Electronic thingy?

Asked the same in my thread "Wha'd'ya call 'em?" starting 8th April.

Scott

I'm bored with trying to google for it, but is something like this any use?

I've got a free EON branded one which turns off all the odds and bits attached to my PC when the PC is shut down.

Andy

You can buy extension leads with say a four way socket. You plug the master device into one marked socket, and when that is switched on it makes the other sockets live.

If you don't want to delve into the pump's electronics, a couple of other options would be a flow switch on the shower feed, or a pipe stat on the hot shower feed. The latter would act as an indicator when the water was running through hot, and provide a convenient run-on period afterwards (whilst you're toweling down) and the pipe is still hot. Could use it to control an extractor fan too (although I personally prefer to switch the extractor on after I've finished in the shower room, and not during the shower).

Simplest is 2 or 3 diodes in the neutral line to the pump. When running, these give you 2-4.5v, depending on number and diode type. They don't get you isolation though, so you'd need to feed the resulting ac through a small transformer.

A wallwart and a bimetal thermostat on the hot pipe might be easier. There are many ways to do it. Probably the simplest is a plug-in extension lead with built in control.

NT

Perhaps you could find someone to knock up one of these for you:

Get yourself one of those inspection lights plugged into an extension lead, take it into the shower with you and hang it on the shower rail :)

What about some kind of idea similar to movement-detecting infra-red security lights, so if movement is detected in the shower cubicle, the lights come on and stay on with some kind of pre-determined cutoff? Or sound activated? Shouldn't be too hard to calibrate them for the sound of the pump/water to trigger them but not other "bathroom noises" (!).

Or just take a feed from the existing circuit and put them on a pull-cord on/off switch.

these give you 2-4.5v, depending on number and diode type. They don't get y ou isolation though, so you'd need to feed the resulting ac through a small transformer.

Kil two birds with one stone and use a current transformer.

MBQ

these give you 2-4.5v, depending on number and diode type. They don't get you isolation though, so you'd need to feed the resulting ac through a small transformer.

That might killing 2 LEDs with 1 stone. V_out would rise dramatically during startup, and if the pump ever stalls.

NT

Since it's quite common for couples to both use the bathroom facilities at the same time, you could arrange for a motion-detector in the bog pan, so that when you're in the shower, your girlfriend's bowel movement triggers a switch.

Just remember to leave a drip loop!

give you 2-4.5v, depending on number and diode type. They don't get you isolation though, so you'd need to feed the resulting ac through a small transformer.

many ways to do it. Probably the simplest is a plug-in extension lead with built in control.

I wouldn't know what a diode was if it bit me :-)

Now that would work!

Any idea of the proper name anyone?

I'm not going to Google for it AGAIN. YOU can look up thread...

Andy

Something like master/slave socket - lots on Ebay.

This seems exactly what I'm after

Thanks.