LED driver Amperage

Using Arduino General Electronics
1

Hi,

I have had no luck getting an answer from the manufacturer, so I am hoping someone here can guide me with this basic question.

I have purchased a 6 channel LED driver. It has input voltage range of 6v to 30v. It lists its output amperage has 3 settings 350ma, 700ma, and 1A.

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I would like to know if I can connect this driver directly to my Power Supply?
The PS is a 24v 16A 400 w.
Or, am I going to need to lower the amperage between the PS and the driver?

Thanks for any help here! I don't want to end up frying these drivers.

2

They'll only use as much current as they need.
So long as the voltage limitation (6-30V) is adhered to then you're OK.
It may be that there's a power (V*A) limitation where it can work with more current at lower supply voltages (my speculation.)
A power supply that can do for a lot of current will be less "forgiving" in the event of a mishap than a more modest supply.

3

am I going to need to lower the amperage between the PS and the driver?

Common misconception but the current rating of a power supply is only what it can deliver not what it will deliver.
http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Tutorial/Power_Supplies.html

4

Grumpy_Mike:

am I going to need to lower the amperage between the PS and the driver?

Common misconception but the current rating of a power supply is only what it can deliver not what it will deliver.
Power Supplies

There's a thing called Ohm's law which I believe is relevant.

5

The device by the look of it has 6 identical constant-current switch-mode power supplies. These are likely to be about 80 to 90%
efficient so you can calculate the power (and thus current) it requires from the nature of the loads (LEDs) you connect it to.

So if you connected one of them to a string of 4 white LEDs at a setting of 700mA, and assuming each LED has about 3.5V
forward voltage, then it will output 14V at 0.7A, which is 9.8W. You can assume then that about 11 to 12W is needed at the
input to support that, and at 24V than means about 500mA from the supply for just that channel - sum for each channel.

(I haven't checked the ratings for the device, I don't know what output voltage range it can handle, nor the max power
per channel, nor the actual efficiency, but that's the sort of calculation you use with switch-mode supplies:
power in = power out / efficiency)

6

Grumpy_Mike:

am I going to need to lower the amperage between the PS and the driver?

Common misconception but the current rating of a power supply is only what it can deliver not what it will deliver.
Power Supplies

Thank you so much! Especially for the link.

Did you publish this site? Absolutely brilliant resource for me! I just got done with the tutorial on arrays, and for a newb like me it is just the information I need to learn! Although I have to go over it again to get it to sink in :blush:

7

Thanks.
Yes it is my site. Have an explore of it as there are workshops and hardware projects documented there as well.
Also som 3D photography and a few music gigs.