i've probably already asked this, but can anyone turn me on to a good book on plc's and smart relays? it's been so damn long since i've worked in the trade but i like to stay abreast of the new stuff that applies to our thing.
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Growroom Electricity and Wiring
- Thread starter Phillthy
- Start date
Farmhouse, you might try plugging your ballast into a receptacle that is controlled by a wall switch, and seeing if it fires up reliably when you turn the switch on. If it does, I would take a closer look at the controller. If it doesn't, then there is probably something amiss in the ballast. If you can get it to work by twisting the cord around, then the cord needs replacement.
AK, you can get ammeters that will give you a continuous readout on your equipment if you don't mind the mental conversion to watts. I don't recall seeing any wattmeters other than the Kill-a-Watt that are reasonably priced. If you go with the ammeter, I would go with the type that used a doughnut-style current transformer that slips over one of the power leads. The direct-reading ammeters that run the full power through the meter can be worrisome from a melt-down point of view. The style that uses a CT is inductively-coupled, so there is no direct connection and are much safer.
AK, you can get ammeters that will give you a continuous readout on your equipment if you don't mind the mental conversion to watts. I don't recall seeing any wattmeters other than the Kill-a-Watt that are reasonably priced. If you go with the ammeter, I would go with the type that used a doughnut-style current transformer that slips over one of the power leads. The direct-reading ammeters that run the full power through the meter can be worrisome from a melt-down point of view. The style that uses a CT is inductively-coupled, so there is no direct connection and are much safer.
Most of the information that I've seen for PLCs is more along the lines of a course on their application. These are usually pretty expensive and extensive. The majority of the smart relay manufacturers are now offering their software for free, but you have to buy the programming cable. There is a ton of online documentation available from forums like mrplc.com. Even Allen-Bradley has been forced into giving the software away. Apparently someone noticed that spending $1000 for software to program a $300 controller didn't make a hell of a lot of sense.
Probably the easiest way to get into it would be to pick up a cheap smart relay that has the functions that you would be interested in, download the software, and start playing with it. All of the manuals are available on line. The A-B software for the MicroLogix line has an emulation mode so that you don't even need the processor hooked up, but I can't speak to it's effectiveness.
wintergreens
Member
Yes, wirenut the neutral. Hots on side gold screws, ground to green screw. All good to go!
Alright so I got a little bit of a situation here. I got my room basically all set ready to go all I need to do is wire up a 220V receptacle/circuit for the mini split.
I pop the front part of the panel off exposing all the wiring and it now looks as if I only have 1 slot left in the panel... Am i seeing this right? Or is that bottom row 2 slots.
If there is only one slot left what would my best option be? I assume any subpanel you would need 2 open slots for a double pole breaker... If that was the route I was going to take.
If there is 2 slots open should i just kill power to the main and swap the position of a breaker so there is 2 open slots in a row so I could pop the 20A double pole breaker in?
If your reading this before the pics are up they will be coming shortly...
I pop the front part of the panel off exposing all the wiring and it now looks as if I only have 1 slot left in the panel... Am i seeing this right? Or is that bottom row 2 slots.
If there is only one slot left what would my best option be? I assume any subpanel you would need 2 open slots for a double pole breaker... If that was the route I was going to take.
If there is 2 slots open should i just kill power to the main and swap the position of a breaker so there is 2 open slots in a row so I could pop the 20A double pole breaker in?
If your reading this before the pics are up they will be coming shortly...
No pics yet, but normally you need two adjacent slots in order to install a double pole breaker. If you can rearrange things to get the space, fine. Otherwise, you might be able to get some half-height (wafer) breakers and jockey things around to get the space.
It looks to me like you have 2 slots side-by-side, and you need them stacked vertically. You can move one of the single-pole breakers from the left side (hopefully one that has long enough wire to reach) over to the bottom right slot, move the remaining breakers on the left side up into the vacated slot until there are two slots open at the bottom. You can then put your new double-pole breaker there.
I
Inspired333
Electrical Question for the 'experts' please..
Electrical Question for the 'experts' please..
Hey everyone. This is an odd question.
Well I was going to post in the "discussion forums" in the 'automotive" section at first...
I wanted to try and run a 4" vortex fan off of a 12v battery (not in the car. lol)
What would I need to do this. Just a power inverter?
The vortex 4" uses 80 watts.
Also, second part of question. What IF, I DID want to run an appliance in that 80 to 100 watt range from the car battery in my car, while it's running, so it keeps a charge? Say a tv small 80 watt, tv, or stereo in the back or trunk or bed of a truck. And without using a cigarette lighter socket?
