How to wire a 3-way switch

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How to wire a 3-way switch

Рет қаралды 423,420

Күн бұрын

A quick look at how to wire a 3 way switch, commonly used inside vehicles, project boxes and so on.
I'm planning to use this switch in an upcoming video and figured I'd shoot a quick video showing how the basic wiring works because I've had people ask about them before.
The switch is rated up to 10amp at 125v although I'll be using it for 12/24v DC.
I don't have a wiring diagram but I believe the video shows things clearly enough. Your input goes into the middle pin and then flows out through the top or bottom pin depending on the position of the switch.
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Пікірлер: 129

@Good-Enuff-Garage 4 ай бұрын

brilliant, no intro, no silliness just straight into it, super job !

@tamarastacey9399 3 жыл бұрын

Out of all the videos I watched yours was the most understandable & easy to follow for a 3 way, 3 pronged switch. Thank you

@oscarjoaquin7953 4 жыл бұрын

Dude you're the best. I'm doing some last minute soldering and I thought I was gonna fail my project 'til I saw your video

@POLOAZTECA 3 жыл бұрын

A 3-Way would be two switches in oposite sides of a room turning on and turning off the same light!

@anthonyprieto09 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you fast to the point no stupid intro on the history of toggle switches

@muzikaz2105 Жыл бұрын

nice explanation for 3 way switch... and your already teaching about negative trigger connection... some maybe wondering y in negative....

@FlavaBomb 7 жыл бұрын

Nice and clear explination.. I had been looking online for a quick explination and came across this 👍

@kamotecruiser4083 3 жыл бұрын

Knowledge acquired Thank you I'm a first time bike builder and I want this on my project Basically its for a day maker 7inch led, I want a switch for park light, headlight (low beam) and off. THIS IS PERFECT!! Thank you bruh 👊

@td2hi 4 жыл бұрын

Thank You for the informative video. I am wiring a navigation and mast light for my kayak. Quick, to the the point, clear explanation, and foremost, no obnoxious introduction video nor historical lineage as to the origin of switches. I know now why your video was the first one to appear in the que when searched for, spot on.

@rh.4ndu 4 жыл бұрын

ive been searching for something like this for quite a while now, finally found a solution and answer to my problem. thanks a lot, you really helped me out there!

@RobertOKruk 4 жыл бұрын

Perfect for a wiring beginner like me! Thank you!

@VegasRT500 6 жыл бұрын

This is a very good step by step how to video with precise explanation of the functions. Excellent job!!!

@mr.c8033 4 жыл бұрын

Dear Lord, I feel like an idiot having to come here to learn this. Thank you!

@JukeboxJake 7 жыл бұрын

quick and to the point, loved it

@merrickjulius6053 3 жыл бұрын

pro trick: you can watch series at Flixzone. Been using them for watching a lot of movies lately.

@princetondonald3051 3 жыл бұрын

@Merrick Julius yup, have been using flixzone for years myself =)

@ddistrbd1 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking all the mystery from using SPDT switches.

@ipanders9180 Жыл бұрын

preciate it. the package wasn’t very clear, and i sort of expected the switch to have a tiny diagram on the side similar to how a relay would.

@rommelnimo27 8 ай бұрын

Easy to understand. Hope you can upload informative content. More power!

@NikonCrayzee 2 ай бұрын

Okay - is it just me, or is this switch one of the most intuitive switches (the video is good, I'm just describing the switch). You would think that the direction of the toggle bar would dictate which of the two outer pins are connected to the middle pin. For example, if the toggle is pointing down, its the lower pin that's connected,and vice-versa. But no, its completely the opposite of what you think 😵‍💫

@dionhutchins7300 Жыл бұрын

Great video simply explaining and easy to understand Thankyou

@BobbyJune 9 ай бұрын

Oh I could use ground everywhere is the device that is the decision-maker when she gets turn on and off that’s really cool I never heard it said that way before thank you so much

@justinbirchett1580 7 жыл бұрын

Brilliant demonstration of an on-off-on switch, and without a doubt the finest one I've seen on KZfaq. After generously contributing to your video's view count, I successfully cloned/tested your circuit, but with the polarities essentially reversed. Is there anything wrong with connecting the battery + to the switch's center (off) pin and the two outside (on) pins wired to supply + to the LEDs (each grounded back to the battery -)?

