Street lighting control boxes
- Control: astronomical time clock (adjusts automatically to sunrise and sunset) + photocell (switches on early on cloudy days)
- Circuits: 2–12 circuits zoned by street section, half-night lighting scheme (half switched off late at night)
- Protection: outdoor IP65, rain hood + double door seal + bottom cable gland entry
- Ground fault: 30 mA per circuit, the safety baseline for pole wiring
- Upgrades: three-remote (telesignaling / telemetry / telecontrol) and single-lamp monitoring interface optional
Specifications
The table below covers 80% of factory distribution room cases. Anything outside it we can still build — those are engineered items, quoted separately, with an indicative price the same day.
| Enclosure type | Outdoor floor-mount or pole-mount, concrete foundation optional |
|---|---|
| Standard dimensions (W×H×D) | 500×700×250 to 800×1200×350 mm, custom sizes available |
| Enclosure construction | 1.5–2.0 mm cold-rolled steel or stainless steel, rain hood + double door seal |
| IP rating | IP65 (outdoor), bottom cable gland entry and exit |
| Door and lock | Top-hinged door, latch lock + padlock hasp, drip-proof |
| Marking | Reflective number tags (street section / circuit number) |
| Rated voltage | AC 220/380V, 50 Hz |
|---|---|
| main breaker | Isolator switch + circuit breakers (≤160 A standard) |
| Control circuit | 2–12 circuits, contactor per circuit, astronomical time clock + photocell automatic |
| Time control function | Automatic astronomical clock switching, holiday schedules, midnight dimming periods |
| Ground fault protection | Branch circuits 30 mA; main ground fault 300 mA, fire protection optional |
| Three-remote interface | Remote signaling (on/off, fault status), remote metering (current, voltage), remote control (open/close) |
| Single-luminaire monitoring | Reserved wiring and power provisions for single-luminaire controllers |
| Component brands | Chint / Schneider / ABB + dedicated time control manufacturers, customer-specified brands supported |
| Time control + photocell, basic model | Automatic switching + midnight dimming periods, best value workhorse |
|---|---|
| Midnight dimming, split-circuit model | Full-night / midnight split circuits, half the circuits off late at night for energy savings |
| Three-remote model | Status and energy reporting, remote open/close (municipal platform / self-hosted) |
| Landscape lighting model | Bridge / landscape lighting sequence control + scene switching |
| Smart pole companion model | Pairs with multi-function light poles (communication and charging provisions reserved) |
| Assembly standard | GB/T 7251.1 / IEC 61439-1 |
|---|---|
| Timing verification | Time control switching logic and photocell priority verified unit by unit |
| Ground fault verification | 30 mA per-circuit operation verified unit by unit |
| Routine tests (every unit) | Insulation resistance, dielectric withstand, per-circuit and control logic powered test |
| Documents with shipment | System diagram, time control setting table, circuit cross-reference table, BOM, test report |
Five steps to specify your run
A configuration summary is generated as you go. It travels with your inquiry, saving a round of confirmation.
Build details
Systems have been in service for decades, and the failure points are always the same few: poor busbar contact, water ingress at the door seal, high temperature rise in the correction cabinet, and mis-phased outgoing feeders. The six hard rules below are written for exactly these points — every cabinet can be traced to them.
Switching follows the sun
Astronomical time control calculates sunrise and sunset for the local latitude and longitude and adjusts automatically through the seasons — no manual seasonal time changes. Forgetting the seasonal changeover is a common failure of pure time-control boxes; this design eliminates it.
Lights on early on overcast days
Photocell and time control operate on an OR logic: on overcast, rainy or hazy days with low illuminance, lights come on early; in deep winter, when nights are long, time control takes over. Working together, the two neither waste energy by switching on too early nor draw complaints by switching on too late.
Energy-saving circuit grouping
Midnight dimming does not rely on simply switching off half the circuits: circuits are grouped by odd/even or by traffic flow, and half are cut late at night. On road sections designed with closer pole spacing, illuminance stays uniform. The grouping scheme is delivered with the circuit schedule.
30 mA on pole-mounted circuits
Street lighting circuits take a beating from wind and rain, so 30 mA leakage protection per circuit is mandatory: accidents from leakage on light poles injure people every year, and this is not offered as an option.
Top-hinged door + bottom cable entry
The outdoor enclosure door opens upward (so rainwater runs off), incoming and outgoing cables enter only through glands at the bottom, and the door seal is double-layer. Half of all street lighting enclosure failures are water ingress; the structure addresses it first.
