I checked a voltage drop calculator, at this length and thickness it should be ok. A while back some train couldn't continue, they had stolen the overhead lines. (cables) It's big business, cables are far from cheap these days.

 

Yes, I am cheap. But why pay $ 10 for product XYZ if you pay $ 5 for the same XYZ on another website? That's clever. And cheap. And no, I am not always cheap. I prefer to fly business class because I think it's worth it. And if I can't afford it I don't go. Some people spend 50.000 whatever currency on a car that drops half in value in 3 years. That might be the opposite of cheap but I think that's stupid. But those people might not be stupid, it's their choice.

The common falsehood here is that the $5 part may not work. You’ll spend more than the difference in cost in time and purchasing replacement costs. Those of us who have learned this are trying to pass on our experience.

 

The common falsehood here is that the $5 part may not work. You’ll spend more than the difference in cost in time and purchasing replacement costs. Those of us who have learned this are trying to pass on our experience.

True!

But I also wrote that over the years I have bought over 1000 items. 1043 according to PayPal. I specifically mentioned the media players which have worked for thousands of hours and cost very little. For most of that time I was amazed how good they were and how long they last. Business is at this moment (Covid) closed but we still have most of them. I also mentioned the extraordinary quality of an electric drill which has far outlived any expectations. In general I mainly have positive experiences but nobody commented on that!

I also wrote that sometimes I do spend money. At home we got KEF speakers, Sony amp, Denon, JVC, all excellent stuff that cost money but that was well spent. If, on the odd occasion, I lose a few dollars I can tell myself I have saved hundreds, more likely thousands, by checking prices. I worked as a buyer for years and I did my job. Now, thanks to $ 5 wasted I am wasting people's time perhaps. On the other hand, the only other forum I am a member of is about chickens and that's mainly chicken talk, just fun. I am not in need of regular help.

The photo cell: some are made locally but really expensive. So buying a cheapy may not be such a bad idea. It will probably work, just not for years. And now, for a change, something didn't work but to me this is an exception. The last parcel contained the temp controllers for the heat 3 boxes I built for young chicks and they work beautifully. The controllers were very cheap, just $ 4 each but they are perfect. If they stop working after a 2 seasons, what have I lost? Nothing. We all will have had fun. And if they live longer, I will have had double fun.

What is important to me is value for money. That’s why it’s ok to spend big, it just depends on what and that choice is personal. Last anecdote. In Spain the buying power is low, people keep things forever and have the guts to put in an ad of their 20 year old sofa as ‘like new’. Cars are expensive too, poorly maintained and often are not much better than a heap of shit. I needed another car but was fed up driving a day every time only to find out there was more oil under the car than inside so I bought a $ 10 to Scotland. (Ryanair, you may have heard the name) There I bought a large Ford station wagon from a disabled gentleman for an excellent price. Very low mileage, like new interior, full service history. Did a bit of sightseeing in England, crossed over to France and arrived home a week later. My daughter was with me. We had a lot of fun together (important!) and made it safely back.

I now have a beautiful car I am very, very happy with. It drives beautifully, it’s spacious (that’s what we needed) and I paid less than half of what I would have paid for JUNK here. And just like the blue sky I can’t get enough of I am so happy that I went all the way to Scotland. It’s pure satisfaction. The steering wheel is on the wrong side but I don’t mind that. I will keep it forever and look after it because I am happy with it. So, it’s not just money. It’s value for money and being able to do a lot with limited resources.

The Netherlands is and always has been a trading country so it's something I also grew up with.

 

My work put me in a research lab and I had a couple of things I myself went by.
1. if I fix it, I don't want to see it again
2. I built in-house things like appliances. They were still there 30 years later.

I put specific surge suppression on a Macintosh Centris computer, it's predicessor and it's pre-dessor. 17 years, the hard drive was still running, the floppy died and there was dust. This was a system that was used daily and critical for our research.

We had a thermocouple scanner near a few temperature controlled 1000 W IR lamps. The scanner would not last a month.
Fixed that. Put surge supression on the power supply. The OEM schemat showed a regulated power supply, but components were not populated.

We had a 10 kV 1.5A power supply as part of a piece of equipment and my predecessor kept replacing the same part yearly. I spent some time figuring out why the part failed and no more high voltage failures. The failure was caused by loose connections, but I replaced some parts that were out of spec. I even replaced a 1 megohm 100 W resistor.

