active hub power question

[typoagain]

First of all I have NO IDEA where to post this question, so sorry if I am in the wrong place.

I do not have any smart strings yet-none, not even a single node. But I would like to start to acquire the supplies necessary to build a smart string mega tree eventually. (I just can't go and drop $1,500 to do it now-well, I could if I did not mind the wife castrating me)

I figured to buy all the control equipment first so that I could learn to use it. So I bought an active hub in the last coop. But now I can’t decide if I want to set it up with the 12v option or not. If I did choose to go with the 12v option and later decided to use an AXT power supply, just what would I have to do to the hub to make it work? At this point versatility is my major concern.

[drlucas]

Welcome to my world!!

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login is the post I just started on  the weekend about my power issues. I converted an old CompaqDL380 server power supply into a nice 12V bench PS and it works great. I'm likely going to use an ATX power supply for the other active hub I have but for one of my hubs I'm definitely going with the 12V option because it was the cost effective approach for me. (i.e. i have two DL380 power supplies so one will be a spare and one will be in the show - and it cost me $2.50 the cost of a couple of connectors i had to solder to the back of the old unit).

There is no harm in soldering on the 12V option and not using it....just gives you that flexibility down the road. Now for the $100 i saved on the power supply, i'm investing in 2 strings for my display. 2 down...10 to go!!!!!!!!!! i'm only going to do 12 strings for my display this year. figure I can be creative with that.

that's my 2cents anyways. Good luck with the setup!
Cheers!
Ryan

[chrisatpsu]

if you have an active hub assembled with the 12v option installed as well.

you have 2 options for powering your hub...

option 1.) just plug in a 12v supply into the green terminal posts

option 2.) plug in a single rail atx power supply into the 24pin connector AND the 3 molex connectors.

[animal]

Here's a post of what I did with pictures. Maybe this can be helpful.

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                           animal

[typoagain]

if you have an active hub assembled with the 12v option installed as well.

you have 2 options for powering your hub...

option 1.) just plug in a 12v supply into the green terminal posts

option 2.) plug in a single rail atx power supply into the 24pin connector AND the 3 molex connectors.

Ok
 That is what I thought.
I just did not want to get it built and find out I was wrong.
Thanks for the help.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[tbone321]

IIRC, there is a possible issue with attempting use an ATX supply on an active hub with the 12V kit installed.  There may be an issue with the regulators on the hub fighting with the regulators in the PS and causing either the ATX PS or the the regulators on the hub to fail.  This is also the reason that single rail ATX supplies are recomended for use with the SS hubs, so that the regulators on one rail don't fight with the ones on the other.

[rm357]

+1

There is really no way of knowing whether there will be a problem or not because we don't know how the power supply is designed... If you plug it in with the 12v option and there is a problem, most likely the two regulators on the hub will get really hot and then burn out. The regulators in the power supply are much larger than the ones on the hub.

[RJ]

It could be an issue but I have never heard I actually being a problem. I have been running mine this way for years with no issues.

RJ

[danj]

I know this is an older post, but I have kind of a similar power question.   I purchased & assembled 2 active hubs earlier this year and had planned to use WS2811 5V strips, but now that I have read the controller descriptions more closely I found out the controllers basically pass through the input voltage as output to the strips.   Doh on my part....  So, I really should have bought WS2811 12V strips for use with these hubs and the ATX power supplies, etc..

My question is--would the 5V voltage regulators installed per the 12V option allow me to use my 5V strips with the DLA active hubs powered by ATX power supplies??
Thanks in advance.

[tbone321]

No.  The problem is that the controller is fed from the 12V input and has it's own regulators for its components but still sends the full 12V to the string.  The 5V regulator is part of the 12V kit that supplies 5V for the components on the hub that need it.  What you would need to do is cut the +12V wire going to the strip (on the output of each controller) and inject 12V from a separate source.  You could possibly tap the 5V from the ATX supply but you need to make sure that you don't exceed the capability of the supplies 5V rail.  Installing the 12V kit when using an ATX supply is NOT recommended anyway as it could cause an issue between the regulator on the hub and the regulation of the supply itself.  The best choice would be to try and sell the 5V strips and get the 12V ones that our controllers and system are set up to work with.

[danj]

This is pretty much what I figured the answer would be.  Thanks Tbone.  I appreciate the response!!  Well I might kluge it up and do what you said--send 5V directly to the controllers and just the signal on the cat5.  Arrgh.  Thx.

[tbone321]

Ok but remember, if you are using our controllers (SSC), they still need 12V.  The wire would be modified on the string side of the controller so that the sring gets 5V while the controller still gets its voltage from the hub.