AusChristmasLighting 101 manual - Feedback for first/second edition

[AussiePhil]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Chill, (et All)

You raise some good point but I will agree to disagree over this section.
-------------
“Low Voltage DC is safe to use and work with and is an ideal voltage for our hobby. The difference in the wiring of a DC controller to an AC controller is just the names of the terminals as in both cases you must ensure you have the correct wires connected to the correct terminals or else permanent damage may occur to the controller. So to sum it up in very basic terms
Mains Active Line (A) in the DC world is equivalent to Positive + Line
Mains Neutral Line (N) in the DC world is equivalent to Negative – Line
Remember that DC controllers will only work with a low voltage DC power supply and AC controllers will only work with an AC mains voltage supply. Never mix the two.

---------------------
At a basic level this is correct. At a higher technical level there are any number of points and differences that could be made.

All the concerns about shorts, blowing things up, fire risks etc all still apply in the 110/240v arena with 10A-20A circuits normal.
Nearly all the smaller SMPS's used (ie the 350W models) will go into overload shutdown when shorted out.

The continued promotion of SAFE is about safety from electrocution..... DC Low Voltage up to the 48V line is considered safe by electrical authorities, even 24V AC is considered "safe" though grabbing exposed 24V AC wiring shouldn't be something you aim to do.

Now concerns about the current used and the potential for fire, sparks and melted palstic should be noted in big bold type, no auguement there and a good pickup. I actually have some graphic photos of melted pixels after they shorted out with a 100A supply delivering current, so this risk is real and needs documenting.

Low voltage DC is the ideal Voltage Type and Voltage Value for this hobby due to it's inherent electrical safety, ability to used in all weather conditions without fear of ground faults or elecrocution.

Phil

 

[Superman]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

As Bird mentioned earlier www.calibre-ebook.com is a great program for converting PDF's to all sorts of readers

 

[AussiePhil]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Great work!

About the only objection I have is that I would like to be able to dowload it in epub so I can read it om my tablet

Slite

Due to the highly graphical nature of the original document i doubt this would be a succesful ePub conversion, as I use Calibre all the time, i'll test this in the next few days

Phil

 

[chilloutdocdoc]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Chill, (et All)

You raise some good point but I will agree to disagree over this section.
-------------
“Low Voltage DC is safe to use and work with and is an ideal voltage for our hobby. The difference in the wiring of a DC controller to an AC controller is just the names of the terminals as in both cases you must ensure you have the correct wires connected to the correct terminals or else permanent damage may occur to the controller. So to sum it up in very basic terms
Mains Active Line (A) in the DC world is equivalent to Positive + Line
Mains Neutral Line (N) in the DC world is equivalent to Negative – Line
Remember that DC controllers will only work with a low voltage DC power supply and AC controllers will only work with an AC mains voltage supply. Never mix the two.

---------------------
At a basic level this is correct. At a higher technical level there are any number of points and differences that could be made.

All the concerns about shorts, blowing things up, fire risks etc all still apply in the 110/240v arena with 10A-20A circuits normal.
Nearly all the smaller SMPS's used (ie the 350W models) will go into overload shutdown when shorted out.

The continued promotion of SAFE is about safety from electrocution..... DC Low Voltage up to the 48V line is considered safe by electrical authorities, even 24V AC is considered "safe" though grabbing exposed 24V AC wiring shouldn't be something you aim to do.

Now concerns about the current used and the potential for fire, sparks and melted palstic should be noted in big bold type, no auguement there and a good pickup. I actually have some graphic photos of melted pixels after they shorted out with a 100A supply delivering current, so this risk is real and needs documenting.

Low voltage DC is the ideal Voltage Type and Voltage Value for this hobby due to it's inherent electrical safety, ability to used in all weather conditions without fear of ground faults or elecrocution.

Phil

Maybe something like:
At a basic level AC wiring is like DC wiring in that it has two wires, and they must be attached in the proper orientation to each other. There can be large differences in the types of wire and the sizes of wire used however, as they are rated specifically for the voltage you are using.


But I have to disagree to agree Phil and remain adamant about my previous statements. There is a lower risk of using lower voltage, but there is a larger risk when people are told that it is safe, and there is no fear of electrocution.


