my new diy grow light

[nfhiggs]

woah, first off what is a wago? im thinking you mean wire nuts? yes.
i use wire nuts and push in connectors.
ill be honest, i dont understand the question. ok, i reread the question 3 times, i get it now.
as far as wiring, ill post a couple pics. it's stupid simple.

why would i use fuses? everything is grounded and ran through a GFCI. if your outlet has a ground, install a GFCI. it will solve many potential issues. as someone who has been doing electrical for over a decade (hobby, auto, and work) there is not a need for a fuse imho.

Actually, there is a very good reason to fuse the line side. Your standard household wiring going to that GFCI is capable of handling 20 amps. Its probably on a 20 amp breaker (or maybe 15). That means that any fault that pulls enough current to overheat the wiring will trip the breaker. Now the issue comes when you have a semi-permanent fixture (your lights) plugged into that GFCI 24/7. If the line wiring going from the GFCI to your drivers is not capable of carrying 20 amps safely, then its a best practice to fuse it. The potential exists for a fault to occur that could pull enough current to burn that wire but not trip the breaker OR the GFCI. Fuse it at twice its max working current. If the lights are 300W, then that's roughly 2.5 amps at 120 VAC - fuse it at 5 amps. Yes, its a very low probability of occurring but fuses are cheap, houses aren't and that's what they protect.

 

[NapalmZen]

Hmm, perhaps on my next build then. My house is 15 amp circuits. 20 amp is usually commercial in ca.

 

[nfhiggs]

Hmm, perhaps on my next build then. My house is 15 amp circuits. 20 amp is usually commercial in ca.

Yeah, the breakers will vary, my box has 20 amp and 15 amp breakers - but the wiring standard itself is 20 amps throughout.

 

[NapalmZen]

Yeah, the breakers will vary, my box has 20 amp and 15 amp breakers - but the wiring standard itself is 20 amps throughout.

yes, and how much of that is being used by our rooms? well, mine is on one circuit. 5 fans, a 41 watt air pump, 3 cob, and a viparspectra pushing 276w. i should do the math on the amps.

wow, i did everything but the cobs. im at less than 6 amps.

 

[nfhiggs]

yes, and how much of that is being used by our rooms? well, mine is on one circuit. 5 fans, a 41 watt air pump, 3 cob, and a viparspectra pushing 276w. i should do the math on the amps.

wow, i did everything but the cobs. im at less than 6 amps.

I wish mine was like that - my garage and half the friggin house are all on one circuit. They could have at least put the garage on its own circuit. Bastards... Right now I'm pretty much power limited to what I have. Before I can expand, I'll need to run a new circuit in the garage.

 

[NapalmZen]

well, i don't know if mine is split. i think the living room is all on one circuit. i have 400w - 1kw coming from my pc alone.

that is why yours is 20 amp. i would tear open some walls and rewire it. when i own my own home i plan on 20 amp breakers for each room, 2 X 20 outside, and 2 X 20 amp in the garage. not including the 240 single and/or triple for my lathe and mill i plan on installing. on all the 20 amp lines, there will be a 20 amp GFCI at the beginning of each run.

i was raised by electricians and carpenters. i also tend to overkill everything.

 

[DarthPlagueis]

woah, first off what is a wago? im thinking you mean wire nuts? yes.
i use wire nuts and push in connectors.
ill be honest, i dont understand the question. ok, i reread the question 3 times, i get it now.
as far as wiring, ill post a couple pics. it's stupid simple.

why would i use fuses? everything is grounded and ran through a GFCI. if your outlet has a ground, install a GFCI. it will solve many potential issues. as someone who has been doing electrical for over a decade (hobby, auto, and work) there is not a need for a fuse imho.

View attachment 3881925 View attachment 3881926 View attachment 3881927 View attachment 3881928 View attachment 3881929


edit:
ACN- alternating current neutral. this is the outgoing end of the power.
ACL- alternating current line. this is incoming or the smaller prong on a cord.

i just twist the ground around the screw in the direction it will twist to be tightened. no special washer or connector. this is how we did it in the field and i see no reason to add more steps.

Ah, sounds good. I would attach a GFCI but I'm running an extension from a ceramic pull down light with a 3 prong outlet, then that extension is connected to a powerstrip with a surge protector on it, and everything else is ran from the powerstrip. In the basement so there are now GFCI outlets nearby.

