# DIY Timer/Dimmer. Kind of..



## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Anyone have experience with this?? I have been playing with it for a few days and so far so good.. The software is glitchy but it gets the job done., and it's easy to use once you figure out the software.. And learn to use the reset button..
I have lots of the specs on the unit if anyone is interested.


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## PhysicsDude55 (Oct 24, 2011)

Looks very nice! Do you have a link/price to this product?

Once upon a time I used a digital home thermostat to control my
lights, but this option looks more powerful and user friendly!


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

I like it so far. Easy to set up custom ramps for surmise sunset clouds. The software is glitchy. Easy to overcome but still a PITA. But once the program is uploaded to the unit it works flawless. Also you can't manually dim directly from the box.. But you can change programs. So I saved a bunch of different "scenes". 

Copy this and past it in your favorite search enginetons of sellers, but I got it off the bay)


DC12V 24V 5 Channels 20A Programmable Time LED RGB/Single color Strip Controller


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## du3ce (Jan 26, 2013)

How exactly do u wire it up?


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

du3ce said:


> How exactly do u wire it up?


Piece of cake.
Now if only someone would make this with wifi and an app.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

This is pretty cool, now even more options to consider.
Thanks for finding and posting it.

v3


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

OVT said:


> This is pretty cool, now even more options to consider.
> Thanks for finding and posting it.
> 
> v3


You're welcome, 

I'm a bit of an electronics nut. So if anybody wants more detailed info like Hz, duty cycle, etc. info let me know.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)




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## bhazard451 (Jan 24, 2013)

Does this controller ramp up/down in a smooth transition during the whole day when you set time points, or does it just instantly change intensity at the time points you set?


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

It does both. You can choose whether it ramps or jumps for each interval. 

1 minuet minimum time increments. not any faster. So no lightning. Boo hoo..

Ramps are smooth and I've only noticed it ramping when it's going from 3 to 1% over an hour.

There are a couple of caveats but none that I haven't overcome. 

Currently I have it set with 2 two hour bursts separated by heavy cloud cover. sunrise and sunset are awesome since Each channel is programmable separately so I have it red heavy in the mornings and evenings. Then moonrise a little heavy in the blue and green.


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## vvDO (Oct 18, 2010)

How many strips can it handle?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

vvDO said:


> How many strips can it handle?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





> 8.Output: 5 channel
> 9.Maximum output current: 20A


http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/New-led-dimmer-controller-timer-programmable_902052432.html
Using strips w/ 5630SMD LEDs (1/2W) and the below "spec" and "assuming" the resistor sets the current:


> 50mA / 150mA


And that each "triplet" uses 150mA you can power up to 133 "triplets".. in theory and IF I "cyphered" this correctly.. 399 ind. LEDs divided into in 5 strings..*IF driven at 150mA AND Max amps of 20.*
Which you will see isn't a reality..................
FROM an actual "spec sheet" of a 5m 5630 "reel"



> LED Number 300
> LED Type 5630
> Power 14.5W x 5
> Luminous Flux 35LM x 300
> ...


5M = 6A
So theoretically 15M of LED'[email protected]/ 5 Meter..= 900 LED's.....217W

Difference between my "calculated" 399 and "speced" 900 comes from the current limiting resistor I assume..
Instead of the max 150mA it "limits" drive current below that.. to 60mA..........

IF you drove them @ 150mA (which you can't without removing and changing the smd resistor every 3 led's) 60/150 x 900 = 360 close enough to 399.. and slightly under the 20A max (18 I think)
sooooooooo.....using the smaller mA rating..you can put 3 meters per "channel"........or 180 LED's.... (60 sets of 3)

Practically speaking I'd probably limit LED's to 10M @ 300/5M..........(12A total) or a bit more but you could go up to 15 meters total as above.

I would not do say 6led's on one channel and 300 on another....  but would try to balance the load.. not sure it makes any difference though.... 
Hard part is to remember you are talking "triplets"... 

Every 3 LEDs is 60 OR 150mA @12V or whatever V ends up w/ the resistor (or any number between 50-150. It could probably go less but w/ very dim LED's)depending on the resistor).....

fun w/ 5630's......
http://www.led1.de/shop/files/Samsung/SPMWHT5225D5WAR0S0.pdf

You can use the same "math" for 5050 strings..But they are "triplets in triplets"... And I believe the math works out 20mA per triplet X 3.. giving you the same 60mA rating as the 5630's..only using 3 LEDs not one..
(3X3 not 1X3).. 
It is not as confusing as it sounds........


