# Photo sensor for landscape lighting



## Zog

Installed some new landscape lights, worked fine at first but now they wont come on at night, if I cover the photo eye with my finger during the daytime they come on, but won't come on when it gets dark. Any ideas?:blink:


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## BBQ

Zog said:


> Installed some new landscape lights, worked fine at first but now they wont come on at night, if I cover the photo eye with my finger during the daytime they come on, but won't come on when it gets dark. Any ideas?:blink:


Does this system have a timer?

Is it (and I know this is basic) on a switched outlet?

Other than that maybe it is not getting dark enough at the PC.


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## HARRY304E

Zog said:


> Installed some new landscape lights, worked fine at first but now they wont come on at night, if I cover the photo eye with my finger during the daytime they come on, but won't come on when it gets dark. Any ideas?:blink:


Point the photo eye in a different direction if you can .


also did the photo eye come with a sliding shade?? 

If not you can try to cover some of the eye with tape.

Also does the eye stay closed when you cover it at night to get to go on or does it open after you remove your finger..??


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## Zog

BBQ said:


> Does this system have a timer?


 It can either go on and off with darkness or on with darkness and timed from then on to turn off. 



BBQ said:


> Is it (and I know this is basic) on a switched outlet?


 Nope



BBQ said:


> Other than that maybe it is not getting dark enough at the PC.


 Maybe, but I tried turning off all other sources of light, it is pretty dark there without exterior lights on. 

I tried the cover the photo eye with my finger at night and they won't turn on, but they do if I try that during the day. :blink:


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## Zog

HARRY304E said:


> Point the photo eye in a different direction if you can .


 I tried that, is it possible it won't operate if tilted in a certian direction?




HARRY304E said:


> also did the photo eye come with a sliding shade??


 No



HARRY304E said:


> If not you can try to cover some of the eye with tape.


 Then they would stay on all day right?



HARRY304E said:


> Also does the eye stay closed when you cover it at night to get to go on or does it open after you remove your finger..??


 I could only get them to work during the daytime by covering the eye, that is the part that has me so confused.


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## B4T

Sometimes it takes a photo eye a few days to adjust itself to the lighting conditions..

I have had that problem before.. wait (2) days.. no luck.. change the eye..

A few weeks ago I bought a bad batch of photocells.. it happens..


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## Zog

Thanks for the advice, I don;t think I can change the eye, it is built into the transformer. Serves me right for buying a cheap lighting set.


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## jwjrw

Tie the stove to the microwave circuit......
I'd try another photocell. I have had several bad photocells recently. I didn't see it was built in....I think you are right. Crap lights.


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## HARRY304E

Zog said:


> I tried that, is it possible it won't operate if tilted in a certian direction?
> 
> Then they would stay on all day right?
> 
> I could only get them to work during the daytime by covering the eye, that is the part that has me so confused.





> I tried that, is it possible it won't operate if tilted in a certian direction?


 it should work pointed in any direction as long as no artificial light hits it.. 



> Then they would stay on all day right?


If you cover it partially with tape it will turn on earlyer and shut off later but it should still work as long as you only coverd 1/2 the eye.


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## HARRY304E

Zog said:


> Thanks for the advice, I don;t think I can change the eye, it is built into the transformer. Serves me right for buying a cheap lighting set.


How about this cover the photo eye so it stays on all the time if it is no easy to diconect the photo eye on the transformer

Get an FS box and either a tork or intermatic photoeye and wire it where the circuit starts out side..

Tork....

http://www.weisd.com/store2/45402.php

Intermatic...

http://www.beverlyhillselectric.com/intermatic33.html


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## Rudeboy

How close is the photo cell to the nearest light?


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## Electric_Light

What happens if you cover it at night? It could be that its pointing at something bright, like a street light and reflecting right back into it. Who knows


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## BBQ

Electric_Light said:


> What happens if you cover it at night? It could be that its pointing at something bright, like a street light and reflecting right back into it. Who knows


That is really all it could be.


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## Zog

Electric_Light said:


> What happens if you cover it at night? It could be that its pointing at something bright, like a street light and reflecting right back into it. Who knows


They won't come on if I cover it at night, that is the confusing part. The nearest light source is my exterior garage lights, about 20 ft away, but even with those off they won't come on, they did the first few nights but stopped working. I tried pointing the eye away from any lights but still no good.


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## Jlarson

Most of those packs with photocells have a time delay. I put one in for a friend the other day and it had like a 1 or 2 minute delay. I had a lot of fun just standing around holding my hand over the cell :no: It also came right on during the day, it was some new Malibu timer from HD, really pissed me off. In hindsight I probably should have read the manual.


