Look at my led drivers

Discussion in 'Do It Yourself' started by REALSTYLES, Apr 13, 2015.

  1. Meanwell drivers for the diy led guys. I have 2 that will kill you if you don't wire it correctly lol. It's 400 volts which can kill here's some pics
     
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  2. #2 ice_cream_man, Apr 25, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 25, 2015
    400V is certainly stepping it up risk wise.  Would make me be very careful.
     
    What is the output current?  I cant see it.  I am guessing 0.5A.  That is the threshold for possible heart defib after 3 seconds.  
     
    However, assuming you are using MAINS to power you light, incorrectly wiring any DIY LED light can be fatal.  Especially considering that they are often used around lots of water with plenty of nutes added for that extra conductivity.
     
    DIY electronics with MAINS is not exactly safe and would not be recommended to anyone without some knowledge and attention to detail.  It is certainly not the thing you want to try to learn after pulling bong hits.
     
  3. I thought DC was a lot less dangerous to humans... and isn't it the amps that kill you and not the voltage?
     
  4. Technically it is amps that kill. But amps are "pulled" by the object, volts are "pushed" from the power source, and theyre both interconnected values. Thats why when you touch a hot 110v wire, you usually just shock the piss out of yourself because the human body wont draw much amps on its own. But at higher voltage, that can change.
     
    I have some t12 fluoro ballasts in my shop that run 1.5a @ 600v and that is capable of killing a clumsy individual. 
     
  5.  
     
    Ohh I see thanks! :)
     
     
    I plan on using the same meanwell drivers but the 147V @ 1.4A version. Is it as dangerous? since its 1.4A instead of 500mA? or is the lower voltage enough to make it a bit safer :p haha
     
  6. Just dont shock yourself.
     
    Its perfectly safe if wired properly.
     
  7.  
    That's a bit what I'm worried about... I know that, in theory, touching the heat sink should not shock me. But I've had shitty appliances before where I would shock myself on the stove by mixing some soup when my metal spoon touched the bottom of my pot... (and it wasn't a funny shock like 120V where my hand would just contract and vibrate... hahaha...  And I really don't want this happening with my LEDs... Would this be because of a Ground issue?
     
     
    I don't want to thread jack here... but Real, looks like you have grounded your panels. I never completely understood the need and use for a ground. But I understand it can be somewhat important, and I would like to ground my DIY panels when I make them...
     
    can someone explain how it works and how to properly ground a LED panel?
     
  8. Yes, you need to properly ground the device. That is why you were shocked touching  the heatsink, because the unit could not get a good ground until you touched it, so it decided to ground through your body. The electricity will take the path of least resistance, so the ground needs to be better than a human body (which isnt much, we arent very conductive compared to copper)
     
    I'm not sure about these particular drivers, but with a standard light ballast you start with your regular 110v 12-2 house wire, or a standard extension cord, and connect the white to the hot wire of the ballast (usually white or red) and the black wire to black wire.
     
    Then you run the bare copper wire and just connect it to your heat sink or the light shroud if it is all metal. then you must make sure the ballast and metal youre putting it on is clean and you bolt it down. Then the ballast can ground through the heatsink out to the bare copper wire thats inside your 12-2 wire that goes to an electrical outlet or gets wired directly to a circuit breaker.
     
     
    I know thats not super clear, and hard to explain properly just through text, but any unit you buy will come with wiring instructions, and just follow them to the letter.
     
    Then you mainly just need to be sure the ground wire is connected to the ballast somehow. Usually they dont just hook the ground wire directly to it though, and do it like I just explained by grounding the ballast on a heatsink, then grounding the heatsink with the main ground wire. This allows the heatsink to act as a buffer if there is some sort of power surge that needs alot of ground, it wont just fry the ground wire, the heat energy can dissipate slightly on the heatsink or shroud before travelling back up the ground wire, this ensures the ground wire doesnt melt in extreme cases so you still have a ground for safety. 
     
  9. #9 SleeveOfWizard, May 7, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2015
    I had one of my light ballasts in my shop melted so I need to replace it, I can take some pics as I'm wiring it up so you can get the basic idea. I also plan on building my own LED unit using 4 of these same drivers that the OP has running each to their own Vero 29 cob. So I can make a detailed instruction then, but that wont be until next month. Those LED cobs cost me $200 just for 4 plus the holders, and I'll need another $100 something to buy 4 of those drivers..
     
    Still though, thats only about $1 per watt of LED, so not bad compared to pre-built units, plus I can customize the shape to fit my cabinet and fit around my existing lights.
    Plus, each those drivers should be able to run 2 Veros, just running each one at 40w instead of 1 at 60w, so I can upgrade it down the line and get close to double the light output.
     
  10. #10 yomandude, May 7, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2015
     
     
    So basically the goal is to connect the third wire coming from the outlet to my heatsink? (or main metal body of the light).  Does the ground need to pass throught the Driver (or Ballast) or does it skip the driver and goes directly from the heat sink to the third wire on the AC side of the wiring?
     
    Some pictures of your work and/or LED would definitely help! [​IMG]
     
     
    Yeah 1$/W is great!  my build will consist of 3x Vero29s ran at about 50W each using 1x drive (same as above but 147V @ 1.4A.
     
    Everything except tools will end up in the 1,50-1,60$/W range [​IMG] CANT WAIT!
     
  11. #11 ice_cream_man, May 8, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2015
    Yes, it is amps that kill.  Amps are the current.  Understanding the relationship between amps and volts is simple.  Ohms law states Amps = Volts / Resistance.  Here is a link to a calculator for the nerdy types http://www.ohmslawcalculator.com/ohms-law-calculator
     
    A human body has a fixed resistance assuming conditions remain the same (dry skin, no open cuts, etc).  Dry skin can have a resistance up to 100K Ohms.
     
    Therefore, assuming the resistance of your body is constant, as volts increase, amps increase which means more current will run through your body up to the maximum allowed by the circuit.  
     
    If the driver is 4A, that does not mean it delivers 4A in the event of a shock.  Sustained 4A would stop your heart very quickly.  0.5A can stop your heart after 3 seconds.
     
    Grounding the device is very important.  If there is bad wiring causing the electricity to run into the metal case, the grounding wire will cause the electricity to flow out through the ground and potentially save your life.  Electricity wants to travel the path of the least resistance.  The ground has far less resistance than a human body so the vast majority of the electricity will travel through the grounding wire rather than through the person touching an energized case.
     

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