CONCEALED DOOR SWITCH
DOOR SWITCH FEATURES
- invisible, silent, inexpensive
- unaffected by door warp
- maintenance free lifespan – over 10m operations
- highly sensitive with up to 35mm operational gap
- works on all doors – hinged, sliding and bifold
- open any door, light on instantly, close all doors light off
- plug and play connections
- for use with Lightdream AC or DC controllers
- can automatically turn off the light if a door is left open – use AC controller
AVAILABLE MAGNETIC DOOR SWITCH SENSORS
SELECTING THE RIGHT DOOR SWITCH
For smooth automatic lighting the interior light should come on just as the door is opened and goes off just before closing. This is similar to cars, refrigerators, ovens and other appliances. Following is outlined the differences between various methods with a magnetic system being the best choice.
- MAGNETIC
Has an extremely long life measured in hundreds of years and therefore free of maintenance, is not affected by door warp, works across gaps up to 35mm, silent in operation, will turn on the lights immediately the door is opened and turn off just prior to closing. Parts can be fully concealed enhancing the clean lines of contemporary joinery. Auto-switchoff is available for when doors are left open.
- MICROSWITCH
Minor door warp is becoming more prevalent with the trend to thinner and higher doors. Using a mechanical microswitch relying on a few millimeters movement will result in continual callbacks for adjustments. Lifespan is limited due to their mechanical construction. As well the click sound of microswitches is amplified in boxy cabinets.
- REFLECTIVE INFRARED (RIR)
An RIR door switch operates by bouncing back an infrared light beam from the door. This causes a delay in switching on the light till the door has opened a fair distance, usually more than halfway – which is far from ideal. They are bulky, unattractive, surface mounted and prone to damage. Capacitors in IRR sensors have been known to dry out and fail.
- PASSIVE INFRARED (PIR)
A PIR door switch is not triggered by the door opening but by human motion once the door is opened and therefore requires two actions to switch on. The first action is opening the door, the second action is to move your arms or body around to trigger the PIR. An automatic lighting system should only require one single action of opening the door. A builtin timer switches the light off so the light remains on after the door is closed or goes off while the door is still open which may be inconvenient.
| DOOR SWITCH COMPARISON |
Magnetic |
Microswitch |
RIR |
PIR |
| Fully concealed | Yes | No | No | No |
| Switches on instantly | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Operates silently | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Not affected by door warp | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fully automatic | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Auto-switchoff timer | Yes | No | No | Yes |
LIGHTDREAM
designs, develops, manufactures and sells products for closet, wardrobe, cabinet and drawer lighting. Products include fully concealed and recessed door switch sensors, miniature PIR motion sensors, AC and DC controllers, LED strip lighting and pantry lighting kits.