((OT)) Electronics (electrical) Problem

mack wrote:
> After all this back-and-forth about the problem, all I can add is that Jeff
> ought to not throw good money after bad, or incur further risk to himself by
> calling in a really good electrician (not the guy who can replace a wall
> switch) and leave it to him. We all think we know a little about
> electricity, and it's just enough to get a surprise in the form of a lethal
> or nearly lethal shock.
> I'd just as soon not read the news and find that Jeff Strickland was found
> face down with two wires in his hands. ....."let's see now, was that 250
> Amps or 250 Watts???"
> Stick to plumbing repairs. Lots of professional electricians have
> succumbed to electrical shock, but I've yet to hear of a plumber drowning.
>
>

Well as a plumber that works under pools, I have gotten pretty wet....

Then there are the houses that use the cold water pipe as the main
ground for the electrical panel for the house.

Man oh man the blue fire that happens if you happen to cut that SOB with
a 240V dryer or stove or even just the 120V stuff turned on anywhere in
the house is Wicked! Just turns the pipe cutter into instant slag.

I make 'real' sure where the electrical panel is when I cut a cold line
and half the time put a set of booster cables across where I want to cut
if in any doubt.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
ng.com...
> Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>
>> "Mike Romain" > wrote in message
>> g.com...
>>> Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>>> I thought I knew this stuff, but there is a nuance that I'm not
>>>> getting.
>>>>
>>>> I have a fiber optic lighting system in my swimming pool. It takes a
>>>> 24v/250A light bulb. The bubl does not light, but the filiment is okay.
>>>> The power supply (transformer) does not put out any voltage, so I
>>>> bought a new one.
>>>>
>>>> The new transformer is stated to provide 40VA, but the light does not
>>>> come on. My guess is that a VA and a "regular" A are different. What's
>>>> the difference?
>>>>
>>>
>>> Just another thought for you.
>>>
>>> I decided to fix the pool lights at my brother in laws cottage 'way' up
>>> north and talked to a pool tech before going.
>>>
>>> He stated the power transformers were the weak point.
>>>
>>> This fiber unit used a 12 V 75W 'pot light' and a colored spinning wheel
>>> but supposedly could take a 100W.
>>>
>>> Sure enough, I didn't even need to meter the power supply once I saw the
>>> melted solder on the output transistors. A new unit was pricey and I
>>> 'really' don't like replacing 'weak points' with 'new' weak points.
>>>
>>> So I went into the local town to the hardware store, picked up a 120V
>>> 50W bulb (the biggest they had, no 75's), went across the street to a
>>> Radio Shack and found a couple pigtails that fit the bulb's base because
>>> no one had the proper pigtail in town and converted the sucker to a
>>> 'line voltage' box.
>>>
>>> Basically I tossed out the 12 volt crap and just went 120V. It works
>>> great and some day when I go back up if I get ambitious I will up the
>>> bulb to a 75W or even the 100W the 'fixture' says it can handle. There
>>> is a colored wheel to avoid melting.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I did the same thing, I bought a pack of 120v/50w bulbs and did a test
>> run with them. they are not bright enough.
>>
>
> Is that as big as they make for that size I wonder?
>
> I really like the brighter lights because they do a wicked show in a
> snowstorm when sitting in the hot tub.
>
> I think if I could get one without the diffuser lens on it all the light
> would be in a spot on the fiber end. In my case I am only talking a
> 25-50W difference, not a couple hundred like yours...
>
> I was almost thinking on cutting the diffuser off one just to see.
>
> I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
> good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
> voltage light was easy.
>



Swapping this light is easy too. Seriously.

Where I got sideways is that the filiment LOOKS okay, so I checked it with
my meter and it checked good too. As I explained in another post, I either
operated my meter wrong, or it's broken. (I'm inclined to go with "wrong"
for now. Don't ask ... )

On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:23:29 GMT, "Jeff Strickland"
> wrote:

>Adding insult to stupidity, my meter told me that the lamp was very nearly a
>dead short -- as you said it should be -- and that the transformer I had
>wasn't putting out anything. Now that I bought a new transformer, I find
>that the lamp is toast and the old transformer is actually still good. I
>haven't figured out if the meter lied, or I asked the wrong questions -- it
>is loaded up with a **** load of buttons and input taps, and it seems now
>that I may not have pressed the right buttons and filled the right taps.


Listen, first of all, you are not stupid just because you do not know
something, that is why you ask questions. Stupid is not even asking
the question. Some multimeters can be a bit confusing but generallt
you use one set of lead connections for volt and ohms and another for
AMP if your meter supports that (those terminals have a shunt accross
them internally for current measurements) You always what to use 1K
range on ohm meter when checking light bulbs. Also transformers
generally rarely fail and when they do there is usually little doubt
because they will appear or smell burnt. Only a few things can kill a
transformer. The first is overloading it and it overheats and
insulation in winding break down and it shorts out internally. The
second is that a winding open up internall which is really rare in a
power transformer and the third it insulation break down from time and
heat which cause it to short internally. Properly sized for load a
power transfomer can live many many years.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:21:06 -0400, Mike Romain >
wrote:

>I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
>good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
>voltage light was easy.


Obviously you do not because the reason they use reduced voltage
lights around pools and outside is to reduce threat of shock. Only a
idiot would sugeest to upgrade a 24 volt pool light system to wall
voltage. It does kinda fall in line with other comments or ideas you
post in other areas so this is no surprise.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

SnoMan wrote:
> On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:21:06 -0400, Mike Romain >
> wrote:
>
>> I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
>> good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
>> voltage light was easy.
>
>
> Obviously you do not because the reason they use reduced voltage
> lights around pools and outside is to reduce threat of shock. Only a
> idiot would sugeest to upgrade a 24 volt pool light system to wall
> voltage. It does kinda fall in line with other comments or ideas you
> post in other areas so this is no surprise.
> -----------------
> TheSnoMan.com

Listen you insane lying brain dead stalker twerp, 'his' light box is in
a planter and the one I did is behind the 220 panel for the pool motors
sitting right below the light box.

