godman Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'm making some arches and mini trees for my display and found some plain white nodes from Ray Wu, I know they need a 5v power supply to run but do I also need a controller to run simple LED nodes? I'm looking for 100ct LED strings that are like the ones you would purchase at a retail store (110v) that I can plug in multiple light strings together, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Might be helpful to include a link to the nodes you are looking at. That way we're not guessing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 I tried to copy and paste the link but it wouldn't let me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I tried to copy and paste the link but it wouldn't let me? There is nothing in the forum software that would prevent you from copy/pasting a link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbayjohn Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 To paste in a reply, click the icon in the top left corner in the blue surrounding border. This tool will allow you to paste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Here are the lights I was referring to in the above post, thanks for the tip bbayjohn. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/WHITE-color-led-12mm-node-through-hole-type-injection-made-IP65-rated-DC5V-input-0-1W/701799_1667685690.htmlhttp://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/RED-color-led-12mm-node-through-hole-type-injection-made-IP65-rated-DC5V-input-0-1W/701799_1667658886.html I was wondering if I could just use the 5v power supply for power and the powers supply 110 go directly into the LOR controller. I assume this would be the same as a normal string of lights? Ray said I could connect up to 25 strings of the 50 nodes together using the power supply belowhttp://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/350W-Dual-Output-Switching-Power-Supply-88-264VAC-input-5V-350W-output-CE-and-ROHS-approved/701799_289599937.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 The nodes are dc they don't plug in to the lor 16 channel ac contollers you need to use lor's cmd-24dc card or something similar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 I see the nodes are DC, can the nodes be powered by the power supply and then have the power supply plug into the LOR controller? (Not the nodes directly to the controller) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 that would give one channel for all the lights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 That's all I need is one channel, that's why I was hoping that set up would work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I guess it would work but I don't know of anybody doing that way. how are you going to connect 25 strings to the power supply ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Ray Wu said I can connect 25 strings to one power supply, Only one set of leads will be connected to the power supply, the other nodes would be daisy chained together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Not quite sure you can connect 25 strings in a row .maybe someone else can help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdanna77 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I have almost the same power supply. And I'm pretty sure they were not made to be turned on & off repeatedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalJimH Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 godman- am I reading your posts correctly- you want all your arches on the same circuit so all the arches would be just all one color. White or red according to your links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) Ray Wu said I can connect 25 strings to one power supply, Only one set of leads will be connected to the power supply, the other nodes would be daisy chained together That could be a communication problem with Ray. When he said "25" he may have meant "25 nodes", not "25 strings of 50 nodes each". It appears from the pictures that 2 wires connect between each node, meaning they all run in parallel. Each node (LED) appears to be rated at 6v, .1W, which means about 15mA (which sounds about right for an LED). If you attempted to put 25 * 50 = 1250 nodes in parallel, they would draw over 15A! The close-up in the product page shows the wire is 22AWG, which would melt if you attempted to put 15A through it. Edited June 9, 2014 by Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Here is Rays email to me, Dear Mr. Greg, you can use the below 5v/350w power supply to run 20strings of 50nodes together: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/350W-Dual-Output-Switching-Power-Supply-88-264VAC-input-5V-350W-output-CE-and-ROHS-approved/701799_289599937.html best regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 godman you come in here looking for help. And you have received help. Your best bet is to listen and not argue with wisdom you have received. You CAN NOT run one long string made of 25 strings of 50 nodes. Steven has done the math and first 22ga wire will not carry 15 amps. And the resistance of the wire will drop the voltage down to low to light the LEDs after just a few strings. What you can do is run a main power cord of at least 14 ga wire, but might need 12 ga wire. Then tap into that wire so that the start of each string is connecting to the main power run wire. Disclaimer is that I have not done this myself. But all of my training said that this by the books might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godman Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Max-Paul,Where do you see that I am arguing? There is a huge difference that YOU must understand, this is the NEWBIE section, everyone here is trying to learn, that is why we ask questions, everyone here has been quite helpful. I am simply posting information so that I can learn. I appreciate your information but I can do without the chip on your shoulder for those who do not know as much as you. Edited June 10, 2014 by godman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Here is Rays email to me,Dear Mr. Greg,you can use the below 5v/350w power supply to run 20strings of 50nodes together: As you know, Ray Wu's first language is not English, so when he communicates, he sometimes uses the wrong word or leaves out information, so that while he answers the question, he may have assumed you know what he didn't say. In this case, when he says "together" he means you can connect all 20 strings to the power supply, but he fails to mention that you can't connect them all in series. Your best bet is to run them in series-connected groups of 3-4, then run a length of 18-gauge cable (like SPT1) from each group to the power supply. You can also run a main power cord like Max-Paul suggested, and tap into it, but I find that SPT1 cable is easier to work with, and may even be less expensive. To answer the original question about how to turn the lights on and off using a channel on an LOR controller, I would use a relay powered by a channel to turn the power supply on and off. This will prevent accidentally "dimming" the power supply, which may damage it. Also, as Cdanna77 said, that power supply is not meant to be turned on and off quickly, so there will be a delay from the time you turn the channel on and when the lights turn on, and another delay from the time you turn the channel off until the lights turn off. Rapid on/off switching may possibly damage the power supply. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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