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

jeffkrol said:


> http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/New-led-dimmer-controller-timer-programmable_902052432.html
> Using strips w/ 5630SMD LEDs (1/2W) and the below "spec" and "assuming" the resistor sets the current:
> 
> 
> ...


Its not as confusing... you're right its more so


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Jeff can you try that in ENGLISH?


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## vvDO (Oct 18, 2010)

So basically it can power up to 15 meters of 5630 LED strips


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

vvDO said:


> So basically it can power up to 15 meters of 5630 LED strips
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


AFAICT Yes.. W/ the proper power supply..
12V 20A to go w. the 12V 20A timer/dimmer. 

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/-dc-12v...094&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-V8mW96QivX_3NsajEXXWRg
SPEC SHEET FOR REELS


> Input Voltage DC 12V
> 
> Working Current 1.2A/meter


roughly 14.4 Watts per meter

Just divide 1.2 into 20........16.66 close enough.
TO be honest I wouldn't feel comfortable over 2 reels or 10M


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

GraphicGr8s said:


> Jeff can you try that in ENGLISH?


Buy stuff, plug it in see what happens.. 
sorry George just teasing you.. 
This is nothing but watts= Volts X Amps stuff...

LED reel lights are just series parallel strings.. nothing more.. 

you can buy 12V 5630 reels or 24V .. Only difference is one is in packets of 3 LEDs the other 6 
V(f) X (x).. In this case each LED is 3V.........The Amp drain is determined by the LED voltage and a terminator resistor (current limiter via voltage drop)

Those reels have 300 LED's @ 5Meters giving 60/meter..

spec sheet for a single SMD 5630:








Everything divides by 3 (the smallest "unit")

those tapes can be cut every 3 LEDs.. 
What a "unit" looks like:









Every "unit" is .05A... 300 LED's is 100 "units" In parallel they add..
100 X .05A = 5A/5m roughly.. 
or 1A per meter.. They list 1.2.. because they probably use a higher target mA drain (brighter) which can be achieved by changing the resistor.. smaller the resistor higher the current. 
The resistor will be somewhere near 50 Ohms (500 or 510, 560 ect marked on it)



Happy 4th George.. (after midnight)........


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Let's confuse people even more. <- (teasing)

If you run these strips at 90% duty cycle you can increase the length of the strip. 

I would feel safe running 3M of 5630 on each channel at 100% duty cycle. Nothing should get hot except your power supply which at this point needs to be pretty robust.

The Beamswork unit I have has 110, 5630leds. It runs 55w at 15V, and I run this on one channel of this timer.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

*Scope of output*

This is the output of the timer/dimmer when set to 50% duty cycle. The power supply is 15v. Notice the 17v vmax. This is caused by the timer/dimmer and not the power supply. The power supply puts out a solid flat 15V.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Does anyone know if it would be possible to access the ?tables? in this timer directly without using software. The files the software uploads to the timer are *.tmf ? 

Or know where I could find out more? I don't even know what to search for or program language or software to use.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> This is the output of the timer/dimmer when set to 50% duty cycle. The power supply is 15v. Notice the 17v vmax. This is caused by the timer/dimmer and not the power supply. The power supply puts out a solid flat 15V.


Ohh really want one of those.. 
Set up my sound card to use as a "scope" but was always afraid of burning it out..

Bump:


JasterMake said:


> Does anyone know if it would be possible to access the ?tables? in this timer directly without using software. The files the software uploads to the timer are *.tmf ?
> 
> Or know where I could find out more? I don't even know what to search for or program language or software to use.



always thought you had to start at the chip level.. (what CPU).. and this is beyond me.. tmf is listed as some internal "window-speek" file type.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff553922(v=vs.85).aspx

As well as some "video type".. ???

something led me here..
http://devnet.logianalytics.com/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Article&dnDocID=1070

Sorry just throwing stuff out there.. 

I picture the scenario as "importing" a LUT type file , modifying and then "exporting" the modified file to the controller..
So the tmf is just a container of data.. (somewhat obvious).. that he hardware software uses .. As such ther may be "info" contained in it pointing to what software it is keyed to..(as in the above example "assembly name".)

