Just turn off the goddamn panel. It’s not that hard.
Put in a few time clocks beside the lighting panel. Hell just buy a cheap lighting contactor panel. Holy shit how is this a problem. You could hire an electrician and have this fixed in a day. With cheap parts. This is not an issue. What in the hell.
Unless the entire building installed some kind of lighting fixture that takes a data cable to turn them on and the fixtures themselves won’t work without it – and I have never even heard of such an abomination – I don’t see why you can’t just tear out the automated control cabinet and put in something that’s not stupid.
Even if you don’t want to fix it you can still at least just turn the stupid thing off. What is it like hardwired right off a locked dedicated transformer off the utility with no disconnecting means?
Jesus I want to drive out there and just take a look at it to see what kind of cluster mess they have.
Reading the article it feels like this school district is getting scammed and skinned from here to Sunday by everyone they contacted.
This is the problem with putting everything under software control. Not everything needs to be ‘smart’ and connected. Sometimes low-tech solutions are the best.
I am an electrician that does lighting controls. This is a non-story. These lights can be turned off, no one wants to. There are circuit breakers, lighting control panels, override switches, and photocells. The school or town leaves them on for security reasons. Light is *always* your first defense.
designer_farts says
Tax dollars at work
Kaiju_Cat says
Just turn off the goddamn panel. It’s not that hard.
Put in a few time clocks beside the lighting panel. Hell just buy a cheap lighting contactor panel. Holy shit how is this a problem. You could hire an electrician and have this fixed in a day. With cheap parts. This is not an issue. What in the hell.
Unless the entire building installed some kind of lighting fixture that takes a data cable to turn them on and the fixtures themselves won’t work without it – and I have never even heard of such an abomination – I don’t see why you can’t just tear out the automated control cabinet and put in something that’s not stupid.
Even if you don’t want to fix it you can still at least just turn the stupid thing off. What is it like hardwired right off a locked dedicated transformer off the utility with no disconnecting means?
Jesus I want to drive out there and just take a look at it to see what kind of cluster mess they have.
Reading the article it feels like this school district is getting scammed and skinned from here to Sunday by everyone they contacted.
ellie288 says
This is the problem with putting everything under software control. Not everything needs to be ‘smart’ and connected. Sometimes low-tech solutions are the best.
Quack-Zack says
An automated function without an manual override function is a *bad* automatic function.
People always take the ease & convenience of automation for granted — until they need control of the situation and can’t take things *manually*.
eighty2angelfan says
I am an electrician that does lighting controls. This is a non-story. These lights can be turned off, no one wants to. There are circuit breakers, lighting control panels, override switches, and photocells. The school or town leaves them on for security reasons. Light is *always* your first defense.
mmmmyeahhlumberg says
Is this a joke? Go to the basement and turn off the main breaker each night. So stupid.
kevinds says
>because no one can turn them off
This is a problem that can be fixed in a day or two.
The answer is that they want them to be on.
[deleted] says
[removed]
Jeraimee says
ROFLMAO, maybe some teachers get paid MORE than they are worth?
Coogcheese says
Have they tried restarting it?
Killawife says
I bet you a million buckarinos that I could turn them off.
fgbfjb says
Shoot out the lights!
JohnOfA says
>we were provided a rough estimate in excess of $1.2 Million to comparably replace the entire system
1.2 Million dollars for what might be a failed 2 cent capacitor.
I realize this is the cost for a complete tear out and replace. Just wondering why nobody was able to diagnose the electronics.
TVs and computers get tossed for having a failed 2 cent part all the time.