bhazard451
New member
6 drivers doesn't seem very symmetrical... how about 4 H drivers per board? I would just use 2 boards on my build.
Meanwell LDD driver: for those who want to dim to 0 using Arduino
- Thread starter pwreef
- Start date
rrasco
Active member
I'm not organizing anything, just designing boards. Ordering them is up to you. I can provide details on how to do it and the gerber files though.
Take a look at post 153, that's exactly what I did this evening.
Take a look at post 153, that's exactly what I did this evening.
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LargeAngels
Premium Member
rrasco: that would be great if you would share your gerber files. I like these drivers much better than all the CAT's I built.
rrasco
Active member
I'll work on getting the gerber files setup somewhere accessible.
I think I am still partial to my CAT drivers. These have less parts. The only issue with the CATs are that they are not always available.
dwolson2
New member
whats the difference between the CAT and the LDD-H? If you send me the gerber files, I can host them on another site(that I have admin rights on)
rrasco
Active member
ftp://ftp.cadsoft.de/eagle/userfiles/libraries/meanwell_dcdc.lbr
Just different drivers. You need a few more components for the CAT4101, plus they are surface mount as well. The advantage to the LDDs is their wide input and output voltage range. In most cases, the CAT4101s are suitable for my application, but like I said, they are not always available. most of this year nowhere had them stocked.
I am a web dev, so I have a few hosting accounts and domains I can host them on. That or I'll host them on Google code.
rrasco
Active member
Two boards are now RTM. 5x5 LDD-Dx4 and 10x5 LDD-Hx4.
I will say, these are not tested. They are simple circuits that *should* work. Please use at your own risk. Having said that, I'm confident they will work.
You can obtain the files below. BRD and SCH files are also available in case you want to load them into eagle yourself. I strongly encourage you to do so; you might learn something. It also wouldn't be a bad idea for someone to double check my work.
The gerber files are contained in the zip and ready to be sent to itead.
http://code.google.com/p/meanwell-ldd-led-driver/downloads/list
I will say, these are not tested. They are simple circuits that *should* work. Please use at your own risk. Having said that, I'm confident they will work.
You can obtain the files below. BRD and SCH files are also available in case you want to load them into eagle yourself. I strongly encourage you to do so; you might learn something. It also wouldn't be a bad idea for someone to double check my work.
The gerber files are contained in the zip and ready to be sent to itead.
http://code.google.com/p/meanwell-ldd-led-driver/downloads/list
Thanks!
They should work, but I'd "beef-up" the wire traces a bit more. Especially on the one that has the common power bus on the underside of the board. That one will be handling all the current demands for the 4 LDD's and should be much thicker.
rrasco
Active member
I do beef them up, the supply traces are 24 mil. Wouldn't hurt to make them bigger I suppose, but I think this would be fine.
I like the dual board idea, except I would prefer not to cut anything if I'm having it manufactured. That's just me though.
I forgot to post these earlier. I had also updated the boards to use copper pours to clean up some of the traces too. I see you added copper pours to yours as well, O2.
I like the dual board idea, except I would prefer not to cut anything if I'm having it manufactured. That's just me though.
I forgot to post these earlier. I had also updated the boards to use copper pours to clean up some of the traces too. I see you added copper pours to yours as well, O2.
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Nice work Rrasco! I'll have to get my hands on some of these LDD drivers and give them a try. It's to bad that they come with fixed current values though, as I'm used to working with LM3409 based drivers that feature both analog and PWM dimming. I guess that there's always a trade off to be made, as these LDD's are certainly easier to build a pcb around LOL.
Check out my latest LM3409 Monstrosity- 52 volts & 8 amps worth of crazy right here-
bhazard451
New member
Sweet. Thanks for drawing those up. I'll probably order some later.
rrasco
Active member
Yeah, they get crazy real quick adding a bunch of components. I'm working on a few boards myself, just got some CAT4101x4 boards on a 5x5 I made a few weeks ago. Along with a DIY Arduino with RTC. They interface with each other via Cat5.
What size traces did you use for your LDD boards? I am trying to find some documentation on current limitations for traces. The LDD should never exceed 4A on a single board (@1A/ea), but if they are daisy chained together, it can jump real quick.
To be honest I just "eyeballed" the trace width( power traces are 1.27mm wide). I tend to keep my power supplies close and my wiring short to avoid problems with voltage drops ect..
I'm sure your traces will be fine, but if there's a doubt, you can easily go overkill and insert a Polygon to serve as a bus to all 4 LDD's.
The way you drew out the power lines previously current will not be a problem. Each path at that point would be a max 1a draw. Current will only flow to it's demand... i.e. if it's a 1a part at the end of it's line even if the total draw on the supply is 5a that line from the connector to component will only ever see a max of 1a.
I have to deal with stuff like this all the time on much larger parallel common bus systems
I have to deal with stuff like this all the time on much larger parallel common bus systems
