For LEDS, just get a large used HO power pack.
These already have DC output, and remember that at 20ma per led leg (can be single or in series) you can drive 50 cl2’s with a 1 amp DC supply.
Better yet just use a discarded laptop supply. Dell supplies are now over 4 amps at 19 volts. 4 amps gives 200 cl2 legs and at 19 volts you can tie at least 5 leds in series, 1000 led lights at less than 100 watts form the power company.
I think what Pete is asking is: "Is there a system that I just hook the wires to the LEDs instead of using resistors or Current Limiting (CL get it, CL2) integrated circuits?
The answer is yes, sort of. I have seen power supplies that supposedly connect to LEDs at a fixed voltage that sort of work, but they cannot work well in a situation where there’s different length of wire to the LEDs and also cannot run the LEDs at their optimum power.
This all gets back to you need to control the CURRENT to an LED as opposed to the voltage.
The Malibu systems have a sort of controlled voltage and work with incandescent lamps. If you add more lamps, the voltage goes down and they all get dimmer. No danger, just poor performance.
So suppose you want to have a common power supply for LEDs… you would have to have it control the CURRENT to run a LED, say 20 milliamps.
Now you want to add another LED, oops, you need 40 milliamps (as long as they reasonably “share” the current, another gotcha). So now you need a switch on the power unit to set the current.
So this is an issue, by the time you have a programmable power supply, you could have simply put a resistor or CL2 on each LED and be done with it.
If you look at the replacement LED lights for outdoor Malibu systems, EACH LED unit has it’s own current regulation system built inside.
Greg
Pete Lassen said:
Does anyone make a commercial made unit to take the “Malibu” power and convert it to where it will run LED building lights? After reading all 3 pages of this it is really clear what I DO NOT know. Maybe with some time,and some video or pictures I can get it but for now I can hope that someone will make something for this task. “Malibu” power seems to be an easy way to go , with direct bury wire and I want LED lighting for less electrical use it provides, and it seem like to me anyway the best way to procede.
If you look at the replacement LED lights for outdoor Malibu systems, EACH LED unit has it’s own current regulation system built inside.
Greg, I havent look at the componants in a while. I didnt know that they made such a thing.
Isn’t that what Pete is looking for? A, premade, hickey thing, to hook to the Malibu system, to drive the LEDs he is using for lighting.
I found great replacements for my outdoor lights, the 2 pin variety, the fancy companies want $20 to $30 per “bulb”, the 20 watt replacement, I bought on ebay for $4 to $5 each.
If you look around, you can find these, but you don’t need 20 watt equivalent of light.
As far as I can tell, every alternative has been presented on this topic.
Greg
Well honestly I don’t think it can get a whole lot simpler that rectifying the AC current to DC and then limiting the current with the CL2. I don’t even know what a cl2 is yet and can’t find them on digikey or?? but just what has been described here will be a cake walk. The rectifying can be done at the source or at the building. If only DC is desired then rectify the source. If AC is desired (to use the Malibu lights)then rectify at each DC location (individual building or ???).
Pete these guys can make it all sound so complicated and I am a neophyte when it comes to this stuff. But what I have learned is that if you can solder then you can do this. Most electrical do dads are cheap when bought in bulk. A little knowledge and some soldering and you have a very solid system. The biggest thing is don’t be afraid to do it. I used to fret about it but LEDs are pretty friendly and fun to work with.
Dave Bodner describes using a CL2 in his article http://trainelectronics.com/LED_Articles_2007/LED_104/index.htm
Greg, and David. After taking 15 minutes to read David Bodners articles everything makes so much more sense, I get what is happening now and see how I could light buildings with 9v batteries or a DC power supply, as long as the LED’s have a CL2( Thanks Greg for telling me what that stood for) between the power and the LED. Like I had said I need to see to figure these things out. I am going to bookmark Mr Bodners page for reference. Thanks guys!!
I think now I can re read the whole post and understand a lot more of what is being said
Thanks to Devon for the whole post, you seem to be a few steps ahead of me and asking all the questions before I get that far in the thinking.
Well Pete I think we are much the same. We have the desire but fear our own limitations and we are not good with being told how, we have to see it. I get that. It seems so confusing and then all of a sudden it’s ah ha.
Just so long as its not ha ha As in ha ha, you let out the magic smoke.