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General Installation

Precautions

Installation Instructions for Cable Light System

Fixture Installation

What is included in the Cable Light System

Advanced Installation

How to Expand the Cable Light System

How to connect transformer to the Cable Light System

How to connect multiple systems together to form one system

Adjustable Hanging Device

Use of Dimmer

3-way and 4-way Control Installations

Specifications

Fixture Specifications

Transformer Specifications

Adjustable Hanging Device

Trouble-Shooting

Why didn't the system turn on after installation?

Energy-Saving and Maintenance Tips

How halogen lighting can save energy

Use of Dimmer

Maintenance

To Purchase Fixtures and Accessories

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   Precautions

1. Do not expand the system without consulting a qualified person, a licensed electrician, or our Support Department staff.

2. Do not use more bulbs or more wattage than specified. See also How to Expand the Cable Light System below.

3. Unplug or turn off the system when it is not in use, to save energy and to prolong the life of the transformer and bulbs.

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Installation Instructions for Cable Light (for Halogen Low-Voltage Systems)

(Tools needed: small screw driver and pliers)

WARNINGS: Although these are low-voltage systems (12V) and do not have the risk of electrocution, you should proceed with cautions when handling them. They use bulbs that generate intense heat that may burn your skins easily. Do not place the transformer in an enclosure or in a tight space. Do not put the transformer or the fixtures near any inflammable objects. The transformer needs good ventilation to function properly. Do not use more bulbs or more wattage than specified without consulting a qualified person first. Failure to do so may damage the transformer and the bulbs permanently. If applicable, do not cross-touch the two fixture bars. Short circuit will occur and your system, including the magnetic transformer, will suffer permanent damage. In the worst case scenario, the transformer and lamp holders may catch fire unexpectedly. If that happens, please consult a qualified person or click here.

1. Unpack the kit from the inner box. Verify that all necessary parts is included (see diagram above). Do not plug the magnetic Transformer (12V) into electrical outlet yet! Plan your project by selecting the two walls/surfaces to hang the Cables and the height on each wall/surface to anchor the cables. Make sure the span will give you enough slack on one end of the Cables to connect to the Transformer, which must be plugged into an (bipolar) grounded electrical outlet (110V/60Hz). 

2. Drill two 7mm holes in each wall/surface and at the desire height (holes separation may depend on system purchased), insert the Plastic Bushings into the holes, and screw the Wall Hooks into the Plastic Bushings.

3. Cut the Cable (33' or 50' shipped) into two equal halves. You need two separate runs of cable in order to set up the system.

4. Start with the first run of cable. Secure both ends of the Cable to the Cable Clamps using the Clamping Plates and the nuts (see diagrams below). The Cable must pass through the Cable Clamp, then the ring of the Cable Tightener (or turnbuckle) at one end of the Cable (Wall Hook at the other end of the Cable), and finally back to the Cable Clamps (see diagram below). Make sure you have clamped down the Cable tightly using the Clamping Plates and nuts (pliers needed).

5. Tighten the Cable by adjusting the Cable Tightener. Pre-unwinding both ends of the Tightener makes it more flexible to adjust the tension in the cables. Also, give yourself enough slack on one end of the Cables to connect to the Transformer (see Step 9).

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for the other Cable. However, make sure the two Cables are not too far away from each other (maximum separation width depends on fixtures purchased).

7. Secure the fixtures (Straight Bars shown above) to the Cables by using the Connectors and the sharp screws (included in the Connectors). The sharp screws must be able to penetrate the clear plastic insulation of the Cable in order to conduct low voltage electricity. If the fixtures do not light up after installation, these screws may not have penetrated the Cable insulation yet.

8. Insert the MR16 or JC bulbs to the Lamp Holders. You may need to use the two tiny screws (some fixtures do not have these screws) on the side of the Lamp Holders (black) to secure the bulbs. An eye-glasses class of screw driver is helpful.

9. Connect the Cables to the Terminal Blocks on the Transformer. Secure them using the built-in screws provided.

10. Plug the Transformer into any 110V/60Hz electrical outlet. If there is any question or problem, please consult a qualified person or click here.