Electrical Question for the 'experts' please..
Hey everyone. This is an odd question.
Well I was going to post in the "discussion forums" in the 'automotive" section at first...
I wanted to try and run a 4" vortex fan off of a 12v battery (not in the car. lol)
What would I need to do this. Just a power inverter?
The vortex 4" uses 80 watts.
Also, second part of question. What IF, I DID want to run an appliance in that 80 to 100 watt range from the car battery in my car, while it's running, so it keeps a charge? Say a tv small 80 watt, tv, or stereo in the back or trunk or bed of a truck. And without using a cigarette lighter socket?
1. yep inverter. i think the super cheap ones that plug right into the cigarette lighter will handle 80 watts. if you're running it right off the battery though, i think the ones with the lugs ready made start at around 400 watts or so.
2. either another inverter or else an appliance that runs on dc. in north america, the only applications i know they make dc appliances for are motor homes and (to a much lesser degree) off-the-grid type folks who prefer to use dc to avoid the inefficiency of an inverter.
Looking for some electrical advice.
Looking for some electrical advice.
I have run 10/2 wire about 15 ft from the breaker box to two 220v 20amp receptacles. After consulting several different non-professionals for their guidance, I am still confused and conflicted as to how to wire the two receps. I was told that i need to ground the wire leading into the first recep box to the box itself. Is this accurate? I have not been able to find a 20amp schematic showing the ground connected to the recep and box. The second question I have is can I put both receps on the same circuit? The combined pull of the two ballasts are 9.82 amps well below the breaker 40amp( 2 pole) and wire capacity ratings. I had ran the wire with 12/2 the first time then I read that I should not be running 220 on a 20amp breaker....however my hot water heater is 220 on a 20 amp breaker. So far I have turned a $100 project into $300 and I am hoping that I do not need to spend another dime. I would much rather prefer a licensed electrician come in and do the job , but the home has additional issues that we do not have the money to fix and need addressed before we can have a professional in. Any advice would be appreciated. There is only one open slot on my panel large enough for a double pole breaker, however I have a couple 20 amp and 40 amp breakers in the box not currently in use (shut off).
Looking for some electrical advice.
I have run 10/2 wire about 15 ft from the breaker box to two 220v 20amp receptacles. After consulting several different non-professionals for their guidance, I am still confused and conflicted as to how to wire the two receps. I was told that i need to ground the wire leading into the first recep box to the box itself. Is this accurate? I have not been able to find a 20amp schematic showing the ground connected to the recep and box. The second question I have is can I put both receps on the same circuit? The combined pull of the two ballasts are 9.82 amps well below the breaker 40amp( 2 pole) and wire capacity ratings. I had ran the wire with 12/2 the first time then I read that I should not be running 220 on a 20amp breaker....however my hot water heater is 220 on a 20 amp breaker. So far I have turned a $100 project into $300 and I am hoping that I do not need to spend another dime. I would much rather prefer a licensed electrician come in and do the job , but the home has additional issues that we do not have the money to fix and need addressed before we can have a professional in. Any advice would be appreciated. There is only one open slot on my panel large enough for a double pole breaker, however I have a couple 20 amp and 40 amp breakers in the box not currently in use (shut off).
First the grounding issue - if you are using metal boxes, there is normally a raised area in the back of the box with a tapped hole. This is to attach a ground wire to "bond" the box to ground. They offer factory bonding jumpers with a ring terminal installed on about 8" of green wire for this purpose or you can make one up yourself. All of the boxes should be grounded, not just the first one. You can wirenut several grounds together in the box, tying together the bonding jumper from the box, the ground wire to the receptacle and the ground wire continuing on to the next box.
Your 10/2 wire is rated for 30 amps and should be protected with a breaker no larger than 30 amps. The breaker is chosen to protect the lightest-rated component in the circuit, so if you are using a 15 amp receptacle, the breaker should be 15 amps. The voltage doesn't impact the amperage selection of the breaker.
There is no problem with having both receptacles on the same circuit. Continuous loads (loads that will be turned on for 3+ hours) require that you do not exceed 80% of the circuit breaker rating. In your case, if you used a 15a breaker, then you could have a continuous load of 12 amps. If you used a 20a breaker, then the continuous load could go up to 16 amps.
