Thorfun

ooh...so FA do a 2 din rail expansion cabinet https://www.futureautomation.co.uk/Product/Details/LXN-RE. I could plan to separate the basement lighting and house that all in the expansion cabinet. just need to make sure I leave enough space below the LXN5 to fit the LXN-RE!

the lack of space is completely my fault as I don't think I'd counted for the basement lighting when I was originally planning the system as that is a todo later job. I'm not convinced that the extra 16 channel dimmer and relay will be enough for the basement. so I might have to end up getting a second panel for the basement lighting. who's f*****g idea was it to build such a big house. 🤣

According to the maths I can't fit the 24V terminal blocks on the top row but maybe when I come to actually fit them I can squeeze them in? I'd already thought about moving the audio server to a separate unit and here's the new cabinet layout to show that with an extra relay extension and extra 16 channel Whitewing dimmer any recommendations for a 'cheap consumer unit enclosure' please?

rofl...I'm such a <expletive deleted> muppet! been planning my cabinet thinking I had 6 x DIN rails. 🤣 ......I have a LXN5 so I only have 5. this is going to be really really really tight as I now have realised I need a further 19 relays/dimmer circuits. 😭

thanks guys. as I work my way through the detailed connections from the relays to the terminal blocks I think I'm going to run out of relays. 😢 I really don't want to fork out for another relay so I might have to leave a few non-essentials out for now and see if I can add them at a later date. but I'm not finished with the design yet so it might still all work out ok! we will see. 🤞

Another quick question please. can I use the digital outputs on the mini server for mains lighting? looks like it from the spec sheet but was wondering if it was ok to do so.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'to balance' on the neutrals but here's the extract from the WW manual it also says so it sounds like I do need to use a single RCBO for all the main dimming circuits. that really buggers up my idea to be able to easily isolate a room using RCBOs as there will be a mixture of dimming and non-dimming circuits in a room. so maybe a single RCBO in the CU is the way to go so I can isolate the entire cabinet easily if needed and then individual RCBOs within the cabinet. time for a rethink I think.

Thank you! Great to know. I hadn’t considered this. I’ll take a look in to it and see what I can find. Thanks for the pointer.

@Rob99 If I may ask another question about the Wago terminal blocks (or anyone else if you use them of course!). How many jumper/cross connectors can you put in a terminal block? wondering if you can span more than 10 terminal blocks by connecting 1 - 10 and then connecting 10 - X etc? The way lights/circuit/terminal block planning is coming on I'm getting about 5 or 6 terminal blocks per room but the total power of those lights will be no more than 200W per room as they're all LEDs and so that's 1A max! now I look at it it's crazy to have individual RCBOs for lighting per room and so I'm thinking about doubling/tripling up rooms on to a single RCBO but need to cross connect a large number of terminal blocks.

thanks @Rob99. I think that's great advice. I was trying to segregate 24V and 230V by DIN rail, hadn't considered separating them LHS/RHS. makes complete sense with the wiring. I've taken your suggestion and also moved the 230V terminal blocks starting from the RHS so there's a bigger gap between the DI/Tree 8-way terminal blocks and 230V terminal blocks. seemed a sensible continuation to the LHS/RHS theme. 😉 I like this idea a lot. tbh I see no reason for audio terminal blocks as that's not something that I'm ever likely to change. it's not like a stereo extension will suddenly need to change to another pair of speakers as they all do the same job! whereas for lighting it is very reasonable to potentially change a non-dimming light circuit to a dimming circuit. I also like the idea of the 24V dimmer being closer to the terminal blocks. not sure if the shorter distance will have a massive impact on voltage drop but it can't hurt, right? anyway, here's the new layout? the only issue is I have nearly a full DIN rail not being used. seems a little wasteful. 🤣

I am not terminating all twisted pairs from the Cat6A cables around the house, just the ones that I will be using. the plan is to bring the Cat6A cables. the plan is to bring them in at the top left of the cabinet and terminate them there in the 8-way blocks. in fact it will, I hope, be very similar to @joth's photo from where this screen shot has been taken I'm pretty certain that I'll regret some of my decisions with layout and wiring etc as I've not done this before. but I will live and learn and if I need to redo it at some point in the future then so be it!

with awesome help from @Rob99, @joth, @Dan F, @jack, @Kelvin and many many others I have finally come up with a design for my Loxone cabinet ready for it to be ripped apart by those same amazing folk! 🤣 it's quite small as I had to zoom out in the spreadsheet to fit it all in but hopefully you can zoom in and see what everything is. very welcome to hear comments.

do I need any special tools to fit the cables in to the Wago terminal blocks or the Weidmuller 8-way blocks?