(note: swinging w/ no net.. )


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


> Ohh really want one of those..
> Set up my sound card to use as a "scope" but was always afraid of burning it out..
> 
> Bump:
> ...


I got this little pocket scope on the bay for $50 shipped about 2 years ago. It's one channel and works well up to about 250kHz. 


They are up to version 3 now and I saw those for $99. These


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> I got this little pocket scope on the bay for $50 shipped about 2 years ago. It's one channel and works well up to about 250kHz.
> 
> 
> They are up to version 3 now and I saw those for $99. These


thanks.. just got zero dollars for toys today.. 

anyways still heading down th rabbit hole on these controllers.. 
Finding what I suspected.. Oddball processors (sort of) and of course software.. 

not any closer .. but an interesting concept:



> hacked the exact same lighting controller.
> My approach was to completely replace the controller on the board with an atmega328 and program a new firmware which accepts commands via a wireless home automation protocol named FS20.
> I also took the time to decap the controller that’s onboard because the marking of the chip had been grinded off. Turns out it is an 8bit 8051 derivative with 4kb flash from a small company whose name I’ve already forgotten and since I didn’t have the programming equipment for this I went for a complete replacement.


http://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/reverse-engineering-an-rgb-led-remote/

and here I thought IR codes were "easy".. 
http://www.instructables.com/id/Reverse-Engineering-RGB-LED-Bulb-with-IR-remote/step9/Conclusion/

https://code.google.com/p/ledstrip/
http://hacknmod.com/hack/incredible-colorful-rgb-led-light-strip/

later:
http://bleaklow.com/2010/05/24/how_the_hl1606_works.html


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

One year review.. Well it's been well over a year and this thing is still working well. 


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Good to hear. Kinda thinking about getting into one of these (or something like it). Have not opened up my Finnex Planted + yet but was curious if it could be connected to something similar to this? Or would it be just as simple to put this type of controller inline on the Finnex, and only use only 1 channel to create sunrise, sunset, clouds etc.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

I am not familiar with the Finnex power supplies. This would need to go between the DC power supply and the leds. One channel can be used for the effects you mention. 


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

The Finnex I have has a simple brick power supply (15volt) which is hard wired to the light (2 wire). I can understand how an overall dimmer would work (pretty simple), just was not sure if the blue / red / white channels could be independently controlled.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

I was just now looking to see if there were any other options in this area. And these timers are going for under $30 now.

Edit: yes it will work inline with the brick power supply

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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Immortal1 said:


> The Finnex I have has a simple brick power supply (15volt) which is hard wired to the light (2 wire). I can understand how an overall dimmer would work (pretty simple), just was not sure if the blue / red / white channels could be independently controlled.


AFAICT not without major surgery.. 

Blue may not be a problem since it has a "switch" Reds are integrated into the array more deeply..

you would be better off just adding a RGB "ribbon" to the light itself..
finnex on one channel RGB array on 3 other's
BEAMSWORK example:








http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/627826-beamswork-double-hi-lumen-30-gen4-3.html

Bump:


JasterMake said:


> One year review..


thanks BTW. nothing better than getting feedback after time...


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Hmmm, gives me a good idea Jeff...
Blue "nite" circuit is separate from the White/Red circuit. I could use the existing Fluval 2 channel that I have to separate the Blue from the White/Red. Might have to work on this tonite.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Jeffkrol speaks the truth. But your pictures show lots of possibilities. Is that the Finnex Planted+ in the picture? 


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Yep. 24" model

Bump: Closeup of PCB connections.
Looks like the Red + and the White + have been soldered together to the single white wire.
At the other end, the PCB looks exactly the sme, except the switch is wired between the top + terminal and the Blue terminal.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

That looks intriguing. It's begging for someone to find out if the Reds and blues can be powered separately. I see a pad for B and a pad for R. Makes me wonder. Of course the Reds may need a different current and that may be why they are wired together but with a pwm like the one this thread is about. You can limit current 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> That looks intriguing. It's begging for someone to find out if the Reds and blues can be powered separately. I see a pad for B and a pad for R. Makes me wonder. Of course the Reds may need a different current and that may be why they are wired together but with a pwm like the one this thread is about. You can limit current
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The 0 resistors are just bridges.. substitute for a trace..
3740 should be 374 Ohms
73.2 for 73r2


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Immortal1 said:


> Hmmm, gives me a good idea Jeff...
> Blue "nite" circuit is separate from the White/Red circuit. I could use the existing Fluval 2 channel that I have to separate the Blue from the White/Red. Might have to work on this tonite.


