Kestrel Control Four Zone 600W Garden Lighting Control Package Timer and Photocell

The simple one. A photocell brings the garden on at dusk and a seven day timer takes it off at whatever hour you choose, per zone. No app, nothing to update and nothing that stops working when a company goes under.

The transformer is the part of a garden lighting system that decides whether it still works in ten years, and it is the part people spend the least on. Ours are toroidal rather than switch mode, which means they run cool, they do not buzz, and they tolerate a long cable run without the voltage collapsing at the far end. Multi tap outputs at 12, 13, 14 and 15 volts let you compensate for voltage drop on the longest circuit instead of accepting dim lights at the bottom of the garden. Every package is housed in a powder coated steel enclosure rated for an outbuilding or a sheltered wall.

Specification

• Dimensions: enclosure 420 by 300 by 165mm
• Materials: toroidal transformer, powder coated steel enclosure, DIN rail internals
• Finish: graphite grey enclosure
• Light source: not applicable, this is the supply and control end of the system
• Light output: drives up to 600W of 12V garden lighting
• Colour temperature: not applicable
• Beam angle: not applicable
• Power: 230V input on a fused spur, 12V SELV output on 4 zones
• Ingress protection: IP65, jet proof, suitable for open garden use
• Cable: output terminals for 4 zones, 2.5mm cable accepted
• Warranty: 5 years on the fitting, 2 years on the LED and driver
• Suits a garden with up to about 24 fittings
• Zones: 4, independently switched and dimmable
• Multi tap output: 12V, 13V, 14V and 15V to correct voltage drop
• Control: timer and photocell
• Photocell and a seven day mechanical timer
• Scene keypads: optional extra
• Weight: approximately 11.0 kilograms

In the box

• 1 x 600W toroidal transformer with multi tap outputs
• 1 x IP65 powder coated steel enclosure with a lockable door
• 4 x zone output modules on a DIN rail
• 1 x photocell with 5m of cable
• 1 x seven day mechanical timer per zone
• 1 x manual override switch
• Glands, ferrules and a wiring diagram
• A voltage drop calculator card for sizing your cable runs

Installation

This is a mains fitting and must be installed by a qualified electrician working to BS 7671, on an RCD protected circuit, using armoured cable or cable in conduit where it is buried. Part P notification applies to most outdoor work in England and Wales. If that sounds like more than you want to take on, the same fitting is available in the 12V range and you can lay that yourself.

When to buy

Garden lighting is bought in spring and installed in a hurry. It is much easier to dig a cable run in February when the borders are bare and the ground is soft than in May when everything is in leaf and you are trying not to stand on it. Order in winter, get the cable in, and the first warm evening of the year is ready for you rather than a job list.