Make your own Sonoff smart plug

Ground != neutral!

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I'm wondering how you could have an AC outlet without a neutral...? You must have those metric sockets over there.

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You can't have an AC outlet without neutral, but you can easily have an AC switch without neutral since you you usually only switch hot anyhow.

The thing I don't understand is. They had to run the neutral to the light socket form somewhere. Why don't electricians run a live and a neutral from the panel to pass through the light switch box, on it's way to the light socket!??! If not then you mean to tell me that you pulled the neutral from another direction in another conduit? What sense does that make.

The standard is to run live, neural and earth to the ceiling lamp fitting which has a four way connector and two live wires plus earth go from there down the switch. That leaves the bulk of the wiring in the ceiling as it can go from one lamp fitting to the next in all the rooms on that floor.

Running neutral to the switch would just be a waste of copper when switches where all mechanical.

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@nophead, therefore the most reliable way to get a neutral is to run one from the light fixture to the switch box?

Yes as there is already an existing cable route.

Although I think I would put the sonoff in the ceiling instead, either in series or in parallel with the switch depending on if I wanted to force it on or off.

I'll also suggest that there are times when there are two switches on the walls for the same set of lighting.

Having multiple printers, I was really hoping I could get this working https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Appliances-Individual-Schedule-Required/dp/B076VRH9WP and plug all the Octoprints and printers into a single controlled strip - It's sold under half a dozen names - Turns out it's fairly easy to flash with the Tuya firmware and you can address each plug independently, but the USB ports don't put out enough power for the Raspis :frowning:

You might check out this one by TP-Link, noting that the USB ports are "always-on".

From my own experience, the usb outlets in plugs like these are crap. Plan in a proper usb power supply (a charger is not a power supply and better are these charging ports).

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they are again not running a neutral but 3wire, one is live, two are return-live that switch between two 1/2 switches so both switches can turn light on/off (by switching the return live)

and when you have more then 2 switches you go with cross switches

(on these images N is neutral, as you see not going to switches, F is live, the circles are junction boxes, the switches 1 and 2 are "throw" so in one position the L is connected to left output in other to right output, the middle "unakrsni" in one position bottom left is connected to top left and bottom right to top right and in second position bottom left goes to top right and bottom right to top left, these are standard switches ... usually the throw ones are hard to purchase as cross ones work instead you just use one bottom connector and both top)

you can add as many cross ones you like, each switch will toggle the state of the light so any can be used to turn it on/off

as for the neutral, you never run it to switches by standard for mechanical switches, you run the live, neutral and ground to the junction box, normally junction box is on the wall, near ceeling, right above the switch, there you drop the live down to switch and return one or more return-live from switch back to junction box, then from junction box you go to the light fixture. the problem I have is that between junction box and the switch there's no tubing but the wires are mortared directly in the wall so no way to pull a new wire trough that channel :frowning:

image

now, I really seen everything in murica, especially in california in wooden houses and no real walls but only dry-walls (cardboard and gypsum), even soldered mains wires :frowning: but here on the old continent these things are pretty important :slight_smile: and wiring have to follow agreed pattern... e.g. the image @OutsourcedGuru put is something that would get you fined so hard you'd never play with electricity again :smiley: ... of course this is just a schematic and not placement (you need 2 junction boxes more and position of the wires need to be different); but even there, neutral-white is not going to switches, they pass the yellow earth wire to make switches more safe but neutral is not going to switches. the white wire you see on switches is one of the 2 return live's that's switched into black live going into lights

it is really rare to have neutral in the switch, it's done only if you are planning to do "smart home" so you can forget about it in anything built 15+ years ago

that POS is a fire hazard :frowning:
if you have experience, open it, cut the "surge protector" (rtd+capacitor) out of it and use it like that .. that surge protector is a dangerous piece of ^^@#%@&$^# that will eventually burn burn burn .. Iif you are lucky, in most cases they will just melt the plastic and not cause the house to burn down, but ..

The one I put is U.S.-based and here, black is hot and white is neutral.

yes, white is neutral, and as I said, no neutral on your img is going to switches

I'm following the latest approved California code, to the best of my knowledge.

modern code is cool, it want's the neutral in the switch box too, but any old building will not have it (as I said, even the image you shared do not have neutral in the switch box).. but that's not what I'm talking about .. what's something I seen in usa ignored is this .. the "green" is "allowed" path of the cable, "red" is what I seen often in houses in pasadena where I used to live

'cause they just shove the cable behind the dry wall and don't care where it goes..

but I'm not sure why are we talking about his ?!!? who cares :smiley:

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