DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx Aether => Topic started by: salongaopm on October 15, 2012,
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can this be use to power the aether:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/12V-4A-48W-power-adaptor-table-on-type-100-240VAC-input-CE-UL-approved/701799_295741269.html
Thanks!
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While the input is AC, the output seems to be DC (discovered by zooming into the picture).
The aether2 requires AC.
So this won't work for you needs.
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is there a similar adapter that can be use to aether...just enough to power one aether? i am thinking of just connecting one to each aether instead of having one big power supply and connecting 3 or more aether.
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how this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/290675332926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad99973e
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this one is 60w ac 12v per description:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/60W-AC-12V-Jindel-Halogen-Lamp-Electronic-Transformer-Power-Supply-Driver-/300729593943?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item4604e17057
this one is 105w ac 12v
http://www.ebay.com/itm/105W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/271079870744?pt=BI_Circuit_Breakers_Transformers&hash=item3f1d9e9118
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how this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/290675332926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad99973e
that doesn't look bad. i've heard of people having problems with the quality/reliability of the power coming out of smaller transformers -- and they ended up going back to the malibu. I only used the malibu and had no problems.
let us know how it turns out... having a nice internal power supply using 110v connections sounds nice -- but the part that I worry about is the heat from the power supply combined with the heat of the LED contained in a single tight-fitting enclosure. it might be asking for problems.
a water-proof power supply that attached to the outside might be a better choice.
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this one is 60w ac 12v per description:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/60W-AC-12V-Jindel-Halogen-Lamp-Electronic-Transformer-Power-Supply-Driver-/300729593943?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item4604e17057
this one is 105w ac 12v
http://www.ebay.com/itm/105W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/271079870744?pt=BI_Circuit_Breakers_Transformers&hash=item3f1d9e9118
i've heard the power needs for the aether2 described at 35W and also described at 45W. Using the general principle of saving 20% as reserve, I'd try the 60W unit instead of the 40W or even the 105W.
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how this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/290675332926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad99973e
that doesn't look bad. i've heard of people having problems with the quality/reliability of the power coming out of smaller transformers -- and they ended up going back to the malibu. I only used the malibu and had no problems.
let us know how it turns out... having a nice internal power supply using 110v connections sounds nice -- but the part that I worry about is the heat from the power supply combined with the heat of the LED contained in a single tight-fitting enclosure. it might be asking for problems.
water-proof power s3upply that attached to the outside might be a better choice.
I am thinking of placing it outside the aether case...probably enclosed inside a small lunch box.
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found another one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110V-to-12V-Power-Converter-Voltage-Electronic-Transformer-US-Shipping-/261099949894?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item3ccac50f46
in the description, it states that LED lights cannot be used. Also, only for halogen light bulb. Is that going to be a problem?
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Nope. Remember that these warnings refer to raw bulbs. A straight LED bulb intended to run on regulated 12VDC power would be damaged or derstroyed by the 15 or more volts of AC provided by these transformers. The Aether was designed to run on this type of power and has the circutry required to convert and regulates the power requir by the internal LEDs. The only thing that you have to worry about is that the power pack has enough output for the number of Aethers you will be conncting to it.
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thanks!
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One thing to remember with these electronic supplies is that they work on a higher frequency for the output.... Not being a electronic wiz I am not sure if that would have an effect on the Aether or not.
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The Aether uses a standard rectifier and cap to convert from AC to DC. I doubt that the sligh change in frequency will have any effect at all.
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how this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40W-AC-220V-to-12V-Halogen-Light-LED-Driver-Power-Supply-Electronic-Transformer-/290675332926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad99973e
that doesn't look bad. i've heard of people having problems with the quality/reliability of the power coming out of smaller transformers -- and they ended up going back to the malibu. I only used the malibu and had no problems.
let us know how it turns out... having a nice internal power supply using 110v connections sounds nice -- but the part that I worry about is the heat from the power supply combined with the heat of the LED contained in a single tight-fitting enclosure. it might be asking for problems.
water-proof power s3upply that attached to the outside might be a better choice.
I am thinking of placing it outside the aether case...probably enclosed inside a small lunch box.
Also be careful as some of those say 220V input. I suspect that if you run those in the US, you are only going to get 6V out, not 12V. Of course I could be WAYYYY off too, just wanted to bring that up.
Thanks,
-Keith
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The last transformer was 110 vac, which is what you want. Almost all of the earlier transformers were 220 vac. Keith is right - if you hook the 220 v transformer to 110/120, you are going to get about 6 v out. If you happen to have 240v outlets wired in your house, you will be fine, but most outlets are only 120.
Why do I keep bouncing between 110, 120, 220, and 240?
Technically in the U.S. we run 240 volt single phase to most homes, but by using a center tapped transformer and hooking the center to neutral/ground at the pole, we basically have 120v outlets (hot to neutral). Depending on where you live, it's not uncommon to see the voltage sag to 115. 110 is a little on the low side for the U.S., but not uncommon in other countries. In any case, 110 and 120 are close enough that most stuff won't notice...
