Moth collecting in Ko Tao Thailand

[Paul K]

We arrived on one of the islands in Gulf of Thailand and after we settled down I had set up my light trap equipment which I drugged here from Canada. I had not bring nor buy generator as I was planning to set up my lights in my backyard and enjoy moth collecting all night.
The sheet and lights are up and all checked and work.
After dusk I turned on the lights , 2 mercury vapor 160 W bulbs ( I know it's not too much power but worked okay in Canada and Franch Guiana too ).
So all excited I grubbed cold beer and ready for the action .
After no more then a minute my lights turned off.
To my disappointment I have checked all connections if there would be any problem, but all looked fine.
After short time the lights turned on again but turned on and off and on and off....
Mercury vapor bulbs they need steady , continued power to work properly and to my big disappointment the island is missing that.

Does anyone know how to go around that problem?
I don't think that regular energy efficient bulbs would work.
They are used around homes but no moths or other insects are gathering around them .

Paul

[exoticimports]

MV bulbs are very finicky. Try running one bulb, not two.

[Paul K]

Dec 14, 2015 9:41:49 GMT -8 exoticimports said:

MV bulbs are very finicky. Try running one bulb, not two.

I did and one still would not work. Very disappointing .

[exoticimports]

Well, Canada is 110 VAC, Thailand is 220 VAC. Is your power converter overheating or of the wrong voltage?

[Paul K]

The converter is rated for 2000W and I also have checked it if maybe overheating and turned off , but no-the light inside was on which indicates that the unit works and it wasn't even warm. The electricity is not stable here and when it goes down the MV turns off and need some time to cool down in order to turn on again.
I am going to look for black lights tube as they need less watts and try that way.

Paul

[leptraps]

I couple of Russian Entomologist experienced the same problem some place in Siberia. When they returned home they contacted me for advice. I suggested a power pack that would maintain the proper voltage AND amperage.

I know I have a file but cannot find it. I thought I purchased it from Solar Sellers, but John Drake doesn't remember either. However, it does require a battery. The line current opetates a battery maintainer and a Power Inverter converts 12VDC from the battery to 120VAC. This Will provide constant power when the power source (utility) is not stable.

Sooner or later I will find my file and I will post again.

Sorry I cannot be of more help.

[exoticimports]

Good idea. THat's called a Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). I'm sure they can be found in any Thai cities. You have to size it properly, and remember that MV lamps surge on power-up (ie if it's 160W it will need more at power-up). I did a quick search and found a 900W version (in USA) for $139.

Here's a product description, note that it protects from wavering input power as well:

Why you need it: When power goes out for even a second it can result in data loss and hardware damage which can shorten equipment life expectancy. This battery backup unit provides sufficient emergency runtime power to allow for safe closure of open files and proper shut down of electronics when an outage occurs. In addition, it safeguards electronics from commonly occurring power surges caused by storms, activity on the power grid or high-powered equipment turning on and off. Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) stabilizes incoming voltage, preventing chronic problems caused by minor but frequent power fluctuations.

[Adam Cotton]

UPS are certainly available here in any computer shop. The price is variable from ~1000 Baht upwards. The battery does wear out with time, and if plugged in to protect a computer it will probably last 2-3 years of continual use.

Adam.