RGB Networking and Power Questions

[wt1924]

Hello Everyone,

Question #1 - Do Cat6 cables help when you have a few thousand pixels, or Cat5e good enough? On a similar topic, does megabit or gigabit network switch better?

Question #2 - When you power inject with an external power supply, exactly what is the best configuration? I remember reading somewhere that the power supplies (initial ps and the external ps) need to be tied together or something. Please explain simply, not in electrician talk.

Question #3 - Similarly to question #2, would injecting power 100% be better than using the power supply that powers the controller? I was thinking maybe a small PS for the board and power inject my entire display. Thoughts and maybe a how-to!

 

Thanks,

William

[k6ccc]

#1. Cat-5 is fine.  Cat-5 is also cheaper and easier to work with.

#2. There are a bunch of arrangements, but generally the negative of all power supplies needs to be tied together, and the positive isolated.  When I get to a computer I can send a link that has a good description with graphics.  I am using power injection in several places, but in my case it’s always the same supply that is feeding the controller.  In some cases the injection is at the far end of the string, and in some cases the injection is somewhere in the middle.  What worked out mechanically dictates how I did it.

 

[k6ccc]

The power injection stuff starts about half way down the page.

https://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/wiki/index.php?title=Power_Injection

 

[TheDucks]

I recommend keeping any additional PSU close together Ground (keep wire short between PSUs when using more than 1. a dozen inches, not feet) to keep noise loops down.

Also run + and ground to the inject point BUT ONLY break the + line just before the inject.  The signal needs a continuous ground

Always FUSE inject + voltage (never ground)

[mpageler]

To research powr injection, do a search on LOR threads by "oower injection', on  thread titles only. 

There's a really nice thread in the doityourselfchristmas.com wiki page, lots of diagrams on wiring options.