TheFishMan65
New member
It is not normal. Not familiar ith ViewPlot, but check the orientation center of each level sound like they got corrupted.
DIY LED driver for reef lighting
- Thread starter der_wille_zur_macht
- Start date
TheFishMan65
New member
ackerman
Did you ever find the problem. Please share the results. Thanks
Did you ever find the problem. Please share the results. Thanks
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Seed/itead's CAM job has some "issues" with generating the drill file correctly depending on certain conditions on the board. It seems like the drill file gets offset incorrectly, if you have other layers that extend beyond the board dimensions (i.e. a part, such as a connector, that hangs off the edge). So far, it hasn't been a problem - they do a visual check and correct the offset manually. As such I haven't put any effort into solving the problem, since they seem to catch it anyways.
DustinB
New member
As DWZM stated, this is normal for seeedstudio/iteadstudio. The offset drill file is from the positive coordinates option on the board. From what I've been able to dig up, it's necessary for the board houses they use. They will manually adjust the files as needed.
NOTE: This cam file is only for use when ordering from seeedstudio/iteadstudio.
NOTE: This cam file is only for use when ordering from seeedstudio/iteadstudio.
Hello all,
I just finished reading this thread from 3 weeks ago and I'm very interested in this project. I'm a complete lamen when it comes to electronics so would anyone be able to provide me with the GERBER files needed to order through Seeed? I don't have a tank anymore but I wanted to tackle getting back into the hobby one piece at a time.
Thanks for your time!
- Paul
I just finished reading this thread from 3 weeks ago and I'm very interested in this project. I'm a complete lamen when it comes to electronics so would anyone be able to provide me with the GERBER files needed to order through Seeed? I don't have a tank anymore but I wanted to tackle getting back into the hobby one piece at a time.
Thanks for your time!
- Paul
ackerman
Member
No, been really busy lately and havent had time to test anything yet. Hopefully this weekend il have some time to mess around with it. Ive just been unplugging the powersupply at night so the 1 string turns off.
Obi-dad
Active member
Dwizum's cat4101 drivers work great. I ended up putting small heat sinks on the chips as even with the power supply voltages tuned at .6 above required voltage, they were getting warm. I used Arctic Alumina adhesive, now they only read 110 degrees at full bore.
I don't run them at full, but want to be able to drive them slightly harder over the years to compensate for the LEDs gradually losing brightness.
I don't run them at full, but want to be able to drive them slightly harder over the years to compensate for the LEDs gradually losing brightness.
TheFishMan65
New member
Obi-dad, I has similiar experience with my board. Was the .6 over at 1 amp or something less?
Obi-dad
Active member
About 700 - 750 ma (my cheap DMM doesn't read the PWM very well.
TheFishMan65
New member
Ok, thanks. If you everwant to know the max current set the PWM to 100% or tie the PWM in to 5 volts and measure the current.
Hello again all,
My apologies if this is in the wrong thread but i figure since ill be using DWZM's board to drive my led's i could post here for some answers.
So the CAT4101 chip can drive 6 led's per string. Assuming i'll be using CREE XR-E's with a forward volatge of ~3.6-3.7 that means i would need a power supply of 22.2 A or whats available at 24A. Here is where im starting to get confounded. From reading on threads the Meanwell ELN 60-48 seems to be the standard and can run a string of 12. I understand that 12 led's and their forward voltage will equate to 44.4v which is in the voltage range of up to 48 volts.
Now in Taqpol's thread he is using the Meanwell SP 320-24 with DWZM's drivers but only 2 are populated which is why he can only run strings of 12. Regarding the power supply i don't understand how to calcuate the maximum number of LED's and/or strings the power supply can run. I didn't want to jump into the project without fully understanding it.
Thanks in advance!
My apologies if this is in the wrong thread but i figure since ill be using DWZM's board to drive my led's i could post here for some answers.
So the CAT4101 chip can drive 6 led's per string. Assuming i'll be using CREE XR-E's with a forward volatge of ~3.6-3.7 that means i would need a power supply of 22.2 A or whats available at 24A. Here is where im starting to get confounded. From reading on threads the Meanwell ELN 60-48 seems to be the standard and can run a string of 12. I understand that 12 led's and their forward voltage will equate to 44.4v which is in the voltage range of up to 48 volts.
Now in Taqpol's thread he is using the Meanwell SP 320-24 with DWZM's drivers but only 2 are populated which is why he can only run strings of 12. Regarding the power supply i don't understand how to calcuate the maximum number of LED's and/or strings the power supply can run. I didn't want to jump into the project without fully understanding it.
Thanks in advance!
TheFishMan65
New member
THe ELN and SP are completely different kinds of poser supplies. I don't remember taqpol configuration (so please repeat your question if htis does not help). Did he only use 2 driver per board so each board is 2 strings of six? IN which case he might have six board for a total of 72 LEDs.
Taqpol
New member
I populated two of the three slots on DWZM's board, but that just means I can run two strings of six for every board. I have ten boards total to run my 120 LEDs, split over two power supplies (one for the whites, one for the blues). Since all of the circuits are in parallel you only need to supply the minimum voltage with your power supply, but all the amperage needs are cumulative.
Blue and White LEDs have slightly different forward voltages, but thats not too important since most power supplies you will be interested in for running this application will have a trim pot that lets you adjust the voltage down to the minimum you need to run your board. What matters to you is the amperage. My SP-320-24 is supposed to mean that it can supply 320 watts at 24 volts. Since watts = amperage x voltage, my power supply is capable of putting out roughly 13.33 amps, but you want to run your power supply under 80% of its maximum capability to be most efficient and extend its life so 0.8 x 13.33 amps = 10.66 amps.
Now you need to know what amperage you will drive your LEDs at. each string of mine is driven at 700 mA (0.7 Amps). In this setup EVERY STRING (not every board) will use 0.7A. That means on my doubly populated boards each board requires 1.4A, a triple board running at 0.7A per string would require 2.1A per board. Since I have ten boards (or 20 strings) I need a total of 14 Amps from my power supply (1.4A per board * 10). 13.33A was the max and big power supplies get exponentially more expensive so I decided to split my power needs over two power supplies. That means I technically only needed power supplies that could provide 24 volts and 7 Amps (168 Watts) but for the efficiency and life expectancy reasons stated above I decided to go with two oversized power supplies.
Remember, the power supply will only use as much amperage, and therefore wattage, as it needs to so you are never wasting power going with a bigger power supply.
