weird issue

[visual800]

I have a right angle sign located on corner of 2 streets, it has 2 faces. I placed LEDs in the sign with 2 drivers. My LEDs were UNDER the total amount I could put on one driver. It has been burning for 2 weeks no issues. The placed called and said one side it out. I went there and checked my connections. I got power going into driver and coming out of driver AND I got power running between most of LED modules. I checked everything connection I made and even redid some. Still no lights.

What in the h@ll could be going on? My next step is to swap power supplies and see what happens then

 

[weyandsign]

Did you use Christmas lights instead of sign LEDs?

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I had a slew of power supplies go over the last few months. Think I got a bad batch. Always keep some backup LED drivers in your truck.

 

[visual800]

I had a slew of power supplies go over the last few months. Think I got a bad batch. Always keep some backup LED drivers in your truck.

I hope thats what it is!

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

To help diagnose, you can also take the leads off the LEDs and put them into a 12v battery from your tools..

 

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

I always calculate load, and use a PSU of almost double the capacity.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Or your truck battery, this is only good for a test bump, do not leave it hooked up. Unless they have a current regulator chip built in, you could dump too much amperage through the modules and end up wrecking them for long terms sake, but they would still burn for the moment.

I would have swapped the ps between the two cabinets to see if that could be the issue. Did you run the modules in multiple legs, or just one long run? One long run can burn out the first few modules due to too much amperage passing through them, though your power supply and led data sheets should tell you how many modules in a run. What brand modules?

Earlier this week we came behind some electricians who made final connection on one of our installs. They somehow decided to hook up the power supply to half the letters that were on a raceway, then proceeded to route primary into the other two individual letters with conduit and fittings instead of behind the wall, and hook then primary up to the modules. Just to reiterate, these were licensed and bonded electricians. Luckily they didn't burn the building down.

Do not start with me on what real licensed and bonded electricians are capable of doing and fucking up. Last month my customer complained that one of the signs we installed was blowing their circuit and causing their lights not to come on. They had a licensed electrician working on the construction site and he confirmed it's our sign. I apologized to the client and said there must be a short somewhere because that's really the only thing that could be tripping the breaker. I call the sign installers and they hook it up to their generator and all is well. Ends up they had too many lights on their circuit. All this back and forth and having people go out there and waste time and the idiot electrician couldn't diagnose a simple problem. It's always "must be the thing OTHER people did... not my fault" attitude. Lazy

 

[visual800]

Well! I went back yesterday to swap the power supplies and see if one was faulty. I dont know how I missed this when I was there the other day BUT the one thats not lighting up was actually busted and a little brown discolorization at top of it. Ive got 120v coming into the sign and each power supply is running UNDER the specified load of modules it could handle. I called the supplier and they issued an RMA

 

[Gino]

Well, tex and JB..... call me stupid, but isn't this why nothing else is supposed to be on the same circuit as your sign ?? It's always been our way of doing it. All electric signs must be on a dedicated line.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Well, tex and JB..... call me stupid, but isn't this why nothing else is supposed to be on the same circuit as your sign ?? It's always been our way of doing it. All electric signs must be on a dedicated line.

You can ask that all you want .... My rule is, if there is a J box labeled "Sign" I'll connect to it... otherwise I take pictures of it lighting off the generator and call it a day.

 

[visual800]

the power suplly slit open and had burn coloring on top of it, im assuming this was defective

 

[MikePatterson]

The crap I've seen around here, it's a wonder most of the buildings haven't burned down.