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Deer feeder motor/timer issue #7580554 08/15/19 01:02 PM
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KWood_TSU Offline OP
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Got one of my feeders, put a new battery in and The Timer put in. Didn't have a solar panel, so no biggie. Thing works just fine. Yesterday I put the solar panel on and when all wired up the motor light is lit on the timer, and I have no power at all to the timer. I'm positive everything is hooked up correct. Unplugged solar panel and hooked motor back up and worked fine.

What gives? Bad wire on the solar panel maybe?

Also, anyone have a good place to buy The Timer at?


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580569 08/15/19 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
Got one of my feeders, put a new battery in and The Timer put in. Didn't have a solar panel, so no biggie. Thing works just fine. Yesterday I put the solar panel on and when all wired up the motor light is lit on the timer, and I have no power at all to the timer. I'm positive everything is hooked up correct. Unplugged solar panel and hooked motor back up and worked fine.

What gives? Bad wire on the solar panel maybe?

Also, anyone have a good place to buy The Timer at?


The solar panel is typically connected directly to the battery. Are you connecting it to the battery leads of the timer without the battery connected as well? If so, the solar panel is providing a small amount of current to the timer's circuit board, which is most likely causing the LED to illuminate, depending on the design of the timer's circuit board. You're providing a current source to the timer rather than a voltage source.

You can think of a battery as being a tank of compressed air, and the solar panel as a compressor that's pumping a small and continuous amount of air into it so that it stays pressurized. Without the battery connected, you're simply pumping a small amount of air/current into the Timer circuitry.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 08/15/19 01:31 PM.

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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580576 08/15/19 01:34 PM
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The solar panel is connected directly to the battery, and the motor wires are hooked up to the solar panel leads.


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580582 08/15/19 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
The solar panel is connected directly to the battery, and the motor wires are hooked up to the solar panel leads.


So the wires from the solar panel and from the timer are both connected to the battery with all positive and negative wires and terminals connected only to each other, correct?

I'm assuming the motor wires are connected to the timer. The battery runs the timer, which in turn, controls the motor. The solar panel just maintains the battery.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 08/15/19 01:44 PM.

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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580590 08/15/19 01:45 PM
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Yes, correct. I take the solar panel out of the equation it works, add the solar panel. no workie.


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580594 08/15/19 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
Yes, correct. I take the solar panel out of the equation it works, add the solar panel. no workie.


Is this a new solar panel? If so and you know it's connected correctly to the battery, I would suspect a short in the solar panel that's killing the battery voltage. A quick check with a volt/ohm meter would confirm that.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 08/15/19 02:12 PM.

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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580624 08/15/19 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
The solar panel is connected directly to the battery, and the motor wires are hooked up to the solar panel leads.

Where is the timer hooked up in your sequence? You should have the motor wires connected thru the wiring harness that you plug into the timer. The Timer then piggy backed on the solar panel that is connected the battery. What does the battery charged meter on your timer show?


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580697 08/15/19 03:40 PM
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Well gentlemen, get this. I came to the feeder to take pics of the wiring. Was really curious as to why it wasn't working, and hooked it all up together. Guess what, it worked this time. I know I didn't have any wires crossed or anything yesterday, I made sure of that. I hate electrical stuff, makes zero since why it worked today. Oh well, at least it's fixed


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580863 08/15/19 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
Well gentlemen, get this. I came to the feeder to take pics of the wiring. Was really curious as to why it wasn't working, and hooked it all up together. Guess what, it worked this time. I know I didn't have any wires crossed or anything yesterday, I made sure of that. I hate electrical stuff, makes zero since why it worked today. Oh well, at least it's fixed


Glad you got it working.


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7580927 08/15/19 08:52 PM
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all this brain power from here on the THF fixed it for ya ... clap


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: PMK] #7581511 08/16/19 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by PMK
all this brain power from here on the THF fixed it for ya ... clap

Haha, I guess so. Still baffled at it. Everything was new except the motor, but it was working just fine so no need to replace.


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Re: Deer feeder motor/timer issue [Re: KWood_TSU] #7581580 08/16/19 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by KWood_TSU
Originally Posted by PMK
all this brain power from here on the THF fixed it for ya ... clap

Haha, I guess so. Still baffled at it. Everything was new except the motor, but it was working just fine so no need to replace.


IMO, the availability of replacement timers and motors has been a big help to deer hunters. Not only has it made it easier to keep feeders working, it also helps those who build their own feeders out of whatever they can find laying around. I have a small one that my dad and I built more than 20 years ago out of an old tractor funnel and small garbage can. When the mechanical timer finally bit the dust, I upgraded it to digital. With my dad having since passed, I keep it stored away for sentimental reasons.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 08/16/19 05:52 PM.

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