DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx Aether => Topic started by: thestig on January 12, 2012,
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I am planning on ordering multiple Aether II's when the coop begins and have been looking into a transformer. I really like the idea of being able to plug the aether right into a normal 120ac socket. (without having to wire them all to the normal 200 watt 12vac transformer on the wiki). Could i just mount these transformers to the back of each of the aethers instead?
http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Lighting-Transformer-Daylight-Sensor/dp/B002LBXV4S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top (http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Lighting-Transformer-Daylight-Sensor/dp/B002LBXV4S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
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nice price!
I think the wattage on the Aether2 was 45W.
So, it looks like it should work.
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One more question, does the Aeither II have an option to just use the white led as a shop light led without having a dmx signal?
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There is a jumper block that can be connected to a switch for this very purpose. I haven't tried it though.
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Been meaning to post this and like everything else, never got around to it, but I used one of those for my Aether in my show this year. It seemed to work great. I had some weird issues with my Aether (random colors flashing while the show was off [think disco here] among others), but I don't know that I can contribute that to the power supply. Most of the time it worked great and I think there may have been something else going on or I may have had the terminate switch in the wrong position, etc.
I know one of my reservations about the new Aether was having to spend another $40+ for a power supply after the cost of the light itself. Suddenly it was not economical for me, but these transformers made it so again. I may even see about using these and having an option for them in the next coop.
Hope that helps,
-Keith
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I may even see about using these and having an option for them in the next coop.
That sounds great!
Any idea when the coop will be started?
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Not 100% sure. Suspect that it will be first quarter or early 2nd. I know RJ is working his way down the list of desired coops. I believe this is on the list, just below some others.
Thanks,
-Keith
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i guess you'd have to set that transformer to run at night (it has a timer).
also, the aetherII could be run as a seperate "worklight" but you still have to power it by a landscaping transformer. so it wouldn't be as convenient.
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These transformers are like any other landscape transformer. They have a manual overide for on and off as well as the timer of staying on for 4-6-8hrs after dark. The idea behind these is that you could also use this as a worklight as its a self contained unit (the Transformer is connected directly to the light) and the light plugs into any normal 120VAC socket through this transformer.
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i know, but just saying, it wouldnt be as convenient as a normal worklight, that you can carry, plug in, and your ready...
this would have an oversized version of a wall wart to power it as a work light, and not something self contained in the device
i use a worklight, but i'd buy a seperate light to use as the case for the aetherII as i'd still want to keep my worklight since it would be more convenient for me.
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ok, gotcha. I probably won't use it for that, but i like the option. I already have some nice outdoor outlets around my house that will be nice to plug into. I am also going to use the rx wireless on them so that I can keep the cords to a minimum. I can see your point though. at 7 dollars a piece shipped these just happen to work for what i want and was wanting to let other people know their options.
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These look awesome...thanks for the tip!
Mike E.
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at 7 dollars a piece shipped these just happen to work for what i want and was wanting to let other people know their options.
I am seeing these at $11.12 shipped? Shipping prices don't really get better with quantity either. Still a good deal though.
Originally I was kinda spooked by the thought of using 12VAC and looked for solutions like this but I found a deal on a larger tranny. Only part I didn't anticipate was making sure the tranny was mounted vertically 18" off ground. With that in mind, I would prefer to use just one feeding multiple aethers instead of one per aether. Also, I just used regular AC cords labeled 12V for connecting the aethers and tranny.
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What I'd really like to do, is to leverage cheap power strips and connectors -- but run 12vac in the yard. Then I could use left-over extension cords, splitters, etc. s to carry the 12v power from the transformer to the aethers.
But it seems that I'd just create a huge problem for myself or my family in allowing just the possibility of having 12v plugged into a 120v system, or a 120v plugged into 12v.
Maybe >:D there is a way to alter the system... like using 3-prong (grounded) wiring... but cut off the neutral connector on the plugs, and pour glue into the matching hole in the receptacles.
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What I'd really like to do, is to leverage cheap power strips and connectors -- but run 12vac in the yard. Then I could use left-over extension cords, splitters, etc. s to carry the 12v power from the transformer to the aethers.