The light box is a 120V unit with the spin motor running on line voltage
and a stepdown transformer to give the 'light' only 12 or 24 volts.

Now once again go screw yourself!

Internet Stalkers are not cool these days as mentioned before or 'Why
Lord can't I at least get a halfway intelligent stalker not some brain
dead asshole'????

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

"SnoMan" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:23:29 GMT, "Jeff Strickland"
> > wrote:
>
>>Adding insult to stupidity, my meter told me that the lamp was very nearly
>>a
>>dead short -- as you said it should be -- and that the transformer I had
>>wasn't putting out anything. Now that I bought a new transformer, I find
>>that the lamp is toast and the old transformer is actually still good. I
>>haven't figured out if the meter lied, or I asked the wrong questions --
>>it
>>is loaded up with a **** load of buttons and input taps, and it seems now
>>that I may not have pressed the right buttons and filled the right taps.
>
>
> Listen, first of all, you are not stupid just because you do not know
> something, that is why you ask questions. Stupid is not even asking
> the question.

The part you missed is where I said, in another part of the thread, that I
built the meter from a kit. If anybody knows how to use this particular
meter, it should be me.



Some multimeters can be a bit confusing but generallt
> you use one set of lead connections for volt and ohms and another for
> AMP if your meter supports that (those terminals have a shunt accross
> them internally for current measurements) You always what to use 1K
> range on ohm meter when checking light bulbs. Also transformers
> generally rarely fail and when they do there is usually little doubt
> because they will appear or smell burnt. Only a few things can kill a
> transformer. The first is overloading it and it overheats and
> insulation in winding break down and it shorts out internally. The
> second is that a winding open up internall which is really rare in a
> power transformer and the third it insulation break down from time and
> heat which cause it to short internally.



Properly sized for load a
> power transfomer can live many many years.

This one has lived for 11 years outside in the garden. It's mounted inside a
box, but it is still a relativley hostile environment for this sort of
stuff. There are bugs living in the box that the transformer lives in. The
light uses 250W, which makes lots of heat -- a Suzy Home Maker Kitchen is
safer to use -- so it needs large holes to draw air through.

"SnoMan" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:21:06 -0400, Mike Romain >
> wrote:
>
>>I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
>>good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
>>voltage light was easy.
>
>
> Obviously you do not because the reason they use reduced voltage
> lights around pools and outside is to reduce threat of shock. Only a
> idiot would sugeest to upgrade a 24 volt pool light system to wall
> voltage. It does kinda fall in line with other comments or ideas you
> post in other areas so this is no surprise.


Before you jump on him, there is 115v all around inside the box. The only
24v load is the light that I'm working on, everything else is 115v, so the
conversion actually makes sense.

I tried it, but the light was not strong enough to do the job.







> -----------------
> TheSnoMan.com

Jeff Strickland wrote:
>
> "SnoMan" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:21:06 -0400, Mike Romain >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
>>> good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
>>> voltage light was easy.
>>
>>
>> Obviously you do not because the reason they use reduced voltage
>> lights around pools and outside is to reduce threat of shock. Only a
>> idiot would sugeest to upgrade a 24 volt pool light system to wall
>> voltage. It does kinda fall in line with other comments or ideas you
>> post in other areas so this is no surprise.
>
>
> Before you jump on him, there is 115v all around inside the box. The
> only 24v load is the light that I'm working on, everything else is 115v,
> so the conversion actually makes sense.
>
> I tried it, but the light was not strong enough to do the job.
>
>

Jeff, this jerkoff only found this group by internet stalking me when I
called him on his dangerous/life threatening bull**** on other groups.

He has serious mental issues as is obvious from some of his posts that
Google has nicely stored.

If he continues, well... I 'am' bored these days. <chuckle>

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Jeff Strickland wrote:

> This one has lived for 11 years outside in the garden. It's mounted
> inside a box, but it is still a relativley hostile environment for
> this sort of stuff. There are bugs living in the box that the
> transformer lives in. The light uses 250W, which makes lots of heat

I built an o-scope (Heathkit). It still works even though it's
now been replaced by a Tektronix unit with a few more features.
http://revbeergoggles.com/temp/o-scope.jpg

Still remember adjusting the deflection voltage +50, -50 and noticing
one of the FETs was a bent over a bit.. so like a dumbass I grabbed
it to straighten it out and it straighten me out.

Not like I was just measuring the damn thing.

noooooooooooooooooooooo


--
DougW

"SnoMan" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:21:06 -0400, Mike Romain >
> wrote:
>
>>I also have worked on pools in various sizes since the 70's and have a
>>good working knowledge of the power setups so swapping over to a line
>>voltage light was easy.
>
>
> Obviously you do not because the reason they use reduced voltage
> lights around pools and outside is to reduce threat of shock. Only a
> idiot would sugeest to upgrade a 24 volt pool light system to wall
> voltage. It does kinda fall in line with other comments or ideas you
> post in other areas so this is no surprise.
> -----------------
> TheSnoMan.com

Hmm. Both pump motors for my pool run on 220V. The underwater pool light is
a 120V, 300W. The light pole on the pool patio is 120V. Everything was
professionally installed and passed inspection.

Until you learn to stifle your preoccupation with Mike, you won't ever be
taken seriously. It's sad reading some of the good advice you give peppered
with crazy rants aimed at only one person.

I blame myself somewhat, I didn't get around to plonking you yet. I'll fix
that right now.