Motion Sensor Wall Switch - Design deficits?

Oct 06, 2003 1 Replies

I bought a Heath/Zenith motion sensor wall swithc and installed it in the walk-in closet. Yeah, it works okay, and does the job. But... After flipping the switch for a few decades, I'm finding that it's hard to break a habit that has been ingrained into my behavior for so long.



I still reach for the switch lever like I used to, but it's not there. Instead, there's a slide switch that slides sideways with off, auto and on positions, so it can be used like a regular switch. Well, of course my instinctive action doesn't move the switch, but the motion causes the sensor to turn the light on.



So I thought that these motion control switches should be more like a regular switch and have a swich lever, so that they can be used _like_ a regular switch. In other words, the maker should not depart from the standard switch design because the switch functions somewhat differently. I think the designer made his choice of a slide switch at the sacrifice of the user's convenience.



Also, I've had to remove the switch cover plate a few times to adjust the time and sensitivity. This is another inconvenience that could be addressed in the design. And it looks to me like the light has lost a bit of brightness, probably because the switch uses a TRIAC and it doesn't feed a full sine wave to the light - another thing to consider.



Does this sound like a Bitch List? Probably, but then it will be a help to those that are considering buying a motion sensor switch. Now they know what they should look for when they purchase one. But it's likely they may never find one that has these deficits mitigated. :-(


@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@ ###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:### http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 hotmail.com Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half). http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did! Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@

I've had one in my garage for years, switching fluorescents.

I sometime reach for the "switch" out of habit, but everything lights up before I even get close.

...Jim Thompson

| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | | http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

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