As lon as it is PWM dimming it should work fine.. since each channel on the dimmer is apparently separate (you ca nmix voltages) You will probably have to bridge the input for one power supply..

I haven't found an on line manual so just guessing..


> Compatible with all LEDs featuring a standard 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm DC plug connection
> 
> Tech specs
> 
> ...


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Technical note on the board layout:
Resistors look "wrong" i.e any 4 diodes w/ a red should have a dropping resistor larger than any 4 rows of white.
Reason for this is the 660nm reds generally have a lower V(f) than white LEDs.











> The only real difference here, is that our first step is to add the device voltages for the number of LEDs we're using together, then subtract that value from our supply voltage. That result is then divided by the current of our devices (typically 20ma or .020). Simple, yes? Remember to also consider rule #3. That is, multiply your supply voltage by 90% (0.9), and make sure that the sum of all device (LED) voltages doesn't exceed that value. That's all there is to it, almost...


Should be something like this:
3.3 + 3.3 + 2.3 + 2.3 = 11.2 - resistor = 15V
for whites 3.3 x 4 = 13.2 - resistor = 15V
Drive current is anywhere from .1 to .2A per diode string of 4.

Assuming .1A (100mA) per white LED (may be more of the line of .05A though)



'IF" the series strings are correctly marked and the resistor values are correct, what you show is wrong..
The 2 red containing channels have different resistor values.

also reds are integrated, there is no separate red "channel" at least normally.

All that aside, something is not quite working out , BUT the bottom line is the 4 row w2 red/ 2 b and the 4 row of 4 white should sig. have different resistors.
Row w/ red/white should be higher.. row w/ 4 blues lower Ohms to account for the sum of the voltage differences..

Man I'm getting old, just noticed 2 reds/2blues per series set..Corrected the above..


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

I want to see the traces. Why would they have all those pads, unless a trace went to them. It's possibly wired way differently then laid out on board. Probably a cost thing. 
@Immortal1
Did you happen to try powering the Unused R?



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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> I want to see the traces. Why would they have all those pads, unless a trace went to them. It's possibly wired way differently then laid out on board. Probably a cost thing.
> @*Immortal1*
> Did you happen to try powering the Unused R?
> 
> ...


On further review that is a possibility and will match the resistors "if" you have 4 whites in series (x2 w/ 73.2 Ohm resistors) and one red w/ 4 diodes in series w/ the 374 Ohm resistor. 

Look like your right, they "should" be separate..

@ 20mA per diode the numbers are pretty close re: voltage drop..


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


> On further review that is a possibility and will match the resistors "if" you have 4 whites in series (x2 w/ 73.2 Ohm resistors) and one red w/ 4 diodes in series w/ the 374 Ohm resistor.
> 
> Look like your right, they "should" be separate..
> 
> @ 20mA per diode the numbers are pretty close re: voltage drop..



So it might be possible to run 3 channels and keep R, W, and B separate. That would make it easy for someone to wire in this timer. 

Anyone want to try?



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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Working on it  Was trying to find some 5.5mm x 2.1mm plugs so that I could utilize the Fluval controller. once I find the plugs, I am going to wire each channel separately and see how it works. I realize the Fluval is only 2 channels but, I can at least use it to verify things work as I (you guys) think it should. Will pull the light apart again and take a few more pics tonite. If this does work as I think it should, I will likely get the same controller JasterJake has as I like the ability to set the lighting up using a computer.


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## heel4you (Mar 8, 2015)

I have been following this post and I do have a planted +.
I am not mechanically inclined. If I could spare the light over my tank I would send it to one of you guys to test it out 
I really need a dimmer!!
Good luck!
Keep us posted!


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Section of the board that has blue LEDs along with White & Red. Gives an idea of what all the components are.

Bump: Middle of the light where the 2 separate 12" long boards are connected.

Bump: end of the board where the Blue switch is

Bump: End of the board where the main wires connect along with the white/red switch


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

The only way to determine if it will work will be to try it. The "wires" or traces that connect the leds or resistors to each other are hidden on the underside of the "board" (the white adhesive material that the leds and resistors are mounted on). You can not remove it without risk of destroying the unit. 

