Power supplies and injection

[kentd]

I got them from Amazon they are made by Hella but check pricing as sometimes Amazon is high on price. I have used both a 7.5 Amp spade fuse and a 10 Amp Spade fuse. The matrix has rows grouped to feed from a 10 Amp fuse with the reserves being 7.5 Amp category. 4 Fuses of 7.5 amp = 30 Amp and 3 10 Amp = 30 Amp fusing for a 29 Amp Power Supply.
Hope this helps as I like to run power separate from the controller board when possible. Work it out using a spreadsheet with your display. You can use for a WS2811 Bullet Node approximatey 2.268 amps per 50 pixels. My Matrix using 100 pixels per string would figure 4.536 Amps per string and the Mega Tree with 160 Pixels would be 7.2576 amps per string so each string came off of its own power feed.
Kent

[Gilrock]

Wow you should see how simple my wiring looks compared to that.  The benefits of no power injection.  On the one box where I did do power injection I used a bigger container to house the board and 2 power supplies and for a fuse block J1SYS will sell you the daughter card that goes on top of his boards and it has 12 fused outputs with the greenie connectors.  That board is split so you can run different voltages for each set of 6 connectors if desired.  I originally had a J1SYS board in that box but had flickering noise issues with 5v pixels so I swapped it out for a F16v2 and the noise problem went away.  I like this setup because all my cables have the exact same connector on the end and I was able to build Y cables for power injection that also have the exact same 3 core connectors.  I just had to pull the power pin from one side of the Y so it wouldn't feed power through.  It allowed all my strings that I hang on the tree to be built exactly the same wiring wise so I could run them directly connected without power injection.

[kentd]

I can understand where you are coming from however on my Mega Tree there is no power injection but with the length of a run up and back down for 80 pixels each way I found it easiest to run data to the 3 plug connector and power from the fuse block to the same connector as the total amperage would exceed the fuse on the connector board. The matrix is virtually the same as it is 50 across and 50 back thus keeping the string connections all on the same side. BTW the strings are from Ray Wu and are 100 pixels in length.

The first String on the matrix data comes off of the controller and power from the fuse block feeding into a 3 connector plug and the data progressing through to each string and only a 2 connector plug for each string for the first 600 Pixels then it starts over. I don't see any easier way to power than this and have fused capability.
Anyway it works just fine. Yes it looks complicated in the picture but each plug coming out of the box just goes to one string of 100 Pixels or 160 Pixels.

I guess from your standpoint the strings could have been cut in half with 50 pixels each and using 42 outputs and 80 pixels each using 24 outputs but I didn't want to do it that way.

Thanks
Kent

[Gilrock]

My setup is so much easier but I only had to go 42 pixels high so my power injection cable is in between sets of 84 pixels at the bottom.  I only use 168 pixels to run 4 strings so I have 8 outputs running 32 strings.  Everything is inside one box and all connectors easily unplug and pull out the bottom.  The only permanent wire coming out the box is the A/C line.  I can unhook my entire controller and be ready to store it in 60 seconds.

[markrvp]

@KentD

Thanks for your picture and description.  I was looking at doing basically the same thing you're doing using T-connectors coming out of the controller.  12v would not be connected out of the controller, just the signal wires and then the power would be injected at the beginning and end of a 170 node bullet string.  Your solution would save me having to buy 16 T connectors.

I realize it's more fun not to have to power inject, and believe me I wish I didn't have to do it... but our display takes up half a city block and several of my runs are pretty long.

[kentd]

@markrvp

Just a little more information that may help:
The 3 conductor plugs are 10' male/female cords which I cut off the female end at 2' to make the connection inside the box. Data to the controller plug, Ground to the Ground Buss (all Grounds connect here) and 12+ with a spade lug attached to the power terminal.
Each String on the Mega Tree then got the remaining male cord attached to the pixel and zip tied for strain relief and placed into a strip with an eyebolt at bottom and outdoor christmas decorations hook at the top and another hook and the string coming down to an eyebolt. Only one cord per string for 160 pixels.
I will attach pictures of the topper, hook and tree lighted.

The picture of the tree has every pixel lit and there is no degradation of how they look. End of season unplug the cords from the tree and put the controller away on its mounting. Wind the strings up for storage.