Description
Switch Eight Grow Lights From One Timer, Safely
The Maxibright Sentinel 8 Way Control Switch is a contactor timer for grow rooms running several lights at once. A Grässlin segment timer drives a heavy-duty GE contactor, and the contactor carries the load to eight individually switched UK sockets, so every ballast or LED driver comes on and goes off at exactly the same moment. A separate heater socket sits alongside the light sockets, and the whole unit is rated at 26A and housed in a powder-coated metal enclosure built in the UK.
Key Benefits
- Contactor switching – the timer only operates the contactor, so the start-up surge of several lights never runs through the timer's own contacts
- Eight switched sockets with illuminated switches – take one light out of the circuit without unplugging it
- Dedicated heater socket so the grow room heater plugs in at the same control point
- 26A rated, with a GE contactor and a Grässlin precision timer
- Powder-coated metal enclosure with a hanging bracket for a wall or a grow tent pole
- Made in the UK
Why a Plug-In Timer Struggles With Grow Lights
A household plug-in timer is rated for a table lamp, not a bank of HID ballasts or LED drivers. When several lights strike together, the inrush current can weld the timer's contacts, leaving lights stuck on or off and throwing the photoperiod out – one of the quickest ways to stress plants and stall flowering. A contactor puts that load on a switch built for it, keeps every light in step, and leaves the timer with nothing more to do than tell the contactor when to close.
How to Use
- Mount it on a wall or tent pole using the bracket, off the floor and well away from water
- Set the timer by pushing in the segments for the hours you want the lights on, then turn the dial to the current time
- Plug in each light – one per switched socket – and keep the combined draw within the 26A rating; the current is printed on every ballast and driver label
- Plug the heater into the heater socket
- Plug the two supply leads into separate wall sockets – not into an extension lead – then switch on the sockets you are using
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Maxibright
- Model: Sentinel 8 Way Control Switch with heater socket (CS8)
- Light sockets: 8 x UK 3-pin, individually switched with illuminated switches
- Extra outlet: 1 x heater socket
- Contactor: GE
- Timer: Grässlin mechanical segment timer
- Rating: 26A
- Enclosure: Powder-coated metal with hanging bracket
- Mounting: Wall or grow tent pole
- Made in: United Kingdom
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lights can I run from it?
Eight – one per switched socket – as long as the total current stays within the unit's 26A rating. Add up the amps printed on each ballast or LED driver before you plug them in.
Does it work with LED grow lights?
Yes. LED drivers draw an inrush current at switch-on just as HID ballasts do, so a contactor is the right way to switch several of them together.
Can it go inside a grow tent?
The bracket hangs on a wall or a tent pole. Keep it above floor level and away from reservoirs, spray and humidifier mist.
Works Well With
