motion sensor snafu

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budman715

New User
Location
phila.pa
I have 8 lithonia 4' LED wraparound lights in my basement, being controlled by 2 lithonia motion sensors model msx12 , mounted at opposite ends. my issue is the lights come on periodically when no one is around. fortunately i have the timer set low so they go off soon........motion sensors are wired in parallel......called lithonia , they dont have any idea why this is happening. basement ceiling is only 7ft, is that to low for motions, i wouldnt think so.....any clues?
 

Cletis

Senior Member
Location
OH
Pets or mice yes, heating no on PIR system.

How do they go off if no one is around if someone is around to see them go off ?
 

LEO2854

Esteemed Member
Location
Ma
Pets or mice yes, heating no on PIR system.

How do they go off if no one is around if someone is around to see them go off ?

Look in the basement window..

Welcome aboard budman715:)

It is likely that you have mice down there.
 

Cletis

Senior Member
Location
OH
You need to set the motion at as close to wavelengths 8-14 micrometres if possible. This is the human zone
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
You need to set the motion at as close to wavelengths 8-14 micrometres if possible. This is the human zone

And then rest assured that a scorpion the size of a Chihuahua wouldn't even turn the lights on.

Roaches activating motion sensors at night.....the thought of that sure gives me the creeps. I don't think adjusting the sensor to ignore them would be very high on my priority list.
 

Cletis

Senior Member
Location
OH
Just out of curiosity, what wavelength zone are cockroaches, mice, and rats? What about cat? Is there a chart we can look this up on somewhere?

:roll:

That's funny. My answer is <8-14uM

But seriously, you can adjust lower down to say the size of an 80lb dog but thats about it. Another factor is if the animal is cold or warm blooded and distance from detector. So bugs, mice, rats (unless it's Ben) wont set them off generally. If a large bug or moth is walking on detector it may set it off to to circuitrys interpretation of size and motion of animal (all from series of algorism's). HOpe that helps, probably not though
 

sfav8r

Senior Member
This is one of my pet peeves (returning to a job because the motion sensors weren't set correctly). I have gone as far as placing video cameras to see what the heck is going on (kinda like Bill Murray in Caddy Shack, but I haven't blown up anything yet). What's really interesting is when the lights come on and you play the video and don't see anything moving. what I have found most common for false tripping is bushes blowing in the wind (even though that isn't supposed to trigger) and animals people had no idea were in their yard. It seems to me that motion sensors are like cell phones, you're never completely happy with them for one reason or another.
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
I was on a job one day in a really nice house and had to use the bathroom. I was shown where it was and when I walked in the lights came on automatically. Great! I had to go bad, so the few seconds I saved by not having to look for the switch was appreciated.

Then, literally in mid-stream, out go the lights. Yikes! I'm not done yet, and I can't see my target, let alone start moving around in an attempt to get the lights back on. There were no windows in the bathroom and it's pitch black in there. I could not see anything. I was in total darkness. With my pants down.

So I kind of aimed by sonar until I could get enough 'composure' to stop so I could try to get the lights back on.

Architects, designers, etc., PLEASE don't put motion sensors in bathrooms.
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Or at least use the right type (ultrasonic) and quantity of sensors with a realistic time delay. :)

This was a super clean house so I knew there was little chance of a cockroach or a mouse running around in there to save the day for me.

The delay may have been OK for most people, but I really had to go bad that day. I was humming Stairway to Heaven, long version and got almost through the guitar solo when the lights went out. That's what, like 4 minutes?

:lol:
 

n1ist

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
Principal Electrical Engineer
Or at least use the right type (ultrasonic) and quantity of sensors with a realistic time delay. :)

Even more fun, in a public restroom. Go in, and the lights turn on. Enter a stall, and they soon turn off. Murphy will guarantee that as soon as you open that stall door to wave the lights back on, someone will walk in...

/mike
 
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