But it seems that I'd just create a huge problem for myself or my family in allowing just the possibility of having 12v plugged into a 120v system, or a 120v plugged into 12v.
Maybe >:D there is a way to alter the system... like using 3-prong (grounded) wiring... but cut off the neutral connector on the plugs, and pour glue into the matching hole in the receptacles.
Steve, you could get connectors from Ray, but with a different pinout (like 2 pin, or 4 pin connectors instead of thr 3 pin used for smart strings.
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What I'd really like to do, is to leverage cheap power strips and connectors -- but run 12vac in the yard. Then I could use left-over extension cords, splitters, etc. s to carry the 12v power from the transformer to the aethers.
But it seems that I'd just create a huge problem for myself or my family in allowing just the possibility of having 12v plugged into a 120v system, or a 120v plugged into 12v.
Maybe >:D there is a way to alter the system... like using 3-prong (grounded) wiring... but cut off the neutral connector on the plugs, and pour glue into the matching hole in the receptacles.
Steve, you could get connectors from Ray, but with a different pinout (like 2 pin, or 4 pin connectors instead of thr 3 pin used for smart strings.
That would defeat my 'cheap' time-saving intent. I'd have to solder and heat shrink... and I'd need to find a 1-multi solution (or add more connectors with caps) to be able to daisy-chain...
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this year, i placed all of my wire junctions inside unused TA200 enclosures. stuck the wires in, used wire nuts, and electrical tape. in my case it helped speed up things, ( iwas using spt1, and spt2 wire ran out to the devices, instead of using extension cords)
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Has anyone found another transformer for cheap? The first link posted seems to be out of stock.
Or would this work?
http://totaltransformers.com/105-watt-12v-ac-electronic-encapsulated-transformer.html
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How are other people powering their units since this part is unavailable? Using 1 large capacity landscape transformer and hooking up multiple runs parallel to the various floodlights? I guess I could attach a short 1 foot or so piece soldered to the floodlight and then use wirenuts to attach to the cables and then wrapped in electrical tape. I would need something removable as my run lengths would be different for Halloween and Christmas. It would be so much easier if someone found a replacement for the transformer listed in this thread.
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Is there anything wrong with the model mentioned by djcolin above?
I noticed it only comes with 2 input and output leads, but I have a ton of extra male plugs I could attach to complete these.
There is also no mention of whether they are waterproof or not, but it does mention in the production description as being excellent for lighting use.
I'm not opposed to using a larger transformer as RJ probably intended, but my display is so widely dispersed that I don't think I can take advantage of just one transformer, since I need power in at least 3 different locations ... and even some of those are fairly far apart.
Either way, I have extension cords feeding controllers everywhere, so I could run these standalone units just about as easily and they are cheap. I almost feel putting these in a bag or small container and just hooking them up local to each Aether might be the most economical for me.
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is there a guide for how many watts in the power supply per aether ii?
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got it, 40 watts in the power supply per aether ii
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I had heard 45 or 48 watts each ... probably on a post hear somewhere
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Some of those AC Switching Power supplies are only for use with halogen/incandescent lighting like you’d find in a retail display case. Many of them produce a non-sinusoidal waveform, i.e. square-ish wave and can be really electrically noisy, not to mention as poorly regulated as a Missouri politician.
Buyer beware!
:) joe
(The fellow on live chat said they didn't have any additional documentation.)
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I wanted to let you guys know that my aether II is having issues with the small transformer that I listed above. It is turning itself on when I leave it plugged in without any data being sent. I assume this is do to a cheap power supply. I believe lonewolf had the same issue with the power supply. I could be wrong though and I havn't built any more aethers to see if the power supply is the problem for sure.
Grant
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Grant, my Aethers' light up as well when i just plug them in, that is until I plug DMX into them, then they work as advertised. Doesn't seem to make any difference which power supply they're being fed from.
I did find a smaller power supply for anyone who simply wants each Aether to be able to plug into the wall right next to their destination. It's a little bit noisy, even when I enclosed it in the worklight case, but it doesn't flicker or have problems like some of the ones that look like this but are specifically made for halogen lights.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370621383754?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
This one works well (minus the noise) but takes a while to ship from Hong Kong.
Good Luck, and Thank You RJ, Keith, and everyone else here.