To make matters a little more complicated the 2 "boards" are joined together with R and W jumped in the process. 

To test it out; the center would need to be cleaned up and the solder jumps would need to be removed. 

All the solder jumps would need to be removed. Not super difficult just time consuming. 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Whats up? Fried the finnex????


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyV1SJ8LEdU
Sorry for the delay. Finally got around to getting all the needed parts and at this point, proved functionality of separating the 3 circuits.

Hopefully in an hour or so I will have the rest of it done and post a new video. Seeing as all I have right now is a 2 channel dimmer I will have the white & red on 1 channel and the blue on another channel. But if I will solder / wire things so that I can use the controller that JesterMake has eventually.

p.s., no wise cracks about my state of the art work shop....
it's cold in the garage right now


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Awesome. This question has been asked in multiple threads. I'm glad you were able to prove it can be done. 

No problems with the workshop... Mine is located in the the closet, laundry room, and garage..



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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Ok, so I was able to wire up 3 separate pairs of wires coming out of the light (yes, I realize 4 is all that is technically needed but I am still in the tinkering phase).
I wired up the original transformer to 2 power leads to make the Fluval controller happy. I then plugged in 2 of the 3 light leads into the controller and sure enough it works! I am able to separately ramp up channel 1 then ramp it down. Then ramp up channel 2 and ramp it down. Works pretty nice. Now the down side (cause you knew there would be one) - if you have a power outage, you have to completely re-program the controller :-(
Not that programming it is very difficult, but it does take time.
JasterMake, I am assuming the controller you have, once programmed, can live thru a power outage. Assuming it does, I am definitely doing a little online shopping tomorrow. 

If the other Finnex models are similar, then I can easily see adding dimming (thru a PWM dimmer) capabilities, or an actual controller if you don't mind a little MICRO soldering. For us "old" guys, that means getting out the high power readers and the really small tweezers LOL. 

JasterMake, thank-you for this thread. Hopefully many others will benefit.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

There is a small battery that keeps the time and programs saved if there is a power outage. 

And a special thanks to jeffkrol as well. 

I love hacking anything. From aquarium lights to 


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## heel4you (Mar 8, 2015)

Just need a complete "video series for dummies" on this... 
I would love to try this, but not without a step by step guide.
Great work!!
P.S. I am glad it did not blow up!!


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Immortal1 said:


> Ok, so I was able to wire up 3 separate pairs of wires coming out of the light I then plugged in 2 of the 3 light leads into the controller and sure enough it works.


Great work..

Btw I was being a bit humerus as to the bricking the LED. Using your 12v, even cross wiring it, would most likely not break anything. I believe the back voltage would not have been strong enough to reverse the diode blocking. 
In other words, it just wouldn't light..


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

I figured as much Jeff, no worries 
And yes, heel4you, I can do another video once I get things done.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

JasterMake said:


> One year review.. Well it's been well over a year and this thing is still working well.


Well, just bought one of these so hopefully in 1-2 weeks I will be bugging you on programming this thing. 

Should be somewhat interesting when it gets here - my older daughter is a programmer or "code magician" as she calls it. I'll give her a copy of the software and she what she can do with it.


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## theatermusic87 (Jun 22, 2014)

Immortal1 said:


> If the other Finnex models are similar, then I can easily see adding dimming (thru a PWM dimmer) capabilities, or an actual controller if you don't mind a little MICRO soldering. For us "old" guys, that means getting out the high power readers and the really small tweezers LOL. .


They are... I have a planted+ with a pwm dimmer hacked in I followed this thread for ideas, my dimmer is installed slightly different, but the concept is the same
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/20-diy/796442-planted-dimmer-warranty-voiding-picture-heavy.html


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Will have to look thru that thread as well. Should be an interesting nite as my new controller arrived today


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## Billgates (Aug 22, 2015)

Sorry if this question is off topic, but could this timer be used to control other 12VDC equipment like a dosing pump or a solenoid?


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

JasterMake said:


> Awesome. This question has been asked in multiple threads. I'm glad you were able to prove it can be done.
> 
> No problems with the workshop... Mine is located in the the closet, laundry room, and garage..


