12volt and 5volt on Sansdevices E682

[Sully]

I've seen in the manual that it's possible to run both 12volt and 5volt pixels off 1 E682. I know you'd 2 power supplies but how is this wired up and just what are the jumper settings?

I'm wondering if anyone has done this and can offer the setup or advice...pro or cons.

Thanks

[sax]

There are 2 power inputs on the board. There are jumper settings for 5v. Board comes preset for 12v.

It is super easy and clearly labeled. As far as pros and cons....12v goes further than 5v so your extensions could be longer with 12v. 5v pixels tend to be cheaper than 12v. A big con to mixing the power of pixels on a board is the chance to connect the pixels to the wrong voltage.

All this can be found in the manual. It is a free download. Just go to the website and get this and more information.

Personally, I use 12v only on my sans e682. I have my elements 60' away from the controller. If I go to 5v I will purchase another sans for that voltage to eliminate possible errors.

[KStatefan]

If i remember correctly, the right power input is what powers the board and the left just powers outputs 1 and 2.  Set the jumper for the voltage on the right side.

[Sully]

So I set it he jumpers for 5volts to use 3-4 and connected to right side I'd have my 5 volt supply then my 12 volt supply on left side for 1-2?

Edited March 12, 2015 by Sully

[sax]

From the manual:

Power:

There are two connections for pixel power, allowing the use of two separate pixel power supplies. This also allows a mix of 5 volt and 12 volt pixels (for example) to be controlled by a single E682. Each power inlet supplies power to 8 pixel outputs and is rated to carry up to 32 amps. The E682 itself is typically powered from the right-hand (output groups 3 and 4) pixel power supply, but may also be powered independently by a power supply that is capable of providing 7-24 volts DC at about 500ma, connected to J19.

Setting On-Board Jumpers:

Although most of the E682 configuration is done via the web page, there are a few options that are selected with jumpers. There are 2 sets of option jumpers on the E682. In the upper-right hand corner of the board are the Power Select Jumpers, designated as J21. There are 5 terminal pins numbered 1 through 5. There are three possible configurations of these jumpers in this area, depending on the power source for the E682. Typically the E682 will be powered from the pixel power supply attached to J19, since this eliminates the need for a separate power supply. If the E682 is to be powered from the pixel power source (most common case), then set power select jumpers as follows:

 If the pixel power supply connected to J19 is 5 volts, install a jumper between pins 2 and 3 ONLY

 For pixel power voltages greater than 5V on J19, install a jumper between pins 1 and 2, and a jumper

between pins 3 and 4.

 If you elect to power the E682 from a separate power supply install a jumper between pins 1 and 2, and a

jumper between pins 4 and 5.

In this case connect the external supply to J17, the upper terminal is positive, and the 2nd terminal from the top is negative. The external power supply should be from 7 to 24VDC, and capable of supplying at least 500ma, or 1500ma if powering an Ethernet switch from J17. The external supply should be current-limited or fused at no more than 2 amps.

The standard configuration that E682s are shipped from the factory is for 12V power (jumpers 1-2 and 3-4).

Go here and see a picture:

http://sandevices.com/documents/E682_Operating_Manual.pdf

[sax]

Point is, you can have 5v on either side, 12 v on either side. The right side is power for the board if you choose or it can be an external power source.

If it is the right side that you choose for power to the board, why not put your 12v there and you won't have to worry about jumpers.

Otherwise just set the jumpers according to the manual.

[jerrymac]

There are 2 power inputs on the board. There are jumper settings for 5v. Board comes preset for 12v.

It is super easy and clearly labeled. As far as pros and cons....12v goes further than 5v so your extensions could be longer with 12v. 5v pixels tend to be cheaper than 12v. A big con to mixing the power of pixels on a board is the chance to connect the pixels to the wrong voltage.

All this can be found in the manual. It is a free download. Just go to the website and get this and more information.

Personally, I use 12v only on my sans e682. I have my elements 60' away from the controller. If I go to 5v I will purchase another sans for that voltage to eliminate possible errors.

If you apply 5 volt to a 12 volt pixel it just won't work or work very well.

If you apply 12 volt to a 5 volt pixel string for even a fraction of a second you will loose some if not all of the pixels.

And after you have noticed the error and you replace the bad pixels and plug them in again with 12 volts no matter how well they are marked,  the same situation will happen again (not that I have done this more than ONCE !)

Let the MAGIC smoke out and they are trash can ties not pixels.  

Do not recommend mixing voltages through the same device unless you use a step down transformer at the pixel string (or ribbon). (this can help with voltage drop issues, but still do NOT suggest mixing voltages)

[EmmienLightFan]

Yes. 

Just be VERY VERY VERY VERY CAREFUL with the voltages! If possible, use different wire colours or even better different connectors on your wires!

Label wires and pixels, or you will get them mixed up and plug the wrong ones in.

 

I use 5v pixels. I have 5v going to my controller, then at the first string I have a 12v to 5v stepdown. This means I get the long range of 12v, but the cheaper 5v pixels. The stepdowns are only about $3.

 

Also, which pixel protocol do you use? I'm getting an AlphaPix 4 but I am undecided of which type of pixels to populate it with.

[TitusCarnathan]

Dc to Dc buck converters are a big help as well. http://www.amazon.com/KEEDOX%C2%AE-Converter-Power-Supply-Module/dp/B00A71CMDU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1426269220&sr=8-6&keywords=5v+dc+to+dc+buck+converter

[k6ccc]

I'm going along with the "either don't do it or be VERY careful".  I am running SanDevices boards at both 5V and 12V, but NOT for the same prop and NOT in the same board.

 

Both of my permanently installed E6804s run at 12V, and the two Christmas only E682s were on 5V.  For Christmas 2015 I am adding another E682 and another E6804 and by complete happenstance, the additional E682 will be 5V (and right next to one of the other E682s and fed from the same power system), and the additional E6804 will be 12V and fed from the same power system as one of the existing E6804s.  Just worked out that way...

[Sully]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to just pick up another controller, that seems to be the easiest way of doing everything, keep 1 at 5volts, 1 at 12v. I'm Only running 3 arches, 64pixels each and 4 candy canes, 16pixels each all of those at 5volts. I'm Going to be adding a tree with 12 30pixel strands so I'll probably just run that at 12volts because I'm pretty sure my 5volt board at its peek.

[EmmienLightFan]

That doesn't sound like many pixels? It can't be at it's peak yet.

 

 

Dc to Dc buck converters are a big help as well. http://www.amazon.com/KEEDOX%C2%AE-Converter-Power-Supply-Module/dp/B00A71CMDU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1426269220&sr=8-6&keywords=5v+dc+to+dc+buck+converter

Those are what I am talking about. I got exactly the same but it was black and branded by a company called Car Power Technology.

[Sully]

I'm not sure though if it could handle a tree or even if the tree would be ok at 5volt. I was figuring on 12 strips 30 pixels per strip, connect 3 strips together so I'd have 4 at 90pixels each

[EmmienLightFan]

The controller can handle it. You need a powerful power supply though.

 

Both 5v and 12v work for a tree. The controllers can handle the maximum amount of pixels they say they can control. The controller's max power doesn't matter too much because even with max pixels connected, it is normally well under the max amps for the controller.