Power Supply help

TANSA

Sparky with Blinky Lights ;-)
Generous elf
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Dec 9, 2019
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177
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Bentley Park
The alarm cable is only rated for 2.8amps 5v or 12v the amp rating is the same.
Try an auto electrical wholesale company.
1mm2 is good for 10amp
2.5mm2 is good for about 25amps
Work out what each cable is going to supply in amps and go from there.
 

TerryK

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Feb 9, 2020
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West Central Ohio
Thinking about this thread something did not feel quite right. Researching and making a few calculations I discovered (realized?) that I had an error in my WS2815 data of a factor of 3. I had tested the WS2811 50 node string first and carried the number of WS2811 nodes over to the WS2815 (150 node strip) data in Excel. This caused the calculations for the mA/Node and mW/Node to be 3 times to high.

I corrected my previous post where I had incorrect figures. So, 6300 WS2815 nodes should total 914 Watt at 100% white.
 

Andrew Lee

New elf
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Dec 3, 2019
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Location
New Norfolk.
Also I bought this stuff for power injection. Figured it would be fairly good for outside considering it's designed for outdoor lighting. https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-20m-garden-lighting-cable_p4394019 Nice and thick, the HD stuff is thicker.

This is also the one I went with. This is regular price, keep a look out for sale, I only paid $20 for the 30mt roll.
  • 30m cable
  • 2.1mm² heavy-duty cable
  • Recommended for high wattages loads
The HPM Garden Cable RGLCL21/30 is a 2.1mm² heavy-duty cable designed for high wattage loads.
 

spazmanaught

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Dec 17, 2015
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Gledswood Hills
If you wanted to ensure you had enough coverage for all the power, what would be the minimum size of wire to look for. I've been looking at 1.5mm as a sort of 'cover it all' but would be open to any advise/thoughts?
 

Mark_M

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Christmas Light world
If you wanted to ensure you had enough coverage for all the power, what would be the minimum size of wire to look for. I've been looking at 1.5mm as a sort of 'cover it all' but would be open to any advise/thoughts?
The wire should state the maximum amperage it can handle.
Alternatively there is calculators and charts online.
You also want to factor voltage drop across the cable, this is from the resistance of the cable over a distance. Literally the voltage at one of the wire drops in voltage from this resistance. The lost power is given off has heat in the cable.
You can never create nor destroy energy.
 

TerryK

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Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
655
Location
West Central Ohio
If you wanted to ensure you had enough coverage for all the power, what would be the minimum size of wire to look for. I've been looking at 1.5mm as a sort of 'cover it all' but would be open to any advise/thoughts?
The wire should state the maximum amperage it can handle.
Alternatively there is calculators and charts online.
You also want to factor voltage drop across the cable, this is from the resistance of the cable over a distance. Literally the voltage at one of the wire drops in voltage from this resistance. The lost power is given off has heat in the cable.
You can never create nor destroy energy.
A weblink that might help: https://www.da-share.com/calculators/cable-voltage-drop/
 

David_AVD

Grandpa Elf
Community project designer
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Jun 12, 2010
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4,681
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Victoria Point (Brisbane)
A rough guide for wire current capacity is 10A per 1mm CSA (cross sectional area), so for example a 1.5mm CSA wire is ok for 15 Amps.

Don't confuse CSA specification with diameter. Auto wiring suppliers are notorious for specifying the diameter and they include the insulation too!

With longer cable runs, you'll need to increase the wire size to account for voltage drop as per the above link.
 
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