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Toggle switch for recliner?

1147 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  jcYow
So i have this couch with electric loungers...only problem is that the buttons were sewn into the leather and then popped off and stopped functioning...with the foot part partially up. So I got the wires out and it looks just like 2 wires..that's it. No way are they going back into the cushions so I just want to hook them to something so they will work again...thinking toggle? But which kind and how to so the up and down functions actually work. Any thoughts?
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How did it work originally? My guess is it changes direction every time you turn it on and off, if that's the case you can use almost any type of switch. Just look for one net looks nice and fits. If it was a switch that push one wafer up at the other wafer down may be the frame of the chair acted as a wire in some way?
they were originally just two plastic buttons that appeared pressed or punctured through the leather fabric, independent of each other. No plastic beezle. Nothing that could be repaired with just new parts...which there aren't any. Maybe the word "touchpad" rather than button would be a better discription. Either way just two wires coming out. Amazon switches all have 3 poles...but again, I don't know if I'm searching for the correct part. Thanks again for the input.
I guess the question is, how did the operation go? Two buttons, one for up, the other for down? What happened if you released the "up" button before the apex?
Do you know the brand name etc..?

Have you contacted the manufacturer to see if you can get replacement parts.?
I've seen those, but they never interested me so have given them much thought. Assuming the switches are up and down for the foot rest or tilt or whatever, it seems likely that the ones you have seen on Amazon server the same purpose, except that where yours has two commons going to two separate switches the one you saw there shares the common. The first thing I would wonder is whether the switch you have is actually bad or if maybe you have a wire pulled loose someplace, so would check the switch with an ohmmeter. If it turns out good, my next thought would be that there was quite possibly a plastic retainer on the back off it, so would look at the back of the switch to see if there is a groove where one would have been. If so, I would start googling switch retainer, things like that, and see if one is to be had someplace. It used to be that Radio Shack and hundreds of independent electronics stores across the country would at least know what you were looking for and very possibly be able to order the right one, but of course those days are long gone. Next, if you do end up needing to order a replacement switch, what voltage and amp rating do you need? The original switch might be marked, or maybe not, so you may need to look around the chair for a transformer, or carefully, very carefully, don't grab the bare wires, check the voltage to the switch. Best way to do this would probably be with the wires connected to the switch so that you have something more stable to hold the meter to. While doing this you could also determine for sure that the two switches share a common lead.
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Two buttons, one for up, one for down? Sounds like the switch may reverse polarity, like a car's power window switch. Got a voltmeter? Check to see if you have AC or DC at the switch.
The buttons will never go back into their original place. Never. Nor will the wires. The wires are completely torn out of the cushion they were in after the actual plastic buttons broke and fell off. The couch is an Elran. There will be no replacement, only a new set up for the couch to recline and then return to upright position. The company is of no value as far as troubleshooting or augmenting. I'm just wondering if a 2pole spring return will do it, and which one on amazon would work. again...only 2 wires. no ground..guessing a dc motor.
If it's a DC motor, and you use a single switch, it will go one direction only.
What happens when you touch the two wires together?
I have not crossed the wires.
Not that I've never done it unintentionally, I would not check for power by crossing wires intentionally. I would check them with a voltmeter set for 120 volts AC, and if that didn't pan out would check it for DC. Again, I'm not familiar with chairs like that, but depending on how much of it can be accessed from the bottom, without having to start pulling the stuffing out, I'd be more inclined to see if I could start reading there, and not rely solely on the wires to the switch in case they're broken.
ok..it's an ml8-033 motor. dc 28v. 2A. in duty 2min on/ 18min off (?). And again....need to find a switch that will make it work. Will probably mount it on a piece of wood or something as there is no way to put it back inside the cushions where they were originally. Thanks again for all the advice and help.
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