How to wire a 3-way switch

A quick look at how to wire a 3 way switch, commonly used inside vehicles, project boxes and so on.
I'm planning to use this switch in an upcoming video and figured I'd shoot a quick video showing how the basic wiring works because I've had people ask about them before.
The switch is rated up to 10amp at 125v although I'll be using it for 12/24v DC.
I don't have a wiring diagram but I believe the video shows things clearly enough. Your input goes into the middle pin and then flows out through the top or bottom pin depending on the position of the switch.
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[@tamarastacey9399]

Out of all the videos I watched yours was the most understandable & easy to follow for a 3 way, 3 pronged switch. Thank you

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

brilliant, no intro, no silliness just straight into it, super job !

[@oscarjoaquin7953]

Dude you're the best. I'm doing some last minute soldering and I thought I was gonna fail my project 'til I saw your video

[@td2hi]

Thank You for the informative video. I am wiring a navigation and mast light for my kayak. Quick, to the the point, clear explanation, and foremost, no obnoxious introduction video nor historical lineage as to the origin of switches. I know now why your video was the first one to appear in the que when searched for, spot on.

[@kamotecruiser4083]

Knowledge acquired Thank you I'm a first time bike builder and I want this on my project Basically its for a day maker 7inch led, I want a switch for park light, headlight (low beam) and off. THIS IS PERFECT!! Thank you bruh 👊

[@rh.4ndu]

ive been searching for something like this for quite a while now, finally found a solution and answer to my problem. thanks a lot, you really helped me out there!

[@muzikaz2105]

nice explanation for 3 way switch... and your already teaching about negative trigger connection... some maybe wondering y in negative....

[@FlavaBomb]

Nice and clear explination.. I had been looking online for a quick explination and came across this 👍

[@anthonyprieto09]

Thank you fast to the point no stupid intro on the history of toggle switches

[@POLOAZTECA]

A 3-Way would be two switches in oposite sides of a room turning on and turning off the same light!

[@VegasRT500]

This is a very good step by step how to video with precise explanation of the functions. Excellent job!!!

[@x_Heffe_X]

I have a switch just like this and am trying to use it to switch between two relays for a electric radiator fan. In my case instead of ground in the middle, would I use 12v ignition triggered positive and then on top and bottom posts one to each relay to trigger it?

[@RobertOKruk]

Perfect for a wiring beginner like me! Thank you!

[@themodifiedlife2774]

Ok question if I had a led toggle 3 way switch and used the input and outputs like u have in video as ground control to trigger relays how could I power the led light in the toggle? I assume it would have a 4th sperate pin for the led light? Would that be a separate input just for the led on the switch from the outputs?

[@mircea415ify]

I and thanks for the video, id like to connect two batteries to one load , would i just do the same but the opposite obviously ? Thanks again .

[@superjoint57]

VERY good video! Thank you for taking the time to create & post!!

[@soap9535]

Are the inputs and outputs interchangeable? For example, could I have 2 inputs and 1 output?

[@stephendrahos9000]

Great video - easy to follow. I am attempting to wire my VW van so that I can switch my radio between the starter battery and the rear auxiliary battery. I'm assuming the radio input wire would go into the middle pin then each battery would go on top/bottom pins, correct?

[@NikonCrayzee]

Okay - is it just me, or is this switch one of the most intuitive switches (the video is good, I'm just describing the switch). You would think that the direction of the toggle bar would dictate which of the two outer pins are connected to the middle pin. For example, if the toggle is pointing down, its the lower pin that's connected,and vice-versa. But no, its completely the opposite of what you think 😵‍💫

[@deanbryanhiponia3403]

hi,how can i make to function the middle switch ?need to to build signal lights for my bike with external battery..thank you

[@jenomanivcsuk9263]

do you think its possible to use the 3 way switch to emulate an inverter so for example 1 would make the window open and 2 would make the window close?

[@naikmohd381]

Great and holy work to educate the people, Can we use this one switch for 220 v and 12 v for a ceiling fan at home. or tell me the other way that how to separate the tow line.