I do not find it necessary to treat the reader as dumb, but in the same way that the published For Dummies series explains things, bring the material down to their level, and then bring them up to a basic technical understanding of how things work. If you lower the material to the reader, the reader will not learn, but if you bring the reader up to the material, the reader will become a more knowledgeable individual.

 

[Superman]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Page 53.

This photo used to confuse the hell out of me as it is one of those cut and paste photos they use on the china sites. I could never work out ho to connect pixels based off the photo when the output was com,R,G,B.

Here is the correct photo

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/39402680/IMG_0103.jpg

 

[fasteddy]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Chill, (et All)

You raise some good point but I will agree to disagree over this section.
-------------
“Low Voltage DC is safe to use and work with and is an ideal voltage for our hobby. The difference in the wiring of a DC controller to an AC controller is just the names of the terminals as in both cases you must ensure you have the correct wires connected to the correct terminals or else permanent damage may occur to the controller. So to sum it up in very basic terms
Mains Active Line (A) in the DC world is equivalent to Positive + Line
Mains Neutral Line (N) in the DC world is equivalent to Negative – Line
Remember that DC controllers will only work with a low voltage DC power supply and AC controllers will only work with an AC mains voltage supply. Never mix the two.

---------------------
At a basic level this is correct. At a higher technical level there are any number of points and differences that could be made.

All the concerns about shorts, blowing things up, fire risks etc all still apply in the 110/240v arena with 10A-20A circuits normal.
Nearly all the smaller SMPS's used (ie the 350W models) will go into overload shutdown when shorted out.

The continued promotion of SAFE is about safety from electrocution..... DC Low Voltage up to the 48V line is considered safe by electrical authorities, even 24V AC is considered "safe" though grabbing exposed 24V AC wiring shouldn't be something you aim to do.

Now concerns about the current used and the potential for fire, sparks and melted palstic should be noted in big bold type, no auguement there and a good pickup. I actually have some graphic photos of melted pixels after they shorted out with a 100A supply delivering current, so this risk is real and needs documenting.

Low voltage DC is the ideal Voltage Type and Voltage Value for this hobby due to it's inherent electrical safety, ability to used in all weather conditions without fear of ground faults or elecrocution.

Phil

Maybe something like:
At a basic level AC wiring is like DC wiring in that it has two wires, and they must be attached in the proper orientation to each other. There can be large differences in the types of wire and the sizes of wire used however, as they are rated specifically for the voltage you are using.


But I have to disagree to agree Phil and remain adamant about my previous statements. There is a lower risk of using lower voltage, but there is a larger risk when people are told that it is safe, and there is no fear of electrocution.


I do not find it necessary to treat the reader as dumb, but in the same way that the published For Dummies series explains things, bring the material down to their level, and then bring them up to a basic technical understanding of how things work. If you lower the material to the reader, the reader will not learn, but if you bring the reader up to the material, the reader will become a more knowledgeable individual.

Im happy for any constructive feedback and you have provided that and its greatly appreciated and noted for some additions and changes for Rev1, thats why we have initial releases and revisions because when something is out to the masses then this is where it is truely tested and things can be improved.

So thanks again for the feedback Chill i know you took away time from study to review this and it is appreciated.

 

[fasteddy]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Page 53.

This photo used to confuse the hell out of me as it is one of those cut and paste photos they use on the china sites. I could never work out ho to connect pixels based off the photo when the output was com,R,G,B.

Here is the correct photo

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/39402680/IMG_0103.jpg

Yes that is the correct photo of the controller. The picture i have used is actually from the link listing and i used this so people would know they have the same listing. But be warned this is very common for Chinese online shops to rehash photos and descriptions which can make thing more confusing

 

[Slite]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

I have Calibre already as my main repository for all my e-books. Especially like the fact that I can download books from my homeserver to my tablet when I'm away.

Problem is just that you usually don't get a good result when converting from PDF to Epub, IF the PDF is not set up for reflow, and I kind of doubt that this one is

I could probably get it to display ok on my 10 inch tablet... Was just a wish I had that it was availble in epub, since I like for instance Moon + Reader better than Adobe Acrobat on tablets

 

[Bevo]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Great effort Fasteddy and everyone else that helped put the book together. Thank you so much for putting in the un-paid time and effort to make this handbook happen.

One thing you could note down when relating to low voltage is that generally we like use Extra low voltage which means a voltage under 50VAC or up to 120V ripple-free DC AS/NZS3000.

