[APD] RE: Metal Halide lights on timers

[Andrew Mitchell <andrewm at cse_unsw.edu.au>]

Replying to multiple responses...

On Mon, 2004-01-12 at 09:41, Steven Pituch wrote:
> I wish I knew more about MH power supplies.  I could _not_ find a circuit
> diagram on the web.  Try the 3 $5 timers, and see if you can isolate the
> problem.  If its one of the MHs, we can always compare the internal parts to
> see why the bad one doesn't work.

I think I'll try that next... I guess it should waste $5 at most...

> 
> What is a 2400W overload cutout?  Is it a local circuit breaker (in
> Australian speak? :>) ).  I would try to bypass that if you have a circuit
> breaker in the fuse box.  No telling what is inside it.
> 

For some reason in Australia when you spend $3AU ($2US) on a 4-outlet
powerboard, they have a button on the side that "clicks out" (and the
powerboard ceases to provide power) if you overload it... basically the
same as a circuit breaker, although I tend to think of circuit breakers
as those things in the "fuse box".

On Mon, 2004-01-12 at 11:30, Rob Fowler wrote: 
> I have a 150W HM setup (the Abrite hood and ballast) down here in Sydney
> (240V)
> I use a single Dick Smith electronic timer on the 150W + 120W of flouros and
> have no trouble at all.
> Have you tried an electronic timer instead of the mechanical ones? I have a
> cheap mechanical one on my nightlight
> and it's a pretty rough unit. It makes a huge clunk when it turns on or off
> so I would not trust it with any power.

The cheap $10 timers I have been using have been mechanical ones, often
from DSE. One of the ones that failed was from there. I was thinking of
trying an electronic timer, the problem being that they also have
similar relays in them to the cheap mechanical ones, just the
controlling is different... and I believe in this case that it is the
relay that was at fault. Hence the heavy-duty timers (persumably with a
higher rated relay) should do better than the standard digital timer?
I may try that when I run out of other ideas.

The other strange thing was that my first cheap mechanical timer on
those lights worked fine for over a year, and at the other end of the
tank the timer there is still working fine after more than a year. So
the cheap mechanical timers do seem reliable, except lately in that
spot.

thanks for the replies so far...
-- 
Andrew Mitchell <andrewm at cse_unsw.edu.au>

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