LED cabinet lights, can't make them work with timeswitch

[Murmansk]

I've got a set of three LED light panels designed to go under cabinets etc from Costco

The three panels are connected together by wires and the first panel (that's connected to the mains adaptor) has on it a sensor that allows you to turn them all on or off and to dim them.

The problem is that I want to run them on the timeswitch and although it looks as though this will work, in practice, after having been off a few minutes, turning on the mains supply doesn't make the lights come on - they need to have the sensor touched for them to come on. It's only after a few minutes that this happens, at first it looks fine if you turn the mains on and off the lights go on and off.

The only way I've found to make them work with a timer is to not use the panel with the sensor in, but it seems a waste and I'm wondering if there's anything else I've not thought of?

The original Costco lights of a similar design that I got years ago (Sunbeam) had a sensor that was separate so you could not use it and all would be well.

[alan_m]

Could it be the same logic as many external floodlights? An on - off - on sequence within 30 seconds selects an additional always on mode.

[Murmansk]

Good thought but there's nothing to that effect in the instructions

[Paul]

Unit1 (PWMcurrent?) (PWMCurrent?) AC-DC-Adapter ------ control---------------- Unit2 ----------- Unit3 motion sensitive ON/OFF/Intensity

While they say it is motion sensitive, items like this don't have to be entirely honest about what they're sensing.

It could be sensing IR, like a PIR perhaps.

It's unlikely to be a microwave motion sensor.

It would have to work in complete darkness.

I sure hope the control unit has screws so it can be disassembled for a look.

You could also turn the unit over and see if there are any control switches ("Force ON").

Paul

[GB]

What happens if you stick something over the sensor? I very very much doubt that will work, but ...

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Sounds to me like you need the sensor separate completely. Then you could wire the time switch to bypass the sensor if that is what you want to do. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Either way it will need to be always on to work. Brian

[Paul]

The reviewers here, note the sensor scheme is a menace.

Search term: artica UCL-C8

"turns on all by itself"

"Not happy at all! After just a month of use one flashes on and off CONSTANTLY and the other doesn?t work any longer"

The units are capable of giving a nice light. They're 4000K or so. The three unit draws 27W, put out 1350 lumen.

But the sensor and internal dimmer feature apparently compromise the user experience.

If the unit turns on by itself, as described, I think that pretty well solves the problem :-)

Paul

[alan_m]

Or a passing cockroach or fat also turns them on :)

[John Rumm]

I think I would just wire out (or remove) the internal control logic and drive from your time switch directly. Add an external PIR if you actually want the sensor capability.