Control Panel Component Finder (6V LEDs)

My control panel is runs on a 12 volt control system to fire the contactors and SSRs. My problem is I looking at have a different color LED (or lamp) lit for each control (manual or BCS) So I running a DPDT ON-OFF-ON switch.

The problem is since the BCS control is only 5 volts I'm having a hard time finding a lamp to light on the control circuit going to the SSRs.

Manual Mode is fine as I run a 12 volt lead directly from the terminal block to switch.

Has anyone seen used a seperate component or lamp in a similar fashion?

Any ideas?

For a 120v or 220v element I would want the indicator connected to the power output from the SSR as opposed to the 5-12V power input from BCS, etc. If you want a light illuminated when in the Manual OR BSC controlled state, you could add a 2nd contact block to the switch, one contact controls the signal wire and the 2nd contact controls the LED.

Thank you for the help. I took the recommendation and moved the lamp to output side on the SSR.

However I ran into an issue. 1/2 of SSRs are leaking enough voltage while in the OPEN state to light the lamp. The two on my pumps work normal but the two for my kettles are lit 100% of the time. I thought ok I fried them, so I replaced one with my spare and it did the same thing. The current at this put is the same of everything. The legs for power for the SSRs come of the same point on the terminal bar. The SSRs are the same 40A units with heatsinks. The only different is the wire for the SSRs controlling the kettles is 10g and the wire for the pumps is 14g.

Today I'll going to switch the last two around and test them. But I don't know what else to look far.

On a similar note: I have noticed, two while brewing when in BCS mode and I turn a kettle of via the screen, the kettle has stayed hot until I manually reset the switch on the control panel to OFF and back ON. As soon as the contactor and SSR are off and back on the BCS will be back in control. What is unusual is that after this 'reset' manual mode and PWD mode on the BCS work normal.

Right the leakage on an SSR could easily be enough to light an indicator lamp. I don't know how your setup is, I'm guessing you have contactors between your SSR and your load? Maybe you can move the indicator downstream of the contactors then. You would still have the same issue except if the load (pump, heat element, etc) is plugged in then the lamp would not illuminate from the leakage current of the SSR. (If load is disconnected or unplugged then the leakage current alone will light the lamp most likely).

That's easy enough to try. It appears just having the pumps plugged into the AUX outlets with contactors is enough to make the leakage either go away or be reduced enough to not light the lamp.

Right, the leakage current is still there, but since the lamp is then in parallel with a relatively low impedance load, the voltage across the load (and lamp) is going to be nearly zero volts. With the lamp alone, having a relatively high impedance, it doesn't take much leakage current to make enough voltage across the lamp to light it.

Moved the lamp to after the contactor didn't help as some as the contactor closed the lamp lit, until one of them already failed... I moved everything around if the pump is in series it's out. If the contactor, with or w/o the kettle plugged it. It says lit. Very odd.

Tested this with all five SSRs.

Can you post your wiring diagram?

It's a standard P-J dual 5500W 240V + 2 120 outlet diagram. Only difference is I had a DPDT switch in front of the SSR for the control source. That the start of the this post was to find a lamp that would light on the BCS control signal. Instead now we're moving the lamp further down the process. On the other half of the control switch I have a 12V lamp that lights when in manual mode.