Box number = street section number
The reflective number on the enclosure corresponds to the street section and the circuit schedule. Municipal inspection crews find the box by its plate, and repair calls are located to the circuit without verbal descriptions.
Photos & enclosure construction
Below are photos taken in our own shop — from the complete unit down to the internal busbars and secondary wiring. Every build detail can be checked item by item.
Image key: 01–05 are shop photos (the numbers match the shot list). The line drawing shows the front elevation of the enclosure; dimensions match the specification table above.
Where these cabinets go
These are the routine applications — we can talk scheme and configuration directly. For the industry view, see the industry pages.
Municipal road lighting
Street-section circuit grouping + midnight dimming, with three-remote access to the municipal platform.
Park and plant street lighting
Automatic time and photocell control, less burden on property management.
Rural road lighting
Cost-effective time-control scheme, usable for pole or wall mounting.
Bridge and landscape lighting
Scene-based sequence control + grouped switching.
Smart pole projects
Power distribution and monitoring base matched to multi-function poles.
Residential and campus lighting
Circuit grouping + leakage protection, safety first.
Commercial terms
Specification dated September 2026; quotations follow this.
| Drawings & design | Free |
| MOQ | 1 unit (5 or more recommended for production) |
| Production lead time | 15-25 days after drawing approval |
| on-time delivery | 98% |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Loading port | Ningbo / Shanghai, China |
| Component brands | Schneider / ABB / Siemens / Chint |
| Factory visit & dispatch confirmation | Factory visits welcome; finished-cabinet photos and video before dispatch |
| Capacity | 5,800+ units / year |
Documents for your engineering team
Selection manual, outline dimensions and RFQ checklist — for the customer's electrical engineer. All three documents are being organized by product line; download links go live once complete.
Six questions procurement and electrical engineers ask most
Time control or photocell — which one should I use?
Use them together: astronomical time control as the primary (adjusting on/off times automatically by sunrise and sunset), with photocell as a supplement (switching on early on overcast, rainy or hazy days with low illuminance). Time control alone switches on and off at the wrong time during seasonal transitions; photocell alone switches on all night on overcast days. The OR logic between the two is the most worry-free combination.
How is midnight dimming implemented?
Circuit grouping: streetlight poles are split across circuits by odd/even numbering or by traffic flow. During late-night hours the control box automatically switches off one group, keeping half the lighting on. Grouping is fixed at the circuit design stage, and a circuit cross-reference table ships with the box.
Can it connect to a municipal monitoring platform?
Three-remote models support it: switch status, fault signals, current and voltage reporting plus remote open/close. Protocol is matched to the municipal platform (commonly Modbus / IEC 60870-5-104). For single-lamp monitoring, add a controller at the pole, with power and communication wiring reserved inside the box.
What about condensation outdoors in winter?
In regions with large day-night temperature swings, we fit an anti-condensation heater with thermostatic on/off control, so no condensation forms inside the box and components do not rust. Heater power draw is low, so annual electricity cost is negligible. For coastal and high-rainfall areas, add a breather valve for pressure equalization.
How many lights can one box handle?
Calculate from lamp wattage: typical LED streetlights run 100–200 W, and one box with 6 circuits at 8–12 lights per circuit is common. Total capacity is verified against the incoming breaker. For long streets with many segments, multiple boxes are daisy-chained, with time control synchronized via GPS time signal or pushed down from the platform.
How do you work with smart pole projects?
Smart poles (integrated communications base station / EV charging / surveillance) place higher demands on the distribution box: more branch circuits, higher capacity, and single-lamp plus device monitoring. Projects like this go through our smart streetlight solution page (see the on-page link), with a solution developed separately from the pole type and equipment list.
Other cabinet types in the same main circuit
Related products use color-block placeholders for now (product photos not yet complete; they will be replaced together). Internal links will be filled in once live URLs are confirmed.
How this product is applied in the industry
Operating details, cabinet combinations and customization points are covered in the industry application page — go there directly.
Send us the street segments and light counts, and we will group the circuits accordingly
Send us your street segment layout and fixture counts, and we will provide a free circuit grouping and time control plan · quote within 24 hours. Direct from the source factory, MOQ 1 unit, 15–25 day lead time, 1-year warranty.
ISO 9001:2015 · CE(LVD+EMC) · CQC · IP65
When you write, include: single-line diagram or primary scheme, switch room layout, load list, and component brand requirements. You do not need complete drawings — capacity and cabinet type are enough to start.