Well, with extreme diligence from JeffKrol the LED controller that JasterMake posted in this thread is now working correctly with a Finnex Planted + light! Pretty amazed at the possibilities I now have. This is a short, celebratory video I did tonite after I got one of the channels working correctly. Will try to do a complete write up on the total process sometime soon. THANK_YOU JasterMake for finding this controller!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3EdwQmYyk0


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

That is a great way to run the light from this controller. I hate common grounds and I bet you do to. I'm glad JeffKroll could help you out. 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> That is a great way to run the light from this controller. I hate common grounds and I bet you do to. I'm glad JeffKroll could help you out.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


you know.. "if" the controller can be easily powered by 5V it does make it compatible w/ PWM drivers like the LDD-H series..
There would be no need to connect full LED voltage to it.
Even if 5V is too low, the output could be voltage reduced (more futzy circuitry though)
Only problem may be the frequency..
Need to trace the output on an o-scope.. anyone?? 
Some VOM do have a frequency setting as well.

Fairly cheap computer interfaced PWM 5 channel controller..

hmmm...


for those wanting to play dxextreme has them for $30.19 free shipping..
http://www.dx.com/p/tc420-1-4-led-p...-black-12-24v-140cm-cable-269307#.VmsFBL92F8E


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Frequency is 540Hz. Check page one of this thread. Oscope pic is there. 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> Frequency is 540Hz. Check page one of this thread. Oscope pic is there.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


(pg2 for me)
I'm sorry I didn't remember the first part of this thread. Would have saved me a bunch of time..and would have made you my first "go to" guy.

100-1Khz.. for LDD's so it is within their range.
Not sure this controller will work at 5V. The PWM seems to idol at 5.. so where is it going to go?

Care to scope it at that voltage?
don't like the voltage overshoot much either..I suppose some type of capacitance/inductance effect..
I assume that is "ringing"?
http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slyt465/slyt465.pdf


> As MOSFET switching speeds continue to increase, controlling
> the switch-node ringing of a synchronous buck
> converter is critical. Doing so requires a good layout and
> proper analog-circuit design with a boot resistor, a highside
> gate resistor, or a snubber.


OK ,here is the 2 questions:
1) How to get it to output just 5V pulses, considering the apparent limitations of the pulse idling at 5v.
Run it at a higher voltage and then drop it at the output?

2) how to increase the power handling?
Some of the larger Beamswork's exceed 4A out on a single channel.
Using what we did (cascade ) and larger spec MOSFETS seems to be one answer..
Second answer would be to replace the ones inside w/ larger capacity.. BUT may require heatsinks..
BTW I can't read the numbers on the internal MOSFETS on the output. Out of curiosity do you know what they are? 

Sorry for having so many questions but so few answers.. 

Oh when we ran the controller on 9V the output metered oddly on the VOM. I was expecting the usual averaging i.e at 50% it would average around 4.5V. The meter didn't do this..
At first I thought it was just doing "max" but now that I see the trace is it possible the 5v "idle" voltage was responsible? 


> *9.57 volts from 400ma transformer*
> Yes. Interesting, 100% = 9.57, 50%=9.40, 25%=9.3


after all this we can get to the WIFI part..


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

That I can do. I'll try to get to it later today. 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> That I can do. I'll try to get to it later today.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Great!.....


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

The FETs are DTU 09N03 DD51U


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

This is the closest I could get for 5v peak to peak. It needs 10v input for this. The unit just has enough power to run at 5.5v. But then the output min is 5v and it it goes up a couple of volts from there as you increase it.










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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Ok. but first things first.. Those look to be 25V n channel mosfets by pan-jet
They have much larger capacity ones..


do you see the possibility of swapping out the five on the board to handle a much larger load than 4A?

http://html.alldatasheet.com/html-pdf/165849/PANJIT/PJD15N06L/218/1/PJD15N06L.html


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

It will be a tight fit side to side. As these are a few tenths of a mm smaller than those. The on board FETs I measured at 6.1mm. But there is lots of space going up. With some careful bending I could probably get the giant FET in the pic hooked up. 










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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Wow! All I can say is I am MUCH happier I did not have to try and do THAT soldering job. Getting the resister on the MOSFET in my case was more than enough for me.

For what it's worth, after mine has been running most of the day I can say teh digital IR temp gun does show 2-3 degrees higher temp in the area of the existing MOSFETs. The new ones I installed seem to have teh exact same temp as the acrylic box.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


LOL.. No I meant more like these 10A @ 10V .. 6.7mm width..

