ON AIR sign

[xmus]

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=%22on+air%22+light&category0=

Those are fairly pricey. Neon will probably explode connected to the SSR, so it needs to be incandescent.... Guess I'll be making an ON AIR sign, just like the way we made the "tune to" signs.... :)

[tconley]

if you look those arent actually neon they look like the carved lexan light that they light through one edge and you see what ever is carved. I have several like the for my pool table room(garage).

http://cgi.ebay.com/i480-b-On-Air-Recording-Studio-NEW-NR-Neon-Light-Sign_W0QQitemZ290183942043QQihZ019QQcategoryZ50934 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

they make custom sigs as well and am getting a price quote.

[xmus]

The title of that auction says NEON, but lower it says it is fluorescent, which isn't any better, it has a transformer in it, I bet it will fry if you connect it to a SSR :)

[TERBObob]

If I understand this correctly ... folks are thinking that the relay will toast ? Or it will toast the "neon" unit ?
Either way ... a potential buyer would have to email that seller and inquire as to EXACTLY , what is the initial load draw for that unit ? NOT running load , but initial load , and then , go from there .
And , then , if needed to , add in an additional relay , or change out that particular relay to a higher amp one .

[Slush]

but lower it says it is fluorescent, which isn't any better, it has a transformer in it, I bet it will fry if you connect it to a SSR

I am running my sign which is one of those white "drop ceiling" 4 bulb flurescent lights off one of my SSR's I have not had any problems. I did not really think about having an issue with the transformer.

Should I be worrying?

[xmus]

but lower it says it is fluorescent, which isn't any better, it has a transformer in it, I bet it will fry if you connect it to a SSR

I am running my sign which is one of those white "drop ceiling" 4 bulb flurescent lights off one of my SSR's I have not had any problems. I did not really think about having an issue with the transformer.

Should I be worrying?

If it didn't die, that is great. I have killed a wall wart transformer (that came with my ramsey FM-25B) by plugging it into an SSR.

Are you using dimmed or not? Renard? Mine was Renard... so "100% on" is really more like 97% on (in terms of looking at the wave coming out of the SSR). So it is kind of like a combination of a square wave and a sine wave. I don't know of a better way to explain it.

My theory is, that the continuously collapsing field (due to the power being shut off for that 3% of time every cycle) is causing a huge spike of current in the transformer.

[Slush]

Right now I have 2 COOP Olsen 595's for 128 chan total. So no dimming. That will come next year for the mega tree.

This is my first year at this...so far so good.

The only frying that has gone on - was when some rain got inside the sign.

[xmus]

I wonder if an Olsen, when left 100% on, is "more on" like normal, unmolested 120VAC in the house, than Renard.....

[Wayne J]

I wonder if an Olsen, when left 100% on, is "more on" like normal, unmolested 120VAC in the house, than Renard.....

hmmm.... sounds like a test is in order. 8)

[xmus]

you going to scope it out?
For Olsen -> maybe you'll see a perfectly normal sin wave?

For Renard -> I imagine you will see a almost 100% full sine wave that is flat lined near the zero crossings, just before, and just after..... like this:

[Wayne J]

I can't do a test until the display is down. A friend has a scope, so I would have to load it up and go there.

[Macrosill]

I could do a test at work, we have a scope and no one uses it. I must admit, I read the book on it but am not really sure how to hook it up to see what we are looking for. With some instruction for you guys here I could test it on Tuesday.

[xmus]

I could do a test at work, we have a scope and no one uses it. I must admit, I read the book on it but am not really sure how to hook it up to see what we are looking for. With some instruction for you guys here I could test it on Tuesday.

You want to be very careful with a scope at 120VAC, i say just wait for someone else to do it, no hurry. With 5 volts you can hook up a scope any way and not hurt it..... but at 120VAC.... careful careful careful...

[cmurray]

If somebody is going to throw some SSRs on a scope they could also try Zero crossing optoissolators(MOC3033) with the PWM code to see if on means 100% on.

http://www.christmasinshirley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1746

Joel

[Mudsculpter]

I had my "Tune To" sign illuminated with a flourescent spotlight through an ssr... It had the curious ability to screw up all the signals going to all the other channels on the controller. Channels would all come on and stay on throughout the sequence. It is on a Phototimer now. On at dusk and shuts off after 6 hours

[Wombat]

I am having a lot of trouble with transformer loads on my renard . it will kill the transfoirmer if it goes into half wave which unless the load is constant can do if the triac unlatches. I have killed a few transformers so far because of this. Still working on a fix.

So you should do some testing first before hooking upto SSR's

[Trepidati0n]

I am having a lot of trouble with transformer loads on my renard . it will kill the transfoirmer if it goes into half wave which unless the load is constant can do if the triac unlatches. I have killed a few transformers so far because of this. Still working on a fix.

So you should do some testing first before hooking upto SSR's

Half wave loads are horrible for transformers since it forms a DC current inside the transformer and thus starts cooking the snot out of it. Honestly, excessive LED lights might very well damage your home appliances/electronics if they are only half-wave designs. This is why I'm so very happy that the Lynx is rectified AC...makes working with LED safer for the home.

[P. Short]

Renard (and the general SSR scheme) is not intended for transformer loads. And in the United States there is no reason for placing a transformer between the SSR and the lamps - that is an issue only in places where the lights run off low voltage (England, Australia, etc). In those places it's much better for the electronics if the transformer is upstream of the SSRs.

The flip side of using half-wave LED strings with rectified AC is that it only works if you plug the strings in the correct way. You have just as good a chance of getting them in backwards, with no blinky at all.

--

Phil

[cizekjc]

why dont you guys get a different power cord just for the on air sign relay and run it to the transformer first ( cut off of neon sign) and then to ssr and then to the sign. Then youll have the current constantly at the needed voltage.

Correct me if im wrong ( probably am lol)

Power
|
Transformer
|
Relay
|
Neon Light