Photocell for street lighting: wiring diagrams, recommendations for use

Automatic lighting with the

photo light To fully automate the switching on and off of lighting or other electrical appliances, you can install a photo relay for street lighting in the power circuit. Depending on the setting, it can turn on the power when darkness turns on, and turn it off in bright time.

What is a photo relay

This device is a sensor connection that is sensitive to light rays with a feed circuit. As a result, when light hits him, he becomes an insulator, and in the dark becomes a conductor. Thus, it turns on the inclusion of lighting at night and turning it off at dawn.

A regulator can be set to adjust the threshold for triggering under different conditions. It is placed on the outside of the case and can be adjusted at any time. When you rotate it in the direction of the minus the device will react only with the onset of darkness, and if you put the maximum in the plus side, then there will be a reaction already at the beginning of twilight.

There are versions of this device in which the light sensor is taken separately from the switch and connected via a cable. These types are mainly used in complex systems, which are placed in special shields where there is no sunlight.

It is also possible to connect a photo relay, via the device's operation timer. It can be programmed to turn the controller on and off. This helps to use it at different time intervals. For example, in the daytime with good lighting, it can generally be disconnected from the network by a timer. Only when the time of his work is approaching, food is served.

If the connection of the photo relay follows the described scheme, additional energy is saved and the service life of the system as a whole increases. The timer has a memory that is designed for a period of one month to one year. In it, you can take into account the different period of the light day and make the sensor work more correct.

The principle of the

The street photocell has a special sensor in its design. It can be in the form of a photoresistor, a phototransistor, a photo thyristor, a photothyristor or a photodiode. Each of them reacts differently to light irradiation:

• The resistor type changes its resistance value.
• Transistor type regulates the electrical signal during irradiation.
• The triac type interacts with the negative or positive harmonic component and provides a signal to the control circuit that is located in it.
• The thyristor type works with direct current and upon irradiation with light begins the interaction.
• The diode type generates a pulse upon irradiation, which is directly proportional to the intensity of illumination.

How to install the lighting controller

In most cases, the photo-relay for street lighting is installed close to the light source. But at the same time, it is necessary to exclude light from the lamp from reaching the regulator. To do this, you need to find a shadow in advance and install it there.

Three conductors come out of the regulator case, which must be properly connected to the mains and the lamp:

• The brown conductor is connected to the mains supply phase.
• The blue conductor is intended for zero. Also, a conductor from the lamp is connected to it.
• The red wire is the controller and leads directly from the regulator to the lamp.

There are times when there is a separate ground conductor in the network that prevents accidental voltage supply to the housing. In this case, the photo relay, the connection circuit of which is described above, is also connected, but this conductor goes directly to the lamp, bypassing the regulator. Also it is worth noting that different manufacturers have differences in color marking, so you need to know the principle of the connection:

• The phase is always connected only to the controller.
• Zero goes to the regulator and the lamp.
• The phase for the lamp comes from the regulator.

Tips for connecting a photo relay

If you want to control the operation of several lamps at the same time, you need to know how to connect the photo relay to a large number of consumers. To do this, you need a special controller, which will receive a signal from the controller and accordingly control the lighting.

When selecting a photo relay for street lighting, you should pay attention to the way it is connected. The availability of special terminals for clamping the wires greatly simplifies installation. If you have to install a photo relay, the connection diagram of which does not have terminals, then you need to use a junction box. It reliably protects connecting wires from getting water on them. You also need to see if there is a drawing on the body of the connection. If it is not, then such a manufacturer should not be strongly trusted.

At installation it is necessary to remember that the minimum limit of operation of the sensor is 5 lux, and this happens when the street is still light enough. Therefore, savings with such sensitivity can be called into question.

How to choose a photo relay

To properly select a photo relay, you need to decide how it should work, and what additional functions are needed. If you want to turn off one bulb and the response time is not so important, then an inexpensive photo relay is not suitable for regulation. It will be the optimal solution at the expense of price and functionality.

If you need to control the whole line of lighting, then in this case you need a photoconductor with a sensitivity control. Also, control power switches are required, which will receive a signal and execute a command for the entire line.

Scope of the

control sensor

In most cases, the connection of a photocell is required to control external lighting. But you can also use it for other purposes. It can be the control of the ventilation system, watering of plants and other devices.

Advantages of using the controller and manufacturers

If a street light switch is installed in the power supply circuit for lighting, it can save a large amount of electricity. This will happen due to switching off the lamp during daylight hours. There may also be variants of combining this element with the motion sensor. In this case, the lighting will only work when it is necessary.

The main manufacturers of photo-relays are the companies EKF, TDM, IEK and others. In addition, they also supply other auxiliary equipment for the installation and operation of regulators.

Pin

When using a photo relay for street lighting, the lamp glow period is fully controlled. They work only in those time ranges when lighting is needed. Due to the combined parallel connection, it is possible to control the whole system of lamps. Such automation significantly simplifies operation and increases the resource of the entire system.

As a result of the use of automation, a significant amount of electricity is saved. Also, there is no need to attract permanent human intervention to control lighting.

For installation of a photo-relay, the connection diagram is always printed on the case. Also on it there is a special regulator, which exposes the sensitivity of the device to the light. Depending on its position, you can set the desired trigger limit.