LEDgardener

Greetings Brotha's,

I'd like to install a switch, rocker/pushbutton, to turn certain channels off simply, without altering the pot setting.
Where is the best place to do so on the HLG-B type drivers?
Shall I pig tail the dimmer line to the switch and pot? (my preferance)
Or install on the A/C line? Is there a difference/preference?

Thanks so much for the help!
As to the specifics of my shenanigans....full write up in works!

The simplest thing I can think of is, depending on how you mount the power supply, putting a light switch (like the ones in the walls of houses) upstream of the driver on the AC mains side. Hardware stores have a lot of "stuff" that lets you mount wall outlet switches and duplex receptacles to all kinds of surfaces, and it's all really cheap. The other cheapo option is to get a simple AC strip with a rocker switch on it. But yeah, I think working at the AC mains level is the most practical for not touching the pot settings.

fishsticks31 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:27 am

The simplest thing I can think of is, depending on how you mount the power supply, putting a light switch (like the ones in the walls of houses) upstream of the driver on the AC mains side. Hardware stores have a lot of "stuff" that lets you mount wall outlet switches and duplex receptacles to all kinds of surfaces, and it's all really cheap. The other cheapo option is to get a simple AC strip with a rocker switch on it. But yeah, I think working at the AC mains level is the most practical for not touching the pot settings.

Agreed. I think it's better to switch the AC side.

Thanks for the info, but the w h y its better?, and is it the only option?....still alludes.....

Not sure if its the only option but it is the better option. I guess i dont understand why you would still want live power on the driver while disconnecting it. Plus not all the drivers dim to zero or off, 320 and higher?

Lets take your typical hid light.....you wouldn't disconnect the cable from the ballast to the hood/bulb first while leaving ac live into the ballast. You would disconnect the ac side first, then disconnect ballast cable if you need to move or whatever. Im pretty sure the manuals even say dont ever do this for a reason. Kinda similar to turning off a shop light by taking the bulbs out instead of hitting the switch on the wall, if its a flourescent light the tombstones are still live.

Am i not understanding something? Trying to rig a controller in between the dc side or something?

You kill the ac side. Bc of capacitors and certain chips hold a high voltage charge. It would be silly and against code for electrical if your into that sort of thing. You never work on live circuits. Unless you have arc flash training and whatnot. If you kill the positive side of the secondary you still have enough voltage and current going into the driver. To kill you in all actuality. And if you only kill the secondary side you still can't work on it really until input voltage is killed. It's just not a good idea to break the output side of it.

It seems to me there is no difference between installing a switch or turning your pot dim to zero in order to turn off
certain more dangerous channels while your adjust resi. and perform daily maintenance.

Is it a problem to turn the pot all the way down to off?
Wouldn't that create the same situation you describe with the voltage being stored?
Does that mean as you dim the voltage its diverted to the driver? Interesting..

The reason its more convenient for my design is id like to wire multiple drivers together into one A/C plug exiting a J-box I'm designing, yet still be able to turn off channels individually, simply by switch, without messing with the pot settings.
Simply walk in the space, switch off the channels I'd like, handle mah biz, switch'em back on as leave.

I know I can put the switch before they join in the A/C Jbox....
that will require a small redesign of the box, which I'm trying to avoid...and really just exploring all options.
Thanks so much for the input!