Miller Switch

Vic Youel

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hello everyone,

My Comet has what I think is a pattern switch which I have struggled to get wired correctly. It has three positions "DIM" "OFF" and "FULL" going clockwise. I have been unable to find a way of wiring it so that the pilot light turns off when the main beam is selected.

Currently I have found the most workable solution is to use the "DIM" position as the "OFF" position, "OFF" as the pilot bulb position and "FULL" as the main beam position. Unfortunately the pilot bulb remains turned on in the main beam position. This means with a 10w halogen pilot bulb the dynamo is struggling to balance the main beam and other lights when "FULL" is selected.

I have dismantled the switch to determine whether it is possible to alter the "wiper" positions (which seem to be illogical and impractical) but to no avail. VOCS, VINTECH and Paul Goff all stock a three position switch....... anyone know whether they will exhibit the same problem?

One possible solution is to buy an extremely expensive 4 position switch from VOCS and try it out...... VINTECH and Paul do not appear to stock this one.

Vic

PS Blacklightning998 thinks he has the same problem.
 

alscomet

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
switch

vic,
if its of any help I run a comet on 6v with a patter switch i think from the voc
it came with the box of bits.
its marked up off,ch,h,l. where off is off(who would have guessed)ch is wired
up to pilot only i run a paul goff halogen on it. h is wired to pilot and rear light which is again a paul goff "led" rear cluster then L removes the pilot bulb from the circuit and brings in Head and tail cluster.It works a treat on 6v.
ask voc if its the same switch marking as mine bag yourself a bargain. alan
 

Ian Savage

VOC Vice President
VOC Member
I always believed that the Dim –Off – High switch had a resistor on it and was used on single bulb applications, Dim was bulb and resistor in series giving a, well, dim light and High went straight to the bulb.

The Off-CH-H-L switch is a through back to non-automatic charging systems when you decided if the battery needed a top up. I think this is the correct Switch for a Vin.
PS H=head light, l=low or pilot.
 

firefly

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hello everyone,

My Comet has what I think is a pattern switch which I have struggled to get wired correctly. It has three positions "DIM" "OFF" and "FULL" going clockwise. I have been unable to find a way of wiring it so that the pilot light turns off when the main beam is selected.

Currently I have found the most workable solution is to use the "DIM" position as the "OFF" position, "OFF" as the pilot bulb position and "FULL" as the main beam position. Unfortunately the pilot bulb remains turned on in the main beam position. This means with a 10w halogen pilot bulb the dynamo is struggling to balance the main beam and other lights when "FULL" is selected.

I have dismantled the switch to determine whether it is possible to alter the "wiper" positions (which seem to be illogical and impractical) but to no avail. VOCS, VINTECH and Paul Goff all stock a three position switch....... anyone know whether they will exhibit the same problem?

One possible solution is to buy an extremely expensive 4 position switch from VOCS and try it out...... VINTECH and Paul do not appear to stock this one.

Vic

PS Blacklightning998 thinks he has the same problem.

try bob culver 01462 673705
 

VinParts

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hello everyone,

My Comet has what I think is a pattern switch which I have struggled to get wired correctly. It has three positions "DIM" "OFF" and "FULL" going clockwise. I have been unable to find a way of wiring it so that the pilot light turns off when the main beam is selected.

Currently I have found the most workable solution is to use the "DIM" position as the "OFF" position, "OFF" as the pilot bulb position and "FULL" as the main beam position. Unfortunately the pilot bulb remains turned on in the main beam position. This means with a 10w halogen pilot bulb the dynamo is struggling to balance the main beam and other lights when "FULL" is selected.

I have dismantled the switch to determine whether it is possible to alter the "wiper" positions (which seem to be illogical and impractical) but to no avail. VOCS, VINTECH and Paul Goff all stock a three position switch....... anyone know whether they will exhibit the same problem?

One possible solution is to buy an extremely expensive 4 position switch from VOCS and try it out...... VINTECH and Paul do not appear to stock this one.

Vic

PS Blacklightning998 thinks he has the same problem.

Yes I do, look on our website:rolleyes:
 

Vic Youel

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Sorry Russell my mistake. Expensive item eh......will have to consult my bank manager. Still less than the VOCS one though.

With regard to your pattern PR18GPAT, assuming this is identical to the one I have fitted, can you recommend how to wire it so that the pilot turns off when you select main beam?

Vic :eek::eek:
 
Last edited:

Len Matthews

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Those 3-position Miller switches often appear on Ebay and are either NOS or pattern ones from the mystic east. I believe these switches were fitted to various road going Greeves models which had direct lighting. There is another Miller switch that can be used on a Vincent with coil ignition- possibly from an LE Velo. This one has a detatchable key which when removed prevents anything from being switched on. The correct one for Vincents is the 4-position version. The CH position is, as Ian says, is a throwback to the pre-war 3-brush dynamo and has no function on post-war bikes. Someone once sent me a 4-position switch with a resistor still attached and asked me to remove it. I declined and sent it back with the comment that it was something of a rarity and should not be altered.
 

overthehill

Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
I've done away with the pilot light - in reality when do you use it? - in even the slightest of dull conditions I want as bright a headlamp as possible shining into the tunnel vision arc of any 4x4 driver about to pull out infront of me. :)
so I have
1) Off
2) Lights on
3) Lights on and additional rear light on - during darkness I have a row of LEDs which sit behind the toolbox (£6 from ebay) and are hardly noticable - they do provide a good additional rear light especially if you are running an original 'STOP' rear lamp.

I also have a jap (sorry) dip/main switch which doesnt have that micro-second (but feels like 'many seconds') lag between dip and main:eek:.
 
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