Acclaim Lighting X-Power PRO modification

[partyanimallighting]

Hi guys,

I thought it wise to throw this out there for some feedback before I actually test the modification I'm thinking of attempting. Now......I found an old Acclaim Lighting X-Power PRO LED driver in storage that was swapped out eons ago from a restaurant install and I decided to do some poking around to see if I could get it up and running. It seems that there was a solder short on the AC line on the main PCB and that was an easy enough fix and the unit's up and running again. Somewhat obsolete yes but fully functional. Now here's the mod I'm thinking about. The unit has 6 outputs at 1050mA each at 24VDC and the six outputs are driven by a 24VDC 150W 6.25A power supply, simple enough math. Here's the thing. I found a few boxes of LED tubes running on 12VDC (really old stuff using 3MM diodes I think) and I'm thinking of swapping out the 24VDC PSU in the X-Power PRO and replacing it with a 12VDC 20A PSU (there should be enough space to fit it) and try to drive the 12VDC tubes with this. Now, at 20A, I'll be able to drive a lot more of the 12V tubes than the original six 1A outputs that the X-Power is rated to drive, which was 6 x 18W RGB units or 3 x 36W units. I'm assuming the important question here is if the driver board in the X-Power Pro can handle the increased amperage (from 6.25A up to 20A, albeit 12VDC down from the original 24VDC). Anyone out there thinks this will work?

[J Pearce]

Check the power rating on the switching transistors (probably MOSFETs). This may a limiting factor as well as the power supply. Then the harder bit is how much current the tracks on the PCB are designed for.

Personally, I'd stick with the original rating, but if you like living an exciting life where devices let go of the magic smoke you may make an alternative conclusion.

[indyld]

Completely depends on the topology and components of the driver circuit. Thing to check is see what is driving each channel (MOSFET or IC, for example) and check the specs. Obviously the reduction in voltage isn't likely to trouble the components, the question is current and dissipation, along with the overall design. As you are halving the voltage, you can assume to be doubling the current as a starting point.

Also, remember that other voltages are made throughout the circuit, such as 5v, maybe 3.3v etc. and first step down may be designed to regulate from the original 24v in, not just any old voltage.

Edited March 20, 2023 by indyld

[Tomo]

11 hours ago, partyanimallighting said:

 if the driver board in the X-Power Pro can handle the increased amperage (from 6.25A up to 20A, albeit 12VDC down from the original 24VDC). Anyone out there thinks this will work?

Almost certainly not!

According to the manual I found in a quick Google, this unit is rated for 6A total load across all the outputs.

Power dissipation is the square of the current, so at 20A total load you'd be asking the unit's LED driver circuit to dissipate 11-12 times the design power (best case).
It's certain to burn something out after a while - if you're lucky, it'll blow internal fuses within a few seconds.

However, it might be possible to run it at 12VDC with 6A of LED load - depending on what internal voltages it relies on.

[alistermorton]

It might be possible to use just the mosfets in the controller to control the LEDs. 12V PSU with -ve to the -ve (common) of the controller, leds between the 12V PSU's +ve and the controller's LED output terminal. So instead of using the +ve supply of the controller for the LEDs, use the external 12V supply.

[Brian]

Forget the driver for the moment. Are these found (3mm?) LED tubes current or voltage driven? What current will they take?

[musht]

Sure other X-Power series drivers were Constant Current not Constant Voltage.

24V is kinda nominal at the output, it'll be a max actually settled to keep current in LED string constant, 350mA 1W LEDs, 700mA 3W LEDs reckon on 3.5V an LED up to limit of supply.

Quite useable with high power LEDs if it works.

For constant voltage LED tape and strips, DMX drivers are cheap nowadays.

 

[partyanimallighting]

Well, lots of responses, all within my frame of thought, especially JPearce's references to magic smoke! The thing is, I'm giving my storage a thorough rinse out and I hate to throw out stuff that can actually be recycled and reused (case in point, this LED driver, kept for "when I have some time to get to it"). I found another two X-Powers in a box but on testing, these have output problems so I'll be trying to repair these soon so I'll be digging into the driver circuits and will be posting pix. As for the sticks I found, I can't remember how they were driven but the box lists them as 12VDC and there's a 4 pin XLR connector in and out, nothing else. There are also dip switches for DMX addressing on the back of the unit so a good question would be (seeing that I can't remember) what supplies the 12V to these units? There will be R, G and B feeds and + accounting for the 4 pins in the XLR but how are these sticks powered? As I said, I can't remember but I "believe" that they were driven by a central controller box with 4 pin XLR outputs. I'll open one of these sticks up and post pix but I'm hoping I can bypass the DMX circuitry in each stick and drive the LED diode PCB directly with the X-Power.