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Why didn't the system turn on after installation?

1. Warning: make sure the two fixture bars (pertaining to metal bar fixtures) are not touching each other and there is no conductor cross-touching them. If cross-touching occurred, your transformer may have suffered permanent damage.

2. Check bulbs that are not lit to see if they are completely inserted into the lamp holders. You may use the tiny screws on the sides of the Lamp Holders to do adjustment. Check the sharp screws in the connectors if they have penetrated the plastic (translucent) shell of the cable.

3. If all bulbs are not lit, check power source (electrical outlet) to see if the plug is completely inserted into the outlet or the outlet is usable or live.

4. Disconnect the transformer from the outlet! Check connections at the transformer. Pull cables out and examine the contacts. Try re-connect them and power on again.

5. Disconnect the transformer from the outlet! Check all fixture connections at the cable. Make sure the cable plastic shell is pierced at every connection. Try power on again.

6. If it is still not lit up, you must have a bad transformer. Report DOA immediately!

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   What is included

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   How to expand the Cable Light System

1. This section is pertaining to owner of a 3-Fixture or 4-Fixture system wanting to add more fixtures. For 5-Fixture system, there is no expansion allowed unless you upgrade to a bigger capacity transformer. However, you can always upgrade/change your fixtures.

2. Consult a qualified person or a licensed electrician before your project.

3. For 3-Fixture system, you must purchase a bigger capacity transformer (100W). With a 100W transformer, you can either:

   • add two 20W rated fixtures to the system (5x20W, total of 100W), 

   • change the bulbs to 35W to have more light (3x35W, total of 105W), but keep the old fixtures,

   • replace all fixtures with new 3x 35W rated fixtures, or

   • upgrade your system with a bigger capacity transformer in order to install more fixtures.

4. For 4-fixture system, you do not have to purchase another transformer. Your transformer (100W) has the capacity to support one more fixture with 20W rating. You can either:

   • add one more 20W rated fixture, or 

   • discard one fixture and replace the remaining three with 35W bulbs, or

   • purchase three/five new 35W/20W respectively rated fixtures to replace the old ones.

5. Another option for 3-fixture, 4-fixture and 5-fixture systems is to upgrade the plug-in type transformer to 105W or 200W (black or chrome) hardwired transformer in order to support more light. Hardwired transformers have the advantage of being able to be mounted on the ceiling or wall electrical boxes and be controlled by a wall switch. For example, upgrading to 200W transformer, you can either:

• add 5 or 6 or 7 more 20W rated fixture, or 

• replace all fixtures with 5 fixtures with 35W rated bulbs, or

• install 4 fixtures with 50W rated bulbs.

To purchase the above fixtures and parts, click here

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   How to connect hardwired/plug-in transformer to the Cable Light System

There are two main ways to connect the hardwired (or plug-in) transformer to the cables:

1. Standard Connection: connect the ends of the two cables to the Terminal Blocks of the transformer. You may need to loop the cables back to where the transformer is located.

2. Stand-Off Connection: In order to connect the transformer to the cables when the transformer is not near any one of the two surfaces that you mount the hooks and anchors, you need to purchase our Stand-Off Connection Kit (3'). With this kit, you can connect the transformer (electrically) to the cables anywhere along the cable system as far away as this 3' kit allows. This kit comes with one pair of 3' long cables and the connectors (Note: Pointed screw must pierce the wire insulation for this kit to work, the use of this kit may void your warranty)

   How to connect multiple systems together to form one continuous system

To connect multiple systems together physically but not electrically, you need to employ separators as electrical insulators to string the cables from different systems together to look like one continuous system. Please see picture below for details. Essentially, you use the Cable Tighteners as electrical insulators between systems. The insulated cables allow the Tighteners to act as electrical separators even though they are made of metal. Two systems shown in the picture. You can always connect more systems together using the Cable Tighteners as insulators. You may want to consider installing supports along the combined system to prevent excessive cable sagging.

