But the
ACL 4-bars are 28V with 4 in series, giving 250W@120V per bar. 2.1A * 6 or 4.2A per
phase.
Also, isn't there a square root of 3 involved in those delta/Y 208V calculations?
/mike
Thanks for playing, please don't blow yourself up!
Just a quick note, while ACLs use 28V lamps wired in series, that does not mean that your load does not increase. Each lamp operates at 250W (in fact they probably run slightly hotter since in theory they are getting 30V instead of 28V) for a total of 1000W. So you are in fact running 1000W at 120V with an
ACL bar. Here is the math:
250W @ 30V = 8.333A
1000W @ 120V =8.333A
Consider that when you
wire ACLs in series so that you can run them on 120V
power you are increasing the
voltage and the wattage by 4. For that to happen the
current draw of the
system has to go down by a factor of 4.
IF you were running four ACLs in series on 28V then the wattage would remain constant. This is because with four even loads in series, each would do 1/4 of the total work. Each lamp would operate at 62.5W.
This is the same concept that applies to MR-16 Zip-Strips. A three
circuit strip has five windows for each color and two lamps in each window for a total of ten lamps per
circuit. Since they use 12V MR-16 lamps, the lamps are wired in series to achieve 120V operation. The standard lamp is a 75W 12V lamp for a total of 750W per
circuit.
It is important to remember this when you are working with low
voltage lamps because doing the math incorrectly can land you in a world of hurt. If you
base your show off under-calculated loads you may not be able to achieve the effects you want. If you assume that an
ACL bar only draws 250W and you put for of them on a
dimmer it won't work. So once again let this be a
disclaimer:
electricity is dangerous and can kill. If you are not appropriately trained in proper usage and the appropriate maths involved in working with electricity please seek professional assistance before you start any major electrical projects!