Hello!
I work at a movie studio and went crazy with my office decorations - it looks a bit like Rainforest Cafe, except in the old west.
Well, my lights are LED modules plugged into one outlet and controlled with data from an Arduino microcontroller. In a completely separate outlet (though likely on the same wall-circuit) is a strobe light which is controlled via a 120v relay which receives a 5v signal from a totally separate Arduino microcontroller. Then the two Arduinos are hooked up for serial communication.
Still - whenever the relay comes on (regardless of how long it stays on), a huge power surge floods the lights which eventually fries the boards that they are attached to at $10 a pop!
I have a surge protector on my strobe light - no good.
I have tried unplugging the LED signal from the Arduino - no good.
I've tried plugging something other than a strobe light into the relay (my laptop charger) - no good.
The way I have constructed my relay is that it interrupts the power line and leaves the ground untouched.
* I have no idea how a power surge even occurs when the relay is turned on, other than perhaps theorizing that the potential (and therefore voltage) between a completely empty circuit and one that is happily full is higher.
* I have no idea how the surge finds my lights when there is literally no physical connection between the relay and my lights other than the houses wall circuit
* Not sure why the surge protector isn't working (except if an increase in voltage does not register as a surge?)
* Above all, NOT SURE what the H to do about it!
(astetson cries in his cereal)
Any thoughts?
-A
I work at a movie studio and went crazy with my office decorations - it looks a bit like Rainforest Cafe, except in the old west.
Well, my lights are LED modules plugged into one outlet and controlled with data from an Arduino microcontroller. In a completely separate outlet (though likely on the same wall-circuit) is a strobe light which is controlled via a 120v relay which receives a 5v signal from a totally separate Arduino microcontroller. Then the two Arduinos are hooked up for serial communication.
Still - whenever the relay comes on (regardless of how long it stays on), a huge power surge floods the lights which eventually fries the boards that they are attached to at $10 a pop!
I have a surge protector on my strobe light - no good.
I have tried unplugging the LED signal from the Arduino - no good.
I've tried plugging something other than a strobe light into the relay (my laptop charger) - no good.
The way I have constructed my relay is that it interrupts the power line and leaves the ground untouched.
* I have no idea how a power surge even occurs when the relay is turned on, other than perhaps theorizing that the potential (and therefore voltage) between a completely empty circuit and one that is happily full is higher.
* I have no idea how the surge finds my lights when there is literally no physical connection between the relay and my lights other than the houses wall circuit
* Not sure why the surge protector isn't working (except if an increase in voltage does not register as a surge?)
* Above all, NOT SURE what the H to do about it!
(astetson cries in his cereal)
Any thoughts?
-A