06
Timed Outdoor Lighting
Automate an outdoor light to turn on and off at set times using a Timer Switch — no manual intervention required once programmed.
Components Needed
Text Wiring Path
Live → MCB → Timer Switch → Bulb → Neutral
Schematic
Steps
- 1Place Live, Neutral, MCB, a Timer Switch, and a Bulb.
- 2Wire: Live → MCB → Timer Switch (L-in) → Timer Switch (L-out) → Bulb → Neutral.
- 3Press Run. The circuit is live.
- 4Click the Timer Switch to simulate it reaching its ON trigger time — the bulb activates.
- 5Click again to simulate the OFF time — the bulb goes dark.
Key insight
A Timer Switch is just a switch with an internal clock mechanism. In ElectraSim you toggle it manually to represent time events. In a real installation, the timer's ON/OFF schedule is programmed with physical pegs or a digital interface.
⚠ Safety practice
These walkthroughs teach wiring logic in a simulator. Real installation work must be isolated, tested dead, and carried out by a competent person — in the UK, notified under Part P or done by a registered electrician.
Terms used here
Defined in the glossary — each one opens at its own entry.
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