Xactrix LightSeasons Mk II User manual

LightSeasonsMkIIUserManualwww.xofw.com Page1
Light * SeasonsMkII
GPSbasedLightController
UserManual
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XactrixofWashington
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BattleGroundW ,98604
www.xofw.com

LightSeasonsMkIIUserManualwww.xofw.com Page2
O eration
YournewLightSeasonsisaneventscheduler,muchlikeamultitaskingalarmclock.IthasaninternalReal-Time-Clock(RTC)to
accuratelyschedule,andreliablyexecutedailyevents.Whentriggered,thepreprogrammedtaskwilleitherenergize/release
theLoaddevice.LightSeasonsisanexcellentfitforaSolar-PoweredLightController.

LightSeasonsdividestheyearintoeightuniqueschedules,orSeasons.EachSeasonhassixprogrammabletasks/events
repeatedeveryday.TheDefaulttasksaretailoredfornight-timelighting.TheSeasonstartdate(month/day)isuser
programmable.Overalldurationisdefinedbythisdate,andtheStartDateofthenextseason.Toincreaseorshortena
Season’sextent,modifytheStartDateoritsneighbor’s.Seasonsarelabeledonethrueight,andarealwaysexecutedinorder.
SeasonOnebeginsJanuaryFirst.December31
st
endsSeasonEight.ShouldSeasonsover-lap,thelowerSeasonisexecuted.

Thesixtriggerevents(numberedzerothrufive)operateindependentofoneanother.Foreachtriggerdefinesascheduledtime
(hour:minute),andatask(ONorOFF).Witheverynewminute,allthetriggersarereviewedlookingforatimematch.The
searchbeginswithTriggerZero. ndonlythefirst‘match’isperformed;onetaskperminuteisallowed.‘Idle’tasksarenot
displayed.
NOTE: T SKisEXECUTEDONLY TTHEPREPROGR MMEDTIME.‘Time-Ranges’areimpliedwithONatthistime,andOFFat
thattime.However,thisisnothowthisdeviceoperates.ItdoesNotRangechecktoverifytheLoadstatebetweentriggers.
ForaccuracyandreliabilitytheinternalRTCisdrivenfromquartzcrystal. ndtoincreaseease,andreduceambiguity,theRTC
operatesona24hourclock.Itdoesnotaccept MorPMvalues.ForallPMentries,addtwelve(12)tothePMhour.Forexample
5:00PMis17:00hours. ndMidnightis0:00.TheintendedLightSeasonspowersourceisalargecapacitybattery…thusthere’s
nointernalbattery.Thepresenttimeislostwiththelackofpower.Therestoredtime/dateisrecoupedfromthelastsaved
value.Theactivetimeissavedevery½hour,andthenewDateissavedatmidnight.
AGPS(GlobalPositionSatellite)Receiver comesstandardwithLightSeasons.TheGPSis
theeasiest,error-freewaytoupdatetheTime,Date,andLocation.Therearenosettings,switches,
and/orparameterstoset…it’sPlug-N-Play!Thissmallblackpodhasa6ft(1.84m)cablewithamating
PS2connector.InsertitintotheLightSeasonsnotingthecorrectorientation.Placethepodintheopen
area(asmuchaspossible).TheGPSishighlysensitive,andwillsoondetectSatellitesoverhead.Itis
equippedwithanindicatorlight:Whenlitsolid,theReceiverispowered.Whenflashing,itissyncedto
asatellite.Note:TheincludedGPSModelmayvary.ThisGPSpictureisforreferenceonly.
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Procedureto‘ uto-SettheTimeandDate.
SimplyplugtheGPSintotheLightSeasons;Itisacceptabletoconnect/disconnecttheGPSwiththepoweron.
Thisproceduremaytakeseveralminutestocomplete:
1. LightSeasonsmustbeon.
2. TheGPSlightwillilluminate,indicatingithaspower.
3. LightSeasonswillconfirmitscommunicatingwiththeGPSbyactivatingtheLoadOutput(Lightscomeon).
4. TheGPSwillbegintoFlashwhenit’s‘sync’s’withaSatellite.
5. WaitforLightSeasonstotoggle(blink)theLoad/LightsOnfor1secondandOfffor1second.ThisindicatestheGPS
time,date,andGeo-Coordinatesarereceivedandsaved.
6. WhenGPSPowerparameterissetto‘auto’,Seethe( g )command.
a. TheGPSisautomaticallypowereddownaftertenminutes.
b. TheGPSwillautomaticallypowerupatMidnightfortenminutes.
7. WhenGPSPowerparameterissetto‘man’,Seethe( g )command.
a. ThePS2portisalwayspowered…remembertounplugtheGPS,foritisaPowerDrain!
b. theLoad/LightswillremainonorblinkwhiletheGPSisactive.
8. Note:Thetime/dateprovidedbytheGPSisperZuluorGreenwichMeanTime.LightSeasonscomparesitsstored
timezone,againstatimezonecomputedfromtheacquiredlongitude.Shouldthetwodifferbymorethan2time
zones,Lightseasonswillover-writeitsstoredvaluewiththecomputedone.Thetimezone(zuluoffset)ismanually
changedusingthe( tz )command.Ifleftuninitialized,theZulu_OffsetdefaultisPacificStandardTime(-8hours).
9. Note:TheGPSwillnotupdatethedayoftheweek.

