controller fuses part number or sizes?

[bhunt240]

just wondering if someone can tell me what size or part number of fuse to buy for each bank of channels in the controllers? im on my way to town to get them, Its raining here now so i couldn't open my controller unless i unhook all 16 channels and even then id have to open it to unhook the cat5 so any help would be much appreciated!!!!

 

thanks

Blake 

[shfr26]

15 amp ceramic fast acting

[bhunt240]

15 amp ceramic fast acting

Thanks for the reply! But my main question is I just didn't know if there wer different sizes as far as fuse diameter and or length??

[Orville]

Thanks for the reply! But my main question is I just didn't know if there wer different sizes as far as fuse diameter and or length??

Basic standard sized round, elongated 15A 125V ceramic fast-acting fuse. 

[SparkDr]

ABC 15 is the common trade nomenclature for the LOR fuses.

[atver]

Physical size is 1/4x11/4" or aka 3AG fuse.

Hope this helps.

[bhunt240]

I thought I seen on pictures of the boards where the fuse is its marked 250v 15a?

I bought the only ones I could find they are labeled

Fast-acting

Ceramic

15-amp

250-v fuse

1/4x1/4" 3AB, 314, ABC, ABE

wrong ones??

[bhunt240]

1-1/4"x1/4"

[Orville]

I thought I seen on pictures of the boards where the fuse is its marked 250v 15a?

I bought the only ones I could find they are labeled

Fast-acting

Ceramic

15-amp

250-v fuse

1/4x1/4" 3AB, 314, ABC, ABE

wrong ones??

My bad, forgot the controllers can be set for 125V or 240V, so yes, you have the correct ones.   Being in the US, I seem to forget about the 240V option being available{European countries usually}, which makes sense the fuses would be rated for 250V.

 

Again, my bad.  I *should* have remembered that.    Just too accustomed to 99% of the fuses in everything else always being 125V.

[bhunt240]

Awesome thanks I was just heading back into town to try to find more hahaha!! Thanks guys hopefully the show will go on tonight

[George Simmons]

Have you isolated the cause of the fuse burning out in the first place?  That's not a very common occurrence.

[bhunt240]

Im assuming its a water or moisture problem bc all the snow and ice started melting then I started having problems I went out and got fuses and plastic tent steaks to raise all of my light connections off the ground

[bhunt240]

And anither thing is that all my extension cords on controller 1 that im having the problems with are all store bought so no problems there and the controllers aren't open to the elements so like I said my guess is water bc I have a lot of connections rte where all the snow and ice is melting

Leads me to my next question what would cause the fuse to blow?

[bhunt240]

Well looks like george was right..... 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

[rainyoregonchristmas]

See the thread on critters in the boxes. May be something behind the board that you're not seeing.

[bhunt240]

Judging by the sound it made im guessing that something blew it made an awful loud arching noise and there was a bad burnt smell inside thw big lawn box I keep them in

[shfr26]

Well looks like george was right.....

 

 

    Man, way to go.  Make Georges head bigger than it already is.   Take the board out of the case, look for critters and the like and put in a ticket to LOR.  They do have a warranty.   Good luck.

[bhunt240]

I put a ticket into lor already but now im contemplating even buying another controller to keep the show going if I risk something like this happening to thw next one as well???

[bhunt240]

Also anyone have any other ideas of what else this could be or anything else on the light or output side I can check

[George Simmons]

Typically, but certainly not always, the fuse would blow as a result of a dead short somewhere.  Whatever the cause, the fuse blew in an attempt to head off you losing any magic smoke from the controller.  Yes, I suppose it could be a component on the board, but that's not where I'd look first.  I'd check every cord and every connection to see if there's a critter-chewed wire somewhere.  If the cords all look okay, I'd suggest testing them all just the same.  (There's another thread active right now in which people have reported their experiences with defective store-bought cords.)  But the fact that everything worked as intended previous to the fuse blowing leads me to believe something physically changed and hopefully that will be easy to spot.  If no apparent issue with wires, then I'd check each item that's plugged into that side of the board for some type of issue - again one that wasn't there before.  Getting the connections up off the ground is probably a good idea, but typically moisture would cause a GFCI trip - not a blown fuse. 

 

Good luck - there's lots of people here with advanced electrical knowledge, so hopefully one of them will chime in on all the things I missed mentioning.