| Years ago I added a pilot light to a similar situation at my parent's | house. See thus: | | O----------O O----------O | / | / \\ | HOT-----O | / O-----(LIGHTS)-- | | / | | O----------O O----------O | 3-WAY | | | | | R R | | | | | | +___+ | | | | | NEON | | | | | NEUTRAL---------+------------------------------------- | | Resistors "R" were around 100k, and the neon light an NE-2 equivalent. | When the lights are off, the neon light sees 1/2 the line voltage, | divided by the resistors. When the lights are on, then one of the | resistors floats (except for capacitance of the wiring), and the other | drives the neon light. This depends on the non-linearity of the neon | light: at 1/2 line voltage it either fails to light, or just barely comes | on.
Why not just wire the neon light directly between the two wires you have the resistors on, with the appropriate ballast resistor, and not connected to the neutral at all?