LightSeasonsMkIIUserManualwww.xofw.com Page3
InconcertwiththeGPS,usethedefaultSeasonsandTriggers. LightSeasonsalreadyhastheyear
scheduledfordusktodawnlighting.Theobjectiveistoturnonthelightsinthedimmedhoursofsunset.Theyremainlit
tillaftermidnight.Andthenre-illuminateintheearlyhoursbeforesunrise.Thesetriggersare re rogrammedinto
LightSeasons,readytouse,directfromthefactory.SeetheSeasonDefaultsindetailon age7.Torestorefactory
settings,ustheDefaultSeasons ds command.
ProgrammingandCommands
LightSeasonhasafundamentalsetofusercommands .Theserequestswillprovidethecurrentstatus,and/or
configurethecontrolparameters.TheusermustfirstestablishCommunicationtothedevice;seeUserInterface/CommPort.
Herearethegeneralrulesforenteringacommandorrequest:
•prompt’>’ willqueryforthenextuserrequest.Itmustbepresenttotypeacommand.
•llcommandsareuniquetwo-characterabbreviations,thispromotesveryquickentry.
•Eachcommandisexecutedafterthe <enter keyispressed.
•Typingthecommandonly,returnsitscurrentstatus.Thesamecommandfollowedbyparameters(orvalues)will
updatetheinternalvariables. llnewvaluesareimmediatelysavedinNon-VolatileMemory.
•llcommandparametersareseparatedbyasinglespace.
•Unrecognizedcommandsgeta’?’(questionmark)reply.
•Press <enter torepeatthelastcommand;alsoitwillindextothenextseasonwhenapplicable.
•Enter‘??’foraquickHelpScreen.
•RapidlyPress <enter toarousetheLightSeasonsfromasleepstate.

TIME
Thecurrenttimeisviewedbyenteringthecommand tm <enter.Thetimeisdisplayedintheformat hr:mn:sc 
Tomodifythetime,usethesame tm command,onlyfollowedbythreevaluesforhours,minutes,andseconds.Hoursare
specifiedasa24hourclockonly… MandPMarenotused.Thefollowingexamplechangesthetimeto13minutes,45seconds
past8intheevening:
tm201345< (allvaluesarese aratedbyasingles ace).

D TE
Thedateisaccessedinasimilarmanner.Toviewthecurrentdateenter dt <enter.Thedateisdisplayedas mn/dy/yr 
ToChangethedatefollowthe dt commandwiththreevaluesformonth,dayandyear.Thefollowingexamplesetsthedateto
February29
th
,2012:
dt2292012< (allvaluesarese aratedbyasingles ace). 


SE SONS
Theactiveseasonisdisplayedusing es <enter.Byrepeatingthiscommand(withanother <enter) willautomatically
advancetothenextseason.ThemostrecentseasonviewedremainsactivewhileaUserexchangeinisprocess.TheSeason
Status(seepage5)revealsthefirstandlastdate,andtheparticularsofitsTriggerEvents.ToChangethestartdatefollowthe
es commandwiththreevaluesthatrepresenttheseason-index,month,andday.Thefollowingexamplesetsthefourthseason
tobeginMay17
th
:
es4517< (allvaluesarese aratedbyasingles ace).
TheendofaseasonisdefinedbytheStartDateofthenext.Seasonsareadvancedinnumericalorder.Intermediateseasons
maybereducedtoasingleday,andseveralseasonsmayoccupythesamedate.Seasonswiththesamestartandstopdate
arebydefaultnotdisplayed.


