Introduction
It is time to proceed my summer time challenge of organising some outside LED lights. Beforehand, I arrange and up to date the Ericsity controller with WLED.
I’m placing up approximiately 20 meters – 65 toes – of LEDs. Whole this shall be almost 2,000 particular person LEDs and roughly 665 individually managed LED segments (3 LEDs per section). This may take extra energy than the little controller can deal with. To reveal the issue of powering all of those LEDs with solely the controller, take a look at this picture:
These strips are wired with the tip of 1 strip linked to the beginning of the following. The highest strip is linked on to the controller. The one beneath is the tip of strip two, adopted by the beginning of strip three and the underside is the very finish of the complete run of LEDs. The lights are all set to the identical colour, however as you’ll be able to see they clearly aren’t the identical colour. The voltage drop throughout 65 toes of LEDs signifies that the LEDs are the tip cannot get sufficient energy to match their earlier siblings.
Energy Injection
The answer to this particular downside is to inject energy into the LED strips. I picked up some WAGO connectors and a NUOFUWEI energy provide. I additionally had some 18 guage wire readily available. With this energy unit, I can simply arrange three injection factors.
The objective was to inject energy in the beginning of strip 1, proper the place the controller is connecting within the picture above. Then inject between strips 2 and three, in the midst of the run. Lastly, I injected energy on the finish of strip 4. With these three, equally spaced injection factors, I used to be in a position to get a pleasant uniform colour throughout the whole 20 meter run.
Downside Solved! Proper?
Not precisely.
Turning off the PSU
WLED controls the lights, however would not management the ability provide with this wiring setup. Turning off the lights inside WLED does flip off the LEDs, however the energy provide continues to run. It isn’t drawing at full load, however it’s drawing energy and the cooling fan is energetic. It is noticable and unneeded. I desire a solution to flip off the ability provide AND the LEDs on the identical time.
I am unable to energy the WLED controller from the massive energy provide to do that, as a result of if I flip off the ability provide that’d additionally flip off the WLED controller. I am going to must energy the WLED controller independently from the lights. Happily, this would possibly not be an issue.
The following step is determining how I can use WLED to manage the bigger energy provide. Happily, WLED has the power to manage a relay, which I can use to manage the ability provide. The Ericsity controller additionally has two output information pins. Whereas I do not assume the second was in-built to manage a relay, it really works completely right here.
Wiring
I bought a HiLetGo relay in order that I might toggle the bigger energy provide on and off. To do that, it is necessary that the info line and the bottom are frequent among the many controller, the ability provide and the LEDs.
The diagram above is a tough schematic of how I wired this. The controller sends information, however not energy, to the LEDs. Knowledge was on GPIO 16. The necessary half right here is that the info line is shared throughout the entire strips. I didn’t want a sign booster for my challenge, and since I am about to make use of the second uncovered information channel for the relay, I had to make sure that this single channel might ship a sign down the whole size of the strip. Happily, I did not have any points.
The wiring floor was tied into the PSU and the LEDs as nicely. The frequent floor is necessary.
On the opposite facet of the diagram is the relay. I put this relay between the wall and the PSU. When WLED despatched an ON sign, it could shut the relay, turning on the PSU and the LEDs. GPIO 2 was tied to the relay and inside LED Preferences, the Relay Pin was set to GPIO 2.
One fast energy cycle from inside WLED is required at this level. Press the ability button within the UI to show all the things off, press it as soon as extra to show it on. So long as the PSU is plugged into the wall, you need to right here it fireplace up and see the LEDs activate. For those who press the ability button once more, the LEDs flip off, the relay clicks, shuts down the PSU and solely the WLED controller stays energetic.
Success
With the relay in place, the LEDs do not draw phantom energy whereas off as a result of the PSU is not energetic. The additional advantage, at the least for this particular energy unit, is the the followers aren’t working continuously so it is not as loud. Whereas this may ultimately be exterior, I would nonetheless choose to not hear the fan when the lights are off. Whereas they’re energetic it is not going to be bothering me, as a result of I am going to seemingly have music enjoying for the sound reactive options which is able to simply be louder than this fan.
The following step within the challenge goes to be to get this arrange exterior.
