1 of my lights never turned on, wanna help?

[diggs99]

I just went into my room and noticed one of my cutter strip fixtures wasnt running.

first thing i did was unplug it from one side of the titan helios 11 controller and tried another of the empty plugs, it immediately turned on when i did this but only for bout 15-20 seconds , then it shut off again

any of you led gurus wanna help me troubleshoot this issue?


cutter j series strips
480-48a driver


@1212ham
@Randomblame
@Rocket Soul
@ChiefRunningPhist
@whytewidow

@ anyone who wants to help lol

 

[Renfro]

Put a meter on the driver output.

 

[Renfro]

You did get that driver that was making noise replaced right?

 

[diggs99]

I just switched drivers, same thing happened with it connected to the other driver and the other fixtured stayed running perfectly.

so its gotta be something in the light itself i think

yes renfro, the old driver was replaced by arrow.

 

[diggs99]

i swear to the weed gods above and below, one more issue with these diy lights and im calling @RainDan and filling this room with timbers

unless @Greengenes707 wants to send some lights to canada

 

[Renfro]

Well it sounds like the driver is scramming because it sees a "situation". If the strips are connected in parallel, dim the light some and disconnect one strip at a time from the wagos and test? Maybe a bad strip.

 

[diggs99]

I think i found the issue. there was a couple loose wires connecting strips and drivers at wago. just 2 strands, i twisted everything nice and tight and put them back in wagos and now everything seems to be running fine again.

well it has been for the last 10 minutes. ill keep a close eye on it tho

 

[Renfro]

Did the wire you used have solid core or stranded core?

 

[Renfro]

If using stranded core wire it's best to tin the leads with a little solder then put them in the wagos.

 

[diggs99]

the wire i used to wire the fixtures was solid core but the wire from the power cords i used is stranded, it should have been soldered as you said. my bad for sure

 

[GBAUTO]

I think i found the issue. there was a couple loose wires connecting strips and drivers at wago. just 2 strands, i twisted everything nice and tight and put them back in wagos and now everything seems to be running fine again.

well it has been for the last 10 minutes. ill keep a close eye on it tho

Usually, it's the simple(stupid) things that create the most havoc. Been there, done that...

 

[Rocket Soul]

Glad you got it sorted!

 

[diggs99]

ugh that must have been one hell of a coincidence.

Just woke up, checked on the room and found that light had gone out again since last i checked ( last night)

Now im really stumped, all the wiring seems to be where its supposed to be, but the light isnt working.

SIGH.........

 

[Renfro]

Well if it was me I would eliminate the driver by swapping them. If it's the driver the problem will follow the driver to the other light, if the problem stays with the fixture then it's likely a strip. Perhaps something is fucking up after it gets warm? No experience with the strips.

 

[Renfro]

I just switched drivers, same thing happened with it connected to the other driver and the other fixtured stayed running perfectly.

Wait, looks like you already swapped drivers. Did the problem follow it or not?

 

[diggs99]

Wait, looks like you already swapped drivers. Did the problem follow it or not?

Yep, the problem stayed with the fixture after switching drivers.

the other fixture stayed working perfectly, i dont think its the driver

 

[Renfro]

Well it doesn't sound like wiring either since it works for a while. So something is getting warm perhaps and then quits so that leads me to think a bad strip is the problem.

I don't know how your light is wired but is it possible to disconnect one strip and still run the light without burning up any strips? If they are in parallel then you could dim the driver and disconnect a strip at a time and see if you can pinpoint the bad one that way.

If you disconnect a strip then the power will go to the remaining strips so if you don't dim it you could over power a strip depending on their rating and all that jazz so if in doubt don't do it until you run some numbers by me.

I am thinking that something is getting hot and shorting because that would cause the driver to scram.

 

[diggs99]

Yes they are wired in parallel and each strip is being run at nominal ma, so very soft

So I can just start unplugging strips without worrying about frying myself? Lol

As much as I love these leds, this constant maintenance and troubleshooting is getting annoying. If I was as smart as you dudes this wouldn't be quite so frustrating , don't be surprised if I come back here later saying I just ordered 3k worth of timbers or hlgs or something

I'm starting to be over this diy racket lol

 

[Rocket Soul]

Yes they are wired in parallel and each strip is being run at nominal ma, so very soft

So I can just start unplugging strips without worrying about frying myself? Lol

As much as I love these leds, this constant maintenance and troubleshooting is getting annoying. If I was as smart as you dudes this wouldn't be quite so frustrating , don't be surprised if I come back here later saying I just ordered 3k worth of timbers or hlgs or something

I'm starting to be over this diy racket lol

It seems like youve been hit by an inordinate amount of troubles. We had around 12 trays of diy light, some of them strips with multiple channels, and we only had one wago burn out in 9 months, not another single problem.

Its a bit different to you as you have 14 (iirc?) Strips over each tray which means more connections but its still a bit jarring. And from what ive seen from your build you put in more effort than we did.

 

[diggs99]

18 strips per fixture

Had zero led or electrical knowledge or expierence before I started this venture lol... have less than optimal knowledge still.

Maybe I got lucky that they actually lit up in the first place lol

Ya I've had driver issues first few days, connectors falling off second week, now this. Def trying my patience

I don't get too riled up about anything really, just a tad bit annoyed lol