All Lumitec lights will have a 2-wire or 3-wire connection. 2-wire lights are connected Red (positive) to power and Black (negative) to ground. 3-wire lights will include the addition of a third Orange signal wire. This is typically found on higher voltage products like floodlights and underwater lights.
3-wire lights are connected Red (positive) to power, Black (negative) to the ground. The Orange wire (signal wire) will run directly to either a physical switch or a digital switching system such as our Poco Digital Lighting Control Module.
When wiring to a Poco module, 2-wire lights connect the red (positive) wire to the appropriate channel output (orange). Note: the amp load will count towards the maximum capacity for the Poco channel. When wiring 3-wire lights, the signal wire (orange) will connect to the channel output (orange). Note: the signal wire carries a low current (0.01 amps), adding very little load to the channel.
Best Practice for 3-Wire Lights
2-WIRE TO SWITCH
Splice the red and orange wire in an easily accessible location at the light or switch and wire as a standard 2-wire light. Verify the switch is a Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) with an appropriate Amp rating and is connected to house power through a properly sized fuse.
3-WIRE TO SWITCH
Use ABYC standards to calculate wire size based on the wire run length. When installed as a 3-Wire configuration, the orange wire carries less than 1A of power; typically, an 18AWG wire can be used. The orange wire of the light connects to the internal relay of the light. Verify the switch is a Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) with an appropriate Amp rating and is connected to house power through a properly sized fuse. The recommended switch size for a 3-wire installation is 1A (minimum) switch.
3-WIRE TO POCO MODULE
Use ABYC standards to calculate wire size based on the wire run length. When installed as a 3-Wire configuration, the orange wire carries less than 1A of power; typically, an 18AWG wire can be used. Connect the orange wire from the light to the appropriate channel output (also orange wire) of the Poco Module. Configure the digital switch in the Poco interface (covered in a later lesson).
