Can anyone suggest an iron-clad power supply?

[tjflory]

Can anyone suggest an iron-clad power supply/supplies?

I will be powering about 90 meters of 12 volt 150 LED/meter RGB strips.

Thanks!

tj

[edvas69]

use meanwell power supplies if reliability is what you need

The SE model is the budget model,

The SP model is the built more for industry and is of higher quality than the SE unit

[WilliamS]

Be careful of imposters that say MW power supply. If you can get them direct from Meanwell this is the safest bet for no issues.

[GaryM]

This from Jim St John (Sandevices guru) posted in another forum. Glad to read it, as I ordered several from Ray Wu a few days ago:

I have had no issues so far with Ray Wu's 350 watt power supplies. I did some testing recently with a 350 watt supply in a CG-1500 enclosure. Loaded continuously at 250 watts, corresponding to worst case scenario of 800 pixels full on. In full sunlight on an 85+ degree day the case interior got to about 130 degrees F. Power supply was very hot to the touch, but ran for 24 hours with no problems. And in real life, it would be unusual to have all pixels full on white for any length of time. Even though the enclosure isn't vented, the fan keeps the interior temp uniform so that the whole case can help dissipate the heat.

[vincerules]

I'm planning on getting some Meanwell SP series power supplies from Jameco.com. They have the best prices that I have been able to find and they seem like a good company to order from in the states.

[GaryM]

I've used Jameco for years, they are top notch.

From a cost standpoint, those are obviously going to be more expensive. Based on input from several experts (Jeff M, William Bottomley, Donny Carter, Jim St John) I feel comfortable with the Ray Wu 20 dollar units.

But..each to his own. Its like a lot of the debates here, its all about what you feel most comfortable with.

[vincerules]

I would love to save some money, the Meanwell sp-320-12's are $65 before tax/shipping. I am starting to read more and more positive things about Ray Wu's units. Have you, or do you know of someone, that has used Ray's for multiple years? I like saving money, but would rather not have to keep replacing units if they aren't good for long term. But then again, you can get 3 for the price of 1 and only using them for a couple months a year they "should" last for a while.

Decisions, Decisions.

[Guest wbottomley]

I'm getting my power supplies from Todd & Dave.

[edvas69]

I would love to save some money, the Meanwell sp-320-12's are $65 before tax/shipping. I am starting to read more and more positive things about Ray Wu's units. Have you, or do you know of someone, that has used Ray's for multiple years? I like saving money, but would rather not have to keep replacing units if they aren't good for long term. But then again, you can get 3 for the price of 1 and only using them for a couple months a year they "should" last for a while.

Decisions, Decisions.

The Chinese ones work well for the price, i have some that are now 3 years old and still working. The main thing is to not load them above 85% and to always keep a spare, they are cheap enough.

Also it is wise to keep your data lines away from the Chinese power supplies as these emit a lot more electrical interferance then the meanwell and other reputable name brand power supplies as in some cases this may cause some flickering or odd behaivior.

I have had 1 unit fail in the past and have witness another unit fail at the 2011 Brisbane mini, so they do fail, so as ive said above, best to keep a spare if you choose the Chinese power supplies to buy.