programming rkl to ramp lights.

ReefQueen · Feb 28, 2016

Ok I am getting super frustrated with this whole RKL buisiness. I had a friend who is very electrical savvy do the mod for my sb reef light so that I could ramp them with the rkl. I got the alc, hooked everything up, programmed it following youtube videos and common sense aaaaand it's not working! My whites will turn on at who knows what intensity and I can't get the blues to come on unless I have it in a different outlet. I have changed the intensity from 1-100 and it stays the same, it will turn off at 0. What am I doing wrong. Is there a video from start to finish? I've watched the one that is in the sticky already.

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

Now the blues are on at maybe 50%, if I unplug them from the alc they go up to 100%. What is going on?! I have been messing with this for 2 days now and have gotten nowhere.

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

How do you have it hooked to the ALC? Can you post your programming. If you are using DIM A and DIM B you program using white only. The blue programming is for the SDO output only. That output only works with certian AI fixtures.

You can test the ALC outputs if you have a volt meter. Just unhook the light fixture from the ALC. Program the DIM port for 50% without any ramp timer or timer. Read the output voltage from the ALC. It should be around 5 volts. Yu can check at other points also. 25% would be 2.5 volts. 75% would be 7.5 volts. 100% would be about 10 volts. If this checks out try the same thing with the lights hooked up. You should see a difference between 50% and 75% when you change the output. If that works OK then it may have to do with your programming.

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

I do not have a volt meter but here are pics of everything. The mod was done following Mike Herman's mod videos.

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

If you don't have a voltmeter then try this.
1. Set the max intensity to 0, ramp to 0 and timer to none. This should get you no lights or dim lights at the least.
2. Now set intensity to 50%. The lights should come on but not at max output.
3. Now set intensity to 100%. The lights should come on at 100%

If you get the right results for above then it is more than likely something to do with programming. If you don't get the right results you may have some kind of hardware or wiring problem. This is going to be hard to trace without a voltmeter to check voltages with.

One note on the ramp. The lights will ramp up when the timer is triggered for the amount of time set. When the timer expires it starts the ramp down for the ramp time. So the on time is the timer + ramp time. Make note of this when you set the timers for the PC4. Also some LED divers will not light until they reach around 10%.

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

I have tried just about every intensity and nothing changes, unless it is at 0, then they turn off. So it's most likely wiring then?

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

At 0 they turn off? Try 5% and 10% and see what happens.

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

They stay the same intensity

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

I lied. The white isn't changing at all now, and blue turns down about half way on the alc at 0. Last night the were turning off at 0.

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

That is strange. You may want to double check all the wiring. If you can try and borrow a volt meter from some one. With it you can narrow down whether t is the ALC or something in the lighting. I used my ALC with a DIY light fixture so I won't be much help on your light fixture. I don't use the ALC anymore since I switched to PWM drivers.

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

Ok wait I think I got the blues semi working. They are changing intensity except for 0 they do not shut off now. The whites are still doing nothing but blinding me lol

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

Do you know what caused the blues to react.

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

How dim do they go?

ReefQueen · Feb 29, 2016

n2585722 said:
How dim do they go?

If I had to guess maybe 10%

n2585722 · Feb 29, 2016

That may be working then. Some drivers will not go completly out. I cannot say if that is normal for that driver or not. You may want to check the white by switching the ALC connectors and see if the blue will work the same on the other DIM channel of if Bad channel switches to blue and white starts working.