Donl1150 Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Trying to systematically finding the problem. I have 3 - CTB16PC 16 controllers. Trying to isolate each bank one at a time to find the culprit. Do yoy need power to bank 1 -8 in order to power bank 9 - 16? Or can 9 - 16 be powered separately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardShank Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Bank 1 has to always be powered to power the board. Check out the manual page 12: http://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/CTB16PC_Man_Web.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericm Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 First plug the controllers in one at a time, them start with each plug on that controller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donl1150 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 Thanks. I think I have it narrowed down to one bank. Further testing tomorrow will hopefully confirm my diagnosis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Bank 1 has to always be powered to power the board. Check out the manual page 12: http://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/CTB16PC_Man_Web.pdf Sorry but the right bank 9-16 powers the board. See page 8 in the newer manual http://www1.lightorama.com/Documents/CTB16PCg3_UserMan_Web.pdf There are two white fuses located at the left and right bottom of the controller circuit board. The left fuse protects channels 1-8. The right fuse protects channel 9-16. The right fuse also supplies power to the controller electronics. The fuses are 15 amp, fast acting ceramic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donl1150 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 Sorry but the right bank 9-16 powers the board. See page 8 in the newer manual http://www1.lightorama.com/Documents/CTB16PCg3_UserMan_Web.pdf There are two white fuses located at the left and right bottom of the controller circuit board. The left fuse protects channels 1-8. The right fuse protects channel 9-16. The right fuse also supplies power to the controller electronics. The fuses are 15 amp, fast acting ceramic.Where does one find replacement fuses? Don't know if I've seen these in a store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMassey Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Fuses http://store.lightorama.com/12pafu15afaa.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donl1150 Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Thanks Phil. Should have guessed that since they make the controllers (duh). Don't need them yet. Down to 2 possible channels causing the problem..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 If you get in a pinch and need one and can't wait on shipping from LOR you can get them at Home Depot. Just look at the microwave quick blow fuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselMech Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Radioshack has them too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMassey Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 If you're fortunate enough to still have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Martin Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 These fuses are usually found in hardware stores. They are commonly used in micro wavesI have found them in Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, TSC Stores. I know some of these stores are Canadian stores but I would also think they are Menards and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donl1150 Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Thanks Phil. Should have guessed that since they make the controllers (duh). Don't need them yet. Down to 2 possible channels causing the problem..... OK, so I narrowed the cause down to controller number 1; channels 1-8. Disconnected all channels then gradually added each channel back on line and ran the show for about 15 minutes for each channel. And as you might imagine, the show did NOT trip even after all 8 were on! The only thing I can figure out is that when the the trips were occurring, it was just after a 3" wet type snowfall. All of my vampire plugs were just laying on the ground unprotected. When I finally had narrowed it down to channels 1-8, I shoveled the snow off of those 8 vamps and wiped them clean and dry. It was then I turned the show back on and gradually added each channel back. So lesson learned here is it is probably wise to somehow keep the vamps off the ground and protect them from moisture. However, as the size of your show grows, I can see this rapidly becomes impractical. Anybody have good ideas how to do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkDr Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I have successfully used split foam pipe wrap insulation over connections on the ground for 3 seasons now. Lowe's sell 6' sections of the 1" diameter for a whopping $1.26 each. It cut them into 12" or 18" sections as needed and put them over the plug joints with the split side down. Things stay clean and dry and have plenty of ventilation to always keep dry from condensation, etc. Link attached:http://www.lowes.com/pd_24434-1410-P12XB/6_0__?productId=3133247 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LORisAwesome Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) I have about 30 vampire plug connections that I need to keep off the ground. I just bought light stakes and used them. Just push it into the ground, and attach the cords to the clips on the stake. I have never had any gfci trips with this method. Jerry Edited December 7, 2015 by LORisAwesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmoon68 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Where does one find replacement fuses? Don't know if I've seen these in a store. I picked some up at Radio Shack last night as I had a blown fuse controlling banks 1-8. A pack of 4 was less than 4 dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donl1150 Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Thanks for all the tips. All channels were again working fine after I uncovered and dried them off. Unfortunately, the warm weather continues to melt the snow and now it is raining. i hadn't yet covered all the vamps so guess what - the trips begin again. Hopefully the rain stops soon then I will get out there and cover them with styrofoam pipe wrap. While it may not be a wise thing to do, I could simply remove the GFCI outlet and replace with a regular one. The equipment is still protected by the on-board fuses as well as the circuit breaker feeding them. It would only be the stray critter or people that wander out into the display that may be at risk. People.....keep out of the display area! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 While it may not be a wise thing to do, I could simply remove the GFCI outlet and replace with a regular one. The equipment is still protected by the on-board fuses as well as the circuit breaker feeding them. It would only be the stray critter or people that wander out into the display that may be at risk. People.....keep out of the display area! The GFCI does not protect the equipment. It's only purpose is to keep people from getting electrocuted. The circuit breaker also does not protect the equipment. It will trip at a current that is much greater than what can fry the LOR boards. The purpose of the circuit breaker is to keep the wire in your walls from overheating. If you were using equipment with a metal case that is grounded, like a LOR1600, the circuit breaker would also protect against a short of line voltage to the case. I bought an AC leakage detector to trouble-shoot my GFCI issues. To use it, I clamped it over the cord that supplies power to the LOR controller (it needs to be a 2-wire ungrounded power cord), then I turned the channels on one at a time using the hardware utility, and noted the leakage current displayed on the detector. I then concentrated on fixing the channels that had the most leakage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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