Finding wiring problem - help?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Info on the fixture, model? I'd like to find out more about it. Might help in providing further advice on how to troubleshoot.

Oops.

ATI SunPower dimmable T5 6x39W.

http://fastlight.co.uk/acatalog/ATI%...e%20MANUAL.pdf

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Myka

Oops.

ATI SunPower dimmable T5 6x39W.

http://fastlight.co.uk/acatalog/ATI%...e%20MANUAL.pdf

Hmm, yesss. Dimmable fluorescent tubes, some black magic going on there. Fluorescents are generally designed to run at a certain voltage/current & it's tricky business dimming them. In any case, that's kind of beside the point & not helpful with the fan problem. The link to the fixture manual definitely helps in formulating some theories as to what the problem may be. Unfortunately I have a feeling it's beyond the scope of multimeter troubleshooting!

"6. ATI Active Cooling.
Active cooling is managed by the automatic Temperature Management System (TMS).
When the temperature inside the pendant increases the fan speed will increase. If the correct temperature is not achieved by the fans the TMS will automatically dimm the tubes until a workable temperature is achieved and will then automatically increase brightness of the tubes to pre programmed settings.
Operation of the TMS will be shown by a exclamation mark at the top right top of the display (as shown in the diagram right), this is normal and is protecting the pendant and tubes to run within the correct operating temperature."

Not only could there be an electronic problem, but it appears there's some software at work here as well! In addition to an oscilloscope to chase down signals, you might need a software geek. There's a lot to be said for a good old standard non-dimmable fluorescent fixture like a Hagen GLO!

Also, how confident are you in the seller's story about everything being functional before he/she shipped it? May well be true, not trying to cast doubt on an individual, but.... Could have been mishandled during the shipping process too. Was the parcel in good shape on receipt?

Again, hope you're able to get the fans working, but I fear it's an electronic or software issue. The ultimate solution may be to hard wire the fans somehow so that they run full bore any time the fixture is on if you wish to salvage the light. May be more work than is worthwhile and not confident that a multimeter is going to help very much, but who knows!?

EDIT: I assume you've run the diagnostic test shown at the end of the user manual, para 10. Problems and diagnostic testing?

[hillegom]

If the fan increases in rpm the hotter the fixture gets, maybe all that is wrong is the sensor that detects the degree (amount) of heat. If that sensor is bad and only reads itself "cold", then the fan would never turn on.
Hopefully, something has disconnected during shipping.
GL

[Myka]

Mike, yes I know, KISS!!!! The fans are a known issue with these fixtures. I assume the seller was telling the truth, and I have no reason to question that. It's neither here nor there, besides possibly tracking down why the fans aren't working. Today didn't work out quite as planned, so I didn't get a chance to work on the fixture, but hopefully Thursday or Friday.

If all else fails, I will just re-install the fans and run a wire out to an outlet and they can be on 24/7 for all I care. I little extra air movement around the tank should doesn't hurt anything.

Originally Posted by hillegom

If the fan increases in rpm the hotter the fixture gets, maybe all that is wrong is the sensor that detects the degree (amount) of heat. If that sensor is bad and only reads itself "cold", then the fan would never turn on.
Hopefully, something has disconnected during shipping.
GL

I can set the fixture to demo mode which goes through all the dimming and the fan dimming too, and they don't turn on during the demo either.

[Myka]

So, claynelson came over yesterday, and while he was here he took a peek at the fans. Says, "There's power at the connections." Well, I'll be darned. So he re-stripped the wires and inserted them into the connections properly (that was another problem), and VOILA! Well, that was easy.