Wiring Help - Aeotec G2

Ok folks, I’ve been racking my brain on this one for a while now. I’ve got a couple Aeotec Micro Switches G2/2nd edition and I successfully installed one the other day. This one has me scratching my head though, it’s a dimmer if that matters.
Most of my house wiring is from 1970 and most boxes don’t have a neutral bundle and most lights appear to have source power coming into the light fixture box. I’ve put GE toggles where I could but figured these Aeotec’s would be easier and I could leave the switches alone.

This is a hallway installation that has 2 light fixtures and from what I can tell (and my terminology might not be correct) are 3 way switches on either end w/ two 4 way switches in between.
I tried this Aeotec diagram and when I turned the breaker back on both light fixtures lit up and a couple seconds afterwards the light fixture where everything comes together/Micro Switch was installed made a quick spark and went out! All light switches work fine and the 2nd light fixture stays lit. The Aeotec just sits there with a blinking red light. I’ve tried all the resets and unjoin procedures and can’t get it to join with my Minimote.
Here are the pics of the main light fixture and switches in the order I believe they’re connected. I don’t have a pic of the 2nd light fixture connections. All that comes into that guy is a black and white wire and I’m guessing he’s wired straight to the other light fixture box.
How do I need to wire this sucker?

Main light fixture where I’m pretty sure power is coming in:

1st Switch closest to main light fixture:

Closest 4 way to main light fixture (incoming and outgoing black wires are tied together in the background):

Next 4 way closest to the 2nd light fixture at bottom of stairs (incoming and outgoing black wires are tied together in the background):

Last switch at top of stairs:

No guesses?
@Todd_Whitehead, I see you’ve got some wiring experience in other threads, care to take a guess on what I’ve got going on here?

I think I failed to mention that in the 1st switch box (closest to the main light fixture) there is a black/white pair that comes in (you can see it in the picture w/ the red wire nut). I’m guessing it comes from the light fixture but perhaps not, maybe that’s the feed from the breaker box???
The black wire from this pair goes to the line terminal on the switch (black screw as seen in the pic). The white wire from this pair is tied to the black wire which is in the same bundle as the white and red wires attached to the switch.

If I were to guess. I would say the power source is going to the first switch on the romex with the black, white and ground wire. The load is between you 4 ways switches connecting to the 2 black wires.
The best way to check this is with a meter. How did you wired the Aeon switch? If my guess is correct them you won’t be able to use the Aeon wiring mentioned at the first post.

Edit : the black and white wires twisting together on the first picture is your neutral going to your light bulb neutral. The black wire on your last picture should be your load wire. Both of those wires going through both 4 ways switch then to the light fixture.

I think I’m making progress in that I’ve figured out where some of the wires are going. Maybe this will make sense to others, I’m still processing what it all means… :slight_smile:

In the first picture of the ceiling box at the light fixture I’ve determined there are some extra wires in there that power a bathroom light, fan, and outlet, so I can discount those.
The black bundle in the 1st picture above (1st light fixture) has a black line in from the breaker connected to black wires from the other unimportant circuits and the 1 white wire which I’ve determined provides line power to the first switch box (2nd picture above).
In the first switch box (2nd picture above) that white wire is then wire nut’ed to a black wire where I assume it continues throughout the boxes connecting to the other black wires that can be seen in the subsequent pictures.
The black wire in the pair (with the line white wire) coming from the ceiling light fixture box is connected to the black terminal on the first switch in the first switch box (2nd picture above).

I’ve also determined that the second light fixture’s black/white pair come into the 1st light fixture’s box and wires to the #1’s light fixture corresponding black and white wires.

Also, from my understanding there’s no neutral from the light fixture box down to the first switch box, right?
If that is correct then I wouldn’t be able to install the G2 in the first switch box, right? Nor would I be able to install a Jasco/GE master switch (with add-on’s in the other switch boxes).

So, I’m trying to figure out why I can’t install this G2 in the light fixture box.
So far in the main light fixture ceiling box I have:

  1. connected Line from the breaker to AC Power L on the G2
  2. connected Neutral from the breaker to AC Power N on the G2
  3. connected Load N to the 3 white wires from both light fixtures
  4. connected Load L to the 3 black wires from both light fixtures
  5. connected black wire that goes to the first switch boxes black screw (it was connected directly to the black wires from the light fixtures before I started) to one of the Wall Switch terminals on the G2 (the one furthest away from the 3V Out terminal if that matters).

With power restored the G2’s red LED just blinks. I can’t get it to pair with ST via my Mini-mote. The lights also do not work nor do any of the wall switches.

@baboss,

Wow. I am just looking at your first set of pictures and this is some SCARY stuff.