220 and 240 is basically the same idea. 208 however is usually associated with 3 phase power - usually installed in commercial buildings.
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this is the one i oredered:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110V-to-12V-Power-Converter-Voltage-Electronic-Transformer-US-Shipping-/261099949894?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item3ccac50f46
hopefully, it will work ok.
i will post updates once i tried it.
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the discription for the Ebay transformer
60 Watts Max Power
ONLY AC 12V Output
The input line (red lines) IN : AC 100V-130V 50/60Hz
output lines ( white lines) OUT: AC 12V , 60W
ONLY use for AC low voltage lighting , Change from AC 110V to AC 12V !!!!!!（LED lights can not be used）!!!!! <md..
ONLY for G4/G5.3 Halogen Light Bulb Minimum to 20 WATT, Maximum to 60 WATT.
Dimensions(L x W x H): about 2.4 x 1.4 x 1.0 inch.
Quartz lamps for AC low voltage 12V (Halogen)
Decoration lighting for malls, family room lighting, can also be used for bar lights.
Uses: Exports forAC low-voltage lights dedicated Taiwan, USA and Canada
Don't know if I would use it.
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seems ok. the "LED lights can not be used" is for people that have outdoor led landscaping lights.
60w is more than enough for one aether II
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I would be curious to see how these work. I doubt I use them just because a 60 watt transformer designed and built in China sounds wrought with danger that will destroy my Aether. Now I'm out a $90 Aether plus waiting on the coop, plus solder time. I hope I'm wrong, but let us know.
I've tried to cheapen on things before and I always end up spending more money in the end.
I'm considering order a few of these maybe only a backup, but I haven't decided.
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just an update:
two out of three did not even light up the aether. one was able to turn on the aether but with a very faint light only. a big FAIL experiment.
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i wonder if they were mistagged.
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I ordered 60W 12V AC electronic transformers.
I tried them and they did not work. The ebay description did not mention this, but they were 220V units. If I'd looked more closely at the picture I would have seen this. :(
I'm sure there is something out there which works -- an inexpensive and small solution to A/C power needs. I haven't found it yet.
Steve
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$45 doesn't seem like much, and it can power two...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_92091-53027-EE0123BK_0__?productId=3069655
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I tried this smaller transformer hoping it would be higher quality based off the information on their website.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RSOPM2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RSOPM2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00)
I need to power a single Aether II on the other side of my driveway
It did not work right.
The Malibu power supply is rock solid, I will probably just buy another smaller wattage model to power the single Aether II.
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i wonder if they were mistagged.
do you think it is not really a 60watt as advertised? how can i check the wattage output?
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Two problems with electronic transformers, one the output is high frequency so most multimeter's won't read the output voltage and two most require a minimum wattage to run ie: if there 60 watt max they may require a minimum of 20 watts to fire up. The easiest way to check them to see if there working is to get a 12 volt 20 to 50 watt MR16 Halogen bulb and see if the transformer lights it. (Beware the bulb will get VERY HOT quickly so don't touch it.)
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no more electronic transformer for me then. hopefully someone can find a reasonable priced small transformer that will work with aether.
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what would be reasonably priced? the one i listed was only $45, and can power 2 aether II's. that's lik $22.50 per aether II
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The one that is listed on the wiki is 300 watts which will power 8, or $12.5/aether. I bought the 600 watt because I have 6 and I'm going for 12-17 total. I also like the head room if I want to go to it's full potential at 17 which is a little over $8.40/aether with tax. The 600 watt is the best bang for the buck if you are going over 8 aethers and want to run it from one device.
I plan on using them year round for outdoor lighting of the house. I always wanted to do it, so this seemed fitting.
Just buy the power supply at HD and safe yourself headache, solder, time and $.
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The idea of an aether with its own power supply and not to worry of accidentally pluging it directly to an ac outlet is just nice. Also, using a $4.35 transformer on an aether is pretty good. Unfortunately, it did not work.
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If you want to avoid plugging the Aether II into an outlet, the simple answer is to NOT use that type of plug. Using an 120V AC outlet plug on a low voltage device is really just asking for trouble.
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i read somewhere here in the forum about using some watertight trailer light connectors instead of the spt plug. i am thinking i will have to go that route...as soon as i figure out what it look like.
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ray sells the 3 pin connectors for smart strings.... he also sells 2,4, and 5 pin connectors, so it's really easy to make a compatible system of connectors to save yourself.
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You can buy connectors at Radio Shack. Remembr that these are only 12V and waterproof is not much of an issue. Most extension cords are not waterproof and many of us have tem all over the lawn and they work just fine and they ARE at 120V. Any 2pin molex connectors should work just fine.
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If you want something heavy duty in a 3r enclosure you can get this one for under $100 (plus shipping)
http://www.galco.com/buy/Jefferson-Electric/416-1141-000?gclid=CKm-jIfqwrMCFQeDnQod-CYACg It's similar to the one I am using and runs my Aethers great.
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thanks for all the suggestions guys...much appreciated.