Meanwell LDD driver: for those who want to dim to 0 using Arduino

[Jooce01]

Bhazard, can you PM me about the parts for the Jarduino, I'm having trouble finding the correct shield, and want to make sure the one I'm planning on using will work before ordering it.

I can't seem to PM you, otherwise I would

 

[SeaMonkey4]

I ordered the shield v2.0 and the 3.2 TFT LCD from elecfreaks. I am also trying to build this controller.

 

[007Bond]

Did you find anything out about this? What current are you drawing over them?

I am installing a new timeclock system at work. They are PoE and the documentations says they use 12VDC at 700mA. So I am thinking maybe that is not too much current.

Come to really think about it, the 6 pair cable I used for my LED strings is not all that different from Cat5 pairs. I really would like to use Cat5 for everything as it's cheap, easy, and the cables are readily available almost anywhere now.

Watching for the answer also. Great information thread!!

 

[dread240]

should be 577ma maximum current for cat5 per conductor according to the charts

Length of wire and makeup (stranded or solid) all factor into it as well...

The larger POE current loads you guys are referring to are using more then 1 pair to transfer power. Some devices I've seen are listed up to 51W but are using 4 pairs to transfer that power

 

[rrasco]

should be 577ma maximum current for cat5 per conductor according to the charts

Length of wire and makeup (stranded or solid) all factor into it as well...

The larger POE current loads you guys are referring to are using more then 1 pair to transfer power. Some devices I've seen are listed up to 51W but are using 4 pairs to transfer that power

Good point. IIRC, I believe data uses 2 pairs and the other 2 are for PoE.

With the 6 pair cable I have now, I technically have and could run them at 700mA, but I only did that during testing and they only draw around 350mA at their current setting.

 

[Chalu]

Per the engineer I talked to he basically confirmed what the Cat5's are rated for - 60V @.7a; however he did mention that its unlikely the wires will heat upto 2amps; however the longer the cable the more voltage loss.. but for our applications where only a few feet of cable is used he said its a non issue; and ofcourse there was the disclaimer about the wire heating up at higher amps question

He also recommended cat6 over cat5 if possible, as it has lower AWG.. more copper less resistance at higher currents so less heat. Did a quick check on the net and it seems to rhyme with what others have posted.

 

[PeteStewardson]

Absolutely. Use them as you please.

I can't say if these will work for other board houses. I do believe they *should*, but I did use itead's rule check and CAM processor to generate the files so they might not. However, if you find a board house you want to use they should have guidelines for producing gerber files, which can be completed using the BRD and SCH files I posted on Google Code. It's actually a really simple process. Having said that, itead is in China and they ship to the US. I don't see why being in the UK would be a problem for you.

The copper pour is a standard process so they shouldn't have any problem with that either.

Thank you. I was thinking of a couple of mods but haven't got the hang of Eagle. It's harder than I thought lol

 

[rrasco]

Per the engineer I talked to he basically confirmed what the Cat5's are rated for - 60V @.7a; however he did mention that its unlikely the wires will heat upto 2amps; however the longer the cable the more voltage loss.. but for our applications where only a few feet of cable is used he said its a non issue; and ofcourse there was the disclaimer about the wire heating up at higher amps question

He also recommended cat6 over cat5 if possible, as it has lower AWG.. more copper less resistance at higher currents so less heat. Did a quick check on the net and it seems to rhyme with what others have posted.

Thanks for that. I think I will use them on my lower current FOWLR systems.

Thank you. I was thinking of a couple of mods but haven't got the hang of Eagle. It's harder than I thought lol

No problem. I learned Eagle by using tutorials on Youtube. There is a really good 12-part series on there that teaches you most of the basics.

Here you go, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0O9LKH-_E

 

[dread240]

Chassis wiring increases amperage ratings by a very large amount

 

[glarior]

WOW.... the LDD-100H & LDD-700H are sold out now. Least they left me with one power supply lol.

Everything ordered! Going to be a fun build :dance:

Thanks everyone for the information, files and URLs!

 

[rrasco]

I was checking stocks earlier this week. I'm worried these will be unavailable at times like the CAT4101 were. I hope not.

 

[bhazard451]

The boards I ordered were just shipped. Now for the 2-3 week airmail wait.

 

[ef8crxman]

The boards I ordered were just shipped. Now for the 2-3 week airmail wait.

That's awesome! When did you order your boards?

 

[O2Surplus]

I was bored at work today, so I drew this up. It's a Pcb that will fit up to 4 of either the LDD-L or LDD-H, or a combination of the two. Since the LDD-L has a lower input voltage rating, there's separate power inputs for each type.

Take a look, I'll post the build files if there's an interest.

 

[rrasco]

Haha. Interestingly nice. Looks good. Only thing I would interject my opinion on would be the supply traces. They are big, so it probably isn't much of an issue, but I try to avoid 90 degree turns on traces. Just a personal preference really.

 

[O2Surplus]

Haha. Interestingly nice. Looks good. Only thing I would interject my opinion on would be the supply traces. They are big, so it probably isn't much of an issue, but I try to avoid 90 degree turns on traces. Just a personal preference really.

Haha- I use big traces so the electrons don't get "bunched up" in those 90 degree corners,LOL.

I just threw this design out there, so people can utilize either driver with their minimum order of 10 PCB's LOL.

 

[rrasco]

It was a great idea.

 

[megadeth72]

Is there a 5xldd-1000h board? I'm completely unfamiliar with ordering pcb's so this will be my first try

these can run off a 12v 5 amp power supply cant they?

 

[rrasco]

No there is not. 5 would not fit on a 10x5. The board size would have to be increased.

In theory, yes you could run 5 LLD-1000H off a 12v 5 amp power supply, but that would be if you had about 3 LEDs per driver. When you factor in that power supplies are not 100% efficient, it would be unwise to ask that of the unit.

You need to match the voltage to the number of LEDs you want per string. I would personally also shoot for a power supply capable of more like 6, 7, or 8 amps.

This is, of course, all in theory because no 5xLDD board exists yet. Not to my knowledge at least.

 

[megadeth72]

I could use a 4x board and just let the 5th hang, no biggy

I'm running 36v x1000ma down each driver, so I would need a 36v power supply minimum? I think 48 is the nearest