   How halogen lighting can save energy

The reason that halogen lighting can save money and energy is very simple. Halogen light bulbs are constructed exactly like regular light bulbs, but they contain different gases under higher pressure and different filaments inside the bulbs. When the filaments inside are fed with electricity, with the filament's natural resistance to electricity and combined with the special gases inside, they are burnt at a much higher temperature than regular bulbs as a result and therefore emit more light.

As a reminder, because halogen bulbs operate at a very high temperature, do not touch the bulb with bare hand. To change the bulb, use a non-linen cloth to remove the bulb after at lest 10 minutes or when the bulb is sufficiently cooled.

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   Fixture Specifications

     * Need diagonal (or staggered) bar connections in order to obtain the maximum angles shown!

     ~ Approximation only! Maximum 180º/360º is impossible to achieve because of track separation

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   Transformer Specifications

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Adjustable Hanging Device

Sometimes, you may need to span the cables between two surfaces longer than the standard limit but do not like the look of sagging cables due to the weight of the fixtures, you will need to purchase hangers to support the cables. We have two kinds of hanger. One is the standard plastic fixed length hanger (L18-HK, 4"). The other is the adjustable chrome hanger (L18-HM, 7"- 12" or longer).

This adjustable hanger can also be used in high ceiling situation where the anchoring surface is high above the cables. With purchase of the necessary parts (L18-MF5), this adjustable hanger can be extended from 7" to 27" (or in 20" increments). See picture for more details!

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    Use of Dimmer

In general, use of dimmer on our Cable Light Systems are not advisable. Please consult a qualified person or a licensed electrician before you go to purchase one. Speak to a customer representative from the manufacturer of the dimmer to verify compatibility. They will let you know if they have the right dimmer for our Cable Light System. Avoid using dimmers on our systems that use plug-in transformer (see below). We do not guarantee compatibility with any dimmer. The use of dimmer on our systems may void your warranty.

The transformers that come with our Cable Light Systems are plug-in Magnetic Low-Voltage (MLV) transformers. Do not use regular incandescent dimmers for MLV lighting systems. MLV transformers may not be compatible with certain electronic-based dimmers also. The standard plug-in MLV transformer is supposed to be plugged into a wall outlet (receptacle). You should not control the MLV lighting system by a dimmer in this manner (please see dimmer manufacturer's instructions). If you would like to use a dimmer, please upgrade this plug-in transformer to a hardwired transformer that can be directly controlled by a wall switch. Certain dimmers do not work well with this transformer that it may make "hum" noise. Applying a little more dimming may mitigate this problem.

For 3-way and 4-way controls using a dimmer, you must consult a local licensed electrician before installation. You must read the dimmer's specifications very carefully before deciding which one to buy. It is extremely important to ground all switches and dimmers. Professional installation is recommended!

We cannot warrant compatibility with any dimmer, nor can we recommend any brand of dimmer. Use of dimmer on our lighting system is solely at your own risk. We will not replace or exchange any damaged transformer due to the use of dimmer.

The chart below shows compatibility of dimmers. This is just for reference only and in no way should be construed as guideline to different dimmer installations. Dimmer specifications can vary from one brand to another or from one model to another. Please consult a local licensed electrician before installation.

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3-way and 4-way Control Installations

For existing 3-way and 4-way control circuits, please consult a local licensed electrician before installation.  3-way and 4-way control installations are having 2 and 3 wall switches controlling the system respectively. It is extremely important to ground all switches and dimmers. Professional installation is definitely recommended! We will not replace or exchange damaged transformer due to wrong installation.

In general, 3-way and 4-way control new installation must be done by a local licensed electrician, especially when installed along with a low-voltage (12V) dimmer. If you choose to do it yourself, you must read the dimmer manufacturer's installation instructions with care. A small mishap can damage our Cable Light Systems permanently.

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   Maintenance

1. Do not clean the system with wet cloth or paper

2. Unplug the system when it is not in use.

3. Dust off the system frequently

4. Over time, the Cables may sack. Tighten the Cables regularly, if necessary.

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