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phys
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Posted: November 14 2015 at 9:03pm |
you're not wrong fatman lol
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Fatman
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Posted: November 15 2015 at 8:48am |
Phys and Krazy, thanks. I was up all night with a graph paper notebook working through it all and wondering where I had gone wrong.
I still think we should sacrifice one or two of the LEDs to learn something about this system. Maybe hook the drivers to an o'scope to see what it has is also a good idea.
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Baghtal
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Posted: November 16 2015 at 12:43am |
Man, work a few 10 hour shifts over the weekend and miss all the fun! Glad to hear that the heat confusion was an equipment mistake I was starting to second guess everything I knew about PWM also!
For the record, I really do not think the drivers are pushing that high of amperage. I'm just playing with numbers and seeing "how bad could it be".
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I like to think that the moon is there, even when I'm not looking at it. ~Albert Einstein
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 18 2015 at 7:13am |
Ok here are the specs:
AC Adapter model: LE-9702B +6012 Input: 100-240 VAC 1.5A Output: 12 VDC 5A 60W max
What do y'all think would work?
Aloha, Mark
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 18 2015 at 7:53am |
I've got info on a great manual dimmer that will work on it for about $6. Handles 12-24v and upto 8amps. Will work great for your application and has head room so it should last forever. https://www.amazon.com/12V-PWM-Manual-Knob-Dimmer/dp/B0082J5H36/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1447858485&sr=8-5&keywords=Manual+12v+LED+dimmerBTW this information tells me that the way that this light is configured is every 4-5 LEDs are in serial and then there are 5-6 parallel strings on the fixture. Very common configuration.
Edited by Krazie4Acans - November 18 2015 at 7:56am
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Fatman
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 8:43am |
Krazie, nice find. I need to get one, strip it down and see if I can control it with a microcontroller in place of the pot.
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 8:46am |
Just use a digital pot in place of the manual one. I built a couple like that a while back. Works pretty good.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 9:37am |
Yes, there are six circuit boards, each with three LED's, two white and one blue.
I may get one of those dimmer units. Thanks. I wondered about that one when I saw it on the day before the OP.
As usual, I couldn't wait so yesterday I wrapped black electricians tape loosely over 5 of the 18 3W LED's effectively reducing the unit from 54 W to 40 W of light output on the tank. The old LED light was 36 1W LED's that had gone dim, I figured this would be a decent wattage at which to start the acclimation.
Thanks for all your help. I'll try to remember to give an update on how it's going.
Aloha, Mark
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 9:43am |
Be careful with the electrical tape. It acts as an insulator and traps heat in the LED. Watch for any rippling in the tape to know if its getting too warm.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Baghtal
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Posted: November 23 2015 at 3:43pm |
2nd Acan's pot link. I've used them on several LED Projects (Including one that really did pull a full 8A from a 12v source) and haven't ever had any troubles with it.
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I like to think that the moon is there, even when I'm not looking at it. ~Albert Einstein
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phys
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Posted: November 23 2015 at 6:16pm |
You're probably going to melt some adhesives onto the LED surfaces...
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 24 2015 at 8:37am |
Thanks. The $6 PWM manual dimmer unit should arrive today. FYI, the electrical tape is wrapped around the light strip, hanging below the LED's as a shade. It's not touching the LED lenses.
Aloha, Mark
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Baghtal
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Posted: November 24 2015 at 9:39am |
Don't forget pictures to show off what you end up doing with it :D
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I like to think that the moon is there, even when I'm not looking at it. ~Albert Einstein
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 25 2015 at 4:12pm |
As I was going through all the pics of this tank, I realized that I had enough for a build thread.
Aloha, Mark
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: December 13 2016 at 2:29pm |
It's been 13 months and the PWM is now at 100%, because the light output from this Hamilton 18x3W LED seems to be gradually dropping. This happened before with the previous Hamilton 27x1W LED fixture which was partially corrected by a new power supply, but it also diminished after a year or so.
I suppose the lower light is partly due to LED's losing intensity, possibly up to 10% per year, but I believe it's also due to diminishing output from the power supply. The current power supply is rated at 12V x 5A, 60W
I plan to buy a new power supply. My question is this: Will a slightly higher amperage power supply, 12V 6A 72W, work well and might it last longer using the PWM to reduce the output until it too begins to show it's age with diminishing power?
Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - December 13 2016 at 2:46pm
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: December 14 2016 at 8:45am |
Never run electronics at 100%. I rarely build things that are above 80% of maximum. So if your LED's need 4.6A I wouldn't go less than a 6A supply. Also the power supplies from laptops and such in the black plastic cases deteriorate due to excessive heat in the plastic case. If you really want a long lasting power supply then I would go with a MeanWell style (metal cage style) power supply that is rated at least 20% higher than what you need. It will run cooler at the lower output which will extend it's life and make it more efficient.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: December 14 2016 at 3:50pm |
That's kind of what I thought.
Because it was beginning to look like I was going to have to swap these out every year, I was already thinking of putting a female barrel connector on the input to the PWM, to use this: $6.90 Kastar LCD AC Adapter 12V 6A with 3-Prong Power Cord Power Supply for LCD Monitor and LCD TV
or I could spend more up front for this:
$34.67 MEAN WELL GS90A12-P1M 3-Wire Regulated AC-to-DC Switching Table-Top Power Supply, 12V, 6.67 Amp, 80W, 1.5"
Both found on Amazon What do you think?
Aloha, Mark
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phys
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Posted: December 15 2016 at 12:59am |
The meanwell will last longer and give you a more stable power signal. They usually have power spike protection and reverse polarity protection. Its a much better supply in every way.
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: December 15 2016 at 7:31am |
Agreed. The Meanwell will be the last power supply you have to put on that tank. The Kastar has mixed reviews on quality and does not state whether it is regulated or not which means the voltage and current can fluctuate with input voltage changes.
I have that same Meanwell power supply on an LED light setup that has been running 24/7 for the last 7 years (accent lighting on stairs and hallway in basement). It hasn't failed that entire time.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: December 15 2016 at 7:39am |
Ok, I believe you're both telling me to go with Mean Well. I believe that is sound advice, but which driver should I use? To see the rest of the story, go to the build thread here:
Edited by Mark Peterson - December 15 2016 at 8:05am
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