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Wiring the LEDWIZ

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RandyT:


--- Quote from: MTPPC on January 25, 2014, 10:03:45 pm ---How does fusing the power supply to the ledwiz protect anything? The 5VDC from USB is limited to about 500ma IIRC before the computer cuts it off. In fact, I've decided to forgo protecting the ledwiz completely. I just hope the coils on my relay boards never short out. BTW, I'm using ledwiz for force feedback and 5 RGB flashers in my galaxy cabinet.

--- End quote ---

Simple, a dead short will pull a lot more current from the supply line than is being used by 32 LEDS.  Basically, it's fire protection.  If you have a number of high current devices, it would make sense to separate the circuits and protect with more fuses where necessary.

MTPPC:


--- Quote from: RandyT on January 26, 2014, 03:49:22 am ---
--- Quote from: MTPPC on January 25, 2014, 10:03:45 pm ---How does fusing the power supply to the ledwiz protect anything? The 5VDC from USB is limited to about 500ma IIRC before the computer cuts it off. In fact, I've decided to forgo protecting the ledwiz completely. I just hope the coils on my relay boards never short out. BTW, I'm using ledwiz for force feedback and 5 RGB flashers in my galaxy cabinet.

--- End quote ---

Simple, a dead short will pull a lot more current from the supply line than is being used by 32 LEDS.  Basically, it's fire protection.  If you have a number of high current devices, it would make sense to separate the circuits and protect with more fuses where necessary.

--- End quote ---
Doesn't the typical PC powersupply being used already have a 5 or 10 amp breaker in it? I also don't understand what you mean by a "dead short". Am I incorrect in my understanding of the function of the power bank connections? Certainly there cannot be any failure of the ledwiz that would make use of a redundant overload protection provided by an inline fuse of the same rating as the PS breaker.

Maybe I am just misunderstanding either how the ledwiz works or how any fuse greater than a 400ma Fast blow could protect the device from damage.

RandyT:


--- Quote from: MTPPC on January 27, 2014, 09:53:05 pm ---Doesn't the typical PC powersupply being used already have a 5 or 10 amp breaker in it? I also don't understand what you mean by a "dead short". Am I incorrect in my understanding of the function of the power bank connections? Certainly there cannot be any failure of the ledwiz that would make use of a redundant overload protection provided by an inline fuse of the same rating as the PS breaker.

Maybe I am just misunderstanding either how the ledwiz works or how any fuse greater than a 400ma Fast blow could protect the device from damage.

--- End quote ---

Like I said, "fire protection".  Consider that a fuse is a thin piece of wire which vaporizes when too much current is pulled through it.  Fuses have a protective shell, which makes that event safe.  If you have a thin wire going to one of your devices, and there is an accidental short (or similar malfunction of the device), you would be pulling 5 or 10 amps through that thin piece of wire before the breaker blows.  But what will happen before that, is the thin wire will glow and burn through (or get very hot), creating a possibly very bad situation.  By limiting the current with a fuse to a much lower level, you can potentially avoid this situation.  Theoretically, the driver would probably burn out before anything very bad happens, but that is not it's function.

Usually, fuses protect the supply, your house and maybe even your life, not the device being connected.  They will also likely protect the LED-Wiz.

Safety first.

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