Cheap dimming (voltage) solution for Meanwell "D" models?

[blasterman]

FWIW:

 

My new 48D bottoms out at 250mA, and a '6volt' Walwart I use with it tests at 9.5 volts with no load.

[eyou]

I think there will always be some residual voltage coming through the pot, but it seems like it should be less than 3v.

 

 

FWIW:

 

My new 48D bottoms out at 250mA, and a '6volt' Walwart I use with it tests at 9.5 volts with no load.

 

maybe i was thinking of my buckpucks. man 300mA is still really bright.... my fish started freaking out and then got stuck on my pump, but luckily he was ok. i think he thought his hiding spot was compromised

[Pilg0re]

Just as a reference if anyone cares, on the Mean Well ELN-60-24D the current is adjustable down to ~200mA at 9v.

 

I just wish these were more available as they work great for small arrays that people may want to hook up to an RKL or something.

[Machupicchu]

After some searching on the web(and through my house) i found out that most 9v power supplies for guitar effects pedals or similar are regulated very nicely. This guy http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/pro...pter?sku=151686 runs 10 of my effects pedals at 9v and when i ripped it off my pedal board and measured voltage it stayed right at 9.12 with no load.

 

It can handle 1700mA also, so you could most likely run a giant led system and fans off of this one supply.

[redfishsc]

.

 

It can handle 1700mA also, so you could most likely run a giant led system and fans off of this one supply.

 

If anyone did need that much current, it would be nice--- like if you wanted to run some fans in parallel along with the dimmer.

 

Just as a reference if anyone cares, on the Mean Well ELN-60-24D the current is adjustable down to ~200mA at 9v.

 

I just wish these were more available as they work great for small arrays that people may want to hook up to an RKL or something.

 

 

Nice! If you don't mind me asking, where did you find the 24D at? I might just have a use for one (read: Cree XML driven at the full 2.5A over a planted tank :D :D)

 

Actually here it is for $22. And can drive 6 or 7 Cree XML (cool whites) at 2.5 amps.

 

Can you say gratuitous overkill!!?? The dimmer will come in REALLY handy but man will that be an insane amount of light.

[Pilg0re]

I got mine from http://www.cdiweb.com/. They were the last 2 when I bought them though.

[redfishsc]

Just bumping this old thread since, in time, we've learned a few other things about these Meanwells. They are sometimes frustrating, and they aren't as user friendly as the Thomas Research/Inventronics drivers, but they are still pretty good drivers. I own 4 of them (two "P" and two "D" models) and have had 0 problems from them.

 

 

Several things (first post edited to reflect #1).

 

1) You only need a cheap/free 5 volt cell phone charger to get 1,000mA (or close to it), just pop it open and turn up the SRV2 screw.

 

2) The Meanwell "P" models have been working fine for me for 8-10 months on a standard analog signal, so don't be afraid to try them if you find them cheap and used--- you do NOT need an Arduino or pwm controller, necessarily. The ONLY issue that I have is that it seems to not like lower currents--- it shuts off once I go below 200mA current. Your mileage may vary. I have one running on a 9v power source, and another running on a 5v phone charger, both work fine.

[Sailfish]

Ok, so I was planning on making two LM317 circuits for my two Meanwells, ELN-48D, but when I found this thread I became philosophical (read: fillled with thoughts ).

 

I have a 5V (350mA) nokia cell phone charger lying around, that I don't use. Would this be good for hooking up two 10K linear potentiometers, that control each their Meanwell?

 

I am also thinking about adding a fan for my heatsink, to make sure my LEDs stay cool. Would this 5V charger be able to run that one as well? Maybe with a potentiometer on that circuit to?

[redfishsc]

Ok, so I was planning on making two LM317 circuits for my two Meanwells, ELN-48D, but when I found this thread I became philosophical (read: fillled with thoughts ).

 

I have a 5V (350mA) nokia cell phone charger lying around, that I don't use. Would this be good for hooking up two 10K linear potentiometers, that control each their Meanwell?

 

I am also thinking about adding a fan for my heatsink, to make sure my LEDs stay cool. Would this 5V charger be able to run that one as well? Maybe with a potentiometer on that circuit to?

