New E-Panel -- Acrylic w/ ACJr Integration

help me understand the plan. so you take 8 PC power cords from your DC8 to the PC plugs on the box, then I assume they run to a switch and then back to an outlet?

and a few outlets just as a home made splitter?
 
pretty much. That and a few extra outlets...

the whole idea is to add one more level of immediate control to my ACJr. controlled equipment... sometimes using the AC interface or going into the program on the computer is a PITA..

PLUS

I needed to save some room. My current panel, while I had the space at the time, and needed a fast fix, is just too big and clunky...

This is what it was before I got the neptune and DC8. now, I have a lot of empty space on this board, and its time to condense!
front_labels.jpg
 
as long as their AC....


FYI for All---
If your a little lacking in the electrical dept, you may not want to tackle this... it could burn your house down, and I will accept NO responsibility for that!
 
Matt, is there no electrical wires to do what I asked before about a remote switch box? I know things like springkler wires come in 12 wire cables or something. I was hoping just to run a cable and not to flex condiut, but if it's the only option, I guess I'll go with it.. I'll be ordering the plugs and stuff today. Do you think I can do 1 power in for 8 plugins per box?
 
depends how much current your planning on.

since your outlet is not likely over 20amps, if that, you should be well in the green with a 10gauge, 12 would probably be sufficient, 10 would be sure.
 
yeah they're 15amp breakers.

Also, Matt, if you had to do a different size acrylic next time, how thick would you go, you said the plugs were popping out of what you had now.
 
there is no need for 10g. You can go with 12 if your worried, but the highest draw you probably have is the startup of a MH lamp, and most of those are wired w/ 14g (in industrial applications) anyway...

I went with 14g, as it will be very difficult to work with 12 in such a cramped space. You can do all the calculations if you want, but I tend to live just on the edge i guess.

I would use 1/8" acrylic.
your right, you wont find a 14g ribbon cable or bundle. you would need to individually run those wires through the conduit.
 
here is mine with all the switches and DC8 plugs all wired up. I still need to wire the neutral and ground bus bars, then I can power it up.
inwire.jpg
 
sweet! hey, i've searched that allelectronics for "grounding bus" "ground bus" "bus" "bus bar" and nothing comes up that looks like a bus bar to put wires into.. is this something I should be picking up at radio shack? is all this stuff something I can pick up at radio shack?
 
I had one laying around work from an old breaker box... Im not sure if you can find them separate. Maybe try an electric supplier...

its just an easier, neater way to wire up multiple wires to a common source... you can use multiple wire nuts i guess, but it will be messier...
 
Now I'm just trying to figure out the very best way to possibly incorporate a GFCI directly into the design so that I don't have to re-wire the wall outlets when moving tanks or switching the power supply (I don't own my house and I'm a student, so moving is just a reality and I don't like to pull apart wiring in houses I don't own... you never know what you'll find).

I'm periodically getting a nuisance trip from one of my plug-in type (I'd guess when my ACJr. kicks on something), but I've cycled everything on and off in the tank and can't replicate it. In my experience they are more fickle than other GFI's (so I don't think I'm necessarily in any danger from it) and I was originally just planning on pigtailing some GFCI's to get around having the plug-in type. I don't suppose you know if there is a type of GFCI well-suited to being wired inside of the box on the main power supply?
 
Very cool, Matt!!

I'd love to do this in the future. I cant wait to see the pictures of you wiring up the ground and neutral busses. Sounds like the way to go!!!


Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
 
I installed and wired the busses, and now I just need to get it home, take some pics, and install it!
Not bad for an 8 hour project!
 
matt, looks nice and clean! hopefully mine turns out somewhat like that.. mine will probably look like a box of spaghetti tho.
 
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