At this point I haven't even built my light yet.

 

[NapalmZen]

Ah, sounds good. I would attach a GFCI but I'm running an extension from a ceramic pull down light with a 3 prong outlet, then that extension is connected to a powerstrip with a surge protector on it, and everything else is ran from the powerstrip. In the basement so there are now GFCI outlets nearby.

At this point I haven't even built my light yet.

i hope the pics help. it was designed for affordability and is quite easy to build if you have minimal experience.

 

[DarthPlagueis]

Actually, there is a very good reason to fuse the line side. Your standard household wiring going to that GFCI is capable of handling 20 amps. Its probably on a 20 amp breaker (or maybe 15). That means that any fault that pulls enough current to overheat the wiring will trip the breaker. Now the issue comes when you have a semi-permanent fixture (your lights) plugged into that GFCI 24/7. If the line wiring going from the GFCI to your drivers is not capable of carrying 20 amps safely, then its a best practice to fuse it. The potential exists for a fault to occur that could pull enough current to burn that wire but not trip the breaker OR the GFCI. Fuse it at twice its max working current. If the lights are 300W, then that's roughly 2.5 amps at 120 VAC - fuse it at 5 amps. Yes, its a very low probability of occurring but fuses are cheap, houses aren't and that's what they protect.

So how does one attach a fuse? Can you link me an example of the fuse?

 

[NapalmZen]

im having trouble finding something simple. most fuses in this range require advanced knowledge.

http://www.littelfuse.com/products/fuse-blocks-fuseholders-and-fuse-accessories/fuseholders/281_cm.aspx

EDIT: I was hoping something like an inline blade style auto fuse that might work, but 120 volt doesn't translate to 12 volt.

 

[nfhiggs]

Doesn't have to be terribly complicated - a simple blade fuse or an AGC type fuse inline anywhere on the AC line will work - just match the wire size. Here is one that is 16 g:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-x-Medium-ATO-fuse-holder-with-16-gauge-inline-wire-Weather-proof-design-/201064584320?hash=item2ed0621480:g:P3MAAOxyUgtTOkov

And here is a 14 g:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3pc-14-GA-INLINE-FUSE-HOLDER-15pc-FUSE-RV-MARINE-AUTO-M-Bike-Trailer-UTV-BOAT/192082060493?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=2&asc=40832&meid=db461e8cb4bd463f87dea9409ca62f86&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=201064584320

Just because it says "auto RV marine" and such does not mean it won't work at 120 VAC - it will.

You would just splice that into the line side of the AC input to the driver.

 

[NapalmZen]

Doesn't have to be terribly complicated - a simple blade fuse or an AGC type fuse inline anywhere on the AC line will work - just match the wire size. Here is one that is 16 g:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-x-Medium-ATO-fuse-holder-with-16-gauge-inline-wire-Weather-proof-design-/201064584320?hash=item2ed0621480:g:P3MAAOxyUgtTOkov

And here is a 14 g:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3pc-14-GA-INLINE-FUSE-HOLDER-15pc-FUSE-RV-MARINE-AUTO-M-Bike-Trailer-UTV-BOAT/192082060493?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=2&asc=40832&meid=db461e8cb4bd463f87dea9409ca62f86&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=201064584320

Just because it says "auto RV marine" and such does not mean it won't work at 120 VAC - it will.

You would just splice that into the line side of the AC input to the driver.

I considered that. But I have yet to find 115 volt or greater ac fuses for it. 12 volt dc auto fuses will not work. It's actually what I'm currently looking into.

To explain, a 35v dc fuse at 10 amps is usually good for a 120v ac fuse at 10 amps.

Some fuses are equally rated as in 200v ac and 200v dc.

a car fuse is specifically rated for dc. When used on an ac circuit it will MAYBE handle 60 volts.

Amps are the same at both volt ratings.

 

[nfhiggs]

well, i don't know if mine is split. i think the living room is all on one circuit. i have 400w - 1kw coming from my pc alone.

that is why yours is 20 amp. i would tear open some walls and rewire it. when i own my own home i plan on 20 amp breakers for each room, 2 X 20 outside, and 2 X 20 amp in the garage. not including the 240 single and/or triple for my lathe and mill i plan on installing. on all the 20 amp lines, there will be a 20 amp GFCI at the beginning of each run.

i was raised by electricians and carpenters. i also tend to overkill everything.

