Temperature Sensor Installation
The Temperature Sensor for a LED Display connects to either the Sign Controller for L2016 systems or to the Generic CPU Card for L1000 Systems. Consideration must be taken, when choosing a place to mount the Temperature Sensor. The Temperature Sensor can be mounted in either of two locations, the first and ideal location is in the shade on the north side of a structure in an area which will allow a free flow of air around the sensor. Things to be aware of and avoid when mounting the sensor are: black top pavement, heating vents, and tarred roofs. These objects tend to radiate heat which will give you a higher than actual reading. When the sensor is located next to a brick wall the temperature may tend to read cooler than actual, unless it is a wall which receives sunlight, in this case the temperature may read higher than normal. The second location is to mount the Temperature Sensor to the bottom of the sign cabinet, seal any holes with silicone so that water draining or hot air exiting the cabinet does not cause inaccurate readings.
NOTE: Mounting the Temperature Sensor to the bottom of the sign cabinet will increase the chances of having inaccurate readings. This is due to the solar heating of a black sign cabinet which will cause the ambient temperature around the sign to be above normal.
It is recommended that the Temperature Cable be installed in metal conduit. The metal conduit will help shield the Temperature Cable from electrical noise created by fluorescent lights, office equipment and other sources. Refer to Figure 4-3 for wire connections to the V.4 Sign Controller. The Temperature sensor for a Remote Sign Controller (R.S.C.) Display connects to the R.S.C. located in either the display or in a Hoffman box mounted at the base of the sign. If the Temperature Sensor is located away from the display it is recommended that the cable be installed in metal conduit. When connecting the Temperature Cable to the sensor leads, it does not matter which color of wire (black or red) goes to which lead. Cut the shield wire off at the Temperature Sensor end. To connect a temperature cable wire to one of the sensor leads, strip both the wire and lead ends, using a pair of wire strippers, and twist the wire ends together. Do this for both of the sensor leads. Both of the wire connections should then be soldered. This creates a low impedance connection that is needed for an accurate temperature reading. After the connections are made, they should be wrapped with electrical tape to insulate the wires from water corrosion.
NOTE: Good temperature wire connections are very important in insuring stable and accurate temperature readings.
Figure 1 shows an standard heat shield for the temperature sensor. To remove or replace the temperature sensor probe unscrew the universal clamping screw and pull the temp. probe out. Slide a new temp. probe into the universal clamping screw as far as possible (for an accurate temperature reading) and hand tighten the universal clamping screw until the temp. probe is secured inside of the heat shield. The heat shield can only be mounted in the vertical position as shown.