CTB16 PCg3

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kwiksmart

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Nov 13, 2011
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Brisbane
I have two LOR CTB16 PCg3 controllers and some 240v lights I would like to use with them. Here is a list of lights I have: 18 sets of Big W lights, various rope lights, candy canes, 10 rope light motifs, a few sets of lights from a christmas lights shop, 4 My T brites light sets, Mega tree from deals direct, waterfall lights, 2 sets of little santas on garden stakes, 2 sets of 40 fibre optic lights and other bits and pieces.

Wondering what is safe to use with the LOR 240v controllers.

Would also like to know how to bypass contollers and if you can get rid of the transformers on some sets.
 
all the 240V stuff can be used on the ctb16pc's and from memory mytbrite lights are designed for 240V? so should have no problems with these, the rope light motifs would more than likely be 240V and can go on the LOR controller, and I think the rest can be converted to DC use.


You can get rid of the transformers when you put them on a DC board, and there is a thread somewhere regarding the bypassing of controllers that i shall find for you, otherwise Aussiexmas was good in helping me do mine, i would post a picture of the inside of the controller and advice would begiven about which points to solder
 
hi kwik wit he the my t brite lights they can run off the contorller no trouble if they are the ones he sell with with the 240 power to attach to his strings. my display is all my t brite lights this year. im running 48 channels with 3 x ctb16 boards
 
Okay, have got the controller open, (what a mess), but the board came away completely. If I push it back into the glued area will it still be safe?
(it is a set of big w icicle lights. Board looks like the dick smith one)
 
The circuit board is usually wedged into the plastic case, sometimes with resin around the wire entry area.

If the board came out without the wires, it may be the type that has the wire sockets embedded in the resin.

As long as the socket pins were not damaged during opening, you should be ok to push the board back in.

If it uses a transformer, the alternative is to do the Total MFC Removal in the wiki.
 
yes, it pushed back in but don't know if i have damaged any of them yet. The solderingIron i have bought is a 50w & 100w dual power, 240v and 10gram flux core solder. Are they the right things to use and what is tinned wire.
 
Flux core solder is correct. 50W is more than enough power.

Tinned copper wire is just a solid strand of wire already covered with a tin coating to make it easy to solder.

You can use some any piece of smallish wire, like from an offcut of CAT5 cable.
 
That all worked. But by the time you do all that on each controller, would'nt it just be easier to remove it all together?
 
The controller actually does two things. It full wave rectifies the low voltage AC from the transformer as well as doing the flashing / fading.

If you want to use those strings on DC (with a DC controller), you use just the string without MFC or transformer.

If you want to use them with a 240V AC controller, you need to keep the transformer and the rectifier part of the MFC. The mods in the wiki are all about bypassing the flashing function, but preserving the rectification.

EDIT:
Some people also find it easy to do the MFC mod, but don't want to start cutting and rewiring stuff.
 
If I want to change to DC later down the track, but want to buy more lights now, to use with the Ac contollers, what type of lights do I look for?
 
As far as I know, the only 240V AC lights approved for outdoor use in Australia are rope lights and motifs.

Don't bother with the 240V AC light sets on eBay etc, as they are junk and often dangerously made.
 
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