Voltage MKII

Hi,

Just looking for some advice on my MKII. I've been using for a few years with no issue but for some reason it's gone flaky. I have it set up in two banks, 1 x 5v and 1 x 12v. The 12v is working fine but the 5v seems to be having low power/voltage. I only have 10 props connected in the first 5 slots in expanded mode. Each prop is 48 pixels. It's worked fine for 4 seasons and when I set it up last week it tested fine but now the props are blinking randomly even with no signal being sent. The assistant shows different voltages as I connect the props which makes me think the power could be the issue (pictures below). Before I set up a new power supply I thought I'd see what the group thought. The PS is a meanwell and it is showing 5.10v (I have a display attached) and is also showing the same volts at the power input on the board on the voltmeter (as the advatek is showing/reporting) so it drops from the PS at the connection to the board. Also the 12v has never showed a figure since new. It works so I never question it

Thanks

Nothing connected on the 5v group



1 x set of 2 props connected



All 10 props connected

Sounds to me like you may have a faulty PSU. The voltage dropping (sagging) that much, is a sign that either one of you props has a fault in a pixel with a low resistance between pos and neg, or the power supply is on the way out. You can test for the first one with a multimeter, especially if all the props are the same pixel count. One will stand out as having a much lower resistance between pos and neg. If they all look good, then swap the PSU.

I had one this year that showed 12V when tested, but as soon as I put any significant load on it the voltage dropped down to 7V and then shut off.

battle79 said:

Sounds to me like you may have a faulty PSU. The voltage dropping (sagging) that much, is a sign that either one of you props has a fault in a pixel with a low resistance between pos and neg, or the power supply is on the way out. You can test for the first one with a multimeter, especially if all the props are the same pixel count. One will stand out as having a much lower resistance between pos and neg. If they all look good, then swap the PSU.

I had one this year that showed 12V when tested, but as soon as I put any significant load on it the voltage dropped down to 7V and then shut off.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, sorry how do I test the props with the multi meter? I'm a novice at the electrical side of things.

lol its funny the meanwell PS's I have have all been the dodgy ones. The cheap China versions are all running strong. I have a falcon with some spare slots which I might try to swap and see if the props are the issue. Just need to undo the expansion way I have connected them

If you test between the pos wire at the start of the string and at the end you should get resistance. Also, the negative should also give you a really low resistance. Between the pos and negative should give a higher resistance that should be repeatable with all props that are the same pixel type and count. If one is drastically different then that will be the problem.

battle79 said:

If you test between the pos wire at the start of the string and at the end you should get resistance. Also, the negative should also give you a really low resistance. Between the pos and negative should give a higher resistance that should be repeatable with all props that are the same pixel type and count. If one is drastically different then that will be the problem.

Click to expand...

OK thanks I'll give that a go. Just started pouring so it will have to wait.