LightSeasonsMkIIUserManualwww.xofw.com Page4
ProgrammingCommands
SUNRISE–SUNSET
Everydayatmidnight,LightSeasonscomputessunriseandsunsetforyouruniqueworldlocation.Thisallowsthe‘triggers’to
exactlyfollowtheDay-and-Nighttransitions(astheyvarythroughtheyear).ThetimeforDuskandDawnarederivedfromthe
savedGeo-Coordinates.ThesecoordinatesarecollecteddirectlyfromtheGPS.OrareusersuppliedviatheLongitude-Latitude
( ll )andHemiSpheres( hs )commands.

TRIGGERS
Triggersareindexedzerothrufive.Theyareexecutedbasedsolelyontheirassociatedtime,Onetriggerisexecutedpergiven
minute;andthelowerindexhaspriority.ModifiedTriggersareappliedtothepresentactiveseason.Tomodifyatrigger,use
the et commandfollowedbytrigger-index,hour,minute,andtask.TasksincludeON/OFF,andON/OFFforbothSunrise
and/orSunset,and‘Dimmed-ON’Tasksassignavaluefrom11to99(percent):
0 = OFF 1 = ON 2 = DawnOFF 3 = DawnON 4 = DuskOFF 5 = DuskON 9 = IDLE
Tasks 11 thru 99 turn ON the load in Di ed ode, where the active duty-cycle (%) is the task value.
Example:setTrigger2toturntheLoad/Lightsonatdusk:
et2005< (allvaluesarese aratedbyasingles ace). 
Note:WhenaDawn/Duskrelatedtaskisentered,thecomputeddawn/dusktimesupersedestheuserinputtedvalues.Thus
thezero’sgivenforthehourandminuteparametersareignored.
Note:idletriggersarenotdisplayed.Triggersareautomaticallydisplayedwhengivenanon-idletask.

MODBUSCOMMUNIC TIONG TEW Y(Option)
WhentheLightSeasonsispairedwithaMorningStar™Charge-Controller,thetwowillcommunicatewitheachother.Forthe
Charge-Controller’sMODBUSportallowsLightSeasonstocollectthepresentVoltage/ mpconditions(fortheSolarPanel,
Battery,andLoad).Thisoptionprovidesacommunicationcable(RJ-11Telcoconnector).PlugthisdirectlyintoaMorningStar™
Charge-Controller.Thetwodeviceswillestablishcommunicationsautomatically.Note:Bothdevicesmustbepoweredforvalid
dataretrieval. ndtheCharge-ControllermayhaveaDipswitchgoverningtheMODBUSport…besureit’ssetproperly.
Usethe solar-panel ( s )commandtoviewthesolar anelstatus.
Usethe battery ( bt )commandtoviewthebatterystatus.
Usethe load ( ld )commandtoviewtheLoad/Lightstatus.

Note:theMODBUSgatewayMUSTbeo erationalfortheabovecommandsto rovidemeaningfulinformation.


UTO-DIMMERCONTROL
TheLightSeasonshastheabilitytoreducetheLoad/Lightpowerconsumptionautomatically.ItaccomplishesthisbyPulse-
WidthmodulatingthepowertotheLoad:theLoad/LightsarecycledON/OFFfasterthantheeyecandetect.Increasingthe
‘OFF’durationwilldimtheload,anddrawdownpowerconsumption.Theideaistohelppreservebatterylife.Soonadayof
weaksolarcollection,LightSeasonswillautomaticallyreducethepowerdrawnfromthebattery.

Dimmingisenabledwiththe auto-dimmer ( ad )command. NDtheMODBUSgatewayMUSTbeoperational.
ad1< (se aratedbyasingles ace,whereoneisAUTO,andzeroisOFF). 

