Signal Wiring Help Please

[Pugsley]

Having acquired a GPL Signal for my garage, I've now come to wire it up and I can't quite figure it out!  This is the diagram on the terminal box and the posts are linked exactly as shown:

 

I know it works on 110V AC, so with my basic electrical experience I expected 3 connections - On, Off and Return.  There are 3 posts free, 1, 3 and 5, but it's not obvious which is the return, or On, or Off for that matter!  1 looks like it could be the return, but why is it linked directly to 3?  3 Looks like Off, but why is that linked to the On lamp through post 6, and also directly to the possible return?  I also don't understand why the two Pivot lamps are connected in the way shown by the diagram either.

 

Does anyone have any experience of wiring these things?  All help will be massively appreciated.

[MossdaleNGauge]

The returns are commoned on terminals 2, 4 & 6, any of these can be used. The lamp selection terminals are 1 & 5 depending on which aspect is required.

[Nick C]

That's a terribly drawn diagram - best figured out by tracing it along each link!

 

I think that @MossdaleNGauge is correct - 2/4/6 common, 1 or 3 for 'off', 5 for 'on'. 

 

Presumably it's a modern LED one, given the two separate lamps and the 'R/W' for the pivot?

 

On - 5 to 2/6:

 

Off - 1/3 to 2/4:

Edited November 22, 2023 by Nick C

[Pugsley]

Thank you both - that makes perfect sense now you've highlighted what's going on.  I guess the diagram is there as basic assistance to a qualified S&T engineer who knows what they're doing, not as a detailed guide to someone who is more familiar with household electrics!

 

Yes, it is a modern LED one - should look good all lit up 🙂

[Pugsley]

It does indeed look good all lit up!

 

On:

 

Off:

 

There was still a bit of head scratching getting it to work, as the diagram implied that the pins on either side of the connection block were connected, but they're not!  I guess one side should be used for the proving connections, the other side is for the lamps.  Now that everything is connected on the lamp side, all is good.  I've wired the live through a 2 way switch to select between the 2 aspect and turn it off at the wall socket that the transformer is plugged into.

[Michael Hodgson]

20 minutes ago, Pugsley said:

It does indeed look good all lit up!

 

On:

 

Off:

 

 I've wired the live through a 2 way switch to select between the 2 aspect and turn it off at the wall socket that the transformer is plugged into.

I've heard signalmen say they'd like to be able to do that please ! 😁

 

If they did have to turn a signal off for some reason, S&T would be slipping links in a location cabinet.

[Grovenor]

Actually it sounds as though the slip links may be missing from Pugsley's example. The convention with those diagrams and the terminal block is that the wiring to the right between block and lamps is supplied with the signal, the wiring to the left of the terminal block is installed by the technician on site, then the left and right sides of the terminal block are joined by slip links, that allow circuits to be opened as needed for tests etc.

In the absence of the links then connecting all the wiring to the right hand side of the terminal block will get it working as shown.

[Pugsley]

That makes sense!  I did wonder if I should be making links to connect the two sides, but I figured connecting to the lamp side was the easiest thing to do once I'd worked out that the two sides weren't connected.

[MossdaleNGauge]

The unit is probably supplied with the links not attached as that is the safest way, the links can then be fitted as required. Yours looks secondhand as it has signal number, so I suspect the technician removed the links when it was decommissioned and kept the links as spares.

 

It does look good on your wall, I could do with a half size one outside my room’s door.

 

Dave.