First, I want to recommend that you hire an electrician to clean this circuit up. There are some serious issues here. It can’t cost more than a couple hundred to have someone come out and fix all of this. You have exposed wires that are stripped too long. That ceiling fixture is scary. Is the black tape just tape? Or are there at least wire nuts under there.

Seriously, if I saw this in my house, I would be redoing a lot of things.

THAT BEING SAID, ONCE YOU CORRECT ALL OF THE WIRING ISSUES, HERE IS MY ANALYSIS OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE PICTURES. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO ANY OF THIS ON YOUR OWN. A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN SHOULD DO THIS. I AM NOT A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN AND AM NOT QUALIFIED TO GIVE ADVICE. IF YOU WANT TO DISREGARD THIS WARNING, IF IT WAS MY HOUSE, AFTER FIXING THE WIRING ISSUES BASED ON THESE PICTURES, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO.

From just looking at your first post, it looks to me like the power is coming into your light fixture. See where they have that white wire in that bundle of black wires? The only time code allows that is for a switch loop. Typically, they do that to send the hot current down to the switch on the white wire and when the switch is on, it sends hot current back on the black wire. (That is the 2 black wires and the red bundle, the one black is to the switch and the other black wire goes to the other light and the red, obviously, goes to the light in that box.)

So, that first switch is just the beginning of a big switch loop. It uses the red and white on the paired terminals on the 3-ways and the four-ways to the last switch, and the blacks are all tied together back to the first switch, which comes back up to the light to complete the circuit.

So, from the light fixture, that white wire and the wire back are the switch loop you should use on the low-voltage wires for the Aeon module.

The black wire that goes to the other light and the red wire should be on one side of the power side of the Aeon module and the bundle of black wires with the white wire in it is on the source side of the Aeon module and the white wire connects to the Aeon where you would expect.

-Todd

@Todd_Whitehead, thanks for the feedback and suggestion! As I figured I was probably only a wire off from success this whole time! Glad I don’t need to rearrange any wiring in the switch boxes (I hope). I am putting notes of my changes in OneNote in the event I ever have to rip out my ST devices.

Yeah, the wiring looks to be 1970’s original from when the house was built, which I’ve since cleaned up with wire nuts. They ran a lot on this breaker (3 ceiling lights consisting of 7 60W bulbs, 2 outlets, and a bathroom fan) wire wise. Originally the big bundle of line and neutrals were soldered together under that electrical tape.

So, before I give this a go tomorrow are you saying:

  1. connect Line from the breaker to AC Power L on the G2
  2. connect Neutral from the breaker to AC Power N on the G2
  3. connect Load N to the 3 white wires from both light fixtures
  4. connect Load L to the 3 black wires from both light fixtures
  5. connect black wire that goes to the first switch box’s black screw (it was connected directly to the black wires from the light fixtures before I started) to one of the Wall Switch terminals on the G2 (the one furthest away from the 3V Out terminal if that matters).
  6. connect white wire (that was connected w/ the bundle of black line wires and provided line to the 1st switch box) to the other Wall Switch terminal on the G2

???
If so I think all that I was missing was step 6, disconnecting the white wire from the Line bundle and using that on one of the G2 switch terminals to complete the switch loop. Am I also correct that it doesn’t matter which wall switch terminal I use for the black and white wires?

Or maybe I’m not understanding what you mean by

What are the low voltage terminals on the Aeon module? The Wall Switch terminals?

  1. connect Line from the breaker to AC Power L on the G2
  2. connect Neutral from the breaker to AC Power N on the G2
  3. connect Load N to the 3 white wires from both light fixtures
  4. connect Load L to the 1 black wire that goes to the other light fixture and the red wire (or directly to the fixture) in the box in the first picture above
    5. The other black wire in that black/black/red bundle should be the one that goes down to the switch. In that box in the first picture above, you should see that wire is in a pair with the white wire that goes down there. Those two wires Black down to the first switch box and white back from the first switch box are basically a switch loop. You should not have to change any switch wires at all. Use smaller gauge wire to wire those two to the smaller terminals on the Aeon module.

So, one thing you can do is wire the Aeon up with the high-voltage side (Line and load) wires and then connect two smaller wires to the low-voltage side. Then power it up and take those two wires and touch them together and apart. This would simulate the switch loop changing state. If everything is working, you should be able to toggle the lights with the ST app or by touching or separating those low voltage wires. If that all works, then connecting those wires one to the black to the switch and one to the white to the switch should make toggling any switch do the same thing touching or separating the wires does.

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Ahhhh, now it all makes sense.

Looks like I might have fried my Aeon dimmer but when I wired up a regular Aeon G2 switch it’s working!!

Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions and help!

Off to shop for a replacement dimmer module now. Anyone have a recommendation on make/model? The Aeons aren’t bad but these boxes are tight with all the wiring.

Glad it is working. I have used the Aeon modules and they are tight. I have not found (or really looked for) anything smaller.