Inventronics LED Drivers -- Yes or No?

B

beolson25

New member
Has anyone heard much about the Inventronics Constant Current drivers for LEDs? The thing I really like about it is that it provides the 10v source for the dimming. So ... less extra plugs and such.

They have a huge assortment of drivers... Link to a data sheet provided below. I attached the ones that are driving 1.05 amps since I am running XT-Es on my current build. I will probably keep them dimmed as needed. They have a lot of different Amp models and Voltage ranges.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has used them and also if anyone has any thoughts on the comparison to meanwell.

120 Watt Documentation -- multiple models defined in document(I used 1.05 Amp, 68-114 Volt)
http://www.inventronics-co.com/upload/EUC-120SxxxDT%28ST%29_2013042309452708011.PDF
 
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Never used one because I am more than happy with the quality/price of Meanwell.. but have heard of others using them without problems..
They are UL recognized so I wouldn't be concerned..
 
No they are Chinese garbage and put out dangerous current over 48V DC. Go with Meanwell ELN's or LDD drivers.
 
48v DC is safe to work with. Some drivers that are used to run strings usually larger than 14 3 watt LEDs in series are getting into a dangerous high DC voltage area. But in hindsight I think I actually was thinking of the Maxwellen drivers not the inventronics. So my apologies.

But to your point I completely agree why not Mean well due to price and known quality.
 
oreo57 said:
They make some truly "kick but " DC drivers..
Click to expand...

I just want to point out that one cannot fault a company because they make products for experience levels above hobbiest/newbie.
Nothing wrong with DC voltage levels above 48VDC provided you are aware of the dangers and precautions that should be taken..

I would never randomly recommend those high voltage drivers on this forum though as the newbies are watching :facepalm:..
 
I've used the Inventronics 700ma, 40w drivers for several years. Great drivers and company. I have 6 of them. I had one fail after a few months, and the customer service immediately replaced it. I highly recommend them.
 
Wow ... I had no responses yesterday and overnight everyone jumped in. I appreciate all of the feedback. I actually have a bachelors in Computer and Electrical engineering so I understand electricity and its dangers. **Note ... Although I have electrical engineering background I will still look up the dangers and extra precautions that I need to take over 48 V DC since that is not something I am fully aware of. So ... I'll be checking that out. I'm not too worried though since I will take the appropriate precautions.

That being said the one thing people didn't address when using the Meanwell drivers is that you have to have a separate 10V source for dimming. I understand that is not a huge deal but as we all know in the aquarium world those extra outlet spaces are at a premium without a large number of splitters.

P.S. I have been working with their technical support on making sure I got the correctly sized potentiometers and they have been fantastic.

I will look up the dangers of the 48 + V DC and probably try to come back here and post. It seems strange to me that over 48 V DC is a huge deal when really it is the amperage that kills. But ... As I stated I am certainly no expert in this area ...
 
mcgyvr said:
I just want to point out that one cannot fault a company because they make products for experience levels above hobbiest/newbie.
Nothing wrong with DC voltage levels above 48VDC provided you are aware of the dangers and precautions that should be taken..

I would never randomly recommend those high voltage drivers on this forum though as the newbies are watching :facepalm:..
Click to expand...


Understood..
Fun o/t albeit at times morbid discussion of this topic..
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?261353-When-does-DC-voltage-become-dangerous
 
So ... I did an initial look over the concerns and ... well ... I don't see 114V being too far off being electrocuted by a 48 V DC at the same current. The current numbers that can cause your heart to stop is less than 20 mA. that is .020 Amps ... vs the 700 mA or 1050 mA we are talking about here. So ... .020 Amps can kill you and we in the aquarium world work(usually) between .5-1 Amps which is WAY over the lethal level ... That doesn't mean you will die no matter what and there are a lot of factors that increase/decrease the likelihood of major injury. That being said the higher voltage could really only be a problem with Arcing. The higher the voltage the higher the chance of Arcing.

So ... although I can't say 48 vs 114(my max voltage in my design) is the same I don't think there is that much of an increase in probability of injury between the two. The real issue is that the Current is so high.

I would argue that the 120 Volt AC is probably a similar danger and since we all have to wire the Three prong outlet connector there is a similar danger level. ***Note ... it is said that the DC can be more dangerous in a sense that it creates the "Can't Let Go" reaction which is very true.

My main point is ...
1) Don't have the thing plugged in while you are fooling around with wiring.
2) Make sure that you have done a good job of soldering and connecting the connections so they don't accidentally come loose.

As stated above ... I think that anyone without experience in Electricity and Electrical circuits should take extra caution and maybe consider another route.

I really appreciate the feedback on the Inventronics. It seems like some people have used them and they are a quality product but that people should consider using more lower voltage drivers if they are at all uncomfortable with the higher voltages.

I was extremely happy to find 2 drivers that would power all of my LEDs vs having to have 4,5,...,10 drivers ... I like the idea of sizing appropriately.


Any feedback is still very welcomed.
 
beolson25 said:
Can you tell me the benefit of having digital vs analog in this case? Assuming I am not using a controller and using potentiometers? I assume that the control is more expensive.
Click to expand...
If you only want manual control, that is one thing, but otherwise DC-DC digital drivesrs dim lower, are much more efficient, and much cheaper to implement if you want more than one or two channels of control.
 
jedimasterben said:
If you only want manual control, that is one thing, but otherwise DC-DC digital drivesrs dim lower, are much more efficient, and much cheaper to implement if you want more than one or two channels of control.
Click to expand...

Makes sense ... ;)

Although I'm not sure about cheaper in my situation since you would have to add the cost of the controllers and such. The nice thing about these Inventronics and probably some others is that they can take a resistor input or a 10V input for dimming. So that will allow me to add a Reef Keeper ALC setup in the future if I make the decision.
 
beolson25 said:
Makes sense ... ;)

Although I'm not sure about cheaper in my situation since you would have to add the cost of the controllers and such. The nice thing about these Inventronics and probably some others is that they can take a resistor input or a 10V input for dimming. So that will allow me to add a Reef Keeper ALC setup in the future if I make the decision.
Click to expand...
You can get a controller that doesn't suck (eg, only does 0-100% dimming for the time you set and nothing else) for cheaper than the ALC. ;)
 
jedimasterben said:
You can get a controller that doesn't suck (eg, only does 0-100% dimming for the time you set and nothing else) for cheaper than the ALC. ;)
Click to expand...

LOL ... VERY good point. Haha ... I'll have to think that one through when that time comes. I already have the Reef Keeper Lite.


:headwally::headwally::headwally:
 
beolson25 said:
LOL ... VERY good point. Haha ... I'll have to think that one through when that time comes. I already have the Reef Keeper Lite.


:headwally::headwally::headwally:
Click to expand...
A cheap 4 channel "commercial" PWM controller is from $50-$65 dollars.. coupled w/ 4 LDD's ($7 each)
You total expense for 4channel "command and control is $78 to start..
Of course you need to add a PS.
compare that to 4 "stand alone" analog drivers..Except for the very cheap flee bay open frame types I bet your costs will be fairly equiv.. w/in 25%..
 
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