Eachdayaboutanhourbeforesunset,LightSeasonsdeterminestheTotalChargeCollected(amp-hours),andtheTotalLoad
Consumed(amp-hours).Whenconsumptionexceedscollection,dimmingensues.Themagnitudeofdimmingis

[(Load_am _hrs - Charge_am _hrs )/ Load_am _hrs] *30%.
Thereby,theDimmingrangedoesn’texceedathirty-percentreduction.

LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page5
ProgrammingCommands
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Season

Season’sFirstDay

Season’sLastDay

Six

Triggers;

Indexed0–5
(‘idle’triggers4&5
arenotdisplayed.)
TriggerTimes;

Hour:Minute
24Houronly
TriggerO
utcomes

WeekDays

LightSeasonscanenableordisabletheTriggersbyweekday.Duringnormalo eration,ifadayisdisabled,all
triggersareignored.EachSeasonhasauniqueWeekdayGlobalEnablethatturnsthisfilterOn(orOff).When
theGlobalEnableisactive,thatSeason’sStatuswillincludetheWeekdayField.Enableddaysarere resented
byletters.DisabledDaysaredots.In ut arametersre resentWeekdaysbynumericalvalue,whereoneis
Sunday,andsevenisSaturday.Inallcasestomodifyanenable,oneistoactivate,andazerotodisable.
Todis laythe resentweekday,IssuetheWeekDaycommand wd <enterwithno arameters.
TheWeekDayandone arametersetstheweekday.
Toen/disableacertainday,usetwo arameters.Thefirst arameteristheday.Thesecondtheenable.
Toen/disabletheWeekdayGlobalusethree arameters.S ecifyarangeofseasonswherethe1
st

arameter=1
st
seasonandthe2
nd
arameter=finalseason.The3
rd
 arameterequalstheenable/disable.
If
the1
st

or2
nd

arametersarezeros,thentheactiveseasonissubstituted.

WeekDay
Field
.

SeenOnlywhen
GlobalisEnabled.
llTriggersare
ignoredon
Thursday’s
Season
Status

CAUTION!!
The present
Weekday is NOT
available
from the G S.

LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page6
Programming andCommands     CommandReference[Mk-IIONLY]
(Acce tablevaluerangeshownin arentheses)
CMD

Param1

Param2

Param3

Param4

DESCRIPTION/ACTION

ad

Enable

(1=ON,0=OFF) 



Auto-Dimmer
IfModbus ctive:usedtoEn/Disable utoDimmer.
ElseView/UpdateDimmervalueforDusk/DawnON
bt





Battery
Viewthepresentbatteryconditions.
MODBUSgatewaymustbeoperational. 
d





DefaultParameters
Reset/Restoreenvironmentvariablestotheir
defaultvalues.
ds





DefaultSeasons
Reset/Restoretheseasonsandtriggerstotheir
defaultvalues.
dt

Month

(1–12)
Day

(1-31)
Year

(fourdigits)

Date
View/Updatethecurrentdate;
es

Season

(1–8)
StartMonth

(1–12)
StartDay

(1–31)

EditSeason
View/Select/DefineaSeason.
Parametersdefineaseason’sbegindate. 
et

Trigger

(0–3)
Hour

(0–23)
Minute

(0–59)
Task
s

(0–99) 
EditTrigger
View/ModTriggersforthecurrentSeason.
Parametersdefinetimeandtask. 
g

x 
Enable

(1= uto ,0= Man ) 



GPSPower
View/UpdateGPSPowerControl.
SingleparameterusedtoEn/Disable. 
hs

Latitude

(NorS)
Longitude

(EorW)


HemiS heres
View/DefineoccupiedGlobalhemispheres.
DefaultsareNorthandWest. 
ld





Load
Viewthepresentloadconditions.
MODBUSgatewaymustbeoperational. 
ll

Latitude

(x100)
Longitude

(x100)


LatitudeLongitude
View/DefineWorldCoordinates.

lt





Light
ToggletheOutputOnandOff.
s





SolarPanel
Viewthepresentsolarpanelconditions.
MODBUSgatewaymustbeoperational. 
t
m

Hour

(0–23)
Minute

(0–59)
Second

(0–59)

Time
View/Updatethecurrenttime;
Formatis24-houronly!No MorPM! 
tc

FromSeason

(1-8)
ToSeason

(0–8)


