Multi-way light switching - are there 'electronic' ways to do it?

From a purely electronic point of view if you had a low voltage supply use a pull-up resistor to the 5v and use the switch to ground other end. Wire all of these to an exclusive-or gate and use the output to switch a relay to control whatever load you need.

You could just use a digital 4000 or 74LS series IC so that any operation of any switch changes the output or on/off state. Add a relay to drive the lights, and a transistor to drive the relay.

NT

You could use a Raspberry Pi ...

:o)

snipped-for-privacy@isbd.co.uk:

You could take a look at Easy Switch (e.g. from TLC). No mains required at the switch, it operates by battery-powered radio that fits behind your switch in a deep back box. In "double" mode, changing the position of any registered switch will toggle the receiver output, which is an uncommitted SPDT relay. Although it's called "double" mode I imagine it will work with any number of transmitters.

Can you get momentary action types, i.e. with a sprung return? If so, you can use am impulse relay, which is how it's normally done in some other countries.

My light switching is mostly done electronicly, so I need lots of momentary action switches. I often end up inserting the momentary action springs from other switches, when I find that I need it in a form that doesn't exist.

Much easier with several push buttons instead of a switch - wire in as many as you want, one pull-up and just one wire around all of the buttons. First press turns it on, second press (of any button) turns it off, even use a timer IC to turn it off after a period of time.

Points, not ways. Unless you really are asking about controlling a traffic light.

This is a multi-way switch:

o------ o------

---o----->o------ o------ o------

What you're desribing is multi-/point/ switching, having several switches as several points (or places). This is done using

o-------------------o

---o----> X

Possibly, though I'm now tending towards using relays. DPCO 3 amp relays which would be perfectly adequate for what I want to do can be bought for quite a lot less than £1, stick two or three on a piece of veroboard and hide it away somewhere and the job's done really. It also allows me to use ridiculously thin wire to the switches which might be quite an advantage.

Yes, I know that's strictly correct, but "two way switch" in a domestic setting means what you call multi-point.

In the US, a "two way switch" is a "three way switch", because it's got 3 terminals.

Presumably a DPDT switch is known in the US as a six way switch... :-)

They really haven't much of a clue.

A pile of bistables...

Use one on each switch to convert it from edge to pulse operation. Then "or" all of those together and feed a T type bistable to toggle its output on each pulse.

You would need some debouncing on each switch though, or you will get loads of edges per switch operation!