# need a little help



## markd (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm trying to wire a spot light that has a motion detector. There are two lights and the motion detector. There is a white wire from each light and the motion detector that are gathered together with a crimped wire nut. Same goes for the black wires, also crimped together. Then there is a loose black wire and a loose red wire. Instructions say connect white to white and red to red. The picture in the directions shows the crimped wires remaining together. The cable I am trying to connect to has a black, a white, and a green. How do I wire this? Obviously, I don't know anything about electricity. If I leave the crimped black and white wires alone as the picture shows, my only choice is to connect remaining black to black and the red to white, is this OK? I'm pretty sure the green is the ground.

Any help would be great!!! Thanks


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## markd (Feb 22, 2014)

Been looking around for an answer. Lots of confusion. Looks like red goes to black along with black. Directions on this light unit suck! Who ever translated these did a terrible job...................still could use a hand wiring this!


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## aandpdan (Oct 8, 2012)

The whites are neutrals and ALL of them, including the one in the cable, would get hooked together.

The question is the red or black. Usually a red wire would be the switched output of a device. In that case it would be hook the loose black to the cable black and the loose red ties into the crimped blacks.

Green is ground.

What model is the light? Can you post a picture of the wiring?


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## markd (Feb 22, 2014)

Thanks aandpdan.....I bought the light at BJs Club, name on box Maximus. Model #A4M-DPAR30LM-WH-1. Google didn't recognize it. Unfortunately, not only do I know nothing about electricity, I also can't post pictures.......

I can describe the wiring on the light: There is a black wire from each of the two lights and a slightly smaller black wire from the motion detector crimped together. There is a white wire from each of the lights and a slightly smaller white wire from the motion detector crimped together. Then there are additional smaller red and black wires coming from the motion detector that are loose.

My plan is to wire this unit to a cord so I can plug it into my generator, as some additional security when the generator is running. The unit will be mounted on a pole. No need for a switch. As I mentioned above the cord has a white, a black and a green.

If I understand correctly, I will connect the bundle of white wires to the white in the cord. Then connect the bundle of black wires to the black in the cord and then connect the loose black and loose red coming from the motion detector.....is this correct? Oh and connect green to ground screw....in the light unit or box?

Thanks again for the help.....it's pretty frustrating getting stuck on something like this!


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## aandpdan (Oct 8, 2012)

If you connect the bundle of black wires to the black in the cord and the bundle of white wires to the white in the cord the lights will come on and stay on - almost guaranteed.

What color are the wires running to the bulbs? It should be white and black.

I would still suggest connecting all the white wires together. Connect the red to the bundle of blacks and the black in the cord to the single black wire. If there is a ground screw in the box that's fine for the green wire.


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## Chendler (Aug 28, 2014)

Very good and*informative*exchange*..*Thank you!


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## mhayw6 (Nov 29, 2014)

I removed the sensor unit and found that the Black wire is Neutral and the red wire is the 120V Hot.
The typical wiring should be Black wire on the light to the white wire in the junction box and the Red wire on the light to the Black wire in the junction box.
I wired it in and it operates as designed.


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## markd (Feb 22, 2014)

I was bored yesterday and found the spotlight project in a corner of my basement still unfinished after four years. I gave it a try again and after hours of trying different wiring combinations, I went to Google for help and found this thread I started back in May 2014. I put everything back as it originally came (as I described above) and was left with two wires from the motion detector a red and a black. mhayw6 above was correct, the red from the detector connected to the hot (black) in the extension cord I'm using, and the black from the detector connected to the common (white) in the cord. Not sure why a manufacturer would use the wrong color wires and have such poor instructions (they just said black to black and white to white and never mention the red). Anyway, thanks to everyone for the help (four years later!).


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