TriggerCo y
Copytriggersfromoneseasontoanother;
Ifdestinationiszero,copytoallseasons. 
tz

ZuluTime dj

(+/-0to12)



TimeZone
ZuluTime-Zone djust:
i.e.PST=-8hoursEST=-5hours 
wd

WeekDay

(1–7)
DailyEn/Dis

(1=ON,0=OFF)
GlobalEn/Dis

(1=ON,0=OFF)

WeekDay
View/Updatethecurrentdayoftheweek.
Setcurrentwkday(noparam2or3) 
Note:Pressrapid<enter’stoawaketheLightSeasonsfromitslow-powerslumber.Thecommandprompt(>)indicatessuccess.Younow
haveLightSeasons’attention.Low-powermodeisre-enteredtenminutesafterthelastuserinteraction.

LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page7


DefaultSeasons


SEASON

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

StartDate

Jan1
st

Feb15
th

pr1
st

May16
th

June30
th

ug14
th

Sept28
th

Nov12
th

Trigger0

5:00

ON
4
:00

ON
4
:00

ON
4
:00

ON
4
:00

ON
4
:00

ON
4
:00

ON
5:00

ON
Trigger1

8:
00

OFF
7
:
30

OFF
6:
0
0

OFF
5:
30

OFF
5
:
3
0

OFF
6:
00

OFF
7:
30

OFF
8:
00

OFF
Trigger2

16:00

ON
1
7
:
30

ON
18:30

ON
19:15

ON
19:00

ON
18:00

ON
16
:
30

ON
16
:00

ON
Trigger3

1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF
1:00

OFF


DefaultParameters

Time12:00:00
WeekdayWednesday
DateJune15
th
,2011
Latitude45.87N
Longitude122.50W
ZuluAdj-8hours(PST)

WeekdayEnables:allareactive.
WeekdayGlobal:disabled.
GPSPower:Auto.
AutoDimmer:disabled.

LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page8
UserInterface/CommPort
PS2Port
serialportprovidesLightSeasonswithacommunicationpath.Thruit
LightSeasonsisabletointerfacewithaGPSreceiver,Bluetooth,and/or
USB.TheCommPortisthePS2CircularDINconnector.Ithascustompin-
out.ThisisNotaMousePort.IftheGPSispluggedin,removeit
temporarilytofree-upthePS2port.ToinserttheMalePS2connector,
orienttheembossedarrow(s)toTwelveO’clock,orawayfromthecase
mountingflange. LLEXTERN LCOMMDEVICESDR WPOWER!
DISCONNECT FTERUSE
TerminalEmulator  istheprogramorplatformtotalkwithLightSeasons.Therationaleistoprovideasimpleinterface.The
availabilityofthesoftwareandhardwaretoolsaremainstream.Thus,userfamiliarityislikely. ndthevitalcomponentsare
acquiredeffortlessly.
ndroidCellPhoneandBluetooth.
SoftwareRequirements:Fromthe ndroidMarket,downloadthefree‘app’ BTerm ,bySEN .BTermisaterminal
emulatorforcommunicatingwirelesslyoverBluetooth.You’llfindtheCompleteBTermmanualatthefollowing
website:www.sena.com/download/manual_bterm/connection.html

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HardwareRequirements: n ndroidphoneofcourse. ndthepopularFireFly™USB-to-Serialadapter(RN-240M);
madebyRovingNetworks.FireFly’sarepreprogrammed,readytouse,andavailabletopurchasefromourwebsiteat:
http://www.xofw.com/lightseasons.html
GiveLightSeason’sBluetoothcapabilitybyinsertingtheFireFlyintotheDB9F/PS2adapter(that’sprovided),andthen
intoPS2port.(ForFireFly’spurchasedelsewhere,programthemtothePortSettingsseenonthenextpage.)
USE:
ccessyour PHONE’s BluetoothManager.TurnBluetoothon,and‘Pair’ittotheFireFly;Typicallythisisdonethru
‘ScanforDevices’. ndthedefaultPassCodeis1234.ItisnormalforthePhonetoindicatethatitis‘Paired”but
notconnected.
StarttheBTerm pp.
ccesstheBluetoothManagerinOptions.
Pressthe connectto button.Press Select. 
MakesureBondedDeviceScanisactive,thenpress StartScan 
SelecttheFireFly.Pressconnectto
Themainscreenwilldisplaytheelapsingtime.
Pressthe<enterkeyrapidlytowaketheLightSeasonsfromits
sleep.
TheCommandPrompt> willindicatesuccess.
FireFly