PJD15N06L pdf, PJD15N06L description, PJD15N06L datasheets, PJD15N06L view ::: ALLDATASHEET :::
30A (10.66mm wide) I suppose is overkill..

Assuming dual PS you only need to pulse 10A about....
144W @15V


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> This is the closest I could get for 5v peak to peak. It needs 10v input for this. The unit just has enough power to run at 5.5v. But then the output min is 5v and it it goes up a couple of volts from there as you increase it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What about bypassing the fets totally and just using the gate pulse to run the PWM of an LDD driver? Or is that the same thing?

In other words use just the gate voltage..


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

While doing some shopping, I found this to be interesting:
Runs 5v-24V 4 channel only, no "programming" that I can see but runs off Bluetooth and has 6A/ channel.. 24A total..

DC 5V 24V Bluetooth 4.0 RGB LED Controller 4-Zone Remote Control

Another fun toy.. 
http://www.vozop.com/index.php/led-...rgb-led-controller-4-zone-remote-control.html
none seem to have a "clock" so timing doesn't seem possible..
http://www.vozop.com/index.php/led-...for-iphone-ipad-ios-android-system-phone.html
http://www.vozop.com/index.php/mili...ntroller-ios-android-mi-light-controller.html
Oh and Jastermake.. did you ever get anywhere w/ hacking the software??


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## heel4you (Mar 8, 2015)

Jeffkrol on the DC 5V 24V Bluetooth 4.0 RGB LED Controller 4-Zone Remote Control.
Nice find.
Can't wait to see someone try this out!


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


> LOL.. No I meant more like these 10A @ 10V .. 6.7mm width..
> 
> PJD15N06L pdf, PJD15N06L description, PJD15N06L datasheets, PJD15N06L view ::: ALLDATASHEET :::
> 30A (10.66mm wide) I suppose is overkill..
> ...



Lol. I bought those for a ZVS driver I built for a friend. 

You could probably put the 6.7mm FETs on channel 1 and 5. Might also squeeze one in the channel 3 spot. But I don't think all 5 can be replaced with 6.7mm FETs. 


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


> What about bypassing the fets totally and just using the gate pulse to run the PWM of an LDD driver? Or is that the same thing?
> 
> In other words use just the gate voltage..



I don't know. All the onboard soldering gets me nervous. At that point you just start using this for the clock/timer. It might be easier to build the whole enchilada via arduino. 

About the software I have no clue. I have no skill in programming or software stuff. 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> I don't know. All the onboard soldering gets me nervous. It might be easier to build the whole enchilada via arduino.
> 
> About the software I have no clue. I have no skill in programming or software stuff.
> 
> ...


you only need to attach a jumper to the gate.. I just need to know what the gate voltage is and it's polarity (pretty sure it is positive).
I can almost guarantee that the potential on the gate goes from +5 to zero.. If not it isn't quite built right. (well our right)
you'd barely need to touch the board..

not like replacing the fets..



> At that point you just start using this for the clock/timer.


Incorrect.. clock/timer/CPU..(Almost) Everything up to the drain/source is nothing but a USB enabled Aduino.. 
Yes I can buy a Typhon for $40 a/ FTDI board (which I do have) and a few other parts.. Learn C++ and then futz for a year or so, as most seem to do.. 
Don't even think about adding WIFI and more code/ect.. 
no reinventing the wheel is rarely efficient.. BUT Modding a wheel and reverse engineering is another story..

Oh as to boosting output.. The Fets aren't even through hole soldered (middle leg maybe).. Only catch I can see is how the backs are stuck to the board..
http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://datasheet.iiic.cc/stmicroelectronics/VND10N06.pdf


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Dang. These iPhone pics really highlight the dust. 
Anyway you were right. 










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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> Dang. These iPhone pics really highlight the dust.
> Anyway you were right.
> 
> 
> ...


so the controller can control an LDD , just like a Typhon/Aduino/Coralux StormX..

just need to set a common ground w/ the LDD.. 


Actually w/ a small circuit board you can do multiple dimming protocols per channel.. PWM signal using the base, full switching w/ the FET..

I actually ordered one today (I got tired of asking people to to this/that.. ) and a few asst parts from China.. BUT I've got an odd hassle.. Long story..

