Possible DMX setup?

[fasteddy]

Take a look at page 47 of the ACL 101 manual, it will show you the basic layout for injecting power for both a single power supply and multiple power supplies. The only difference in the diagram when using an ECG-P2 is that the power (red wire) for the first pixel connects directly to the power supply instead of going through the controller.

As you can see in the diagram below taken from the 101 manual the 3 prong plugs go between the strip/pixels (remember that the 2811 is 3 wire only with no clock) and from the controller. The 2 pin plugs are used for injecting the power between the strips as shown.

[attachimg=1]


As far as your age, thats is no problem, we have many young members, age shouldnt discriminate against anyone enjoying this hobby and if anything you should have the time to learn this hobby, dont expect to learn everything to quickly, just take it at a pace that you can keep enjoyable.
Just be careful with any mains voltage work (110/240v) and should be done by someone who understands the hazards and really should be an electrician. Ok thats the safety warning out of the way
So welcome to the hobby and I hope that one day you can give your knowledge back to the community as thats what its all about, helping eachother create some magic at Christmas

 

[johnson8ryley]

Oh yeah I forgot to give that acl 101 a look. Talked to ray and he said that he just hasn't gotten the 2 prong posted yet but he does have them. Could I also use that 2 prong to group all the ground wires together? Also, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't need a 2 prong to inject power in between the first and second strip as I could just inject power between the second and third strip but could I use a 2 prong to group the 1st pixels ground? Because otherwise, the 1st pixel won't have any ground reference unless it gets its reference from the pixel controller.


Haha it seems like I figure these things out as I type. Case in point, referencing first pixels ground wire from pixel controller.

I believe my grandpa was a electrician back in the day. I could ask for his input once everything arrives. So that leaves the power supply the only stone left unturned. Eddy if you could just recommend one to me that would be great. I believe I will be going with one main power supply for this. I think I'll get my dad to place the order soon so we can get an early start on all of this.


*Edit* I remember being told a while ago by someone saying that I would t have to inset power between the 1st and 2nd strip because they thought the power should reach to the end of the strip. What is your take on it? Should I use at T in between the 1st and 2nd strip or should in between 2nd and 3rd be ok?

 

[johnson8ryley]

I love auschristmas. I get very little support when I post on the lor forums but when I post on here I usually get way better support. I think it's because Australians are more welcoming

 

[fasteddy]

You can also get the power supply from Ray.

If you only want a power supply big enough for the 3 strips the each strip will draw approx 3 amps for a total of 9 amps, you want to ensure you dont load your power supply higher than 85% so your looking more at 12amps
so 12amps converted to watts is Voltage x current = 144 watts

So if you wanted something that is weatherproof then this could be a suggestion
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/12V-12-5A-150W-waterproof-power-supply-AC110-220V-input-CE-approved/701799_340446461.html

or something that isnt waterproof you could put in your own enclosure with the controller

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/150W-Dual-Output-Switching-Power-Supply-88-264VAC-input-12V-150W-output-CE-and-ROHS-approved/701799_289599860.html

I do reccommend that you have a back up power supply because the cheap chinese power supplies have failed in the past for some members

Yes you can inject just between the 1sts and second strip and the 2nd and 3rd strip as long as the cable you use is large enough to take the load

You must remember that its an LOR forum and LOR are a buisness, so understandably it isnt the best place for discussing cheap DIY options that compete with its own products.

 

[johnson8ryley]

Very true about the lor part

Thanks for pointing out two power supplies. I believe I will go with the one without a case because I can just find a cheap one down at home depot that will, like you said, fit the power and the controller.

Now about that gosh darn ground wire. I realize all ground wires need to be wired together but how should I go about doing that? Would a 2 prong between every strip make the most sense? That way every strip has sufficient power and I can easily group the ground together.

 

[johnson8ryley]

Sorry didn't see the power injection line in your last post. May seem like a weird or dumb question but you keep mentioning extension chords and cables to transmit the ground and + but exactly what cables? Do I just use regular extension cables? Do extension cables have ground and positive wires? or are there some special cables to transmit specifically just that?