[@ddistrbd1]

Thank you for taking all the mystery from using SPDT switches.

[@nomadautodidact]

So if I'm understand in this current and you only want it to turn on when in the on position, it isnt necessary to wire the wire the off position at all right?

[@travisatwater9930]

Thank you for the video. It told me exactly what i needed to know. Thank you again

[@dionhutchins7300]

Great video simply explaining and easy to understand Thankyou

[@FbombBikeLife]

What size wire should I use to power motorcycle speakers to my rocker switch?

[@larrydennbarredo3881]

Hi. How about lighting those led at once when you put ON on any sides? not separate light? Just like the upper ON has high light and the lower ON is low light. I need on my project 😢 Thanks

[@edgeivy5023]

Can I use this to where both the lights come on at the same time?

[@rommelnimo27]

Easy to understand. Hope you can upload informative content. More power!

[@borisblazevic7486]

Hallo Gadget..... Is it possible to make it 3 way switch on/of/on to make it in to a on/on/on....? I use it on guitar mini toggle switch

[@SuperBullyone]

excellent, thank you. I am wiring a NASA - made in UK, light on my sailboat mast. It is tri-color or anchor light. It requires one of these switches just as you have wired it.

[@fritz_m]

Is it possible to have the two lights light up while the position of the switch is in the middle?

[@bigshotproductions989]

I'm trying to wire a 3-way switch to control a hi/lo beam headlight on my bike. The headlight has 3 wires. One is supposed to go to battery negative (according to manufacturer), the other 2 control the high and or low beams in the light. I'm trying to figure out which steps in your video I should leave out for my situation. Please help!!!!!

[@PDsChannel0112]

Me and my friend are trying to make a small battery powered car for our school science exhibition, and we wanted to make the car go both forward and backward, we thought of using 3 way switches like the one showed in the video but i am just not able to figure out the connections. this video really helped in understanding how these switches work but i need to connect just one of these with 4 DC motors and make them go both forward and backward so can anyone please help me

[@mr.c8033]

Dear Lord, I feel like an idiot having to come here to learn this. Thank you!

[@youcantseeme2089]

How do you do this with a window motor with that same switch

[@Kostanj42]

can i get a switch that can to the same thing but with 3 LED strips?

[@studiocabsay]

some time the toggle switch has 6 pins or connection at the back, how to wire that,,? pls help

[@ipanders9180]

preciate it. the package wasn’t very clear, and i sort of expected the switch to have a tiny diagram on the side similar to how a relay would.

[@kpec3]

Thank you for this explanation!

[@BobbyJune]

Oh I could use ground everywhere is the device that is the decision-maker when she gets turn on and off that’s really cool I never heard it said that way before thank you so much

[@danishsmartpk]

Very easy demonstration. Thank you and Thumbs up :)

[@jan3019]

can i use 3 way switch to switch between 2 batteries to power a motor?

[@rajushrivastav7611]

If we have to connect ECU ENGINE CONTROL UNIT WITH 12V BATTERY WITH LED light in 3 way postion toggle switch how we connect these 2 thing with same voltage

[@lukzcankill]

May LED bar Was have 3 wires the Ground and the 2 others was to the park light and goes the other wire into the led lights

[@muso31]

Why did you switch on the negative rather than positive? Is this to reduce the chance of a spark?

[@Gabo99]

Thank you for the info, exactly what Im looking for

[@yeshwanthkumarj]

Tats so nice... Simple and quick

[@dakotak8437]

Can you do this with a small 2 post winch

[@AreThereGhostsOnMars]

What kind of switch is that? Also, would it work for nine volt batteries for a project?

[@4727thomas]

Hi, really good and clear video! It might be a stupid question but if the switch is rated for 125V 10A, how to estimate the max current for a voltage of 36V? Is it 10A or is it more? Thanks in advance ;)

[@JukeboxJake]

quick and to the point, loved it

[@merrickjulius6053]

pro trick: you can watch series at Flixzone. Been using them for watching a lot of movies lately.