Thanks


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Having been able to use mine fully for a few days, I really like this unit! And what's really nice is if I want to change something all I have to do is hook up the computer, make the change and upload it.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Immortal1 said:


> Having been able to use mine fully for a few days, I really like this unit! And what's really nice is if I want to change something all I have to do is hook up the computer, make the change and upload it.


Yep...


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> I don't know. All the onboard soldering gets me nervous. At that point you just start using this for the clock/timer. It might be easier to build the whole enchilada via arduino.
> 
> About the software I have no clue. I have no skill in programming or software stuff.
> 
> ...


It works.. sort of.. I haven't gone through it's paces yet but I soldered a wire to the 5v leg.. 

Attached both the LDD supply and a 9v ps to "Input" and wired the DIM to
the leg wire..
Ramps the diode just fine..sort of..

More later..

yea..!


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

^^^^^^ Awesome!!! 


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> ^^^^^^ Awesome!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yep, watching it dim down as we speak. took a bit to figure out the goofy software, and it was annoying finding I can't program by button.. but it easily replaced my Typhon..
Why I didn't wire the 5th.. ????
Forgot to measure the mosfets for replacements though. "I" won't need them at this point.. Others might..
Of course you could just stack them anyways..like before..


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

The software is a little odd to get started. Once you have a program done, it seems much easier to keep editing that program. 
Curious, would the LDD have worked in my case? NOT saying I would change anything, just trying to learn something. The spec sheet mentions ~13 LED's per LDD-1000 - is that based on an estimated power level for each LED?

LOL, the above pic is probably close to actual size and my eyes still hurt trying to see where you soldered the new wires in - nice job!


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Immortal1 said:


> The software is a little odd to get started. Once you have a program done, it seems much easier to keep editing that program.


Yes found that out eventually.. 
And even the fastest "test" is a bit pokey for 10hr photoperiods.. 




Immortal1 said:


> Curious, would the LDD have worked in my case?


No, your Finnex boards are already "driven" so to speak w/ the resistors.

There are 2 methods to run LED's constant voltage. Stable power supply and current limiting resistors.
Or constant current. Stable ps, plus current limiting driver..
Well for the most part.. for variations on the theme:
LED driving and controlling methods


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

I hear you on the "test". Did manage to run mine in test mode for about 2 hours ramping up and down just to see if the mosfets would heat up. Was happy they did not.
As for the LDD, should have guessed it was not as easy as screwing in a light bulb, LOL. Thank your for the education!


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Wow, I missed the two year review. So after 2 years This little timer has lived beyond my expectations. It outlasted the white led strips which now have multiple groups of dead LEDs. The RGB strips had one group of three die. But the Beamsworks is still going strong with all LEDs bright as ever. 

At some point I went back to the 15v power supply and the strips were designed for 12v so that may be why they started dying. 

But now on to my next little venture for my 10g shrimp tank. Has anyone used one of these.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

JasterMake said:


> Wow, I missed the two year review. So after 2 years This little timer has lived beyond my expectations. It outlasted the white led strips which now have multiple groups of dead LEDs. The RGB strips had one group of three die. But the Beamsworks is still going strong with all LEDs bright as ever.
> 
> At some point I went back to the 15v power supply and the strips were designed for 12v so that may be why they started dying.
> 
> But now on to my next little venture for my 10g shrimp tank. Has anyone used one of these.


most of th strips were built around an automotive "design" so they generally can handle up to 14V.. 15 is a wee bit too much.
That said, my porch LED RGB ribbon had various colors/groups die at 12V..Probably still 70% functional after 3 years.

I did a Milight WIFI box mod just like the above. Problem was no "programming" so it never really progressed beyond proof of concept.
There are probably a dozen variations on this theme.

Is that R, g, b, w, and W ?? or ww 5 or 4 channel?
5 color ribbons were pretty rare..

answered my own question:


> Can be used 5 channel
> Output Current:RGBWW,4A*5
> Output Power:≤240W


These at least have a timer mode.. not sure how functional it is though.


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## JasterMake (Mar 21, 2013)

Unfortunately, these do not have a ramp option. There is a pro version of the software that has a programmable timer with multiple set points , but no ramp. I guess you might be able set up a ramp manually with lots of set points but I can't find out how many set points the pro software allows.


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