No bother for me. Can just ignore the notification! 😂

True but they’re so cheap I’ve over-specked just in case. 😉 They are pretty local. Will pop in to see them as they do see very keenly priced.

can the cross-connectors be cut or do you have to buy the exact size you want? here's my spreadsheet showing the different prices and availability the Loxone prices are so high because of the minimum quantities you have to buy in. it's interesting that uk.farnell.com and cpc.farnell.com have wildly different prices with CPC being a lot cheaper. but CPC don't stock the 2002-4157.

here's the link to my thread has some great information from @A_L in there that aided me in my calculations.

btw, quoting people the way you do doesn't notify them that they've been quoted! 😉 that's why I've only just seen this post.

I also was banging my head against a wall trying to compare and look at other brands and find where to buy from so I created a spreadsheet. 🙂 Wago are cheaper but there seems not much difference between the two to get individually. In the end (and I've literally just finished my research) I've decided to go with Wago which will please @Rob99. I wonder if the knowledgable folk on this forum can double check that these Wago parts are compatible please? Loxone Cabinet Din rail components PPV 8 GR 35X7.5 DGR https://catalog.weidmueller.com/catalog/Start.do?ObjectID=1173870000 PRV 8 BL 35X7.5 RT/WS https://catalog.weidmueller.com/catalog/Start.do;jsessionid=34F4787B2C14E096B97A60ACDA4A89A3?ObjectID=1267840000&page=Product PAP PRV/PPV8 SW https://catalog.weidmueller.com/procat/Product.jsp;jsessionid=A6DB5AA66D28A4F406F80D634E4BF620?productId=(%5b1173720000%5d)&page=Product Multilevel installation terminal block N/L/PE 2.5mm2 https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/multilevel-installation-terminal-block/p/2003-7646 Multilevel installation terminal block N/L/PE End and intermediate plate https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/end-and-intermediate-plate/p/2003-7692 Double-deck terminal block https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/double-deck-terminal-block/p/2002-2201 Double-deck terminal block end and intermediate plate https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/end-and-intermediate-plate/p/2002-2292 Triple-deck terminal block https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/triple-deck-terminal-block/p/2002-3201 Triple-deck terminal block end and intermediate plate https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/end-and-intermediate-plate/p/2002-3292 Quadruple-deck terminal block L1 - L2 - L3 - PE for motor https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/quadruple-deck-rail-mounted-terminal-block/p/2002-4157 Cross-connectors https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/jumper/p/2002-410 In order to get the best prices and all components I will need to buy from 3 different places which is a bit frustrating but most seem to offer free delivery over a certain amount so it doesn't really affect me too much. it's just a faff to keep track of what is coming from where!

oh ffs! I've also seen these https://www.wago.com/gb/rail-mount-terminal-blocks/multilevel-installation-terminal-block/p/2003-6646. looks like the difference is shape/size and max current rating. just when I think I've made a decision something else comes along to scupper it or put doubt in my mind. 🤦‍♂️ I guess that's the problem when you're shopping around to find the cheapest price and not every site has everything you need

@Rob99 are these (https://www.tme.eu/Document/b14caeecc65d781d96268d2fe93decd5/2003-7646.pdf) the Wago equivalent of the Weidmuller ones on the Loxone website? https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/2003-7646/rail-mounted-connectors/wago/

definitely given me food for thought as to what i actually want the iPad to do as it seems it can do a whole lot more than just Loxone.

very nicely done! I bet that touch screen is a lot cheaper than an iPad too! 🤣

greetings. I'm struggling to find the suggested back box for a Loxone iPad wall mount. anyone used one/found one? my alternative is to not bother with a back box and just use plasterboard plugs and screw the mount directly to the plasterboard. what did others do?

We were originally having some light wells for our basement but eventually decided it added too much cost and complexity. Although we do have a basement courtyard for a secondary escape stairs so that is, in theory, just a big light well!