WhitePlainsNY Posted September 4, 2013 Posted September 4, 2013 In the past I've unpacked multiple lights strings (if I could remember which tubs they were in) and grabbed anything else that had a bulb around the house when it came time to test a controller. Sometimes I need to test a newly assembled controller or I need to test whether all the triacs are working correctly on an older unit. There was just too much of a mess involved! I cut up a old C7 string and added vampire plugs and attached them in a row on a board. Add some number labels and it's finished. I spent the evening assembling a new controller and tested it without any hassles. I hope this can solve some testing and diagnostic issues for you. http://youtu.be/xIsSHGpUJKs 1
Ken Benedict Posted September 4, 2013 Posted September 4, 2013 I have a bag of these sockets: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-White-Outlet-to-Socket-Light-Plug-R52-00061-00W/100170446#.UibHl_Pn_L8 and have these low wattage lights screwed into them: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-7-5-Watt-White-Night-Light-Replacement-Light-Bulb-415455/202790452#.UibIK_Pn_L8 I bought them in quantity from eBay and got them complete for about $1.50 each. Very handy.
zeighty Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 WhitePlainsNY -You deserved more feedback for this idea than you received in my opinion. I will be building one today! I have a handful of triacs to replace and was dreading the testing. Now it will be no big deal.Perhaps most LOR'ers are smarter than me and have something just like this. I'm surprised that LOR doesn't have a version for sale. Thanks again!
jstorms Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 They are fun for other things other than testing too.
Mega Arch Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 Cool idea. I do something similar. Just remember; vampire plugs are great for extension cords. If using them on lights strands, keep extra controller fuses handy. Or buy some fused male vampires. I use these:http://www.actionlighting.com/spt-1-spt-2-fused-male-vampire-zip-cord-plugs-green-pack-12-plugs-100sptplugf/
Tony Shepherd Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 I recently ran some tests on my controllers with a couple of sets of lights I had laying around. However I found that I had a couple of channels which worked fine with incandescent lights but stuck on with LED's. I changed the triacs and all was ok. However if I had tested with a incandescent bulb I might not have noticed. Anyone else come across this?
PhilMassey Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 My test rig.......https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7wm6xirxf77s1s/2015-09-27%2022.57.29.mp4?dl=0
zeighty Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 I recently ran some tests on my controllers with a couple of sets of lights I had laying around. However I found that I had a couple of channels which worked fine with incandescent lights but stuck on with LED's. I changed the triacs and all was ok. However if I had tested with a incandescent bulb I might not have noticed. Anyone else come across this?Okay this is new to me. Hopefully someone that knows triacs better than I do can tell us how this is happening. I assume it has to do with the load, but that does not make sense to me. 1
Mega Arch Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 My test rig....... https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7wm6xirxf77s1s/2015-09-27%2022.57.29.mp4?dl=0 Holy cow batman. Test my booty. Party's at Phil's house!
zeighty Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 I heard direct from LOR support that they use 40w incans. 16 Per workstation. Sounds like a trip to Home Depot is in order.
MCas4380 Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 My test rig.......https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7wm6xirxf77s1s/2015-09-27%2022.57.29.mp4?dl=0the wife would kill me.....lol with that said i want one.
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