Unfortunately that would require way too much wall tearing up for my taste. I'll be good if I can just get the garage on its own circuit, which can be done relatively easy with no wall tearing up required.

 

[nfhiggs]

I considered that. But I have yet to find 115 volt or greater ac fuses for it. 12 volt dc auto fuses will not work. It's actually what I'm currently looking into.

To explain, a 35v dc fuse at 10 amps is usually good for a 120v ac fuse at 10 amps.

Some fuses are equally rated as in 200v ac and 200v dc.

a car fuse is specifically rated for dc. When used on an ac circuit it will MAYBE handle 60 volts.

Amps are the same at both volt ratings.

I linked those two because they had the wire sizes - you can also find similar fuse holders for AGC type fuses, which are easy to find in 250V ratings.

 

[NapalmZen]

I linked those two because they had the wire sizes - you can also find similar fuse holders for AGC type fuses, which are easy to find in 250V ratings.

Wire size correlates amps, not voltage. The fuse volt rating is what matters.

Remember, florescent ballasts use 18-22 gage wire and can have voltages of about 1-2k.

 

[nfhiggs]

Wire size correlates amps, not voltage. The fuse volt rating is what matters.

Remember, florescent ballasts use 18-22 gage wire and can have voltages of about 1-2k.

Yes, you want to match your wire sizes. If your input power cord is 16 gauge, you want a fuse holder with pigtails of the same gauge. For a 300W driver your power draw is going to be ~2.5 amps, I would use no smaller than 16 gauge power cord for that amount of current.

 

[Boatguy]

Wire size correlates amps, not voltage. The fuse volt rating is what matters.

Remember, florescent ballasts use 18-22 gage wire and can have voltages of about 1-2k.

Most important factor on wire size besides amp, is the length of the run round trip. That is how ballast and electronic manufacturers get away with cheating the rules, they build assuming the power source is connected directly to the device. I would be willing to bet the ampacity rating of 22 or 18 gauge over 18" or however long the supplied pigtails are, are undersized. Chassis wiring rating and power transmission rating are two different things. http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

So you would want larger supply wires and fuse holder connected to the smaller ballast or driver wires.

 

[SSGrower]

Safety fifth. You use right hand only technique for live electrical?
Admittadly I'm spoiled with a weller ws51 iron, it's a joy working with it compared to the sledgehammer you're using. All I'm saying is a couple millimetres of air space between the exposed wire and heatsink is not enough to prevent an arc. Looks like you have the same epoxy I do arctic said it's electrically insulating when I contacted them.

 

[NapalmZen]

Safety fifth. You use right hand only technique for live electrical?
Admittadly I'm spoiled with a weller ws51 iron, it's a joy working with it compared to the sledgehammer you're using. All I'm saying is a couple millimetres of air space between the exposed wire and heatsink is not enough to prevent an arc. Looks like you have the same epoxy I do arctic said it's electrically insulating when I contacted them.

i had the smaller one like that, but it died. my "sledgehammer" is perhaps one of the best ones i have owned. you can touch the tip after letting off the trigger. it's only hot when you need it. it also melts solder instantly.

nice, i will give them a nice coating then.

its low voltage dc. arcing is based on voltage. at 35v it would have to be 10ths of a mm away to arc. as opposed to high voltage wiring(1-2k volt) that can jump inches.

 

[DarthPlagueis]

So it is possible to add a fuse, or does it not apply to these lights?
I found these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-x-Micro-Blade-Mini-ATM-Fuse-Adapter-tap-DUal-Circuit-Adapter-Holder-12v-DC/190826261725?rt=nc&_soffid=5024455404&_soffType=OrderSubTotalOffer&_trksid=p5731.m3795

I just want to be safe, I may just buy a self activated fire extinguisher to prevent a fire. For 20$ it seems to outway the cost of my house burning down.

The ground should be enough to prevent me from being zapped right? My driver puts out 180 volts at 1400mA so it's pretty dangerous. Only takes .1A to kill