How To Wire For DC Motorized Shades – Southwest Blinds

How To Wire For DC Motorized Shades – Southwest Blinds

Jun 05, 2017

Understanding how to wire for DC motorized shades can be difficult to understand so we’re going to make this the quick reference go to for your average everyday motorized shade installation. Let’s make it simple and focus only on motorized window coverings that need power wired to operate the shade.

DC Motors

DC or Direct Current are motors that are powered by either batteries, D.C. power supplies, or A.C. to D.C converters. Here are the 3 types explained.

Battery Powered Motors

If you are purchasing battery powered shades you won’t need any electrical work done to your home. The batteries are typically clipped to the back or top of the shade like the picture below. The angle was shot from underneath and in between the battery pack and the shade is an LED light strip for our showroom. The battery pack is clipped to the wall. No tools are required to unclip the shade and replace the batteries. The shades are ready to go once they are installed and programmed.

Battery Pack On Roller Shade

Q Motion came up with a slick design that incorporates the battery tube into the tube of the roller shade eliminating any external battery packs. It looks like this:

Q Motion Battery Pack

Plug In Motors

If you prefer not to change batteries, one way to power DC motorized shades is with a transformer. The transformer is a little white or black box that converts your homes AC power into DC power that the shade can operate with. A transformer is common on most electronics. Think about  the big plug on your cell phone charger. In that big box is the transformer which keeps your phone from being fried by your home’s AC power. The transformer plugs into any standard outlet in your home and looks like this:

Motorized Shade With Transformer

 

Full Home DC Shade Wiring

Most homes do not have outlets by every window and most people don’t want a cord and plug running from their automatic shades, down the wall, to an outlet. The final method to motorize a DC shade  is commonly used to power multiple shades with one power source.  Using low voltage wiring, you can run wire from each shade to a central power source called an MMPS or Multi Motor Power Supply that looks like this:

Multi Motor Power Supply | Motorized Shades

Notice how the blue wires come thru the wall and into the box where they are wired to the MMPS. You can also see in the picture that the MMPS is plugged into power strip below the box. The plug is taking AC power from the home and the MMPS is converting that power to DC to power the shades. This is the preferred method when wiring multiple DC shades in a house. There are limitations with low voltage wiring to consider especially regarding the length of the electrical run so you’ll want to consult a professional before taking on a project like this. We recommend hiring a licensed window covering company with expertise in motorization. For more information or if you’d like to hire us to design, build, and install your motorized window coverings call  480-415-8542.  We offer commercial and residential window covering services in Arizona, Northern California, Utah, and the whole state of Nevada. From one motorized shade to a complicated commercial project like this one, we are the motorization experts!!

Ratings & Reviews

Trusted By Over 20,000 Homeowners Across the Southwest

We are extremely pleased with our whole experience with this company. From sales to installation, everyone we dealt with was courteous and professional. They delivered exactly as promised from the quote, to the installation and did a great job! The shutters took our house from beautiful to stunning! Highly recommend this company!
Jodi R.
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Blinds look awesome! The install was quick and lacked any drama. Just like I want. :-) We will definitely be buying from them again once we redo a couple areas in the house first.
Mike M.
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The entire experience was excellent. We had roller shades installed throughout our home. The online notification system after your order is great. We received regular email updates regarding the status of the fabrication of our order, delivery, and installation.
Kevin S.
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Southwest Blinds was wonderful to work with. The communication was excellent. All the employees from sales to the installers were professional and kind. Answered all our questions. I highly recommend them.
Kathy P.
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Southwest Blinds and Shutters provided a remarkable product for a great value! We are extremely pleased with the job done. James is a true professional who stands behind his company on all levels. We would highly recommend Southwest Blinds & Shutters and are looking forward to having the rest of our windows done with them.
Elaine M.
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Fast and professional. Super efficient and detail-oriented. Very pleased with the service they provided. Don’t hesitate to schedule them for your blind and shutter needs.
Daniel G.
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They did a great job installing my shutters. Very polite and went the extra mile to do some minor adjustments that I requested. He identified a couple of things that were incorrect on my order and made sure new items were ordered. He came back to reinstall the corrected pieces and did a great job.
Mary B.
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This is one top notch company! They provided a wonderful variety of samples when they came to my home and were able to patiently answer all my questions about their products. Very professional! I felt like they really cared about my satisfaction with my choices all the way to the final installation. The installer was on time, pleasant, very neat, and did a wonderful job. I absolutely love my new shutters and would highly recommend Southwest Blinds and Shutters to anyone in the Valley. You will not be disappointed!
Jackie O.
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The technician who measured our windows and eventually installed them did a professional job and was done very quickly. Got our rebate form promptly and would do business again if we are ever in need.
Nathan T.
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James was doing a job across the street and we asked him to come over for an estimate. We hired on the spot and were genuinely pleased with the quality and service we received. He worked fast and clean and on time. Very pleased with the outcome.
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