Photorelay for street lighting

The photo relay is used to illuminate public areas in the evening and at night. This creates not only comfort, but also saves energy on street lighting.

Photorelay for outdoor lighting fixtures perform the function of turning on and off the light source. They begin to work when the light is reduced and turn off when the day comes. The photorelay is used for automatic control of lighting in the streets, courtyards, home areas, playgrounds. Also, this device can significantly reduce energy costs.

Any outdoor luminaire can be optionally equipped with a photosensitive relay. At the heart of this device is an element that responds to the brightness of light. Depending on the model and manufacturer, these can be gas discharge elements, photoresistors, photodiodes. These elements can be mounted in the lamp or remote.

Sunlight falls on the photocell, and a change in resistance occurs or an electric current is generated. The electronic system, when changing the parameters, triggers and starts the electromagnetic relay, which in turn turns on the lamp for outdoor lighting. In the morning, when the level of illumination of the device rises, the load drops and the relay turns off.

Advantages and characteristics

The photo relay has many positive aspects:

1. Creates comfort and safety.
2. Power saving
3. Lack of control for turning on and off the lighting.

The main disadvantage - This is an additional cost for the purchase and installation of the device.

Main technical specifications:

1. The voltage in the network, usually 220 V, with a frequency of 50 Hz.
2. The maximum current indicator, most often from 5 to 16 Hz;

The maximum load current level depends on the power, and the stronger the load, the greater should be the current indicator.

The load is directly related to type of lamp:

1. Range of outdoor lighting at which the relay is triggered.
2. Power consumption of the photosensitive device.
3. stipulated delay from short dimming.
4. Ambient temperature.
5. Shell protection level.

The ambient light level at which the switching system is triggered is in the range from 5 to 50 lux. It is also possible to adjust this indicator.

The photosensitive relay consumes from 0.1 to 1 W in the so-called sleep mode and from 5 to 10 W in working condition. Most models are equipped with a special on-off delay system, which makes it possible to avoid accidental failures.

For areas with different temperature conditions, various instrument options are provided. A normal photosensitive relay should work from -20 to +50 degrees Celsius. There is an international classification of protection levels, according to which a relay installed on the street needs a marking of at least IP44.

The degree of protection, according to the international system, is protection against the penetration of water and solid objects.

Kinds

For outdoor lighting photorelay there are:

1. With built-in or remote light sensor.
2. Combined with motion sensor.
3. With the ability to adjust the threshold.
4. With the ability to program control.

A model with a remote sensor is installed in an electrical panel, while the sensor is mounted externally and connected to the cable. For a model with a built-in sensor, the following operating conditions are required: tight and resistant to damage to the housing with increased requirements for protection from adverse external factors Wednesday.

The option of combining a photosensitive relay with a motion sensor will only be enabled if the moving object is within the range of the sensor. Most photo relay models have adjustments, for example, a built-in timer, a switch.

There are also models with the ability to program the time to turn on and off the light for a long time. They are of two types with their own interface or with the ability to connect to a computer and remote control. The use of such models leads to significant reductions in electricity.

Cost and best manufacturers

The construction market has a wide price range from 269 to 11,250 rubles. The cheapest models from a Chinese manufacturer, average at the price of a photo relay of Belarusian and Russian production. The bar of high prices was taken by firms in Spain and Germany.

The cost of a photo relay depends on the manufacturer, brand, design, degree of protection, warranty period, and equipment. The cost is affected by the quality of the case, its tightness and resistance to damage.

The price of models may differ from points of sale, but on average is:

Photosensor LXP-02 220V

Production China, the cost of 269 rubles;

Photo relay FR-3E on Din rail IP20

Production of NTK Composite St. Petersburg with a remote sensor on the wire 970 m long and a temperature difference from -40 to +40 degrees Celsius, the cost is 509 rubles.

FR-10T

Production Relays and Automation Moscow, the cost of 3 386 rubles.

Ф1260700 LUNA

From Theben Germany with integrated sensor, with an outdoor temperature from -35 to 55 degrees Celsius the cost of 4,580 rubles;

TWA-1 astronomer

From the Spanish manufacturer ABB with mounting on Dinrail, with a 5-year battery and two modules. The cost of 8,461 rubles.

Photorelay BJE2240W-53

Production ABB, with a built-in sensor, a large range of lighting -30-500 lux, the cost of 11 250 rubles.

When buying, you need to choose a photo relay taking into account technical characteristics, reliability and design features. For one lamp, 100 W, any model is suitable.

When connecting several fixtures, it is necessary to calculate the load current. To do this, you need to divide the power of all lamps by 220 watts. The resulting figure must be compared with the load current of the device.

The most popular domestic and foreign manufacturers of photosensitive relays:

1. Spanish companies: Legrand, ORBIS, ABB.
2. Czech company ELKO EP.
3. German manufacturer Theben.
4. Belarusian enterprises Nootehnika, Euroavtomatika FiF.
5. Domestic manufacturers: Relays and automation, Astro-UZO (Moscow), Meander, NTK Composite (St. Petersburg), AVAR (Pskov).

It is advisable to buy directly from manufacturers, it is also necessary to pay attention to the warranty period.

How to connect with your own hands?

Connecting a device with a photo relay can be done by yourself. All work is performed when the voltage is off. First, the lamp is mounted on the facade of the building or on a support (mast).

Then the photo relay is installed according to the diagram below so that light from the lamp does not get on it. When mounting the photo relay to the wall surface, you must first strengthen the special bracket. And then fix it with a screw to the relay housing.

The simplest photo relay connection scheme with integrated sensor:

There are terminals, one pair of them is connected to the mains, the other to the lamp.

If there are no terminals, then there are three colored wires in the case.

In this case, you need:

1. Photo relay model.
2. Junction box with protection not less than at the photorelay device.
3. Special spring terminals for wire connections.

Walkthrough:

1. First install the junction boxin which there are four places for connecting wires. Two wires are connected to the network, one of them to the phase, the other to zero. The free red wire and blue connected to zero connect to the lamp.
2. After these works you need to connect the current and darken the photocell to check that the lamp is on.

Blue wire - this is zero, the power wire is usually brown and the red wire is used to connect to the lamp. There are models with wires of other colors, then you need to familiarize yourself with the connection diagram on the packaging of the device.

Adjustment

For adjustment, a special sensitivity adjustment device is used. This procedure is carried out in after dusk. First, the delay parameter is set to 0 on the photo relay, then using the device you need to adjust the necessary parameter.

There is also a manual adjustment method. To do this, the regulator is located at the bottom of the relay. To turn on the device only after dark, you need to turn the knob from the side where the minus is drawn.

If the device should work at dusk, you need to set the regulator to the side with a plus. To save electricity, some models can be configured to turn the lamp off and on at night.

Tips

1. When buying, it is advisable to choose a model with a connection diagram. Many manufacturers print the scheme on the packaging and on the body of the product. The absence of a scheme may indicate a poor quality product.
2. When mounting the photo relay, it must be installed so that it does not fall shadow from a tree and other objects, and also that it is not illuminated by a lamp. Since this will lead to the constant switching on and off of the device.