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

one clownfish said:
Is anyone keeping their driver board's separate from their fixture? If so, what type of molex connector are you using from the PCB terminal block to the Leds? I'm looking for something that can be screwed down with (8) places to accommodate one board. I'm putting everything in a computer tower. I found a bunch locally on craigslist for $15-$20 with the 12V 350 watt power supplies still in them. If I use it, I can run all my fans, controller and moon lights off one PS.
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I don't have anything for this specifically, but depending on the current you are pulling, you can use cat5.

Alternatively there are tons of other connectors, from simple molex style to more advanced (and expensive) connectors. The ones I used on my first LED fixture ran about $20 for the plug and receptacle. Are you comfortable crimping pins?
 
dwolson2 said:
Here are the boards I got last night
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Yea, its now proven it is way faster to pay the extra shipping. Mine is coming via USPS.... oh how I dislike USPS :thumbdown

dwolson2 and mine were ordered the same day. They paid for the upgraded shipping and I went cheap....
 
rrasco said:
I don't have anything for this specifically, but depending on the current you are pulling, you can use cat5.

Alternatively there are tons of other connectors, from simple molex style to more advanced (and expensive) connectors. The ones I used on my first LED fixture ran about $20 for the plug and receptacle. Are you comfortable crimping pins?
Click to expand...

I found a few but like you said, there all $20 and up. I'm good with crimping the pins. I don't think Cat5 will do it, its only 24-22awg. According to the Tables of AWG wire sizes, Maximum amps for Cat5 power transmission is .577-.92 amps. I'd like to have full range allowing me to go up to 1amp and be safe, if I wanted to. I'll keep looking and if I find a cheap solution I'll put it out there. I'll use cat5 for all of my fans.
 
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one clownfish said:
I found a few but like you said, there all $20 and up. I'm good with crimping the pins. I don't think Cat5 will do it, its only 24-22awg. According to the Tables of AWG wire sizes, Maximum amps for Cat5 power transmission is .577-.92 amps. I'd like to have full range allowing me to go up to 1amp and be safe, if I wanted to. I'll keep looking and if I find a cheap solution I'll put it out there. I'll use cat5 for all of my fans.
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Yeah, cat5 is pretty limited. I do think it would be safe for 700mA use, but anything above that, I would be worried. I am working on some 1w systems that only run at 350mA max, so they would be ideal for that. My current designs only have them for 5v, GND, and PWM. It was for connecting a controller to a driver board.

These are the connectors I used in my first build. I just bit the bullet and went with them. If you don't need so many poles, you could use XLR connectors, they are pretty cheap. Or even mini DIN, but check the current ratings on those as well. These were for 6 different strings, so 12 pos.

Links to parts in case you are interested. Keep in mind you would still need pins as well, they don't come with them.

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...virtualkey64550000virtualkey798-RP1713R12SC71

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...tualkey64550000virtualkey798-RP17A-13P-12PC71

IMG_1199_sm.jpg
 
That could be a bit offtopic but I will really appreciate some help.
I am planning a new led built using LDD-700HW drivers controled by GHL Profilux computer with a LEDControl4Passive Module. I am not really into electronics, I built my first led project after I read quite a few info on RC and on the web. However now I got stuck on how to connect the LLD drivers to the passive module. I know how I can connect an ELN driver to it, where ELN has DIM-/DIM+, but the LLD has only a PWM DIM. Here is the graphic:
pullup.jpg

The person who posted this suggested a 1.5k E24 Resistor instead for better dimming.
Also there is another post by a GHL person:
"The LEDControl4 passive do not produce - lets say - a "voltage level" signal.
The outputs are "switched" to ground potential (the driver - pin).
If you need a signal with an defined voltage, you need to add the voltage signal via a so called pullup resistor to each driver pin.
see: http://support.aquariumcomputer.com/downloads/Manual_LEDControl4passive_2011-02-11.pdf" Does anyone understands that better?:headwallblue:

Also I plan on running:
20x Neutral Whites XT-E at 0.7A - (2x LDD-700HW)
40x Royal Blue XT-E at 0.7A - (4x LDD-700HW)
10x OCW at 0.5A- (2x LDD-700HW)
10x Cool Blue at 0.5A - (1x LDD-700HW)
20x Violets at 0.5A - (2x LDD-700HW)
If my calculations are correct, I will need a 48v, 6.2A+, 400W+ Power Supply. My pick is Meanwell SP-480-48 Did I get it right? Thanks in advance!
 
