Motion Lights ????

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workingman

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I have a quick questions about motion lights. The install consist of 3 garage coach lights all to upgraded to motions. All 3 motion are of the same brand and style and all to come on at the same time if motion is detected. there are 4 wires. ground, white, black, and red. I am not to fimilar with the master/slave set up. i will let you guys answer before i tell ya's how i think i wire it. thanks
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

sorry for not being clear enough. my question was how do i wire it? i have already answered my question though thanks
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

I have never see a "master slave" setup. If you want all the fixtures to come on if one or more detectors are activated simply run 3 wire from fixture to fixture and connect all switch legs (reds) together, all feeds (blacks) together and all neutrals (whites) together. Obviously this setup would be fed by one circuit.

-Hal
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

Originally posted by hbiss:
I have never see a "master slave" setup. If you want all the fixtures to come on if one or more detectors are activated simply run 3 wire from fixture to fixture and connect all switch legs (reds) together, all feeds (blacks) together and all neutrals (whites) together. Obviously this setup would be fed by one circuit.

-Hal
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That was what i was going to do, But for some reason i was bored and looked at the directions and the diagram was a mess, any way they described it as a TRIPLE MASTER, set up?? i guess their technical jargon was a bit confusing for me, anyway disregard this thread. thanks
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

Hal "accidentally" got it correct.

I have installed these units, and I do understand the wiring. The red wire is the output of the fixture's motion sensor. For normal, individual operation, just cap the red wire.

If you want any detector to trigger all fixtures (all-master), interconnect the reds, similarly to smoke detectors. This will require a 3-conductor cable between the fixtures.

Any fixture you want to behave as a 'slave', connect both its red and black to the master's red, and not to the circuit's black. The slave's motion sensor will not trigger.
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

No insult intended. I said "accidentally" because you mentioned not being familair with the master/slave concept.

Yes, interconnecting the reds allows one sensor to energize all fixtures. Note: the blacks should be energized also.
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

a word of caution...check the rating on the motion sensor itself. I have seen some rated at 600 watts maximum. Although the wiring method described works, too much load can result in premature sensor failure.
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

Originally posted by LarryFine:
No insult intended. I said "accidentally" because you mentioned not being familair with the master/slave concept.
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I would not call this set up mater and slave, it is basically all masters or more simply a bunch of switches in parallel.

I often install true master slave occupancy sensors.

In these systems you have one master that has a power supply for the occupancy sensors and a single pole switch from that you add as many slaves (which are simply relays) as you need to control multiple circuits from one set of occupancy sensors.
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

I don't get the whole three-wire thing.

If I were doing it, and had one master coach light and one or two slaves, I would pull two-wire as normal.

The 14-2 from the toggle switch feeding the master coach would tie into the black feeding the motion sensor.

The 14-2 from the master to the first slave would be tied to the red (switched) wire from the motion sensor.
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

Larry, no insult taken. George, I didn't address one motion turning on several other fixtures with the motions in those "slaves" doing nothing. That's why I kind of scoffed at the master-slave concept. You merely bypass the motion detectors in those fixtures where you don't want the motion to work. Don't know why you would have to tie the red and black together, the red should be internally connected to the lampholder hot.

-Hal
 
Re: Motion Lights ????

I'd be apprehensive about wiring more than a couple of lights to the contacts of a motion sensor.

I had a gazebo over the water that the owner wanted flood lights on all 4 sides with motion sensors. He also had low voltage lighting on the 400'+ pier that went to the gazebo. When approaching the pier, a motion sensor would turn on the low voltage lighting on the pier and 2 "Harris" fixtures at the entrance to the pier. Then as you approached the gazebo, that motion sensor would turn on the flood lights on that side only (plus the low voltage lighting on the pier, of course most of the time they were already on). Now, if you approached the gazebo from any of the other 3 sides (in a boat) then any of those 3 motion sensors would turn on all 4 sets of flood lights, but not the walkway lights.

That's the kind of wiring I love to do. :D
 
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