Lawnboy757 Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Trying to see what most are doing with connecting there display to the controllers. Are you running extension cords or are you just splicing with spt1 and making your own extension cord that way. Thanks for any tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I just run extension cords. Sometimes I try to have my controllers as close to the display items it controls as possible so they can be directly connected to the controller dangle of the channel that will control it. Most often this isn't always possible, so extension cords are ran, I use both commercial and make my own cords, depending on length I may need to get to something in the display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 SPT and vampire plugs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 SPT and vampire plugs. +1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince4xmas Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 SPT and vampire plugs for props and lights. Extension cords for power to LOR controllers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnboy757 Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 Thanks everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Blue Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 A lot of people use SPT1 and vampire plugs, but with the layout of my tree, the 6' WalMart extension cords work perfect for my use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Spain Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Hi everyone,I just have been browsing the forum today. I thought I would add that I use both store bought cords anf , this year I started using SPT-1 cord and zip connectors. The zip connectors are great for times when you need to gang lights together on one channel. Store bought cords means you need to use extra cords that end up being too long in a very small area. Especially my 2600 light 20 ft flag pole tree. I just add extra female inline connectors in the middle of the cord and one male and female end plug. All within spec of course! Very convenient, and saves on cord length. We will see how the SPT-1 cord system holds up in the very cold Chicago area climate. If all is well after this season I will transition all cords to zip cord. Hope you folks stay twister free! Happy Holidays folksMarty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightingnewb Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 SPT-2 is the way we go. We bought 250 feet of it last year and used more than all of it (we had used extra extension cords laying around at home...) so we bought an additional 1000 ft for brand new plugs we'll be making for this year. (We made the jump from LED rope light all the way to RGBs! This meant the addition of 20-some odd channels that need to have new custom plug lengths.) SPT-2 AND vampire plugs make everything so much easier. Do be mindful that the SPT-2 is safer than SPT-1, but is not technically grounded. I would ground it with a 2-prong to 3-prong converter before I plug it into my controllers to be on the safe side. I don't, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmacw Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Started out with crap load of extension cords but for last couple of years when new are needed I've used SPT & vampire plugs. Cheaper, cut to length & blend in to the ground! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary N Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Spt1 and Vampire plugs for all the LEDs and lite loads. Heavy landscape cords to the controlers, and grounded items. I did fudge up about two weeks ago,I was at walmart and they had 40ft landscape cords for $5.00, I got 10 of them, I should have bought them out. Stopped at another walmart on the way back to town and they did not have that deal or 40ft cords. Always thinking of the next years display. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Do be mindful that the SPT-2 is safer than SPT-1, but is not technically grounded. I would ground it with a 2-prong to 3-prong converter before I plug it into my controllers to be on the safe side. I don't, though. I think you're kidding about that, but just in case you may not be. Never heard of one, do they make such a thing, 2 prong to 3 prong adapter? How can you take a 2 wire NON-Grounded item and make it grounded just by using an adapter? I really don't think that's even possible. The other way around yes, a 3 prong grounded adapter to a 2 prong outlet, however, there is a REASON that adapter has a "ground tab" on it, you're supposed to connect that to the outlet screw that holds the plastic plate over it, this way the item IS STILL Grounded, as that screw goes into the grounding area of the outlet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LORisAwesome Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 If you have ever looked inside your breaker box, you will notice that the ground wires and the neutral wires go to the same place. That being said. I'm not sure that there is such an animal as a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter. I there is such an animal, sounds like it would cause GFI trips. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) If you have ever looked inside your breaker box, you will notice that the ground wires and the neutral wires go to the same place. That being said. I'm not sure that there is such an animal as a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter. I there is such an animal, sounds like it would cause GFI trips. JerryInteresting you say that Jerry, I've been inside my breaker box to add two new circuit breakers and mine has a long metal strip with screws for each, 1 has only the white neutral wires, one has the black hot wires and finally a third one has all the green ground wires on it. Maybe manufactured homes {glorified name for a mobile home} has a different wiring setup for some reason in the breaker box? idk Edited November 30, 2015 by Orville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Depends on the length for me, over 25' zip cord and vampire plugs will come out a little cheaper. Anything 12' and under its cheaper to just buy two wire indoor extension cords for a $1.xx each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LORisAwesome Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Interesting you say that Jerry, I've been inside my breaker box to add two new circuit breakers and mine has a long metal strip with screws for each, 1 has only the white neutral wires, one has the black hot wires and finally a third one has all the green ground wires on it. Maybe manufactured homes {glorified name for a mobile home} has a different wiring setup for some reason in the breaker box? idk Those metal strips are probably attached directly to the breaker box. So in reality, the green and white wires are still going to the same place - ground. The breaker box should be connected to ground. The hot wires (black) are usually connected to the breaker which is connected to one leg or the other on the bus bar. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Levelius Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Interesting you say that Jerry, I've been inside my breaker box to add two new circuit breakers and mine has a long metal strip with screws for each, 1 has only the white neutral wires, one has the black hot wires and finally a third one has all the green ground wires on it. Maybe manufactured homes {glorified name for a mobile home} has a different wiring setup for some reason in the breaker box? idkDepends on code in your area and when the house was built. Where I live, 4 wire (ie separate grounding) is required by code. Idea is to eliminate any chance of current flowing (therefore voltage present) on the ground wires, which can happen if two items on separate legs of the 220 input are drawing different amounts of current and the neutral is also the grounding wire. Our home, which was built in 1965 and the service replaced in 2000, is wired with ground and neutral coming to a single strip, but sometime after that, the code changed and the underground power run to a storage building had to be 4 wire per the current code. In the new installation, the ground bus bar connects to the box while the neutral bus bar is isolated from it by an insulator. Edited November 30, 2015 by Gary Levelius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebuechner Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Back to the original post. I cut the plugs off the ends of my lights and extend with spt1 wire to the controller. With everything soldered and shrink wrapped there is a lot less areas for failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightingnewb Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Interesting you say that Jerry, I've been inside my breaker box to add two new circuit breakers and mine has a long metal strip with screws for each, 1 has only the white neutral wires, one has the black hot wires and finally a third one has all the green ground wires on it. Maybe manufactured homes {glorified name for a mobile home} has a different wiring setup for some reason in the breaker box? idk I could be wrong -- I know there's such a thing as going 3-prong to 2-prong... I have a small little plug on my shelf in the garage. I just don't know if there's one for the other direction. I do want to clarify though that SPT-2 IS NOT grounded (the THIRD prong is the grounding prong), at least from what I use. Thanks for continuing the convo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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