[@princetondonald3051]

@Merrick Julius yup, have been using flixzone for years myself =)

[@rockyhandsomehandsome153]

That was simply amazing. Thanks

[@suryanshsrivastava-wx6eb]

From where to buy this, pls tell

[@josephusormocanus6252]

Thanks for the educational info Sir! Now I know

[@hiphop-nation]

Thank you very much well explained!

[@izehacker6038]

can you make a vid on 2 pin switch?

[@agastyap4689]

How to connect motor that can be revers

[@vincentia1]

Excellent vid,thank you for posting on the Tube 👍

[@GadgetAddict]

I hope it helps 👍

[@vincentia1]

@@GadgetAddict well I never understood what ground was or how to wire a switch ,after the vid I wired a switch to an LED for camping so thank you 👍

[@VR46314]

Could you use a usb as power source

[@BloodSweatnBass]

Great!! What type of switch would I need if I also wanted both Led strips on at the same time

[@jkg6211]

DPDT

[@justinbirchett1580]

Brilliant demonstration of an on-off-on switch, and without a doubt the finest one I've seen on KZbin. After generously contributing to your video's view count, I successfully cloned/tested your circuit, but with the polarities essentially reversed. Is there anything wrong with connecting the battery + to the switch's center (off) pin and the two outside (on) pins wired to supply + to the LEDs (each grounded back to the battery -)?

[@bencebalint1956]

You'd think someone would be able to answer this in 5 years :D

[@muzikaz2105]

negative trigger connection will explain everything and its safer for car headlights

[@christiancowboy352]

Could also use this same 3 way switch for one 12 volt outlet, and then 2 separate power sources like van battery for one, and solar battery for the other source. That away you can the van powering the outlet when driving, and the solar battery powering the outlet when not driving? Is that correct?

[@jm-btt]

Yes.

[@IbraheemMohsin-td9ky]

awesome video

[@isaacjeanteube]

perfect. continue like this.. to the point

[@ALPHARICCO875]

Super vidéo Thanks 👍

[@sevanson1]

Nice video of a spdt switch application. THIS IS NOT a three way switch connection. It is a single switch with two outputs.

[@syedhasnainshah____7743]

Men I really like your video that's informative

[@lomi4267]

Say I got a on-off-on toggle switch I wanna connect to a forward and back motor any ideas

[@GadgetAddict]

You can search youtube for a video from Endlessparts, titled: How to reverse a DC Motor with a toggle switch He demonstrates how to do that, for a DC motor.

[@bc2475]

Great video. One question why do you run the ground to the switch and not the positive to the switch? I’m from America and I’m guessing you’re from England. Is that how they do it there?

[@haydonsheard2168]

There is no ground

[@district99]

Thank you.. subscribed

[@shazwanboblaidey]

why dont you connect the middle pin with 12v (+) ? and ground the led strip instead ? just curios.

[@patalinghugjosephmarkkent6082]

Havent tried, but I guess the off option is when you point it down. So instead of ON-OFF-ON, its OFF-ON-OFF.

[@channel6133]

Can you ground it to other metal or does it have to go back to the negative on the battery?

[@haydonsheard2168]

It's DC current so there is no ground it's negative

[@tospicy4ya]

So u can’t have both led strips working from one switch

[@guilherme5035]

Nice video thanks

[@bobbylarson2298]

Have set of foglamps disconnected but cant remember how they plug in have red and whit and blue wire where do they go to make them work is Bella confusing me!!!

[@GadgetAddict]

It sounds like your fog lights are designed to use a relay. You'd need to check the wiring for your exact model but you could try red to positive battery, white to negative battery and then blue to relay. For testing without a relay, briefly touch the blue wire to positive after red and white are already wired. Male sure to check the wiring manual before making any permanent connections.

