{"id":15817,"date":"2026-10-07T13:46:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/kettenantrieb-anschliessen\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T13:46:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:46:47","slug":"connecting-chain-actuator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/kettenantrieb-anschliessen\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting a chain actuator: wiring 24 V and 230 V correctly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An electric chain actuator is quickly installed \u2013 what matters for reliable operation is the correct connection. This guide shows the difference between 24 V and 230 V actuators, how to choose cable cross-section and control unit, and which wiring mistakes are common.<\/p>\n<h2>24 V or 230 V: two connection principles<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th>24 V drive<\/th>\n<th>230 V drive<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Supply<\/td>\n<td>via power supply or control unit (24 V DC)<\/td>\n<td>directly from the building installation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Change of direction<\/td>\n<td>by reversing the polarity of the two wires<\/td>\n<td>separate wires for OPEN and CLOSE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>operation<\/td>\n<td>control unit with switch, radio or sensors<\/td>\n<td>Ventilation switch OPEN\/CLOSE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Several windows<\/td>\n<td>together via one control unit<\/td>\n<td>individually or via group control<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>RWA<\/td>\n<td>standard for SHEV control panels<\/td>\n<td>not for SHEV control panels<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>When which voltage makes sense is explained in the guide <a href=\"\/en\/window-actuator-24v-or-230v\/\">Window actuator 24 V or 230 V<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Connecting a 24 V chain actuator<\/h2>\n<p>A 24 V actuator has two wires. The direction of travel is changed by reversing the polarity: with plus on one wire the actuator opens; if the polarity is swapped, it closes. The end-of-travel cut-off is inside the actuator.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Disconnect the power supply.<\/li>\n<li>Route the actuator cable to the control unit or junction box.<\/li>\n<li>Connect the wires to the motor output of the control unit according to the instructions.<\/li>\n<li>Test run: if the actuator closes on OPEN, swap the two wires.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The control <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ls7\/\">VS-C24-7A<\/a> converts 230 V to 24 V and supplies up to seven VS-KA 250\/400 actuators in parallel. It also supports switches, radio remote control and a <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ws\/\">wind-rain-light sensor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Connecting a 230 V chain actuator<\/h2>\n<p>230 V actuators are connected via a ventilation switch with separate contacts for OPEN and CLOSE, for example the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-lt-230\/\">VS-LT 230 ventilation switch<\/a>. The wires for OPEN, CLOSE and neutral are connected according to the actuator instructions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Work on 230 V may only be carried out by qualified electricians.<\/li>\n<li>Never activate OPEN and CLOSE at the same time.<\/li>\n<li>Observe the rated current of the switch when several actuators run on one switch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Choosing the right cable cross-section<\/h2>\n<p>In 24 V systems, voltage drop along the cable is the most common mistake: if too little voltage reaches the actuator, it runs slowly or stops. For copper cables, the cross-section can be roughly calculated as follows:<\/p>\n<p><strong>A = 2 \u00d7 L \u00d7 I \u00f7 (56 \u00d7 \u0394U)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A is the cross-section in mm\u00b2, L the single cable length in m, I the total current in A and \u0394U the permissible voltage drop in V.<\/p>\n<p>Example: three actuators at 0.8 A each (2.4 A total), 20 m cable, 1.2 V permissible voltage drop: A = 2 \u00d7 20 \u00d7 2.4 \u00f7 (56 \u00d7 1.2) \u2248 1.4 mm\u00b2. Choose the next larger cross-section, i.e. 1.5 mm\u00b2.<\/p>\n<h2>Common wiring mistakes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Actuator moves in the wrong direction:<\/strong> wires swapped \u2013 reverse polarity for 24 V, swap OPEN and CLOSE for 230 V.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Actuator runs slowly or stops:<\/strong> cross-section too small or power supply too weak.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Several actuators run unevenly:<\/strong> for sashes with two actuators, use a synchronous control unit or actuators with synchronisation function such as the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ka-i\/\">VS-KA-i<\/a> .<\/li>\n<li><strong>Window does not close when it rains:<\/strong> sensor not connected or set incorrectly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Can I connect a 24 V actuator directly to 230 V?<\/h3>\n<p>No. A 24 V actuator always needs a power supply or control unit supplying 24 V DC. Connecting it directly to 230 V destroys the actuator.<\/p>\n<h3>How many actuators can be connected to one control unit?<\/h3>\n<p>That depends on the output current of the control unit. Up to seven VS-KA 250\/400 actuators can be connected in parallel to the VS-C24-7A.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I need an electrician for the connection?<\/h3>\n<p>For work on the 230 V installation, yes. 24 V systems should also be installed by qualified personnel.<\/p>\n<h2>Support with the connection<\/h2>\n<p>Not sure which control unit and cross-section are right? Send us the number of windows and cable lengths \u2013 we will help with the design. <a href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">To the contact form<\/a> or call +49 40 50694631.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ein elektrischer Kettenantrieb ist schnell montiert \u2013 entscheidend f\u00fcr einen zuverl\u00e4ssigen Betrieb ist der richtige Anschluss. Dieser Ratgeber zeigt den Unterschied zwischen 24-V- und 230-V-Antrieben, wie Sie Leitungsquerschnitt und Steuerung ausw\u00e4hlen und welche Fehler beim Anschluss h\u00e4ufig passieren. 24 V oder 230 V: zwei Anschlussprinzipien 24-V-Antrieb 230-V-Antrieb Versorgung \u00fcber Netzteil oder Steuerung (24 V DC) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":15745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1959],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antriebstechnik"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15817"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}