@bencebalint1956 2 жыл бұрын

You'd think someone would be able to answer this in 5 years :D

@muzikaz2105 Жыл бұрын

negative trigger connection will explain everything and its safer for car headlights

@kpec3 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for this explanation!

@bc2475 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. One question why do you run the ground to the switch and not the positive to the switch? I’m from America and I’m guessing you’re from England. Is that how they do it there?

@haydonsheard2168 3 жыл бұрын

There is no ground

@Gabo99 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the info, exactly what Im looking for

@travisatwater9930 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video. It told me exactly what i needed to know. Thank you again

@superjoint57 5 жыл бұрын

VERY good video! Thank you for taking the time to create & post!!

@vincentia1 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent vid,thank you for posting on the Tube 👍

@GadgetAddict 2 жыл бұрын

I hope it helps 👍

@vincentia1 2 жыл бұрын

@@GadgetAddict well I never understood what ground was or how to wire a switch ,after the vid I wired a switch to an LED for camping so thank you 👍

@SuperBullyone 7 жыл бұрын

excellent, thank you. I am wiring a NASA - made in UK, light on my sailboat mast. It is tri-color or anchor light. It requires one of these switches just as you have wired it.

@rockyhandsomehandsome153 Жыл бұрын

That was simply amazing. Thanks

@sevanson1 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video of a spdt switch application. THIS IS NOT a three way switch connection. It is a single switch with two outputs.

@PDsChannel0112 10 ай бұрын

Me and my friend are trying to make a small battery powered car for our school science exhibition, and we wanted to make the car go both forward and backward, we thought of using 3 way switches like the one showed in the video but i am just not able to figure out the connections. this video really helped in understanding how these switches work but i need to connect just one of these with 4 DC motors and make them go both forward and backward so can anyone please help me

@x_Heffe_X 7 жыл бұрын

I have a switch just like this and am trying to use it to switch between two relays for a electric radiator fan. In my case instead of ground in the middle, would I use 12v ignition triggered positive and then on top and bottom posts one to each relay to trigger it?

@4727thomas 4 жыл бұрын

Hi, really good and clear video! It might be a stupid question but if the switch is rated for 125V 10A, how to estimate the max current for a voltage of 36V? Is it 10A or is it more? Thanks in advance ;)

@carlo1w 15 күн бұрын

Can you also do it the other way? With power to the switch

@BloodSweatnBass Жыл бұрын

Great!! What type of switch would I need if I also wanted both Led strips on at the same time

@jkg6211 10 ай бұрын

DPDT

@rajushrivastav7611 10 ай бұрын

If we have to connect ECU ENGINE CONTROL UNIT WITH 12V BATTERY WITH LED light in 3 way postion toggle switch how we connect these 2 thing with same voltage

@yeshwanthkumarj 7 жыл бұрын

Tats so nice... Simple and quick

@danishsmartpk 4 жыл бұрын

Very easy demonstration. Thank you and Thumbs up :)

@josephusormocanus6252 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the educational info Sir! Now I know

@IbraheemMohsin-td9ky 4 ай бұрын

awesome video

@muso31 Жыл бұрын

Why did you switch on the negative rather than positive? Is this to reduce the chance of a spark?

@mircea415ify 5 жыл бұрын

I and thanks for the video, id like to connect two batteries to one load , would i just do the same but the opposite obviously ? Thanks again .

@jan3019 Жыл бұрын

can i use 3 way switch to switch between 2 batteries to power a motor?

@vendetta1306 13 күн бұрын

Much obliged friend

@nomadautodidact 4 жыл бұрын

So if I'm understand in this current and you only want it to turn on when in the on position, it isnt necessary to wire the wire the off position at all right?

@stephendrahos9000 4 жыл бұрын

Great video - easy to follow. I am attempting to wire my VW van so that I can switch my radio between the starter battery and the rear auxiliary battery. I'm assuming the radio input wire would go into the middle pin then each battery would go on top/bottom pins, correct?

@fritz_m 3 жыл бұрын

Is it possible to have the two lights light up while the position of the switch is in the middle?

@jenomanivcsuk9263 2 жыл бұрын

do you think its possible to use the 3 way switch to emulate an inverter so for example 1 would make the window open and 2 would make the window close?