Question on using multiple power supplies… If using a walwart to power arduino, and a 48vdc switching power supply to the LDD-H’s, is there any circuit isolation required? (I’ll need to connect 0v of the arduino and LED power supply for PWM dimming) This would also apply to using multiple power supplies for different banks LDD-H’s, as all 0v would be common. I realize it would be easier/better to just use one power supply for LED’s, and step down for ardunio & fans.
 
Chatouille said:
Question on using multiple power supplies"¦ If using a walwart to power arduino, and a 48vdc switching power supply to the LDD-H's, is there any circuit isolation required? (I'll need to connect 0v of the arduino and LED power supply for PWM dimming) This would also apply to using multiple power supplies for different banks LDD-H's, as all 0v would be common. I realize it would be easier/better to just use one power supply for LED's, and step down for ardunio & fans.
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As long as you tie all the grounds (0V) together, everything should work fine. I've been exploring the idea of powering everything from one 48v supply, but it appears that most voltage regulators aren't rated for that high of an input voltage. I use LDO 12V and 5V regulators in a lot of my projects that can only handle up to 35V, and they get really hot when driven with only 27V. I can't even imagine how hot they'd get at 35V. There's always the option of wiring in a very high wattage resistor to drop some of the excess voltage prior to the regulator, but then excessive heating of the resistor is still an issue.
Using two different voltage sources and tying the grounds makes more sense. No excess heat and you can always leave the walwart supplying the arduino on full time. The 48 volt supply can then be switched off, when it's not needed, by either a conventional appliance timer, or via a relay under the arduino's control.
 
O2Surplus said:
As long as you tie all the grounds (0V) together, everything should work fine. I've been exploring the idea of powering everything from one 48v supply, but it appears that most voltage regulators aren't rated for that high of an input voltage. I use LDO 12V and 5V regulators in a lot of my projects that can only handle up to 35V, and they get really hot when driven with only 27V. I can't even imagine how hot they'd get at 35V. There's always the option of wiring in a very high wattage resistor to drop some of the excess voltage prior to the regulator, but then excessive heating of the resistor is still an issue.
Using two different voltage sources and tying the grounds makes more sense. No excess heat and you can always leave the walwart supplying the arduino on full time. The 48 volt supply can then be switched off, when it's not needed, by either a conventional appliance timer, or via a relay under the arduino's control.
Click to expand...

The step down I'm going to use is this one "DC -DC HRD Converter" that can be seen on ebay. It says it is capable of handling up to 50v down to 12v, which would run my fans. I would be placing it on the heatsink next to a fan, so hopefully heat won't be an issue. I also grabbed a 9v one to power the arduino. I would really like to have a one power cord setup, so I had to bump up to a 500w 48v power supply capable of 10amps.
 
Wasn't sure how things worked with switching power supplies when running them in parallel with a common ground. I just didn't want to get myself into problems. I've seen regular power supplies run in series and parallel, but don't know enough about switching supplies. I would guess that you would still need to tie in the grounds, THEN adjust voltage on each supply for what you want/need, as ground isn't really ground, but rather a reference signal correct? (which now could be different than it was now that they are combined)

I plan to use a LM2576HV to step down for my arduino... they are rated for up to 60v input, and "suppose" to be able to adjust from 1.25v to 25v output. They are a little more expensive than the HRD DC-DC converters, but more flexible.

Sorry for the all the questions, just trying to understand better before I do things. With the regular meanwell drivers everyone used, everything was isolated from each other. Here with the LDD's, things are a bit different if multiple power supplies are used. I mean you still need to complete the path for each circuit... if the PWM's path doesn't get back to the arduino, it would be like trying to clap with one hand.
 
