LED Lighting Help

[simonellis86]

Are the contacts for the switch actually running to the timer's board.. Or is it only the power contacts that do that and allow the switch to operate.. In other words, if I include the timer in my fans power source (12v) can I still function the lights with the switch which are powered by what's labeled as a 24v block.

As long as you put a 12v supply on the timers supply pins it will be fine, was there a little booklet that came with the timer that shows which pin is the positive supply pin?

Only the power supply pins run the board and those two pins for the switch just run through whats called a relay which is an electronically controlled switch

 

[tylerandersen]

Okay perfect.. Yes there was a small instruction sheet.. I'll have to take a look at that. As long as I can find the positive and negatives I think I know what I need to do. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[simonellis86]

Okay perfect.. Yes there was a small instruction sheet.. I'll have to take a look at that. As long as I can find the positive and negatives I think I know what I need to do. Thanks so much for your help.

No problem anytime just give me a shout, im an electrician but i know a bit about electronics as well

 

[tylerandersen]

So I have everything connected. The timer is powered on. But the switch does not seem to activate. The lights won't turn on. What's weird is when I disconnect the leads or whatever they are called on the two switch prongs and touch them together manually the lights come on. Possibly defective timer?

 

[simonellis86]

Try to get hold of a continuity tester and put it on the switch prongs and try switching that will tell you if the timer is opening and closing the switch

 

[simonellis86]

Any luck?

 

[tylerandersen]

Hey, so the timer was defective.. The replacement will be here today so I will be crossing my fingers. I will let ya know tonight what happens. I'm hoping it works because my fish are getting real confused when I forget to manually turn on/off the light

 

[simonellis86]

Ok mate good luck

 

[Reefing Madness]

Defective, go figure. Keep us posted. Thanks

 

[tylerandersen]

So I just received the new one and it does not seem to work either. I do not know what is going on. I have the 12 volt supply attached to the power prongs on the timer. When i do this, the timer powers up and seems to function normally. The wire to power the LEDs works fine when touching the two wires together but does not create a circuit when the timer is set to go on. I am not sure if i should be hearing the switch or not. Any ideas?

 

[simonellis86]

Is there a circuit diagram that came with the timer that you could take a picture of?

 

[tylerandersen]

This work?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Can you throw up a pic of the wired timer? Something tells me one wire is out of place. One wire from terminal strip should have been wired directly to the leds, the other goes to the timer, and from the timer goes the other wire to the led

 

[simonellis86]

Can you throw up a pic of the wired timer? Something tells me one wire is out of place. One wire from terminal strip should have been wired directly to the leds, the other goes to the timer, and from the timer goes the other wire to the led

All i have told him to do is remove the two wires from the existing switch and run that through the switch pins of the timer the only thing i can think at the moment is its to do with the fact it is switching a negative and the relay in the timer doesn't like it. But i will look into it

 

[Reefing Madness]

Using diagram Type A, your only using the timer as a switch, both wires from the original switch shouldn't go to the timer, only the hot leg itself, the other wire would be wired on the other end of the timer out to the switch.

 

[tylerandersen]

I literally took the wires from the switch, both would be considered hot when switched on.. just placed both of them onto the switch prongs on the timer. The power source is separate from the LEDs, its the 12volt circuit that is also powering my two fans. (Feel free to give up if this is dragging on haha!)

 

[Reefing Madness]

Can't do it that way, your timer is a switch, not both leads can be used, its just like the switch on the unit, its one circuit wire on there, not both, one wire to the switch, one to the leds, so that when its flipped, the power goes through that leg. The other leg of power is already at the leds, from your terminal strip.
Middle sheet, Type A diagram.

 

[tylerandersen]

Right, maybe I am misunderstanding or not describing what I am doing correctly. The line that is attached to the switch is just the same wire.. Cut in half.. And then attached to the switch.. It's exactly what is on the physical switch on the hood of my tank.. When I take the wires off of the switch prongs, touch them together.. The LEDs turn on...

 

[Reefing Madness]

AH, right on. Thing should work from the looks of it.
Gonna have to have the voltage from the old switch when turned on. But first take a reading off this switch when its supposedly turned on, do you have any voltage on it at all? Is there voltage at the input of the switch side, and none on the flow side when its on?

Wait, switch the wires around first, then try it again, just the wires on the switch side.

 

[tylerandersen]

Yeah no flow.. The wire is hot on one side but not making it through. I think I'm gonna return this timer again. A lot of the reviews say many of them were defective or wrongly labelled as dc when they were ac. May look for an alternative brand/model