out a diagram above the C in the CE mark. If anyone can see it to look at it a translation would be flippin' awesome

WP_20170529_22_01_24_Pro.jpg

[Lazy-Ferret]

Yep, that looks like a change over, so the in is on the left of pic, single connector, and then the out is one of the ones on the right, basically 1 will be live with the top of the switch pressed in, and the other when the bottom is.

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[terranosaurusdoug]

Magic, so positive in on the left, neg and pos out on the right and a neg from the light back to the neg on switch?

[Lazy-Ferret]

Originally Posted by terranosaurusdoug

Magic, so positive in on the left, neg and pos out on the right and a neg from the light back to the neg on switch?

I will slap you... leave the negative alone... do nothing with it... don't touch it or even look at it.... it goes back on the negative wire of the light with no modification whats so ever.... nada.... nufink...

Either cut, or better still, pull the Positive wire inside the caravan, and put it in to the left of switch, then connect the positive wire of the new lamp (or a new wire if it does not have wires already), to one of the right connections... one will be left empty.... it does not matter which, as you can put that switch up either way.

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