And the type of circuit is typically known as a SELV (Safety Extra-Low Voltage) circuit. Which is a secondary circuit that is designed and protected under normal operating conditions and single fault conditions; its voltages do not exceed a safe value. This is what most people class as a safe working voltage. But it can become dangerous when using batteries and capacitors.

Maybe if you reference with Extra low voltage when talking about the voltages under 50V and maybe put a note about only using a Licenced Electrician to wire the 240V side of the PSU's that do not come pre-wired.

I think you have done a great job with all the little safety tips along the way and you have presented each area in the book very well. You should feel very proud.

 

[fasteddy]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

Great effort Fasteddy and everyone else that helped put the book together. Thank you so much for putting in the un-paid time and effort to make this handbook happen.

One thing you could note down when relating to low voltage is that generally we like use Extra low voltage which means a voltage under 50VAC or up to 120V ripple-free DC AS/NZS3000.

And the type of circuit is typically known as a SELV (Safety Extra-Low Voltage) circuit. Which is a secondary circuit that is designed and protected under normal operating conditions and single fault conditions; its voltages do not exceed a safe value. This is what most people class as a safe working voltage. But it can become dangerous when using batteries and capacitors.

Maybe if you reference with Extra low voltage when talking about the voltages under 50V and maybe put a note about only using a Licenced Electrician to wire the 240V side of the PSU's that do not come pre-wired.

I think you have done a great job with all the little safety tips along the way and you have presented each area in the book very well. You should feel very proud.

Thanks Bevo, yes ELV is the correct term and again i chose to keep it simple here, but then with rev1 and adding definitions, words like this can be easily defined and the manual made technically more accurate.
It is mentioned in the safety tips for an electrician to make all 240V connections, but adding a note as well for the first drawing example of a DC power supply could also be a good idea.Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Kaden]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

I am not sure if this is too far out of scope, but do you want to add information about controlling non-dimmable 240/110v items (such as mirror ball motors).

You would need to use DMX swithpacks (instead of dimmers) such as 4 Channel and 24 Channel options as well as the Chinese DIY option from Ray 12 Channel

I have attached a pdf which explains why "cheap" dimmers are bad for some electrical items (NOTE: it is marketing material).

LOR CTB-16D controllers are opto-isolated CTB-16D User Guide Page 40 so should not be used with non-dimmable items.

 

[fasteddy]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

I am not sure if this is too far out of scope, but do you want to add information about controlling non-dimmable 240/110v items (such as mirror ball motors).

You would need to use DMX swithpacks (instead of dimmers) such as 4 Channel and 24 Channel options as well as the Chinese DIY option from Ray 12 Channel

I have attached a pdf which explains why "cheap" dimmers are bad for some electrical items (NOTE: it is marketing material).

I appreciate the PDF, very good reading. But for the manual it would be outside the scope of the target audience im aiming for and thats entry level users in the hobby. Also we have a larger focus on using Extra Low voltage (below 50vdc) due to being a much safer alternative to mains supply and because we use our gear outside

But thanks again

 

[Kaden]

Re: ACL Lights for Dummies Manual - Feedback thread

I thought that might be the case

I love the manual btw. I started learning about a month too soon apparently. Reading your guide first would have made the learning curve much nicer.

 

[mick8248]

Love the REV, thx Ed for making a great manual even better.

 

[Bill Ellick]

Great job on the update for this manual Eddy! Please, someone who knows him. Give him a pat on the back when you see him for all the hard work on it.
One future update for you that is not really a big thing but can help prevent frustration for the "noobs" in this hobby might be to expand a little on the need to use neutral cure silicone or more why you can not just use any old type of sealants with electrical. It would save problems when someone uses a regular GE caulk only to find in a few years that it "ate" the contacts or solder joints away with corrosion. Or why the light strings are "flaky" due to electrical problems due to corrosion.
Especially with the frantic rush that is starting up to use LED strips and pixel node strings. The repairing of the silicone coating on strips is going to be a big thing for people who make custom lengths for windows and such and they will have to seal the solder junctions on the strips. Using the wrong type of coating could end up being a very costly mistake for the lack of the knowledge of why you should (well actually must) use the right stuff.
Just an FYI that I see a future need for.
But overall the manual is great and has so much information in there for everyone.