Home Brew Lighting System

[GreenWeek]

Hi,
This is a newbie in home brewing.
I want to make a light project using relays.
I've done a little search about it. This what I the whole tuturials I found.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp21wF8e4XnjNSQHJcnvNSDdb1wsPOfHi&feature=view_all
I have this relay and I noticed that this page has the same light project video.
I was about to make a same one but some one told that the plugs are wired completely wrong. Red and black go to each of the brass screws after the tab is broken, not the green screw. The bare copper goes to the green. Also, that big enclosure is definitely not supposed to be placed outside. And he said this thing is a fire waiting to happen.
Is he correct?

 

[mjdonnelly68]

1. I think you have the wrong Home-brew website

2. I agree with him that tragedy is inevitable

 

[mattd2]

Yeah you might have more luck over at www.arduino.cc/forum
And I wouldn't follow those videos - at best they are using the wrong type of power cable and therfore the colours don't match the standard, at worst that things going to burn down as soon as you flip the switch

 

[reynolds5520]

Hmmm, this is a bit off topic for this forum but maybe the moderators will leave it as generic enough information about how to safely wire electronic control of 120 VAC loads in an outdoor application.



I have watched the part 1 video from the link, but not any others - I will comment on the wiring of the receptacles as shown in part 1. I didn't watch any of the others so my comments don't address anything he may have done later.


There is nothing at all dangerous about how those receptacles are wired. It is a bit unusual is all.


He is using 14/3 type NM wire to the receptacles. That cable type has 3 insulated conductors, black, white, and red, and a bare ground conductor inside a non-metallic (NM) sheath.

In most uses you would see the bare ground wire connected to the ground screw on the receptacle. Instead, he chose to use the red wire as the ground wire. Not a problem, but it should be labelled with green tape at each end to show that it is being used as a ground.


Also unusual, he has split the neutral side of the duplex receptacles and run individual white wires to each. A more common wiring layout for something like this would have one white wire running to the duplex receptacle with the jumper left in place between the individual receptacles. Then the red to the hot side of one receptacle, black to the other hot, and the bare copper to the ground. (Possibly he is splitting the neutrals so he can have each receptacle running close to its full current rating - more than a single white wire could handle.)



He probably shows this later, all the grounds should be tied together and to the cabinet, and the individual receptacle boxes bonded to the cabinet as well.


Something else to consider. That enclosure is weather resistant for outdoor use but only when it is closed. The lighting cords should come in through a large opening in the bottom so the cover can be closed in use. Also, with the relay board mounted in the cabinet, there are live 120 V AC circuits exposed when the cover is open. Either put the relay board inside an enclosure in the cabinet, or disconnect all power coming in before opening the cover, and make sure the cover is secured, not just latched, so that curious kids can't poke around in there when it is live.


If I were building this, I would skip the type NM cables and buy type THHN individual conductors for use inside this cabinet.


One final note, I hope this will have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) on the feed.