Spartan series 4 light controller

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
I have a 4000 watt light controller, as I was getting tired of blowing all my timers with my 1000 watt. Said it was 3asy to install, my ass, it seems as if I have to hard wire it to my circuit breaker. I have no wiring knowledge whatsoever, but I have a device that allows me to detect when a wires "hot". Common sense is telling me "NOT TO FUCK WITH IT", as I have no desire to have my hands blown off, so I'll go with my gut. My question is, can I hook this up to a timer after I get it wired. I noticed theres not a timer in the controller itself, which isnt a big deal as long as I can hook a timer up to the controllerand run the lights of it normally.

Sorry if I sound confused, I sincerely am

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diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
MR.NICE.GUY.1990 said:
I have a 4000 watt light controller, as I was getting tired of blowing all my timers with my 1000 watt. Said it was 3asy to install, my ass, it seems as if I have to hard wire it to my circuit breaker. I have no wiring knowledge whatsoever, but I have a device that allows me to detect when a wires "hot". Common sense is telling me "NOT TO FUCK WITH IT", as I have no desire to have my hands blown off, so I'll go with my gut. My question is, can I hook this up to a timer after I get it wired. I noticed theres not a timer in the controller itself, which isnt a big deal as long as I can hook a timer up to the controllerand run the lights of it normally.

Sorry if I sound confused, I sincerely am

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lol i know your frustration. They dont really explain how they are hooked up in any of the descriptions, well some of them , but not many. I guess they just assume we know wtf were doing lol. Many growers are buying these controllers thinking they can just plug them into a 240v plugin and presto, zomglights!! WRONG , many will need an electrician to do this work.

I was lucky, my bro @Renfro tossed a bunch of knowledge my way and helped me understand, not sure if hes online tonight, but if he is, im sure he wont mind popping by and explaining shit to you, the dude is a grow genius lol

. I havent got mine wired up yet, not overly excited to do it to be honest lol.

Patience bro, you will get there!
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
The trigger cord plugs into your timer.

It does need to be hardwired to the breaker panel. You should have someone who knows electrical work do this as you can get hurt. If you do decide to run the wiring yourself please stop by here and ask if you have questions.
 
Mr_Manny_D

Mr_Manny_D

Active Member
Question: Is it really necessary to use light controllers at all? I've been shopping for them today for my two new LED flower rooms. Looking at Titan's Helios 8 or Helios 12,,,their 8 light controllers with two triggers. (each room with 4 lights) Can you get away with power strips with a built in timmers?
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Mr_Manny_D said:
Can you get away with power strips with a built in timmers?
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If you want a real shit show yeah... They tend to not be reliable. And more timers = more points to fail. Sucks when you come to a room that should be dark and one timer cranked it's lights on and is flashing 12:00 lol
 
Mr_Manny_D

Mr_Manny_D

Active Member
Renfro said:
If you want a real shit show yeah... They tend to not be reliable. And more timers = more points to fail. Sucks when you come to a room that should be dark and one timer cranked it's lights on and is flashing 12:00 lol
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I'd still be relying on timers that the triggers are plugged into rt?
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Mr_Manny_D said:
I'd still be relying on timers that the triggers are plugged into rt?
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If the power strip timer is reliable then great. Many timers are not reliable. You can search and find threads about that. So check the reviews, find out what people have experienced. A cheap timer or defective timer has messed up many a grow. I definitely don't like a timer that's integrated to the lighting controller. The worst experience I had was Intermatic eh40 ditigal 40 amp timers. I had 3, each on a bank of lights. Randomly one would lose it's programming, flash 12:00 and leave the lights off. They were random and it was 2 or 3 times a week. Replaced them with contactor banks (lighting controller) and one reliable timer as a trigger.
 
T

trambles

Well-Known Member
The light controllers are essentially hard wired power strips that operate at 240 volts.

The wiring seems intimidating but it's really not bad provided you dont have to fish through walls. Just be sure to use the recommended breaker and wire size and turn off the power at the main even if your wiring to a subpanel. Get a DIY book on electrical from home depot and it will walk you through how to add a new circuit.
 
T

trambles

Well-Known Member
Another advantage of the light controllers is they operate at 240 volts meaning u draw less amps, as a result you can run more lights. So yes, in a bigger grow you want a light controller or u will be tripping breakers
 
Mr_Manny_D

Mr_Manny_D

Active Member
trambles said:
Another advantage of the light controllers is they operate at 240 volts meaning u draw less amps, as a result you can run more lights. So yes, in a bigger grow you want a light controller or u will be tripping breakers
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Thanks for the straight up answer..very much appreciated and a mature answer. I'm was getting controllers to be safe but you just reinforced my initial thought. Thanks Trambles
 
Dish

Dish

Active Member
Mr_Manny_D said:
Question: Is it really necessary to use light controllers at all? I've been shopping for them today for my two new LED flower rooms. Looking at Titan's Helios 8 or Helios 12,,,their 8 light controllers with two triggers. (each room with 4 lights) Can you get away with power strips with a built in timmers?
Click to expand...
I just started using GE smart plugs for my timers and so far I love them!



I can create programs for my drip pumps as well as HID's right on my phone! I can't vouch for longevity, but I've had my 600w HPS running 12\12 for almost a month with no issues.







I imagine that high amps may give it trouble, but for smaller stuff these work amazing.

No way would I ever go back to the plastic round conventional timers.
 
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