@ALPHARICCO875 9 ай бұрын

Super vidéo Thanks 👍

@FbombBikeLife 3 жыл бұрын

What size wire should I use to power motorcycle speakers to my rocker switch?

@syedhasnainshah____7743 4 жыл бұрын

Men I really like your video that's informative

@naikmohd381 7 жыл бұрын

Great and holy work to educate the people, Can we use this one switch for 220 v and 12 v for a ceiling fan at home. or tell me the other way that how to separate the tow line.

@lukzcankill 6 жыл бұрын

May LED bar Was have 3 wires the Ground and the 2 others was to the park light and goes the other wire into the led lights

@shazwanboblaidey 6 жыл бұрын

why dont you connect the middle pin with 12v (+) ? and ground the led strip instead ? just curios.

@patalinghugjosephmarkkent6082 5 жыл бұрын

Havent tried, but I guess the off option is when you point it down. So instead of ON-OFF-ON, its OFF-ON-OFF.

@isaacjeanteube 3 жыл бұрын

perfect. continue like this.. to the point

@dakotak8437 3 жыл бұрын

Can you do this with a small 2 post winch

@district99 6 ай бұрын

Thank you.. subscribed

@larrydennbarredo3881 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. How about lighting those led at once when you put ON on any sides? not separate light? Just like the upper ON has high light and the lower ON is low light. I need on my project 😢 Thanks

@soap9535 7 жыл бұрын

Are the inputs and outputs interchangeable? For example, could I have 2 inputs and 1 output?

@bigshotproductions989 3 жыл бұрын

I'm trying to wire a 3-way switch to control a hi/lo beam headlight on my bike. The headlight has 3 wires. One is supposed to go to battery negative (according to manufacturer), the other 2 control the high and or low beams in the light. I'm trying to figure out which steps in your video I should leave out for my situation. Please help!!!!!

@misukkk 8 ай бұрын

Verryy good thankyou!

@edgeivy5023 4 жыл бұрын

Can I use this to where both the lights come on at the same time?

@ehsanmorav 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@bobbylarson2298 3 жыл бұрын

Have set of foglamps disconnected but cant remember how they plug in have red and whit and blue wire where do they go to make them work is Bella confusing me!!!

@GadgetAddict 3 жыл бұрын

It sounds like your fog lights are designed to use a relay. You'd need to check the wiring for your exact model but you could try red to positive battery, white to negative battery and then blue to relay. For testing without a relay, briefly touch the blue wire to positive after red and white are already wired. Male sure to check the wiring manual before making any permanent connections.

@905Speed 2 жыл бұрын

This is also a great way to wire up a car window if your switch is broken and dont feel like paying $100+ for a new one

@suryanshsrivastava-wx6eb Ай бұрын

From where to buy this, pls tell

@christiancowboy352 4 жыл бұрын

Could also use this same 3 way switch for one 12 volt outlet, and then 2 separate power sources like van battery for one, and solar battery for the other source. That away you can the van powering the outlet when driving, and the solar battery powering the outlet when not driving? Is that correct?

@jm-btt 4 жыл бұрын

Yes.

@themodifiedlife2774 7 жыл бұрын

Ok question if I had a led toggle 3 way switch and used the input and outputs like u have in video as ground control to trigger relays how could I power the led light in the toggle? I assume it would have a 4th sperate pin for the led light? Would that be a separate input just for the led on the switch from the outputs?

@hiphop-nation 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much well explained!

@deanbryanhiponia3403 3 жыл бұрын

hi,how can i make to function the middle switch ?need to to build signal lights for my bike with external battery..thank you

@lomi4267 Жыл бұрын

Say I got a on-off-on toggle switch I wanna connect to a forward and back motor any ideas

@GadgetAddict Жыл бұрын

You can search youtube for a video from Endlessparts, titled: How to reverse a DC Motor with a toggle switch He demonstrates how to do that, for a DC motor.

@AreThereGhostsOnMars 4 жыл бұрын

What kind of switch is that? Also, would it work for nine volt batteries for a project?

@Fox_Mulder350 2 жыл бұрын

I really need a spdt on-on switch that can handle 12vdc @ 30 amps or greater (Automotive use)

@GadgetAddict 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe use a switch to control relays?

