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

Haha I thought it was awfully cheap when I bought it. On my ebay account it says he just adjusted the price. I got it for $20.99 free shipping :bounce1:
 
I'm soooo close to completing my light, and I end up running out of wire today. Looks like it will be a few more days before completion.

Question:

I plan on putting these driver boards on/in project boxs sitting on my aluminum heatsink for safety, but will it be safe to have the solder points on the bottom of the board touching the aluminum? My guess is no.
 
It will be safe as long as you don't put any electricity through them...

I completed all 10 of my typhon boards, 2 don't work - can't flash the chips - but the other 8 do, so I call it a success. I'll order new atmegas for the dead ones and see how that goes. My driver boards are complete except for LDDs.. Just gotta figure out what to order..
 
tomservo said:
It will be safe as long as you don't put any electricity through them...

I completed all 10 of my typhon boards, 2 don't work - can't flash the chips - but the other 8 do, so I call it a success. I'll order new atmegas for the dead ones and see how that goes. My driver boards are complete except for LDDs.. Just gotta figure out what to order..
Click to expand...


Congratulations- 8 out of 10 is pretty darn good! Did you take a close look at the PcB's? I ask because sometimes defects do get by the PcB manufacturer's electronic checks. There may be a short to ground in one or more traces that could be causing your problem.
 
Read this whole thread yesterday and I just registered to let you guys know how helpful this information is. Ordered my LDD's and power supply from onlinecomponents.com. They are showing 200 in stock for anyone who's still looking for them.

Thanks to everyone for this great idea!
 
fickle1 said:
I have an Apex to control the rest of my reef. This is just going to be running my LEDs. A temperature probe or 2 on the heatsinks would be a nice touch as well, but that's all I really want.

The UNO looks like it would fit the bill. I guess the only reason I was looking at the Mega, is because it is only like $10 more. The starter kits look interesting. Any recommendation on a kit to get my feet wet? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'd go with the Mega. I did anyhow, and I am glad since my project keeps mushrooming with all the ideas you get from these awesome folks on RC's forums.

I got mine from Mouser:

http://www.mouser.com/Arduino/Embed...velopment-Boards-Kits-AVR/_/N-8x0x6?P=1yzu28q

The Mega costs more but is much more flexible as an aquarium controller. Once you start, you'll think "hey, I can also control this and this and this...!"

The starter kits may have many items you don't need. Definitely get a solderless bread board and some 22 awg solid wire. This allows you to "test out circuits" before making anything permanent. You should also get female jumper wires or the connectors from wire to board to make your own. Just make sure its the correct pitch, 2.54mm.

Use octoparts.com for price comparison. It helps if you have a part number to search for. The Arduino Mega is A000069.

Also, if you get a TFT LCD screen and shield, go with ITEAD Studio. At least stay away from the Sainsmart. Too many people have had problems with them. I got mine from ElecFreaks (because I was trying to go cheap and they had free shipping at the time) and its okay, but I had trouble getting it to work with the sketch. I wish I had gone with ITEAD instead.
 
Hey guys, was there a solution to tying two LLD's together ever worked out? There was a lot of postings about it a while back. The idea of using IC sockets so you could just plug in what ever combonation of LDD's you wanted sounded like a good idea. If there was a PCB that you could double or even triple up the LDD's, it would help with the availably issue of the drivers,and the indivual power requirements needed. Did I miss the end solution? Thanks---Rick
 
Rick, I don't think O2 has had a chance to delve into that more lately.. I will test it out myself but I haven't even ordered my LDD's yet.
 
I've just read a lot about the Ldd drivers, but i've a question about it.
I have a home made led fixture with 6 led strings, whith a different number of leds. How do you guys handle that, i think you need a different volt at the input of the Meanwell driver.
So i need a main power supply like a 32v and Stepdown converter for any driver, like the http://www.ebay.nl/itm/140920210756?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.nl%3A80%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_trksid%3Dp3907.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D140920210756%26_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1?
 
Or is it possible to put the right resistor in front of the LDD driver for the number of led to pull down the Voltage.
 
My 10 H&L boards arrived. A big thanks to O2Surplus for the Eagle files I used.

Now I am just waiting for my 100 connectors to arrive from China.

Dennis
 
So the only different between the H and HW is the HW are pre wired wheres the HW are already wired? I just order 4 of the HW's from LEDgroup Buy but they won't even ship out until the 14th of this month. This thread really is awesome. I've been reading alot of these drivers and they definitely seem like the way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
DIY 100g+ LED Reef Light - Arduino build
Replies
16
Views
13K
saf1
S
B
180g DIY LED Build with LDD Drivers..Questions & Future Build thread
Replies
3
Views
2K
Brien H
B
chrishet
Full Spectrum LED Build-MakersLED-Meanwell LDD-Apex Control
2 3
Replies
46
Views
13K
DrewPalmer04
DrewPalmer04
Back
Top