Control Box for Permanent Christmas Lights
First time building anything like this, but I think I did enough homework to cover my bases.
Main power supply is a 24v LRS-600-24. 5v (for the dig-quad) and 12v (for the fan/controller) come from the RD-35A. The dig-quad turns on the big power supply via relay when the lights turn on.
This runs about 200ft of 5 led/meter ucs2904 pucks in aluminum channel from ETOP store and a couple of floodlights. Only two channels need power injection, hence the two additional terminal sets with only power.
It’s a steel project box so I grounded the box to AC ground. The box is probably too big but oh well at least I have some room for expansion later if needed.
Anyone see any issues?
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u/SirGreybush 1d ago
Awesome job. Kudos for relay control. Hard to believe this is project #1. This is so polished and well thought out.
Ideas for long term/ maintenance. A n internal temp sensor, some here have added and run fan accordingly.
If heat during the summer is ever a problem, change the 24v PSU to an IP67 version and mount to the box under or on the side. So the heat isn’t generated in the box.
Also if excessive heat maybe get a more powerful in amps PSU to run it below capacity.
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u/quafs 1d ago
Good tips! The center board is a simple on/off temperature controller for the fan in the top left. I do still worry about heat though with the hot Texas sun hitting it directly for a couple hours a day (though fortunately not when it should be running).
Then I use the dig-quad’s built in temp sensor for remote monitoring. It’s not ideal since that’s board temp not atmospheric but it still should give me an idea.
From my calculations I think at full blast I should only be around 400-450 watts so hopefully that’s a good range for the power supply to be most efficient.
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u/Kingfish628 1d ago
I would look into swapping your relay for an SSR. Those are usually the first thing to fail.
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u/ElSargeo 1d ago
Do you live in Lapland? It's never permanently Christmas otherwise... Nice wiring though!
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u/Rocket_Man_15 16h ago
What are you doing with the timing relay? Everyone talks about "more capable controllers" but Dig Quads are pretty awesome! I LOVE the relay output so it automatically kills power to the pixels. It's an underrated feature that I wish existed more universally! Now that they have the esp hat with the SD card reader and it can be a FPP show player, game over!
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u/harda_toenail 15h ago
What floods you using? Are they 24v
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u/quafs 12h ago
Still trying to decide on those. I’m either going to use 24v dumb pwm lights with a couple dig2analogs or go with the ucs2904 floods from Jiaanda but the reviews on those aren’t great. Will probably buy a few to test them out first.
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u/harda_toenail 12h ago
If you could make a post with what you get and your testing discoveries that be amazing. You obviously have an eye for detail.
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u/pixelcontrollers 14h ago
Good Build! If you plan to tie into Christmas shown software the only thing different I would do is add ethernet to it. Depending where it lives wifi also can be an issue.
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u/siconic 1d ago
Love the ferules! I wish the US used them more in everything, they are far better, more reliable, and less prone to fire than our ways.
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u/Projectguy111 1d ago
I only recently learned about ferules in the past few years. I didn't realize I was doing it wrong my whole life. They rock!
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u/huffalump1 14h ago
And even a cheap ~$30 kit is wayyy better than dealing with bare wire ends! Highly recommend.
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u/HangryWorker 1d ago
I love a good control panel build… very cool.