TerryK
Retired Elf
To add a bit to what Pavle and i13 mentioned:
- what is meant by "drive level"?
Judging by Forum Threads, most individuals run their displays in the 30% range. I had a small high pixel density Easter display up this year and it was so bright I had it at 20%; and still quite viewable from 30 meters distance. While a personal decision on my part, I design to a 70/80 % drive level.
- If I'm housing the Power Supply and Controller in the same enclosure, what wire AWG would be recommended through to each string, if I'm running pixels at 40% brightness:
-- Strings B and C will be up to 3-4 meters away from the Controller
-- String A will be within 2 meters away from the Controller / Power Supply
Regardless of controller/supply separation, I suggest using a wire AWG size to match to the controller power connector capability. As an example, Falcon F16 and F4 power connectors are rated at 32 Amp so I would suggest 10 AWG. 10 AWG wire is rated at 30 Amp with a 3 conductor cable. To clarify a little; cables are made up of 2 or more conductors or cores and a conductor is made up of 1 or more strands. Cat6 Ethernet cable is a 8 conductor or 8 core cable.
A problem arises if one separates a controller and supply a significant distance. While wire size can be increased to compensate for voltage drop due to distance, a point is reach where the wire size will no longer fit a device's terminals. As to the distances you indicate, 4 Meters isn't very far really. I haven't done any calculations but I think 18 AWG will work. As already mentioned, keep in mind that pixel string wire size as manufactured in China always seems to run small.
- Is it a good rule of thumb to match the lead wire AWG size with the AWG size of the pixel string?
Depends on distance, so 'Rule-of-Thumb'? For shorter distances, likely yes. For longer distances and associated voltage drops, a point is reached where it is not practical, so no.
- Falcon controllers seem out of stock. I could work an Advatek controller into my model?
If the strings are fairly close you might look at a RPi and a 'Hat'. Only 2 ports but with 500 pixels physical placement of the pixels would be more of a problem than the controller.
Falcon's site is indicating stock problems. While Falcon is working on Australian shipping (along with getting the version 4s to market) there are a few US companies that function to ship products out of the US for companies that do not offer international shipping.
- what is meant by "drive level"?
Judging by Forum Threads, most individuals run their displays in the 30% range. I had a small high pixel density Easter display up this year and it was so bright I had it at 20%; and still quite viewable from 30 meters distance. While a personal decision on my part, I design to a 70/80 % drive level.
- If I'm housing the Power Supply and Controller in the same enclosure, what wire AWG would be recommended through to each string, if I'm running pixels at 40% brightness:
-- Strings B and C will be up to 3-4 meters away from the Controller
-- String A will be within 2 meters away from the Controller / Power Supply
Regardless of controller/supply separation, I suggest using a wire AWG size to match to the controller power connector capability. As an example, Falcon F16 and F4 power connectors are rated at 32 Amp so I would suggest 10 AWG. 10 AWG wire is rated at 30 Amp with a 3 conductor cable. To clarify a little; cables are made up of 2 or more conductors or cores and a conductor is made up of 1 or more strands. Cat6 Ethernet cable is a 8 conductor or 8 core cable.
A problem arises if one separates a controller and supply a significant distance. While wire size can be increased to compensate for voltage drop due to distance, a point is reach where the wire size will no longer fit a device's terminals. As to the distances you indicate, 4 Meters isn't very far really. I haven't done any calculations but I think 18 AWG will work. As already mentioned, keep in mind that pixel string wire size as manufactured in China always seems to run small.
- Is it a good rule of thumb to match the lead wire AWG size with the AWG size of the pixel string?
Depends on distance, so 'Rule-of-Thumb'? For shorter distances, likely yes. For longer distances and associated voltage drops, a point is reached where it is not practical, so no.
- Falcon controllers seem out of stock. I could work an Advatek controller into my model?
If the strings are fairly close you might look at a RPi and a 'Hat'. Only 2 ports but with 500 pixels physical placement of the pixels would be more of a problem than the controller.
Falcon's site is indicating stock problems. While Falcon is working on Australian shipping (along with getting the version 4s to market) there are a few US companies that function to ship products out of the US for companies that do not offer international shipping.