We upgraded an X-ray diffraction system to be computer controlled. It kept blowing RS485 IC's. Added two external RS232 isolators and problem gone forever.

The wierdest one ever was a $5000.00 USD Multi-channel analyzer that kept blowing $1000 boards. It was used near high voltage from a scanning electron microscope that I maintained to the component level. I looked at the schematics and saw no no surge suppression at all. I wasn't capable of fixing the board, but could isolate to board level.

They said we specify 120V 60 Hz and you obviosly exceeded that. Not our fault. External surge suppressor. Fixed.

Our building lost a phase and we lost some motor driven stuff. One compressor was about $10,000.00 USD to replace. A pump was $5000.00 USD to replace. Nonetheless, 3 phase protection was added to select equipment.

I spent a lot of time increasing the reliability of stuff. When I built stuff, I made it fixable.

When a lab blew up, my safety system shut things down. A safety device failed (excess flow valve) making it appear that a 1400 PSI cylinder of hydrogen was empty. The operator reseated the valve and introduced a 1400 PSI burst of hydrogen into a line rated for a few PSI. the hydrogen likely spontaneously ignited.

The hydrogen sensors were sitting in a box per management's orders.

The system shut down because the air velocity detector elements are fragile. They broke and shut down the cylinder.
We analyzed the failures and made lots of changes.

During "normal" operation, the line that failed would generally see vacuum and the pressure of a regulated purge gas.

We got a leaking cylinder of Hydrogen Selenide delivered. We had to spend a month neutralizing the contents. You can bet procedures changed. Hazardous gasses delivered had to be leaked checked before acceptance. It was the only thing in a giant 18 wheeler tractor trailer when it was delivered.

At home, I like things to last too so things will be done overkill sometimes and even sometimes done over.

X-10 home automation devices were failing. Fix was a filter at the furnace.

Antenna install/distribution. The first antenna install, the mast snapped. The second won't fail at all.

In fact, right now the entire system is all messed up. Upgrades to RG-6QS HAD to happen with the digital TV upgrade.
I messed that up a little bit too. I put telco behind the TV and used CAT3, so no ethernet. I didn't put a pull wire either,
I do still need telco behind the TV. It's a difficult location to access.

When I painted a room, I added a low voltage plate for TV/telco/Ethernet, but nothing is connected. It was a good time to do so, I upgraded the electrical outlets to tamper proof and 3 wire because it was a good time to do so.

I do have a patch panel mounted for Ethernet and telco, but nothing is connected to it.

Back to the antenna. When something goes wrong, it's more trouble to fix it. I put 8020 t-slot rail and DIN rail in the attic so it's easy to swap out an antenna amp. It's near a ridge vent, so it's difficult. You have to look at what happens when a new roof is put on.

Same thing, the distribution amplifier went south. it's mounted with screws to the floor. I'll be putting DIN rail there.

Nearly all of my network stuff got cleaned up and is DIN rail mounted. I upgraded the modems and now everything is a mess right now. They and the old ones are not DIN rail mounted. Hopefully, one day they will be.

I broke a laptop because the modem is in the ceiling and I had to connect my laptop to it and it fell in the process eevntually crashing the hard drive, cracking the case and damaging the screen. There is now a local port. I still need to make a ceiling connection, but not directly to the laptop from sitting on the washer to the ceiling.

Eventually, it will be possible to swap modems electrically from a direct connect to a modem operating in bridge mode.
I really need the direct connect feature to troubleshoot with my ISP. The ultimate direct connect is to take the modem and laptop and plug in outside with the entire house removed from the ISP's picture.

 

Anniel, I am off to sleep. Can't keep my eyes open anymore. But, I was thinking .....I have checked a couple of locally made quality (?) photo cells and they rate up to 6 A. I have also checked a few websites with actuators and they seem to be 20 to 30 Watt. If 3 times 30 Watt at 12 Volt is indeed 7.5 A (I checked a calculator) then 6 A is not sufficient. BUT, there is no need to close all doors at the same time so how about a 'delay relay' (just a name) that is between the relay and one of the actuators? Its only function is to delay letting through the current, by max 1 minute or so. That way, after door 1 and 2 are shut the (delayed) current starts flowing to number 3 and activates actuator number 3. Seems a creative solution if better quality 12 V cells have a low Amp rating.