 

 

You should be able to run the 2 dimmers for the ELN-60-48D on that cell phone charger, most of them can handle 500mA or more, and the Meanwells only draw 20-50mA. I have a single 9v running 3 Meanwells, and I've wired 4 dimmers on the same 6v power supply before with a friend's array.

 

You will need to hook your multimeter inline with your LEDs, set to DC current, and turn it all on--- and with them running, turn your SRV2 screw up until you hit your max current output. I DO NOT know what your max current will be with a 5v input, but I can get 1,000mA with 6v.

 

 

 

Don't try to run fans on the same power supply, they draw significantly more current.

 

You can find 5v fans here and there though, if you have more 5v chargers---- or if you can bum some free chargers from your friends.

[Sailfish]

You should be able to run the 2 dimmers for the ELN-60-48D on that cell phone charger, most of them can handle 500mA or more, and the Meanwells only draw 20-50mA. I have a single 9v running 3 Meanwells, and I've wired 4 dimmers on the same 6v power supply before with a friend's array.

 

You will need to hook your multimeter inline with your LEDs, set to DC current, and turn it all on--- and with them running, turn your SRV2 screw up until you hit your max current output. I DO NOT know what your max current will be with a 5v input, but I can get 1,000mA with 6v.

 

 

 

Don't try to run fans on the same power supply, they draw significantly more current.

 

You can find 5v fans here and there though, if you have more 5v chargers---- or if you can bum some free chargers from your friends.

 

Ok, but I also have a lot of 12V wall warts. Would I be able to run the two LM317 circuits, with their Meanwells, and a fan then? I see that the 12V wall warts have a 1000mA max load.

 

Or should I just use one 12V wall wart per fan (might add one for the project box that will house the Meanwells too) and then use the 5V nokia charger for the lights only (no LM317 circuits)?

[ajmckay]

Hey I'm glad I found this thread...

 

The newer drivers are nice, but I'll probably use 3 Meanwell ELN 60-48D's for my new LED build.. They're a lot cheaper than the thomas or inventronics...

[redfishsc]

Ok, but I also have a lot of 12V wall warts. Would I be able to run the two LM317 circuits, with their Meanwells, and a fan then? I see that the 12V wall warts have a 1000mA max load.

 

Or should I just use one 12V wall wart per fan (might add one for the project box that will house the Meanwells too) and then use the 5V nokia charger for the lights only (no LM317 circuits)?

 

 

Your fans will draw a certain amount of current--- you can test it by putting the multimeter inline with the fan and see how much amperage (DC) is going through--- if it's less than 500mA per fan then you can run two fans in parallel on a single 12v, 1,000mA DC supply.

 

 

I personally built two LM317 circuits using 12v wall warts and never got it to work right, so personally I'd just use the 5v Nokia thing and jack up the current via the SRV2 screw. You should be able to get close enough to 1,000mA max current that way.

[Sailfish]

Your fans will draw a certain amount of current--- you can test it by putting the multimeter inline with the fan and see how much amperage (DC) is going through--- if it's less than 500mA per fan then you can run two fans in parallel on a single 12v, 1,000mA DC supply.

 

 

I personally built two LM317 circuits using 12v wall warts and never got it to work right, so personally I'd just use the 5v Nokia thing and jack up the current via the SRV2 screw. You should be able to get close enough to 1,000mA max current that way.

 

Thanks!

[Sailfish]

I have two old Meanwell "D"-versions that I'm just about to put into a setup.

I will use a wall wart supplying a constant 9.5V for the dimming signal and have a pot on each driver, as shown in Tim's diagram.

 

The only modification I would love to do is to add a pot on the main dim+ wire, before it branches off to the drivers. This way, I could normally run the setup with the pot on the main dim+ wire wide open and using the separate pots to adjust the max intensity of each color.

When I have set my white and blue light intensities, I can use the pot on the main dim+ wire to simultaneously dim both the whites and the blues, maintaining the color temperature, but lowering the total intensity. This would be very useful in the case of acclimating new corals.

 

It would look like this, except it would only be two mean well drivers:

Will the color temperature stay constant if the main pot is used to lower both colors simultaneously?

[Sailfish]

It is almost a year since last time I asked this question, but will the color temperature stay constant if the main pot is used to lower both colors simultaneously?

[evilc66]

There will be some deviation, but not enough to worry about.