Your 10/2 wire is rated for 30 amps and should be protected with a breaker no larger than 30 amps. The breaker is chosen to protect the lightest-rated component in the circuit, so if you are using a 15 amp receptacle, the breaker should be 15 amps. The voltage doesn't impact the amperage selection of the breaker.
There is no problem with having both receptacles on the same circuit. Continuous loads (loads that will be turned on for 3+ hours) require that you do not exceed 80% of the circuit breaker rating. In your case, if you used a 15a breaker, then you could have a continuous load of 12 amps. If you used a 20a breaker, then the continuous load could go up to 16 amps.
SO I should return the 40amp breaker, and get a 20 amp breaker as thats the rating for the receps? Can I stick with the 10/2 wire if I do go to a 20 amp, or should I run the 12/2 once again? Is there a downside to using the 20amp vs 15 amp? I was under the impression I shouldnt even be running new 220v on anything less than a 30amp breaker, is that not true? With the grounding , as long as the ground wire is securely attached to each box I am fine, correct, there is nothing too special about the bonding jumpers? Thank you very much! I am feeling a little more enlightened already!
If you are using 20a receptacles, then you should use nothing larger than a 20a breaker. You can go smaller, but not larger.
The 10/2 is fine. 12/2 would handle it, but if the #10 will fit into your receptacles, use what you have.
No, there is no downside to the 20a over the 15a as long as the ballast cordset plug configuration will fit.
No, it isn't true that there is a minimum amperage for 220v.
No, there is nothing special about the jumpers, you can easily make them yourself.
The 10/2 is fine. 12/2 would handle it, but if the #10 will fit into your receptacles, use what you have.
No, there is no downside to the 20a over the 15a as long as the ballast cordset plug configuration will fit.
No, it isn't true that there is a minimum amperage for 220v.
No, there is nothing special about the jumpers, you can easily make them yourself.
H
huarmiquilla
howdy rives
how you do?
respect
lovely you to share such knowledge to you thinks
top notch
positive vibrations
how you do?
respect
lovely you to share such knowledge to you thinks
top notch
positive vibrations
Hey Rives .. Got another one for ya!
I'm installing my mini split this weekend & wanna grab all the materials today for my wiring. Unit specs: 230v 60hz, 1Ph
Total Load: 14a
Minimum circuit ampacity: 16a
Max Fuse: 25a
So I was thinking I would get a double 15 pole, 10/3, but what I'm wondering is what kind of breaker box I need to use outside where the condenser meets the circuit from the panel? Or am I laying this out wrong?
I'm installing my mini split this weekend & wanna grab all the materials today for my wiring. Unit specs: 230v 60hz, 1Ph
Total Load: 14a
Minimum circuit ampacity: 16a
Max Fuse: 25a
So I was thinking I would get a double 15 pole, 10/3, but what I'm wondering is what kind of breaker box I need to use outside where the condenser meets the circuit from the panel? Or am I laying this out wrong?
The spec calls for a minimum circuit ampacity of 16 amps, so you would need at least a 20 amp double-pole breaker.
Is there any information on the tag or instruction book stipulating that it should use a HACR-rated breaker?
There are two ways that you could go with this. There needs to be a local disconnect at the outdoor unit to kill the power when servicing it. You can size the breaker for the unit (20a) if it is HACR rated (if stipulated) and run a non-fused disconnect at the unit. The protection will all be at the main panel with this arrangement.
You could run a heavier circuit, up to 30a on your 10/3, and use a fused disconnect. The fused disconnect shown below is rated for a maximum of 60a, you would need to fuse it down to a max of 25a. This would put the protection at the unit itself, so if it quits working you need to remember to check these fuses in addition to the breaker feeding the circuit.
Non-fused -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100022...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100022598#.UV2Ys7QivDc
Fused -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100129...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100129273#.UV2a9rQivDc
Is there any information on the tag or instruction book stipulating that it should use a HACR-rated breaker?
There are two ways that you could go with this. There needs to be a local disconnect at the outdoor unit to kill the power when servicing it. You can size the breaker for the unit (20a) if it is HACR rated (if stipulated) and run a non-fused disconnect at the unit. The protection will all be at the main panel with this arrangement.
You could run a heavier circuit, up to 30a on your 10/3, and use a fused disconnect. The fused disconnect shown below is rated for a maximum of 60a, you would need to fuse it down to a max of 25a. This would put the protection at the unit itself, so if it quits working you need to remember to check these fuses in addition to the breaker feeding the circuit.
Non-fused -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100022...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100022598#.UV2Ys7QivDc
Fused -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100129...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100129273#.UV2a9rQivDc