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## Zog

Jlarson said:


> Most of those packs with photocells have a time delay. I put one in for a friend the other day and it had like a 1 or 2 minute delay. I had a lot of fun just standing around holding my hand over the cell :no: It also came right on during the day, it was some new Malibu timer from HD, really pissed me off. In hindsight I probably should have read the manual.


It does have about a 30 second delay, which makes sense. There is no manual, just some brief installation instructions in 37 different languages.


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## Jlarson

Just kinda thinking out load now, is the time set right and right am and pm wise?


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## Zog

Did some T/S tonight, noticed the transformer was pretty warm so I let it cool (Unplugged), then plugged them in (Nothing), covered the eye and they came on, for about 20 seconds and went off. Must have some thermal protection. So I unhooked half the lights and now they are working. 

Crappy kit came with 10 lights and I can only run 5 off the included transformer? What up with dat?


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## RePhase277

Do the math. How many watts can the transformer supply? How many watts is each light?

Don't forget about voltage drop on those LV circuits. It gets big quick.


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## Zog

InPhase277 said:


> Don't forget about voltage drop on those LV circuits. It gets big quick.


Well LV ls not my thing as you know, I found note in instruction book about not having first light closer than 10 ft from power supply. Can you explain that to an ignorant HV switchgear guy?


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## RePhase277

Zog said:


> Well LV ls not my thing as you know, I found note in instruction book about not having first light closer than 10 ft from power supply. Can you explain that to an ignorant HV switchgear guy?


Some transformers actually are wound to put out a few more volts than the lights are rated for. I would guess that they are relying on voltage drop in the first few feet to make sure you aren't shortening the lamp life.


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## Dennis Alwon

I am wondering if you have a short in one of the lights that is kicking the system off on TP.


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## Zog

Dennis Alwon said:


> I am wondering if you have a short in one of the lights that is kicking the system off on TP.


I'll check, they worked great last night, I will goof around with them this weekend. 2 of the 10 lights were bad right out of the box. I only needed 8 anyways. (Yes I checked the bulbs).


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## dronai

How much did you pay for these lights ?


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## 220/221

Zog said:


> Any ideas?:blink:


Don't you own a voltage tester?


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## Zog

220/221 said:


> Don't you own a voltage tester?


Of course I do, sevral in fact all calibrated earlier this week. Don't see the point of that question though.


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## egads

Is it working now? It would help if you answered the question: what is this? What light set? Who made it? Is the timer mechanical or digital? 
My thought is that the timer is 12 hours off. Some transformer timers have the "time" marking point opposite where the "action is" that is, the place on the timer where the pins are activated. I have been tricked by that.


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## Zog

egads said:


> Is it working now? It would help if you answered the question: what is this? What light set? Who made it? Is the timer mechanical or digital?
> My thought is that the timer is 12 hours off. Some transformer timers have the "time" marking point opposite where the "action is" that is, the place on the timer where the pins are activated. I have been tricked by that.


It does not use that type of timer as I explained in post 4. They are working fine now with 7 of the lights, I think the transformer is just too wimpy for the 10 lights that came with the kit. I don't recall the brand, threw away the box and no brand name on the lights.


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## 220/221

Zog said:


> Of course I do, sevral in fact all calibrated earlier this week. Don't see the point of that question though.


Question #2. Do you know how to use it?


Seems like you would simply test voltage at the source and follow it down the circuit. 

Maybe I didn't understand the original question. What am I missing?

Q: My lights don't work. What is the problem?

A: Follow standard troubleshooting protocol starting at the source. Test voltage and move on down the line.


PS. LV landscape lights suck. I HATE fixing that ****.


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## Zog

220/221 said:


> Question #2. Do you know how to use it?


 Um yeah, you must be kidding me right?




220/221 said:


> Seems like you would simply test voltage at the source and follow it down the circuit.


 0V at the output of the transformer so why would I expect to see anything different down the circuit?



220/221 said:


> Maybe I didn't understand the original question. What am I missing?


 Reading my other posts might clear things up for you. Are you wasted tonight or something?


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## egads

So they work now, right? 
And you are not using the timer at all, just dusk to dawn with the photocell? 

You are hard to get a straight answer out of. Not that it matters anymore.


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## Zog

egads said:


> So they work now, right?


 Yes, with 7 of the 10 lights,


egads said:


> And you are not using the timer at all, just dusk to dawn with the photocell?


 Correct


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