[@TheBeaverduck]

Thanks for uploading this video! I have been looking to use something like this in an art project. I am a total circuitry newb and I have been scouring the internet looking for a way to have two lights controlled by one switch with an off position. Is there a safe way to have this work in a permanent way plugged into wall? Also where did you get your switch? I can only find double pole.

[@GadgetAddict]

You can buy AC rated switches which look and operate pretty much identically to this 12V version. I got this one from a hardware shop, they're pretty common. If you just want two bulbs to turn on and off at the same time, any regular switch can do that. But I'm assuming you want the option of both bulbs off or to then have either one switched on, is that right? There are also 3 pole AC switches designed for a regular wall plate installation but they're not very common so you'd have to order it online. If you don't have much electrical experience, you need to be careful because AC shocks can be deadly.

[@misukkk]

Verryy good thankyou!

[@kawininji8874]

I have 2 led strips on my motorcycle and trying to switch to this type of 3 way toggle switch. I have 2 positives and 2 negatives, 1 for each led strip. I have a separate positive/negative wire, positive into my ignition fuse and negative to the frame. I put all the ground wires together on one side positive on the other and the positive fuse wire in the center. when toggled on 1 way it's fine but the other on position it burns the wire. what can I do? I'm so lost with the 3 way toggle I couldn't find a 2 way.

[@GadgetAddict]

Don't connect ground and live to the same switch. Connect the positive of your LED strips directly to the ignition fuse. Connect the negative of one LED strip to one side of the switch and the negative of the other LED strip to the other side of the switch.

[@kawininji8874]

Gadget Addict Thank you so much! if I do that I'll only have 1 led strip going though at a time right? what if I want both on at the same time with 1 switch?

[@GadgetAddict]

Correct, only one LED strip would turn on. If you want both to turn on, just connect vehicle ground into the middle of the switch and both negative of the LED strips to one side of the switch. You don't need a 3-way switch for that.

[@kawininji8874]

Gadget Addict I would've used a 2 way if I could've but there wasn't any in stock unfortunately. Can I still do that with the 3 way or should I just get a 2 way?

[@GadgetAddict]

You can do it with the 3-way. Just connect ground from your vehicle into the center switch and then both LED negatives to one side of the switch and ignore the other side of the switch.

[@violetspider_]

can this be used as OFF- LOW- HIGH beam ?

[@jake19077]

Yes.

[@ehsanmorav]

Excellent

[@bobbylarson2298]

Hello cant drive ntill I fix this

[@sbaization]

Thank you :)

[@ritikpanjwani5668]

Please show with motors

[@Fox_Mulder350]

I really need a spdt on-on switch that can handle 12vdc @ 30 amps or greater (Automotive use)

[@GadgetAddict]

Maybe use a switch to control relays?

[@theguillotinemafia]

Awesome!

[@bigmarkdarula]

thank you sir

[@905Speed]

This is also a great way to wire up a car window if your switch is broken and dont feel like paying $100+ for a new one

[@ronba8616]

Thanks

[@premmohan906]

Nice

[@proudtobepaganandheathen.8466]

thanks

[@nuagemanfr]

Thanks (and god bless the queen)

[@gowrinathann2541]

Bro super am indan

[@JCDogboard]

but why is the direction reversed lmao

[@handyscapersllc]

In the beginning of the video you call the middle prong the "power input" which would be a positive like the + side of a battery but then later in the video your calling the same middle prong "ground" which would be negative. This is confusing.

[@GadgetAddict]

It could be ground or positive, depending on your preference and project. If you put positive in the middle, you will have positive on whatever side the switch is set to. If you put ground or negative in the middle, you will have ground or negative on whichever side the switch is set to. If you put positive through the switch, your ground will go direct, bypassing the switch. If you put ground on the switch, your positive will go direct, bypassing the switch. This switch is only controling one side, either positive or negative.

[@Erikgmz]

That’s not a way switch. That’s (3) position switch.

[@randomdoy]

that switch has no helmet.

[@user-qk9rq9qp9m]

Thanks