PHOTOCELLS, AUXILIARY PRODUCTS, PHOTOCELL

Name: PHOTOCELLS, AUXILIARY PRODUCTS, PHOTOCELL
Brand: CSC LED
SKU: JL-423CMZ
Price: 29.97 CAD
Availability: InStock

SKU: JL-423CMZ

Brand: CSC LED

Let the sun decide when your lights come on. The CSC LED photocell — also called a dusk to dawn sensor, photo control, photo eye or daylight sensor — is the little button-style control that turns your exterior fixtures on at nightfall and shuts them off at sunrise, automatically, every single day of the year. Model JL-423CMZ uses a precision cadmium-free light sensor with an IR-filtered phototransistor, so it reads real ambient light instead of reacting to headlights or a passing reflection. It's the go-to accessory for anyone searching for a photocell outdoor wall light setup, an LED wall pack with photocell control, or a simple way to stop paying for fixtures that burn all afternoon.

This is a button control style photocell in a rain-proof polycarbonate housing and lens, finished in black so it disappears against most fixtures and enclosures. It comes complete with 6" wire leads and mounts internally to an enclosure through a 3/8" diameter hole for light sensing, with the sensor located at the front. The rated load is generous: 1000W tungsten or 1800VA ballast, which covers a long run of LED fixtures, incandescent lamps or ballasted loads on a single control. Built-in surge protection — a 460J MOV rated for 10kV surges — helps the unit shrug off the voltage spikes that come with summer storms and utility switching. It carries file number E208507 and is cUL approved for code-compliant installation. The CSC LED 1-year manufacturer warranty backs it up.

Where does it shine? On outdoor electrical boxes, in-wall boxes and outdoor lighting fixtures: wall packs over a back door, barn lights on a garage, porch lanterns, shop entrances, storage yards and multi-unit walkways. In Canada, daylight swings by hours between June and December — a dusk to dawn photocell adapts on its own, with no timer to reprogram twice a year. Homeowners get set-and-forget curb appeal, contractors get a fast, reliable automation upgrade on any exterior job, and small businesses stop leaving the parking lot lit at noon. Add the JL-423CMZ photocell to your next exterior install and let daylight do the switching.

Built for weather, not for the workbench
The JL-423CMZ is housed in rain-proof polycarbonate — housing and lens both — which is exactly what you want on a control that lives outside through freeze-thaw cycles, driving rain and summer UV. The finish is black, keeping the sensor visually discreet on dark bronze wall packs, black barn lights or grey enclosures. The button control style format is the compact, low-profile option: rather than a bulky twist-lock cap sitting on top of a fixture, the unit mounts internally to the enclosure and only the front-facing sensor eye shows through.

How the sensor actually reads light
Inside is a cadmium-free light sensor built around an IR-filtered phototransistor. Filtering infrared matters: it keeps the control focused on visible daylight levels so the fixture switches at a genuine dusk threshold and turns off at true dawn, instead of chattering when a warm heat source or stray beam hits the lens. The photo control sensor is located at the front of the unit, so aim that face toward open sky — never directly at the fixture's own lamp or at a bright neighbouring light — for clean, repeatable switching.

Technical specifications
Model Number: JL-423CMZ
Product: Photocell
Photo Control Style: Button
Photo Control Sensor Location: Front
Colour: Black
Rated Load: 1000W Tungsten, 1800VA Ballast
Surge Protection: 460J MOV, 10kV Surge
Housing and Lens: Rain-proof polycarbonate
Leads: Complete with 6" wire leads
Mounting: Mounts internally to enclosure with a 3/8" diameter for light sensing
File Number: E208507
Approval: cUL
Warranty: 1 year

Installation and electrical notes
Installation is straightforward for a licensed electrician or an experienced DIYer. Drill or use the existing 3/8" diameter opening in the outdoor electrical box, in-wall box or lighting fixture, pass the sensor through so the front eye faces outward, and wire the 6" leads in line with the load following the fixture's wiring instructions and local code. Because the unit is rated for 1000W tungsten and 1800VA ballast, one photocell can control a single fixture or a group of fixtures wired to the same circuit — a practical way to run an entire row of wall packs or yard lights from one sensing point. The 460J MOV providing 10kV surge protection is a meaningful detail on rural services and commercial feeders where transients are common.

Applications and documentation
Think garage and shop entrances, loading docks, warehouse exteriors, church and community hall doorways, farm buildings, duplex and townhouse walkways, motel corridors and restaurant patios — anywhere a light should be on all night and off all day without anyone touching a switch. Retrofitting an older non-sensing wall pack or barn light with a dusk to dawn photocell is one of the fastest energy-saving upgrades available, cutting hours of unnecessary daytime runtime compared with an always-on or manually switched fixture, and adapting automatically to Canada's long summer evenings and short winter days. For full details, wiring context and dimensions, the technical PDF spec sheet for the JL-423CMZ is available in the Documentation tab of this page.

Technical Files