Edited March 23, 2023 by partyanimallighting

[indyld]

Similar systems over here I remember from the previous decade included things like the Chroma-Q Colorblock, which I seem to recall used XLR4 from a central unit to supply control and power. In this case, they were running 24v and the LED sections themselves didn't really have controls for addresses as this was done at the PSU/controller box which then had different outputs. Still think it was data +/- going to the fixture along with power on these ones. Presumably, the system was based in part on their scroller control. 

I don't imagine your tubes to be the same, XLR4 always seems to be the "we needed a connector that isn't XLR3 or XLR5, so we used that".

Examination of the internals will tell you more if you don't have any more details of the brand/model. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by indyld

[partyanimallighting]

Hi indyld, I remember having a few of those Chroma-Q's. The LED's were basically just an LED diode plate in a housing with a long cable leading back to the central controller and I believe you selected your DMX adresses at this controller. I'll open up one of the sticks and see what it's all about. What's baffling is only 4 pins. Unless the shield is used as a common ground between 12V or 24V in and DMX ground. Is this possible? That would leave the 4 XLR pins to send 12V or 24V power and individual R, G and B control. I'll know more when I disassemble.

[timsabre]

4 pins will probably be positive power, then negative R, G, B. The driver box just switching the negative side of the power to the LEDs.

As musht says your X-power driver is a constant current driver for six 1W-type LEDs in series. It won't work to drive 12V or 24V constant voltage LED.

[sunray]

9 hours ago, partyanimallighting said:

... As for the sticks I found, I can't remember how they were driven but the box lists them as 12VDC and there's a 4 pin XLR connector in and out, nothing else. There are also dip switches for DMX addressing on the back of the unit so a good question would be (seeing that I can't remember) what supplies the 12V to these units? There will be R, G and B feeds and + accounting for the 4 pins in the XLR but how are these sticks powered? As I said, I can't remember but I "believe" that they were driven by a central controller box with 4 pin XLR outputs. I'll open one of these sticks up and post pix but I'm hoping I can bypass the DMX circuitry in each stick and drive the LED diode PCB directly with the X-Power.

If I read this right: each 'stick' had XLR4 in & out and DMX address DIP's.

If that's correct, my assumption (and be aware it is only an assumption) : Pin 1 - 0V, pin 2&3 - DMX, pin 4 - 12V. And the 'central controller' not much more than a power supply and possibly a DMX splitter.

 

I have encountered something similar but 5 pin , (2&3 - RS485, 4 - 0V, 5 - 24V).

However it's also feasible they may be slave units and the address may not strictly be DMX.

[musht]

Afair Color Bloc was constant current driver and PSU in one box , LEDs in other. Partly to avoid CKs patents at the time, Pulsar's early stuff also has constant voltage driver/PSU split from light up bit.

Can go for a long distance on slim copper between CC driver and LED, driver will compensate for V drop to keep current in loop constant. Almost only used on big 1W+ LEDs.

3/5mm LEDs more usually on Constant Voltage drivers, on 12V commonly 3 in series with a resistor, LEDs need to be close to driver or voltage drop is visible, white turns reddish towards end of strip as blue and green have higher forward voltage.

 

 

 

[indyld]

Now trying to recall all the various Chromas, Blocks, Blasts and whatnots from that era. And feeling like it was all a very long time also. (And pixel web. Color Web? Lor.)

Some Chroma Q control units had data but perhaps the 4 pins of the Blocks were as you say, power and three returns. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by indyld

[Tom Baldwin]

Pretty sure at least one generation of the ChromaQ color block was power+data over the 4 pin XLR, because you could daisy chain them and achieve individual cell control. There was no addressing on the blocks, you set that on the control unit/ PSU. I assume the protocol must have followed the same pattern as all the WS2812 and similar LEDs now, where everything acts as a shift register: the data is clocked through all the units until every unit has been given a fresh value, and then on some signal all the units adopt the value(s) they've been left holding.