 

Photo-cell made in UK? The one you have?!? I don't think so.

No no, the one I have was made in China of course. See 330 above, I posted a screen shot of the UK made cell. At least they SAY they're made in the UK. (Chinese components? Not unlikely!)

 

WOW: 1 megohm 100 W resistor, WHERE are you located?

the east coast, USA

Yep. WOW!

I got the value and possibly wattage wrong. 3 M 60 W, R4 on this page http://www.vesco-usa.com/CV-8_Manual.pdf#page=94

Still big. it's the power supply bleeder resistor. so 15 kV / 3 M-ohms = 5 mA.
5 mA * 5 mA * 3e6 ohms = 75 Watts. The wattage in the diagram is probably wrong.

This thing was a trip to work on. Power input was like 60 A 208 3 phase. Required keys to open the back panel and discharge sticks.

I also worked at the other end of the spectrum too with resistances in the gig-ohm range and measured currents in the picotoamp (1e-12) range.

 

You should ask them...

Good morning.

You know that’s no use asking. Especially in the US the ‘Made in USA’ is a hot issue again or became so under Trump. When is something made in the US? When all the components were made in the US or just 25%? There is a lot written about this and many manufacturers buy parts (some or all) and try to sell the assembled or partly locally made product as locally made. I have no doubt some or many parts of the UK cell ‘manufacturer’ were not made in the UK. Still, they might be good products. I checked cells on Amazon and read some reviews. By now I recognize that many are exactly the same as sold on Ali-what-ever.com but cost double. They are all of the same disputable quality.

As I do all the car maintenance myself I have bought many parts online over the years. Are $ 100 wheel bearings better than $ 50 ones? That’s the same as asking if blue is ‘better’ than red. You have no idea who made them. I could buy cheap bearings and sell them off as high quality. Nobody will find out right away. I once bought new headlights and within a year they were cracked and dull though the car has a cover on it. Pure rubbish, just unbelievable! However, for the next road worthy mandatory safety check I also need to replace the original head lights of my Volkswagen, it’s got hundreds of small cracks on the surface and they are not stone chippings. These days the price, often anyway, has no or little relation to quality.

Here a lot is sold as ‘Made in Europe’. That usually means it comes from the latest underdeveloped ex-Soviet vasal state which joined ‘Europe’. A bit like producing stuff in Venezuela and labelling it as ‘Made in the Americas’.

 

Sofa, no disrespect intended. You’re thinking like a buyer; not a consumer.

 

Sofa, no disrespect intended. You’re thinking like a buyer; not a consumer.

Yah, I see your point.

 

If you buy reputable brand names you have no troubles and if there is a defect found, even years later, they recall the lot. If you buy no name bearings they don't even roll strait and woble brand new, try Timken or similar grade and you'll see a difference.

I agree with you but true as well is: you got a car which you won't keep for more than half a year but it really needs new tyres, right now. Are you going for quality or price? And if it needed new oil would you go for a premium brand or fill it up with Walmart? Remember, the car is own its way out anyway. I'd go for price in that case. We also live in a society in which people want everything and the only way of getting 'everything' is to get it all as cheap as possible. And fewer things than before are 'for ever'. But the dishwasher at home is a Bosch, it cost more but it may outlive me. I'd buy a Bosch again even if it didn't. It's worth the premium. I also love music and therefore I got some good stuff at home. The Sony amp was dreadfully expensive (30 years ago) but is still looks new and it still is a beast. No regrets!

 

Strange reasoning. Good tires is a must, if you want to sa get used tires. Oil, even at Walmart, must pass certification. Oil on Ali, not so sure what you would get.

*save

There sure is a difference between tyres (I read a lot of tests) but if you live in a place where the conditions are fine for most of the year and you just hobble to the supermarket from time to time you wouldn't know if they were made of cardboard. Compared to Canada we all live in a shoe box here (even drive them) and many just take a bike as it's not even worth getting in the car. Serious driving requires good tyres. That is for sure.

 

Right! I may have found a reasonably priced photocell (12 Volt only) in the UK and I haven't seen it on any Chinese site. Now, they say you can hook up 50 Watt if using LEDs but 100 Watt if incandescent. I am using neither as actuators don't really give off much light but 50 Watt might be too little and 100 Watt is plenty so what is it? Isn't one Watt one Watt?

