LED lights outside

[Munro]

Hi!

 

Last year I acquired some IP65 led lights, I believe they were very cheap, but seem to be quite robust.

 

They are the Visage LED wall washer.

 

The top of the LEDs has a tough piece of waterproof sealed perspex over it, with IP65 written on it.

 

So I am happy that these lights will be ok outside at Christmas.

 

What I am not sure about is the power and DMX. As they have 13amp plugs and XLR3 DMX.

 

It doesn't take rocket science to work out that 13amp plugs in wet weather are not good, I have been thinking about using one of those B&Q waterproof extension lead boxes. Any thoughts? Is there a better way to do this? (ie, a little DIY job of my own.)

 

With regard to DMX, I have no idea what to do for the best, as they have little 20cm leads coming out of the back of the LED, with a male/female XLR on the end.

 

Cheers

[Dj Dunc]

Personally Id cut off the 13amp plugs and replace them for 16amp. AS for the XLR joins, Id wrap them in clingfilm, then put a plastic bag over the joins, then gaffer that on.

[Avantls]

I agree with Dj Dunc,

I did the same last xmas with some Snow Machines. Changed them over to 16a plugs, then wrapped the DMX shrink wrap and insulated tape on each end. Then wrapped the whole thing in plastic bag.

Not ideal but worked November till January.

[Robin Pratt]

Agreed on the 16A plugs for mains

 

As for the DMX, cling film and plastic is the "quick and dirty" way and it usually works very well. If you do want something a bit more official looking, Neutrik do make IP67 XLRs http://www.neutrik.com/uk/en/audio/204_252...roductlist.aspx but I expect they'll be expensive!

[dmoffat]

I agree with the 16A connectors.

 

With regards to DMX, as Robin was saying, there are IP rated XLR connectors.

From CPC they are less than £5 per connector, which isn't cheap, but potentially worth it.

I guess the other real issue is that then all your DMX Cables to connect these up also need heavy duty connectors on them.

I have seen normal neurtik XLR connectors used outdoors, and we wrapped the joins in silicon tape, which sealed the joints well, which is much easier to apply and remove than clingfilm, plastic bags and all the other bits.

 

http://cpc.farnell.com/neutrik/nc3mxx-hd-d...Ntt=NC3MXX-HD-D

http://cpc.farnell.com/neutrik/nc3fxx-hd-d...Ntt=NC3FXX-HD-D

 

The connectors from CPC.

 

Hope this helps.

Dave

[Munro]

looks like XLRs are going to be bagged and insulation taped... or something like that anyway.

 

Any ideas on the cheapest place for 16amp plugs/sockets?

[Dj Dunc]

Youre probably looking at £2.20-£2.50 per unit at CPC. In regards to your distribution of power, I would HIGHLY reccomend you invest in some 16amp T pieces, so you can run one chain, and just break out as needed, rather than running separate cabling out to each unit from your distro. These units from memory are about £25 quid, but they make things a lot neater, and you need a lot less cabling.

[Munro]

Would I be ok running 5 LEDs on 16amp plugs into a 13amp plug (inside)?

 

I would think that it would be fine as they are only 2 amps each. And the reason that 16amp plugs were suggested was for waterproofing.

 

Thought it best to check.

[Dj Dunc]

Yep youll be completely fine. In any case if you used normal lights, if you drew to much, the only thing that would happen is you would blow the 13 amp fuse. As you are running around 10 amps then you will be happily fine.

[bruce]

Would I be ok running 5 LEDs on 16amp plugs into a 13amp plug (inside)?

I would think that it would be fine as they are only 2 amps each.

 

Are you sure? There appear to be 2 versions of the product you mention, rated at 25 and 50 watts. So that's 0.1 and 0.2 amps...

[paulears]

If they're going to be outside for a period, the bag method will almost certainly let in water - my solution (and I've been doing it for ages) is self-amalgamating tape. CPC sell it, and a couple of proper wraps of this will make it properly waterproof - even with the normal XLRs.

[Grahame]

I'm with Paul - Le Mark sell Kraken tape, which is less gunky to use than normal self-amalgamating tape. It's fantastic stuff - as used by Pirates of the Caribbean!

[Munro]

Must have been thinking of a different fixture, and I was rather shocked to see they cost £700!

 

Is the high price cos they are IP65?

 

They will be out for less than 24 hours, and the cables will be elevated off the ground, so I think the bags may survive.

[musht]

Self Amalgamating Tape comes in 2 flavours , Poly Iso Butyrate, PIB, and Silicone Self Fusing, AKA Rescue Tape, PIB is cheaper and just as effective for cable joins , it was developed for high voltage cable joins,Silicone, the e at the end is important, is more expensive but comes in prettier colours and will also repair hoses under pressure.

 

If your going to bag connectors would tape off one end and leave other end open, facing downwards, trying to seal water out can reult in it getting trapped just as well to let it a way to escape.

[Brian]

Am I the only one amused by an IP65 rated unit which has un-rated 200mm cables to connect it up?