Power button relocation on FFCX

I'm trying to reposition my power switch from the back to the front. I have seen someone here who had done that with a lighted rocker switch on a FFCX...I need to find out how they did that. Me and a buddy of mine at my local RC shop spent the whole friggin day trying to figure it out, with no luck. We can either get the switch to light when flipped, or no light but the printer starts up. I'm at my wits end...this can't be that hard. Please PM me or reply here so I can get this finished. Thank you!!

So live without the light.
You'll still have an on/off switch at the front.

got any pictures of what you wired up where ?

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Originally Posted by lucidpsykosis

I'm trying to reposition my power switch from the back to the front. I have seen someone here who had done that with a lighted rocker switch on a FFCX...I need to find out how they did that. Me and a buddy of mine at my local RC shop spent the whole friggin day trying to figure it out, with no luck. We can either get the switch to light when flipped, or no light but the printer starts up. I'm at my wits end...this can't be that hard. Please PM me or reply here so I can get this finished. Thank you!!

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If they only ran two wires to the switch.... This can be done except it is backwards. When the switch is open, the light (like a neon bulb or such) is across the switch contacts and anything further down the wire like the power supply will allow a small amount of current to flow and the light will light up. But if you turn on the switch, there is no voltage across the switch contacts and the light goes out.

Is it possible the switch was lit up when in the off position?

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Originally Posted by Roxy

If they only ran two wires to the switch.... This can be done except it is backwards. When the switch is open, the light (like a neon bulb or such) is across the switch contacts and anything further down the wire like the power supply will allow a small amount of current to flow and the light will light up. But if you turn on the switch, there is no voltage across the switch contacts and the light goes out.

Is it possible the switch was lit up when in the off position?

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Yes, one of the scenarios was that the light was on when switched off, then turned off when the printer started up. Yes, I could live without the light, its just that it seemed to be no reason (at the time) that it wouldn't work right. I don't have a picture of how it was wired up. Since we couldn't figure it out, I ran the wiring back the way it was. I'm thinking I may just have to get a normal, non-lit switch. That's not a bad thing mind you, but I come from a background of advanced PC modding years ago (before pre-mods were sold). I wired up some crazy lit-up switches and buttons, water cooling, monitors, you name it...didn't think this would be any different. BTW, this is the switch I bought for this: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...ch-spst/1.html

That switch is incandescent and not a neon bulb type. It takes more power. That is why there is a third wire going to it. That third wire provides power to light up the bulb if the power supply is turned on. But if that is how you are wiring it up, you need to be very careful of what you are doing because you are probably switching 110v AC current and trying to use one of those wires in combination with the bulb's power wire is really asking for trouble.

With a neon bulb across the switch contact, it takes hardly any current to light up the bulb. But with that said... the power supply is never really all the way off because you have some small amount of current flowing through the bulb into the power supply.

Hmm, okay...that makes sense. I'm definitely just going to go with a non-lit switch, lol...don't need to be screwing things up. Thank you for the information.

You're welcome..

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Originally Posted by Geoff

You're welcome..

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The power switch is only switching 12 volts? So the power supply always has power applied to it but it is smart enough to cycle back? Then my concern about trying to use a common 110 volt AC line doesn't apply!

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Originally Posted by Roxy

So the power supply always has power applied to it but it is smart enough to cycle back? Then my concern about trying to use a common 110 volt AC line doesn't apply!

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Sooo, was that sarcasm? lol...I'm a little rusty on other people's sarcasm. If I understand both of you correctly, for me to do this, I need a neon light?

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Originally Posted by lucidpsykosis

Sooo, was that sarcasm? lol...I'm a little rusty on other people's sarcasm. If I understand both of you correctly, for me to do this, I need a neon light?

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No... Absolutely not sarcasm! What I said was valid at the time. But Geoff had the circuit diagram of the switch and the switch is only switching 12 volts DC. So there isn't much danger wiring up the 3rd connection to power the light. You would just want to make sure the power to the light had a ground to continue the circuit. Which implies, you need to be a little careful which of the other 2 connectors goes to + and which to ground because the light won't work right if you goof that up. (Probably the power supply still switches on and off...)

Basically, what Geoff posted is the information you need to make this work. Two wires to make the power supply switch on and off. And if you want the light on when the power supply is on, you probably need to connect those up the correct way. With that said, if you connect those two up backwards, my guess is the light either doesn't work, or it turns on when the supply is turned off.

But definitely NOT sarcasm! Geoff knows his stuff! No Neon bulb needed. (And I wasn't saying a neon bulb was needed... I was just saying that is a 'typical' way of doing it IF YOU ARE SWITCHING 110 vac) That switch has a built in incandescent bulb. You just need to feed that 3rd connection to the switch with the right voltage from the supply. When the supply is turned on, it will put power on that wire, and the light should light up if you have the ground on the right one of the other 2 wires.

Geoff, aardvark, Roxy...thank you for your help!

Hi all,
my apologies for not replying earlier ( busy).
Here's a hand drawn wiring diagram.
It may not be exact, as I may have cut the hot lead between the IEC & switch or after the fuse - whatever.
I also left the original rear rocker in the circuit, so if it initially doesn't work - the rear switch has to be on also.
Running a job right now & don't feel like flipping it over.
You essentially have to put the switch in the hot (line) somewhere & connect the lamp tab to a neutral.
DO NOT use a 12V switch on the 120/220VAC lines!
You'll have to ohm out the switch, as no two lighted switches are the same.
Use at your own risk - I'm not responsible for disasters! :confused:Attachment 2713

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Originally Posted by Teledog

You essentially have to put the switch in the hot (line) somewhere & connect the lamp tab to a neutral.
DO NOT use a 12V switch on the 120/220VAC lines!

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Absolutely agreed!!!! If you are switching 120 vac, be super careful about what you connect to the switch!!!

Cool 😊Thank you!