Next year I believe I'm going to pick up some RGB floods from holdidaycoro. Great price and they're already put together. Unfortunately it uses a built in dmx controller but I'll have to see how that'll work out with my ECG-P2. I think that information was included in one of those handy dandy PDFs I obtained.

 

[fasteddy]

just to make sure, the ground wire is the same wire as the negative (-), in DC this is also called the ground wire, you may have been confused thinking there is an earth wire which is different to the DC ground wire

 

[johnson8ryley]

No I got that I think but I'm just a little confused on how I'm going to connect all the ground wire together

 

[fasteddy]

I make up all my cables using the plugs i showed earlier. I use 14/020 4 core security/alarm cable (metric size)

Something like this will work
http://www.ebay.com/itm/22-4-Alarm-Security-Cable-Solid-CMR-PVC-500-White-/160400882162?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2558a339f2

Just pair up the cores for the power injection and it will give you more than enough current capacity. Then use 3 cores for running between your controller and first pixel.

 

[johnson8ryley]

Yeah that's what I was looking for. Now when I go to give my first strip power, it doesnt make sense to use a T so should I just get some male and female 2 prong and attach the me to the power supply and the female to the strip?

 

[fasteddy]

yes you can do it that way as long as your runs are not too long and voltage drop becomes a concern. There is a section in the 101 manual discussing voltage drop from page 41

in fact its the better way as it distributes your load over more cables

 

[johnson8ryley]

alright I might run into issues hooking up power in the weeks/months to come but I might just PM you or reply to this thread. I was getting pretty tired last night which I think was affecting my ability to comprehend some things. Just to double check things, I'm going to make a list of things I need and see what you think.


(3) 2811 RGB Strips: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-and-30pcs-5050-SMD-RGB/701799_568458133.html


(2) NON-Waterproof Power Supplies: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ut-CE-and-ROHS-approved/701799_289599860.html


(1) ECG-P2: http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php/topic,1260.msg10295.html#msg10295


(1) 3 Core Plugs *one order comes with 10*: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...olor-the-male-connect-s/701799_601833823.html


(1) 2 Core Plugs for power to first strip *one order comes with 10*: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...olor-the-male-connect-s/701799_601827908.html


(2) 2 Core T for Power Injection *2 core upon request from ray*: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...nnect-s-diameter-13-5mm/701799_601823340.html

(100ft) 22/4 Alarm Wire: View: http://www.amazon.com/22-4-Alarm-Wire-Foot/dp/B004VMPUJ4


I had some pretty whacky ideas on how and what I was going to use to wire/power everything but by George I think I've got it.


You buy security/alarm cable, cut custom lengths depending on what items your lighting. Boy, the ideas I had swirling in my head weren't even humanely possible! Haha. Now it makes sense how to connect all the ground wires! Just cut some cabling and solder only the black ground cable. My next question however is, do I really need 22AWG? I know for sure I won't need 500ft of cable. At least not this year.






I think that's it.

 

[fasteddy]

Looks like you have a good understanding of what you want. You may not need the T pieces if you want to just make your own by soldering a 2 core plug on the 1st and 3rd strip so you can inject at those points from your power supply.
Anyway looks like you know what you need to use. Good luck with it

 

[johnson8ryley]

Alright! I'll take that thought into consideration. Will have all this bought hopefully by Monday.

 

[christinaadams]

This is a lot of great info in the forum and the lighting 101 manual. I just wanted to check when injecting the power from a single power supply if this diagram is correct for injecting power using the ws2811 strips and then soldering together the 2 and 3 core plugs? Is it fine to inject just after the 3 core male/female connection?





When running multiple +V and GND's out of the power supply to inject down the line how do you connect back into the power supply? Do you connect all the +V and GND's back to the same power supply terminal or split the power somehow once leaving the power supply?


Thanks!