(RN-240M)
BTermactiveonaMotorolaDroid2


LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page9
UserInterface/Communications
PCorLaptop
SoftwareRequirements:thepopularWindowsprogram
Hy erTerm (orsimilar)willwork.HyperTermiscompatible
withallflavorsofWindows. ndyoucanfindacopyand
installinstructionsatwww.xofw.com/lightseasons.html

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
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


HardwareRequirements:TheUserprovidesthecommunicationcablenecessarybetweenthePCtothe
LightSeasonscontroller.FornewerPC/Laptop’s,useaUSB-to-Serial daptercable(notincluded).They’recommon,
inexpensive,andreadilyavailableinthemarketplace.Watch-outforthereallycheapones,fortheydon’tworkwith
Windows7!!!Seeourwebpageforarecommendedmodel. ttachittotheDB9F/PS2provided,andinsertintothe
LightSeasons
USE
Note:Priortouse,plugtheUSBintotheLaptopandinstall
theproperdriver.
WiththeUSBintheLaptop,attachtheSerialendtothe
LightSeasons.
OpenHyperTermandstartaNewConnection.
SelecttheCOMxPortthatisassociatedtheUSBtoSerial;
it’slikelyHyperTermwilldoitforyou.
TheproperPortSettingsareshownabove.
Themainscreenwilldisplaytheelapsingtime.
Pressthe <enter keyrapidlytowaketheLightSeasons
fromitsslumber.
TheCommandPrompt > willindicatesuccess.
LightSeasoncommandsarenowaccepted.

DB9F
/
PS2

USB/SERI L


LightSeasonsUserManualwww.xofw.com Page10
S ecifications
LightSeasonshasafourwireinterface:twoforDevicePower(Battery+)andaCommon(Battery-orGnd.There’soneforthe
LoadPowerSource(aninput),andonefortheSwitchedLoad/Lightsoutput.Thislightcontrollerispoweredsolelyfroman
externalsource;Nointernalbatteriesarerequired.Becauseofitsminusculepowerdraw,LightSeasonswillcontinuetooperate
onaseverelydischarged12Voltbattery.

Condition

Value

Tolerance

Notes

DevicePower

+12Vdcto+14Vdc
,Regulated

Max:+16VdcMin:+10.2Vdc

Tailoredto+12VBatteries.

TareCurrent

11m Typical verage

9maasleep,22maawake

Fully wakewhileCommPort ctive

LoadPowerSource

+5Vdcto+24Vdc

Cnottolerated.

UseSamecommon(
-
)asDevicePower

Loa
dCurrent

2 max


Ext.
OverCurrentProtectionRequired.

PS2Power

+5Vdc@80m

+/
-

0.5Vdc

Usedtopower
the
GPSorBluetooth

PS2Comm

RS
-
232,3wire


19200Baud,8bit,1stop,NoParity

TimeKee ing


+/
-

44

minutesperyear

Withnopowerinterruptions

T
em erature

-
20

to48degC


Caseisnotwater
-
proof.

Battery
+

REDWire

18 WG,UL1007
,20inches

Device

Power
+/Battery+

Battery
-

BL CKWire

18 WG,UL1007
,20inches

Common

/Battery
-

Power+

WHITEWire

18 WG,UL1007
,20inches

LoadPower
+
Source
(samecomm
on)

Light+

BLUEWire

18 WG,UL1007
,20inches

Light+/Load+(
samecommon)


MechanicalLayout
MountingHoles:2
FastenerSize:#8Screw(notincluded)



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



Warranty.XactrixofWashingtonwarrantiesthe
LightSeasonsLightControllerforoneyear.
Shouldthisproductmalfunctionorfail,please
returnitsowecanmakeitright!Pleaseseeour
policiespageatwww.xofw.com

THANKYOUFORBUYINGOURPRODUCT!!
XactrixofWashington
BattleGround,W 98604US 
[email protected]