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What Electricians Ask

Great questions we get often


  • What is the Device's wiring connector technology?

    A) the LED's..  the OJ-606 connector is interchangeable with the Ideal 30-082 connector.  Accepts 20 and 18 AWG wire, two positions, strip and insert quickly - we provide male and female with the fixtures, or ship the female connector for rough in.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-182-Model-2-Pole-PowerPlug-Luminaire-Disconnect-100-per-Box-30-082/303741443

    B) the switches.   The KF246 spring loaded cage connector is commonly used in the low voltage lighting industry

    C) the load center.   The KF12EKN connector and the Phoenix FMC connector are used at the load center.

  • What is the speed and reliability of making low voltage connections.

    very quick.   A fixed color temperature installation is 2 wires to strip and insert for each LED can.   This compares with 9 wires and 3 wire nuts when 120 vac is used.  A tunable white installation is 4 wires ( 2 in and 2 out).   Notice that a single pair of awg 20/2 is all that is needed for a high end tunable white project - and you can decide at trim between fixed and tunable.

  • Any plans for smart home integration (IFTTT, Amazon Echo / Alexa, Google Nest, Samsung SmartThings/Connect, Apple HomePod,,,)

    yes, our houses that are occupied are using all the above - but very important - no internet is needed for our lights to operate ! ! !

  • Are multiple 3-Way switches possible, how complex is this?

    Our system was designed to handle lots of 3-way switches - simply connect one or many momentary switches in Parallel using awg24 or thicker wire ( RH-253, AL-WS-M, ZAC99) and all these are On/Off/Dim controls from multiple locations.  These simple low cost switches can be upgraded to our 2, 3, 4 or 8 button multiswitches at any time ( AL-WS-8B)
  • What is the typical wiring used from the  load center to the wall switches? 

    • unshielded solid is best.  2 Power, 2 data, 1 static discharge line for the switches - the data pair is optional - but the incremental cost is low.

      vendor PN
      		 type
      		 Amazon link
      		 Amazon
      cost /1000ft

      Southwire - 64169644

      Cerro - #210-1005G3

      18/5

      		 B008KNI7HM
      		 230

      Southwire - 64162122

      Cerro - #210-1002J2

      		 18/2
      		 B00M4YS7AU
      		 120

      Vertical Cable #315-182/R/RD

      18/2 + ground

      B01ATXS82E

      		 120

      Lutron QS/M teal / Yellow

      18/2 + 22/2 + ground

      		 B07KP511KY

      $219
      Lutron QS/M blue/Yellow
      		 16/2 + 22/2 + ground
      		 ---
      		 $295
    • https://atxled.com/pdf/-AN-How2wire.pdf is the wiring diagram



















    • Solid or stranded? 

      Solid is preferred for speed and reliability.

      for the 660mA LED strings - 1 pair, 18 or 20 awg.
      for the 2 amp home runs - 18/5 is recommended
      the solid wire is much faster to strip and insert, no strands to go haywire, and the spring clamp connectors bite into the copper better if it is solid

    • Insulation rating? 
      installers are using either thermostat wire ( 150 vdc insulation rating) or fire alarm wire with 600 volt rating - both are commonly used in the ceilings of houses

       
    • Can low voltage wiring be put in the same holes as older high current A/C circuits still exist? 
      we believe no.   Remember this is for new construction residential, this wire is run into new low voltage boxes and not into existing AC locations
      So dividers are required in any wall box with shared LV and AC - for this reason, we have innovated DC exhaust fans and remote controlled ceiling fans

    • Will there be an industry standard for how this cable will be marked so that it is obviously different as compared to Romex, RJ6, Ethernet, or large gauge THHN
      if you use the Lutron wire - then it is immediately different.   Yellow Fire Alarm wire is not common in residential - so that is clearly different.
      we have had conversations with Southwire about private labeled cable - it only takes about 1 million ft to create private labeled cable - it would be awg 18/2 plus 20/3 in one bundle
      this would be similar to "lutron wire"

    • Are the cables more delicate due to lower voltage / wattages. 
      Certainly. but 18 and 20 awg is commonly used for HVAC and it seems to be OK

    • What tools are required for preparing wires / cables for device work
      We like the Klein strippers sold by Home Depot- model #1009SEN for 10 to 20 AWG wire




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