This is not specific to arduino at all, altho I could imagine an arduino tool that might help me find the answer!
I have a wall switch that is definitely wired up, I took the plate off to verify. However, I cannot find anything in this blasted apartment that is turned on/off when the switch is used! I tried every single wall socket, and checked every light fixture. Any idea on how I can figure out what it is supposed to do? I have seen little wands that detect current, could that help me out here?
Some years ago my parents lived in an apartment where when they took the cover plate off a switch, they could see ends of wire from the wall conduit in the screw terminals of the switch. When my Dad undid it further, and pulled the switch out of the enclosure, a short 100mm of wire came out too.
It wasn't connected to anything, yet the contractor had made it look connected and presumably charged for the switch's installation.
So..... pull it out and see if it's really hooked up....
blah44:
This is not specific to arduino at all, altho I could imagine an arduino tool that might help me find the answer!
I have a wall switch that is definitely wired up, I took the plate off to verify. However, I cannot find anything in this blasted apartment that is turned on/off when the switch is used! I tried every single wall socket, and checked every light fixture. Any idea on how I can figure out what it is supposed to do? I have seen little wands that detect current, could that help me out here?
Did you try both positions of every 'duplex' wall sockets? I have a few where a switch controls the lower plug in but the upper is always 'hot'.
Short of that and you haven't missed some other outlet or fixture (if a fixture has a burned out lamp you might not think a switch was controlling anything?) it leaves you with the deciding it trying to trace the switches output wire routing behind walls is worth the knowledge gained or not.
I guess you could measure the current in the switch circuit to see if any current is being consumed when switched on, but be that wouldn't solve the what is it controlling question, just that it is powering up some load. Don't do this if you are not already experienced with measuring household AC voltage and current.
Get a lamp and a friend. Maybe a walkie talkie, or there will be lots of shouting. Be systematic and try each socket with the lamp.
I didn't actually know that about lower vs upper sockets.
I guess you could use a multimeter instead of the lamp, but the lamp is easier.
PS, it could do nothing. I know in my mother's 'new' house (Its at least 10 years old), there are light switches that do nothing at all as far as we can tell.
A strange custom in some places, is to connect light switches ( the ones mounted on the wall, about 1.5 metres above the ground, and most typically next to a door, and which normally control room lighting ), to wall outlets ( the ones typically mounted on the wall, about 0.3 metres above the floor, for plugging appliances and other things into ).
The apparent rationale for this, is that the builder doesn't have to install any lighting in the ceiling or high on the wall, to illuminate the room. Instead, you are supposed to illuminate the room with desk lamps or old-fashioned standard lamps, plugged into the wall sockets but controlled by the switch on the wall next to the door.
In some places, this is normal, but I thought that it was very strange, the first time I encountered it.
If it's in the kitchen, it might go to an outlet under the sink for an optional garbage disposal.
If it's in a 2-switch electrical box, the contractor may have installed the wrong electrical box and then installed an extra-unconnected switch to fill the extra hole in the cover plate.
It could be a mis-wired or defective "2-way" switch (where you have two switches controlling the same light, such as at the top & bottom of the stairs, or at each end of a hallway).
Have you looked inside to see if there are any wires connected? (Turn-off the power, or be very careful! )
If you are in an apartment building where all of the apartments are alike, check with your neighbors.
Hi, have had similar situation with moving into commercial property, finally found it was a switch for an outside security light that didn't work anymore, blown lamp.
