RGB LED lighting controller

Question

I am after an RGB controller or amp capable of powering 8 x strips of the RGB lights that come on 5 meter reels, which are 36W each. The problem T have is the client has supplied the lights which come with their own controller, but are only designed to run 1 strip and I need 8 of them to run at the same time. The client has bought an amp, but after a lot of messing around it will not work. So after whipping the lid off the controller I have noticed the terminals are - R G B and on one of the other controllers the terminals are + R G B so it seems I have two batches of lights, but I don't know the difference. The amp we have will work with the lights and controller marked + R G B but the client has just bought ten new sets of lights for this display and the controller is the - R G B. Is there a way I can run these through an amp with the +RGB terminals?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

It seems "possible to likely" that the relative polarity of the two controllers is reversed.
Whether the controllers and strips will work together depends on how they the strips are wired.

If you have the +ve and -ve ends of 3 colours of LEDs available (R+, R-, G+, G-, B+. B-) then you can probably just " turn the LED strips around end for end". BUT it is more likely that

• One controller expects common Anode LEDs where the +ve Anodes are joined together and you drive -ve cathodes separately - so you get terminals Common+, R-, G-, B-.

• The other controller expects common Cathodes with -ve Cathode end of LEDs common and +ves brought out so you get terminals common-, R+, G+, B+.

IF this is the case then the two systems are incompatible without either extra equipment.
In some cases cutting and rejoining of the internals of the LED strips may be posisble if they have used separate R, G, + B LEDs but in most cases the RGB is liable to be in one LED package and cannot be re-arranged.

If you can provide specific controller and LED strip brand and model references and ideally web links we should be able to suggest a controller design that would do what you want OR be able to suggest that you quit while you are behind.

Obvious in hindsight advice: When buying such equipment one should either know what is involved and be sure re compatability OR have a supplier guarantee that the components will interoperate and that you have right of return if this is not the case. (This is a lesson that your client needs to learn and you may or may not be in a position to "safely" teach it to them :-).)

Answer 2

You need a "Common anode to Common cathode LED Power Repeater" similar to this one. You can daisy chain LED Repeaters to power additional strips.