Overview

Customers who want to automate their curtains and blinds will need to install motors to move them. Some of these can be attached to the pull-cord on normal 'cord operated' curtain or blind - some will need custom curtain rails with special motors and/or blind motors fitted within the tube of the shaft the blinds wrap around.


Hardware and installation

Electric curtains and blinds are controlled using 2 different methods. The ‘type 1’  motor needs a permanent supply and another cable/cores for the ‘open’ and close’ switching function. The  ‘type 2’ motor requires the supply to be switched directly. To cover for these options we run a 6 core, 0.75mm2, 230Vac rated cable e.g. TLC Ltd - CA 0.75F7. For ‘type 1’ motors we have 3 cores for the supply and 3 cores for the control, for ‘type 2’ motors we use 2 cores (dc supply) or 4 cores (ac supply).

For curtains and blinds which are to be sited inside the room as opposed to in the window reveal, the cables should be run to the wall to the curtain/blind motor side of the window, just below the window head level. This way the connections will be hidden behind the curtain/blind. Use a backbox so that a blanking plate can be fitted if the customer later decides not to use electric curtains/blinds. If the curtain/blind is to be in the window reveal then the cables should be run to the top corner as close to the window frame as possible so that the curtain/blind can be placed on the room side to hide the cables as much as possible.