HELP! controller power issues...

[bhunt240]

ok guys my show has been running flawlessly since thanksgiving but today i had the main gfci trip supplying the controllers reset it and all worked fine for a few hours and now i have half of controller1 not woking??? i reset both gfci's i have connected on their power leads and nothing i trip them both and reset them both and they seem to be in working order but still nothing out of my first 8 channels??? please help

 

other info 

controllers mounted in an outdoor lawn and garden box out of the rain

main supply is out gfci in wall

2 cords go into the storage box with gfci's on each of them, each gfci goes to a surge protector with multiple outputs for the conrollers main supplys

 

*example:

controller 1 ch 1-8 on surge protector A

controller 1 ch 9-16 on surge protector B

controller 2 ch 1-8 on surge protector A

controller 2 ch 9-16 on surge protector B

 

and i know that both surge protectors and gfci's are getting power because ch 9-16 on controller 2 are working....

 

any help??

[wbaker4]

Why don't you put controller 1 all on A and Controller 2 all on B?  

 

Also check the fuse on the controller 1 for Channels 1-8.

 

Walt

[bhunt240]

Never thought about doing that really its just the way I hooked them up and I think it maybe the fuse.. I will apologize bc I should have researched a little more before posting I thought there was only a main fuse as in of it blew none of the channels would work but it seems the channel banks are individually fused

Also the snow and ice is finally starting to melt which is causing alot of water around plugs and alot of other things so hopefully tomorrow ill do some water prevention steps like drip loops and raise the plugs with plastic stakes or wood and point all female open plugs down

Any other suggestions

[bhunt240]

only problem i have rte now is with all the melting i cant open the LOR box to check untill tomorrow due to all the dripping regaurdless ill be going to buy some replacement fuses to keep on hand

[Orville]

If it isn't the fuse, check the power cord {not the dangles you connect your lights too} connections on the spade lugs, I actually had a neutral spade lug come loose on the PCB on the same side, channels 1-8 not working. 

 

I just moved to another neutral lug and all was fine.  Resoldered that lug after the season was over, along with a few others I found were starting to loosen and have no further issues.

 

So just wanted to give you a heads up to check the power connections on the spade lugs.

 

If somehow they didn't get soldered in well when assembled, or just came loose over time will also black out the channels on a controller, as no power was getting to the channels or through the fuse on that side of the controller I had to do some reflowing of the solder on the spade lugs.   But could be the hot side too.   The ground wouldn't make a difference in whether that side of the controller was working or not.  But the white {neutral} and the black {hot} side could be the issue if the fuse checks out good..

[bhunt240]

Well I put the new fuse in and I powered the conroller on it maf an awful noise and now smells like a burnt computer.... so I guess my show is done this year already, kinda disappointed... almost enougg to make me wonder if its even worth it to do a big show

i haven't even had that controller since the end of November and something already went bad? Nothing was dead shorted i put ever connectoin up on a tent steak and blew out all the connections but yet when I told the lights to go (all on) it went bad

Any ideas on what I need to do other than buying another controller

[k6ccc]

Open a trouble ticket with LOR. You may be amazed at how quickly they can help you out.

Oh, and I'm sorry that the magic smoke leaked out. Always a bummer!