Planeden Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hey Guys, Any advise is appreciated. My AI SOL has gone dark (light and controler). It went out suddenly. I thought it was just going into a lightening storm, but no. i was just walking by when it went out, not working on the tank or playing with any wires. the light is suspended from the ceiling and not touching the tank I have checked the controller and controller cable with my Nano. Works fine. So, that leaves me with the power supply or the light itself. The cooling fan is not spinning either, but it spins easily enough manually. I tried to check the power supply by plugging the power supply from the nano into the sol, but it is not the right size. i did plug it into different outlets with no effect. all of the connections are clean and tight. I bought the light used a few months ago, but i don't think it was very used. Any ideas what to do next? I have a multimeter but i have no idea what to do with it. So, if anyone thinks i should use that, explicit instructions will be appreciated. like probing for dummies. don't worry about hurting my feelings, i really don't know anything about it (which includes why i bought it ). Thanks everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 is the power supply getting warm at all? you can take your volt meter and set it to auto or dc, and see if it has current. May also want to go over the length of the cable to ensure it doesnt have any kinks/breaks in it. crappy power supplies are the lynch pin to high-end lighting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Is the light on the supply on? I think they have a little green led don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I would suspect the power supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Thanks for the help guys. is the power supply getting warm at all? you can take your volt meter and set it to auto or dc, and see if it has current. May also want to go over the length of the cable to ensure it doesnt have any kinks/breaks in it. crappy power supplies are the lynch pin to high-end lighting now, the power supply did feel cold. i did not see any kinks or breaks in the wires, though. sorry, your volt meter section is not dummy enough, though. i tried just about every setting i could think of on the dial. i tried just about every combination i could think of for the red and black probes inside the (light end) plug and touching the sides. all i figured out is that i seem to have a very small charge. Is the light on the supply on? I think they have a little green led don't they? i did not see one. i looked, but if it does have one it is certainly not on. i'm pretty sure i would have noticed. I would suspect the power supply. that'd be cool. with the comments above, and a little hope, i too am suspecting this. so, if i take the power supply to radio shack, or the LFS, will someone be able to sell me one that works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Your best bet is probably going to be finding someone else with an AI in town who you can borrow a power supply from. Swap it in, see if it works and move from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Your best bet is probably going to be finding someone else with an AI in town who you can borrow a power supply from. Swap it in, see if it works and move from there. good point. or i can take my power supply to them and plug it in to see if it powers theirs. so long as there isn't a concern that my power supply can zap their light and kill it. my concern is how long i can leave my tank dark before the macro and photosynthetic corals get mad at me. i can run my fuge light 24 hours if Ph gets to be a concern, but that doesn't help the DT. if i end up having to buy a temp light while i troubleshoot it may end up cheaper and easier to buy a power supply to test it (if i can find one locally) and move on from there. as luck has it, i may have a little running around time today or tomorrow to track it down. BRS supply sent me an email that their raydons are one a mega sale . so, if i have to replace the light, i guess now may be the time, right . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 youll be OK for a day or two. stuff won't be happy, but it's not gonna die on you. KimP used to have AIs, so you might see who she sold them to. I think RichardL also has them. Post in the WTB section and offer them a free cat for their trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 youll be OK for a day or two. stuff won't be happy, but it's not gonna die on you. KimP used to have AIs, so you might see who she sold them to. I think RichardL also has them. Post in the WTB section and offer them a free cat for their trouble. i know kim sold at least one of them, but it doesn't seem to be working. people on the forums are suggesting it may be a power supply problem and that i...errrr...the new owner should test it . she had another buyer lined up on the second at the time, but i can check to see if it fell through. good idea on the free cat thing. i'll post around. i left my lights off for three days at a time recently to battle cyano, or some algea, and everyone seemed ok with it. but i don't want to push it longer than that if i can help it. thanks for the ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yes they both sold, one to you, one to wizard and he sold that one already to someone. I'm sorry you're having trouble with it :/ I wish I could help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yes they both sold, one to you, one to wizard and he sold that one already to someone. I'm sorry you're having trouble with it :/ I wish I could help! thanks. and don't fret. it will all work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 i have a pendant metal halide you can borrow.. its only 70 watts though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 My tank don't have coral yet. I can let you borrow a 6 t5 bulb fixture till you get a power supply only problem is you have to hang it lol I know capt obvious has sols but i haven't seen him in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 just got it sorted. it was the power supply. jake had a used one (perhaps with some issues) that should get me by until i can order one from AI. thanks for all the help guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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