@studiocabsay 4 жыл бұрын

some time the toggle switch has 6 pins or connection at the back, how to wire that,,? pls help

@borisblazevic7486 5 жыл бұрын

Hallo Gadget..... Is it possible to make it 3 way switch on/of/on to make it in to a on/on/on....? I use it on guitar mini toggle switch

@channel6133 5 жыл бұрын

Can you ground it to other metal or does it have to go back to the negative on the battery?

@haydonsheard2168 3 жыл бұрын

It's DC current so there is no ground it's negative

@ronba8616 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@youcantseeme2089 6 жыл бұрын

How do you do this with a window motor with that same switch

@VR46314 3 жыл бұрын

Could you use a usb as power source

@Kostanj42 6 жыл бұрын

can i get a switch that can to the same thing but with 3 LED strips?

@proudtobepaganandheathen.8466 3 жыл бұрын

thanks

@guilherme5035 5 жыл бұрын

Nice video thanks

@TheBeaverduck 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for uploading this video! I have been looking to use something like this in an art project. I am a total circuitry newb and I have been scouring the internet looking for a way to have two lights controlled by one switch with an off position. Is there a safe way to have this work in a permanent way plugged into wall? Also where did you get your switch? I can only find double pole.

@GadgetAddict 7 жыл бұрын

You can buy AC rated switches which look and operate pretty much identically to this 12V version. I got this one from a hardware shop, they're pretty common. If you just want two bulbs to turn on and off at the same time, any regular switch can do that. But I'm assuming you want the option of both bulbs off or to then have either one switched on, is that right? There are also 3 pole AC switches designed for a regular wall plate installation but they're not very common so you'd have to order it online. If you don't have much electrical experience, you need to be careful because AC shocks can be deadly.

@bigmarkdarula 4 жыл бұрын

thank you sir

@sbaization 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you :)

@premmohan906 2 жыл бұрын

Nice

@violetspider_ 4 жыл бұрын

can this be used as OFF- LOW- HIGH beam ?

@jake19077 Жыл бұрын

Yes.

@kawininji8874 7 жыл бұрын

I have 2 led strips on my motorcycle and trying to switch to this type of 3 way toggle switch. I have 2 positives and 2 negatives, 1 for each led strip. I have a separate positive/negative wire, positive into my ignition fuse and negative to the frame. I put all the ground wires together on one side positive on the other and the positive fuse wire in the center. when toggled on 1 way it's fine but the other on position it burns the wire. what can I do? I'm so lost with the 3 way toggle I couldn't find a 2 way.

@GadgetAddict 7 жыл бұрын

Don't connect ground and live to the same switch. Connect the positive of your LED strips directly to the ignition fuse. Connect the negative of one LED strip to one side of the switch and the negative of the other LED strip to the other side of the switch.

@kawininji8874 7 жыл бұрын

Gadget Addict Thank you so much! if I do that I'll only have 1 led strip going though at a time right? what if I want both on at the same time with 1 switch?

@GadgetAddict 7 жыл бұрын

Correct, only one LED strip would turn on. If you want both to turn on, just connect vehicle ground into the middle of the switch and both negative of the LED strips to one side of the switch. You don't need a 3-way switch for that.

@kawininji8874 7 жыл бұрын

Gadget Addict I would've used a 2 way if I could've but there wasn't any in stock unfortunately. Can I still do that with the 3 way or should I just get a 2 way?

@GadgetAddict 7 жыл бұрын

You can do it with the 3-way. Just connect ground from your vehicle into the center switch and then both LED negatives to one side of the switch and ignore the other side of the switch.

@handyscapersllc 2 жыл бұрын

In the beginning of the video you call the middle prong the "power input" which would be a positive like the + side of a battery but then later in the video your calling the same middle prong "ground" which would be negative. This is confusing.

@GadgetAddict 2 жыл бұрын

It could be ground or positive, depending on your preference and project. If you put positive in the middle, you will have positive on whatever side the switch is set to. If you put ground or negative in the middle, you will have ground or negative on whichever side the switch is set to. If you put positive through the switch, your ground will go direct, bypassing the switch. If you put ground on the switch, your positive will go direct, bypassing the switch. This switch is only controling one side, either positive or negative.