Light activated photo sensors?****SUCCESS****

[Boomyal]

On a typical light fixture that turns on and off with daylight and darkness, does the photo sensor carry the whole 120 volts or is it just a trigger for some kind of electronic switch?

If it does carry the whole voltage, is it just wired in line with the black power wire or is it wired on the common white wire?

 

[1fishbone]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

On a typical light fixture that turns on and off with daylight and darkness, does the photo sensor carry the whole 120 volts or is it just a trigger for some kind of electronic switch?

If it does carry the whole voltage, is it just wired in line with the black power wire or is it wired on the common white wire?

It's just a trigger.

What are trying to do?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

It's just a trigger.

What are trying to do?

I am trying to convert an exterior high pressure sodium fixture to a standard CFL fixture but I want to retain the/a photo sensor to automatically shut the light off in the day time.

Although the high pressure sodium bulb used a conventional base incandescent type bulb socket, it was wired to a circuit board that I guess contained the 'ballast. Also wired into that board was the photo sensor that had it's own little window in the outer case.

I have already removed the circuit board and it is easy enough to just connect the black and white socket wires to the fixture power supply wires. I just want to re-incorporate the/a photo cell.

I would change the fixture but that would cause me to have to do a lot of cosmetic work on the wall where the light was mounted. Besides, I have kind of gotten used to looking at this fixture.....and at this point, my time is worth a lot less than any cash outlays.

 

[1fishbone]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I hear you....sometimes I'll spend 3 hours instead of spending $3!
I was making LED night lights 25 years ago!

HPS don't usually run on line voltage 110/120.
I noticed you from 'up north' maybe things are different there.
But I think I read you're going to use the CFL ballast

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

...But I think I read you're going to use the CFL ballast

Yes, I'll just use the self contained screw in CFLs. They were not even invented yet when I installed that High Pressure Sodium Fixture. At the time, HPS was the cat's meow for cost of operation.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

You can get a universal photocell at most any hardware/home improvement store for about 7 to 12 dollars. All that I have installed are rated for 15 amps and are powered by a common and hot and have a lead for the switched power.
Here is what I use.

http://www.e-conolight.com/parts-accessories/parts-accessories-wall-packs/e-acp1.html

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

You can get a universal photocell at most any hardware/home improvement store for about 7 to 12 dollars. All that I have installed are rated for 15 amps and are powered by a common and hot and have a lead for the switched power.
Here is what I use.

http://www.e-conolight.com/parts-accessories/parts-accessories-wall-packs/e-acp1.html

Bingo! That's what I need. It has it's own potted electronics and can just be wired right in to the primary power wire.

Thanks w03c!

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I use the same one on my outdoor garage lights. Works well for about 3 years then it sticks on for some reason. Put it where you can get at it to change it out, fortunately they're cheap enough.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Good luck using those light sensors with CFLs. I have not found one to work properly yet.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Good luck using those light sensors with CFLs. I have not found one to work properly yet.

Hmmm? Why do you think? Seems, it's just a switch. It shouldn't care what is hooked to it as long as the draw is within spec???

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I'm using one that is running 2 CFL floods in a fixture right now. It's been installed for a few years now....

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I'm using one that is running 2 CFL floods in a fixture right now. It's been installed for a few years now....

I would love to know what you are using.

My understanding is that these require a small amount of current to flow when the light is off and most CFLs don't allow that to happen. Maybe certain CFLs are different because I tried a few and they wouldn't work.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I would love to know what you are using.

My understanding is that these require a small amount of current to flow when the light is off and most CFLs don't allow that to happen. Maybe certain CFLs are different because I tried a few and they wouldn't work.

Makes some sense that 'the module' might require some constant juice to allow it to activate but being that they are installed prior to the CFL, I don't see how the CFL's could inhibit this.

I've been running a CFL flood, in a convential store bought motion/light operated outside flood light fixture, inside a shed, for some years now. I have recently started to shut it off completely because it is slow to react to motion and slow (if at all) to shut back off. But that fixture must be 20 years old now.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Most vapor lights use a fairly crude sensor which consists of a photo resister wired in series with a small heating element. This heating elements then heats up a bi-metal strip with contact points on it. The heat causes the bi-metal to bend forcing the contacts to close. This also serves a dual purpose as a timer to prevent cycling during varying light levels.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I would love to know what you are using.

My understanding is that these require a small amount of current to flow when the light is off and most CFLs don't allow that to happen. Maybe certain CFLs are different because I tried a few and they wouldn't work.

The sensor looks exactly like the one in the picture. Got it at Home Depot. I have the sensor mounted in an electrical box with a hole drilled in the front (blank) plate. It is hooked up to a cheapie non sensor dual flood fixture. There are two 90W equivalent CFL floods in them. I'm sure I got the floods at HD also.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

Re: Light activated photo sensors?

I just successfully converted my old High Pressure Sodium light fixture to a photo sensor controlled CFL fixture.

I got a sensor at the local electrical store (like windsorcobra posted). Fortunately the High Pressure sodium bulb used a conventional screw in base so I just ripped out the ballast circuit board, with it's wired in photo sensor.

The snout of the new photo sensor friction fitted into the old sensor hole and I wired it up with the bulb holder, screwed in the 23w CFL, plugged it in and repeatedly aimed it at an ambient light source and then to darkness and the CFL turned on and off at will.

The benifit of me going thru all this is that now if the fixture quits working, the tenent can just screw the CFL into a standard light fixture to test it. If the bulb lights, it is the photo sensor. If the bulb doesn't light, he can replace it.

No more will I have to drive down to figure if it was the HPS bulb, the ballast or the photo sensor with no real way to test it.

The tenent is responsible for bulbs in his rented space. I am responsible for any ballasts, etc.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?****SUCCESS****

HPS light is terrible color rendintion anyway! If a HPS lamp is used for video, say in a parking lot light and there is a crime, you cant tell if the culprit had a blue shirt or black!

Older CFL's were not "instant on", modern CFL's as you see can work on photo sensers, but be aware that you will get LESS life out of the cfl.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?****SUCCESS****

Once I wiped out a circuit board in a machine (optical presetter) when I put in a wiring harness and totally missed the greens and blues under HPS lighting.

Now I carry in my own halogen lighting for anything color coded.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?****SUCCESS****

Once I wiped out a circuit board in a machine (optical presetter) when I put in a wiring harness and totally missed the greens and blues under HPS lighting.

Now I carry in my own halogen lighting for anything color coded.

I think that HPS was yesterday's news. Low pressure sodium was even worse.

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Light activated photo sensors?****SUCCESS****

"At my local Home Depot I saw light controls made by Westek (parent company: AmerTac). One model, the SLC6CBC, is a screw-in that reportedly works with CFLs. At $10, it's a few bucks more expensive than the incandescent-only type, but still reasonable. It can be programmed to keep the light on for 2, 5, or 8 hrs., or until dawn."


Being as technologically challenged as i am, after reading the above on another forum some months ago, i bought a few of these for the exterior lights at the house in Florida, they have been working fine.
My understanding is that the non-CFL type tends to interfere with ones DSL.