Chatouille said:
Sorry for the all the questions, just trying to understand better before I do things. With the regular meanwell drivers everyone used, everything was isolated from each other. Here with the LDD's, things are a bit different if multiple power supplies are used. I mean you still need to complete the path for each circuit... if the PWM's path doesn't get back to the arduino, it would be like trying to clap with one hand.
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No apologies are needed. This Forum is built for asking questions, and your question may lead to answers for someone with the same question. All circuits have to be closed for current to flow. Sharing a common ground among all your electronic components assures that each one "sees" the same 0v "reference"and the potential for spurious low voltage signal "noise" is kept to a minimum.
 
Chatouille said:
I plan to use a LM2576HV to step down for my arduino... they are rated for up to 60v input, and "suppose" to be able to adjust from 1.25v to 25v output. They are a little more expensive than the HRD DC-DC converters, but more flexible.
Click to expand...

Wow- Thanks for posting that regulator. They're a little pricey, but they are a good compact solution to providing multiple voltages on the one PCB. They come in the TO-263-5 package which is the same package as the OnSemi CAT4101. I'm going to start using that regulator in place of the Texas Instruments UA78XX that I'm using now. Thanks again!
 
O2Surplus said:
Wow- Thanks for posting that regulator. They're a little pricey, but they are a good compact solution to providing multiple voltages on the one PCB. They come in the TO-263-5 package which is the same package as the OnSemi CAT4101. I'm going to start using that regulator in place of the Texas Instruments UA78XX that I'm using now. Thanks again!
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I'm hoping it works as well as advertised, I'm waiting for mine to arrive to play with. I really like the flexiblity & efficiency it has.

I guess my concern was the way that a switching power supply would react with a common ground, and with the voltage differences, if any line noise, or grounding loop were a potential. (along with possible equipment damage) Always concerned when working with things that are powered from multiple sources.
 
How sweet is this?

IMG_20121221_193312.jpg


Thanks very much to everyone here for making this possible. I think it looks great! Very professional looking and can make a clean installation.

I won't be able to test it until everything is wired up, which will probably be within a few weeks.
 
Bhazard451-

lol... you know that's not right dangling that in front of everyone. Now I need more!!! Enjoyed your input on various threads, and looking forward to your build thread. (yup... you already committed by showing the pic.) Forget the Christmas lights.... Reef lights are good year 'round.

Did you ever replace your TFT? I ordered from the same place as you for the screen, and hope I have a little better luck.
 
zachts said:
Has anyone tried using more than one LDD to power a high current LED yet. still haven't found any info on if they can do that.

the Sure Electonics drivers can. that's how they get the 1400ma version, they just stack two 700ma drivers on top of one another with header pins. these little boards are fun to tinker with as you can buy the one watt version and soder on additional resistors to get them up to 1050ma.

It would sure be nice if you could get higher amperage using parrel drivers with the LDDs since they are nicely water proofed! one less component to worry about when hanging over salt water!
Click to expand...

Anyone have some input to "zachts" question on paralleling LDD's?---Rick
 
O2Surplus said:
Ok- I reworked the connections to use 2 position screw terminals that can be purchased dirt cheap on FleaBay. You'll need 10 per board but they can be had for less than 25 cents each. Just look for 2 position screw terminals w/3.5mm spacing. Here' the PCB and the files needed for production at ITead are attached.

Revised5upLDD-HDriver_zps666a881e.png
Click to expand...

This is excellent - thanks very much!

One thing that may be a good addition, these drivers clip into 24 pin DIL sockets - coud the pcb be designed to suit them? This way driver swaps/upgrades will be very easy if one blows, or you want to run a string at a different current.
 
Promazine said:
This is excellent - thanks very much!

One thing that may be a good addition, these drivers clip into 24 pin DIL sockets - could the pcb be designed to suit them? This way driver swaps/upgrades will be very easy if one blows, or you want to run a string at a different current.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment. The PCB doesn't need to be modified to install the chip holders. Just buy DIL24-6 holders (for machined pins) and snip off the unused legs before soldering them down to the board. Something similar to this should work-


110-44-624-41-001000_sml.jpg
 
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