Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I've managed to lay hands on 10 100' 16/3 cords for about $11 / each. If I understand correctly one cord is capable of 10 amps. Is there any reason I shouldn't run 2 cords in parallel so I can have 15 amps per 8 channels on my controller? With this year's layout I can probably run one of these cords to each 8 channels...but I'm curious to get input for future expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I would never do that. I assume you will have plugs on both cords, so what will happen if one cord gets accidentally unplugged? You now have a hot plug with voltage back fed from the other one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I'm not 100% sure how I'd do this yet...Perhaps I'd cut the end off & put both cords into 1 male plug. I understand what you are saying - that would be extreemly dangerous! This is why I wanted to ask questions before I went any further with this idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 If you could make sure the wires were permanently connected together and attached to one plug, the safety issue would be addressed. In theory the 16 gage is rated 10 amps, so two in parallel should allow 20 if the current splits equally. But if for some reason one of the wires does not carry it's fair share, you will overload the remaining conductor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I would probably solder the plug. I think as long as I get the solder job done right the wires will stay put.Eh, who knows. Maybe as I expand I'll just get more LOR channels & balance the load out more. Then I won't have to worry about heavy duty power cords. :waycool:Man this stuff is addictive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I would caution anyone against taking 'alternative' approaches to power management. It's simply to dangerous.Sure, we all want to save money so we can buy more lights and controllers, but safety has to come first.It sounds as if you are planning to spread out your loads, which is what I would suggest. It takes a lot of lights to go over 10amps per 1/2 controller. If you look at my display, I was able to do just that. (80 Channels in 2005.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I would highly recommend downloading this Excel Spreadsheet that Zac put togetherhttp://www.lights-by-zac.com/Misc/LORcurrenttable.xlsIt is a great tool and I have been using it to figure out what lights to put on what controllers so I never run more amps than any cords or controllers can handle. With it I have figured out to run 120 amps with 4 (8 power inputs) controllers using 64 channels. Some of my controllers I am going to have to run 10 gauge wire to and replace the 15amp fuse with a 20amp fuse and have it on a dedicated circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I know - I wasn't wanting to spend $50-$100 for a 15 amp 100' cord. At $10 for 10amps / 100' I was trying to think of ways to use these cords instead. I think load balancing(and more LOR:P) sounds like the way to go!! Realistically I'll probably rarely exceed 10 amps per 8 channels...I just need to evaluate and distribute my power better. For this year's display I was mainly concerned about my 10' mega tree from Darryl(great guy to work with BTW) - At 4 strands per 8 channels(32 strands of 100 lights), I'll be running about 10.5 amps. My head was stuck on putting all 8 channels on the same controller(ie: channels 1-8). Well, if I just move them to say channels 5-12 I will evenly distribute the load between two extension cords. Much cleaner & safer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Keep an eye at your local Harbor Freight or online.About 2 weeks ago they stopped having a sale on their 12/3 100' Greent Extension cordshttp://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45288They were only $30 each and I was able to order 4 of them. The day after I ordered them, they went back up to $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Well all the 16/3 cords I have say 15amps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Robin wrote: Well all the 16/3 cords I have say 15amps14/3, 12/3, and 10/3 will all say 15amps if it has a normal plug (I think a 100' 16/3 will be rated at 10amps). Even though the 10/3 could handle 20amps, it can only be rated at 20amp if the plug is a 20amp style like this- |Instead of like this| | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Can someone tell me the general rule/guildeline relative to extension cords. It sounds like 16/3 gauge cords can only handle 10amps. Is that correct? What is the rule for 12/3 gauge? This may be a good Wiki topic to post.I have a 30amp controller and I'm using nearly all 30 amps across 16 channels and was just going to use 2 of the 16/3 extension cord to run from my LOR box to outlet.Is there somewhere to get good deals on extension cords? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Also remember that the 20 amp rateing of #12 wire can only accomodate 20 amps for about 50 feet before you get unacceptable voltage drop. This may not effect the LOR ..I dont know but it will effect the brightness of your bulbs. This is not a safety concern but you need to know if whatever you are running is voltage sensitive. Like anything with a motor (fridge or compressor) would be damaged from attempting to run on too low of a voltage.I can dig up a list of ohms/foot of sizes of wire if someone needs it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Brian - I agree, this does sound like a good WIKI topic. Or maybe it could be added to the "How Do I -> Power Needs" section of PlanetChristmas.com? There is already a table there that outlines the power requirements for various strings of christmas lights. Perhaps extension cord info could be posted there too?Neworder - Thanks for pointing out Zach's spreadsheet. I hadn't looked at it before. It looks like a good addition to the one I am making. I wrote one so I could punch in some numbers & it will tell me how much power a particular part of my display is going to take. Adding Zach's idea takes it to the next step - mapping each part of my display to a controller so I can see how my load will be balanced. I hadn't quite thought that far ahead yet, but now is the time to be doing it!:tree:Have I mentioned this is addicting? I haven't even got my first 32 DIY channels and I've already ordered 16 more DIY for this year...I decided I needed more after trying to sequence with only 32 channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 mcnamara9 wrote: This may be a good Wiki topic to post.Please, once you gather the information, don't be shy about adding it to the Wiki.Folks, I try to add what I can, but I can't get it all! Everyones help is encouraged and appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 vanlohd wrote: Brian - I agree, this does sound like a good WIKI topic. [glow=red]Or maybe it could be added to the "How Do I -> Power Needs section of PlanetChristmas.com?[/glow] There is already a table there that outlines the power requirements for various strings of christmas lights. Perhaps extension cord info could be posted there too?Well, I feel silly now...http://www.planetchristmas.com/WireSize.htmI guess wire gauge sizes are already on PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Those tables are a great reference. I think I remember about 3% voltage drop being considered acceptable before going up a wire size (which would equal about 3 or 4 volts out of 120). I think line voltage can vary this much anyway just day to day.The table shown seems very conservative to me (1/2 volt drop before you have to go up a wire size). That is only about 0.4% of 120V.Dan, how low can the LOR go before it stops working? I think the lights and the triacs wont care if the voltage is a little low (brightness aside).Unless I get other information I'll stick with the rule of thumb I have been told which is 50ft at rated max current before you go up a size. (ie 12-3 wire good for 20 amps but not over 50ft). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 In trying to awnser my own question about different length and gauge extension cords, I found what I needed on Lowes.com. The link below will take you to a little table I made in excel regarding extension cord gauge, length, color, brand, amp load, and even price. All of the information comes from lowes.com (Note: I'm not trying to endorse Lowes [even though I like the store], it was just the easiest place to find everything quickly).I hope this helps: http://members.cox.net/mcnamara23/power.xls (Note, I even have Chuck's power grid straight from PC regarding what type of lights are how many watts/amps--you can copy that worksheet into your files as well if you'd like.)If this is helpful, I'll see how to post it to the LOR Wiki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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