Second question: if a cell says max 100 Watt and you connect 200 Watt but just for half a minute, would that or could that damage the thing?

 

Post a link to the datasheet.
Yes, 1W is 1W.
Yes, you will damage it if you double its rated power. You need to mesure your relay to know its requirements since no datasheet is available.
KISS, use the lights you have on hand and known working.

There you are sir!

MAX WATTAGE	(100W Incandescent) / 50W (LED) / 25W (CFL)

https://www.lumenalights.com/shop/product/wall-mounted-photocell-dusk-to-dawn-12v/

By the way, I also did a picture search and this product ONLY appears on 2 websites. Their website and on Amazon, nowhere else in the universe. On Amazon it has got mostly positive reviews. (4.5 out of 5)

 

What you’re consciously or instinctively doing is cost/risk analysis.

Our (if I can speak for others) are doing the same thing. The few bucks you save buying Chinese also have a cost. In buying replacement costs, in design to compensate for performance, in time and in aggravation.

Not to mention (oh, but I am) the costs of this project associated with a potential divorce. Let me tell you, those are not cheap! Ask me how I know...

 

What you’re consciously or instinctively doing is cost/risk analysis.

Our (if I can speak for others) are doing the same thing. The few bucks you save buying Chinese also have a cost. In buying replacement costs, in design to compensate for performance, in time and in aggravation.

Not to mention (oh, but I am) the costs of this project associated with a potential divorce. Let me tell you, those are not cheap! Ask me how I know...

That's right, everything you do in life carries a risk. And everything you do comes with a reward. Shopping means there is food to cook. A walk in the forest means you enjoy the beauty around you. Driving a fast motorbike gets the adrenaline flowing. And each time we have to ask ourselves, is this a risk I want to take? Obviously we don't do that for most of the time as we get into our cars without thinking. And driving is, in some places, extremely risky ...... But spot on indeed, it's a cost/risk analysis.

The good thing however about having made a wrong move or simply got bad luck that we have an opportunity to learn. That too can be a reward.

Just being on this forum is super interesting and I would not have been here without the 'junk'. Some people are extremely helpful, some sarcastic, some wonder off (like I do) so yeah, this too is life and I think it's great to communicate in English with Americans and Canadians!

 

I don't see a datasheet, only instructions.

DESIGNED TO SWITCH INDUSTRIAL AND (lumenalights.com)


Their picture does a good service showing the ineffective gasket design. It's also available on eBay and many lighting and building supplies stores, online at least.

The link I copied was of their specification page but it linked back so when you click you don't get the copied link. Garden stuff website so no data sheet, this is for ordinary folks.

Gasket: that's a seal right? To keep the rain out. If so, that rarely happens here.

It doesn't look like a UK product, likely Chinese too.

I didn't get the 100 Watt and then 50 Watt and even 25 Watt

The specs say:

VOLTAGE	12v AC / DC
CABLE INLETS	1(base)
TERMINALS/POLES	3 – Live In, Live Out, Neutral (removable)
IP RATING	IP65
DIMENSIONS	See Line Drawing
MAX WATTAGE	(100W Incandescent) / 50W (LED) / 25W (CFL)
SWITCH ON / OFF	LUX 10-30 / LUX 60-90 (factory pre-set)
TIME DELAY	9 Seconds
MOUNTING OPTIONS	Wall Bracket
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	Mounting screws, Cable Gland and Testing Bag Included

 

Ordinary indeed, no mention of brand name. The gasket seals from water, humidity, moisture and dust. They even boast IP65 protection, I don't think so. Above you show a time delay of 9 seconds and in the instructions sheet you can read: "Time Delay: 10 minutes (prevents interference from car headlights, lightning etc.)" so is it long or short?

It's neither long nor short. It's junk but acceptable junk. But not for me, I will continue my search!

 

You wont get the testing bag.

But I may get a long lasting photocell that I can sell in 20 years on a Spanish website with the description 'As new'.

 

Have a look at the Techmar 6009011 if you refuse to use one of you lights.

I did already!


Total products (tax incl.) :
£ 22.52
Total shipping (tax incl.) :
£ 26.50
Total (tax excl.):
£ 45.27
Total tax:
£ 3.75
TOTAL AMOUNT OF YOUR PURCHASE:
£ 49.02

But the product costs 40 CAD and shipping another 43. That's not normal.